Dressing up your English

Inspired by Stephen Fry

It’s not a question of “right” or “wrong”.

It’s a question of context.

Photo:

Stephen Fry dressed as Oscar Wilde.

It’s so often that people come to me with questions about English, and they invariably ask something like:

Can I say it like that?

Does it sound okay to say it like that?

Is it appropriate?

And the answer I always want to give is: It depends.

As most of my clients (and most of my friends, who also ask me these things) are already advanced users of English, it’s hardly ever a question of “right” or “wrong”, but a question of context.

I don’t know anyone who ever explained the importance of context more beautifully than Stephen Fry in the video below.

Stephen Fry, if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of coming across him, is a widely beloved “national treasure”, known for his acting, writing, personality, philanthropism, and, famously, for his love of the English language.

Like me, though, Stephen Fry takes no pleasure in going around telling people that they are using English wrongly and that they should say this and never ever say that.

Instead, he relishes (=really, really enjoys) the richness of the English language, the endless delights of its many forms and varieties, and the fun to be had in playing with it and pushing it to its limits., as he so beautifully describes in the video here:

So think about that the next time you worry about your English being too basic, or making mistakes, or not knowing a suitably fancy word for what you want to say.

“Dressing up” your language is an option that is available to you, not a must. You can probably manage to do everything that you need to get done, just the way you are now. With the clothes on your back, so to say, and you should be just fine. And if it’s your wish to enjoy and explore your language a bit more deeply and learn to express yourself more freely and beautifully, you can book a call here. :)