Success in communication is made up of a variety of nuances. The voice, speech, gestures and manners of the interlocutor can make a pleasant impression, or, on the contrary, can repel and put an end to communication. Philologist, public speaking coach and author of the popular book “Speak, I want more! How to convince and achieve your goals” Maria Kondratovich talks about the mistakes that grate on the ear and reveal illiteracy.
Asking for forgiveness by saying “I’m sorry”
It is debatable that the statement “I apologize” means I apologize to myself. But something else is indisputable. In most modern dictionaries, “I apologize” is considered a colloquial form, not a literary one. That is, it can be used in an informal setting. As they say, “not for the air.” Conclusion: not myself, but it is preferable to say “I’m sorry” or “I beg your pardon.”
Confusion in directions
How often can you hear: “I came from Moscow” or “We came back from vacation.” It’s easy to remember: when we talk about countries or cities, we use “iz”. And if we talk about islands or peninsulas, we use the preposition “s”.
“To lay down” instead of “to put”
The word “lozhit” does not exist in literary Russian. Without prefixes, for example, приПЛАЖАТЬ, подлоЖАТЬ and so on, it does not exist. It does not exist – period.
Until when?
Is it true that the correct word is “dó skol’kih”? Yes, it’s true. And for many, this is real shock content. And the stress is on the O. In the word “skol’ko” the stress is fixed: “Dó skol’kih are you open?”, “Sokó skol’kih start working?”
Pronunciation of “e” and “e” (and what does age have to do with it)
We can determine a person’s age by the way they pronounce sounds. For example, older people often pronounce the word “sex” with the sound [e], and “mem” with [e]. Why does this happen? There is no norm here. You just need to feel the language and its tendencies. The more relevant a word is for native speakers, the faster it begins to be pronounced with a soft consonant. The older generation says m[e]m, because this word is new to them, but s[e]ks is not.
Diminutives, or words with diminutive suffixes
How often do we hear “vodichka” instead of the word “water”: “have a drink of water”? It is appropriate to use diminutive forms to denote close relationships. If you strive for noble and beautiful speech, you should not overuse these forms without reason, saying “delicious milk”, “leave your phone number”, “play a song”, “give me back my money”, “you are a good person”.
Pleonasms
A pleonasm is a turn of phrase that contains unnecessary, repeated words or phrases. “A vacancy,” “a colleague at work,” “a professional in his field,” “price list,” “we met for the first time” – it is important to feel and understand that this is grammatically incorrect. Remember: the word “better” does not require the explanation “more.” It is better to fill speech with content than to mindlessly duplicate meanings.
How can an adult who has long forgotten his Russian language lessons at school improve his literacy?
● Read more. This is a great way to train your memory and expand your vocabulary.
● Check and clear doubts. Not sure? Google it, check and remember.
● Learn one rule a day. Constantly confusing “to put on” and “to wear”? Take the time to figure it out and learn it.
● Use a diary or a notebook. Write down words, phrases, turns of phrase – anything that is hard to remember.
● Be mindful of what you send to people. Approach the process of online communication consciously. Check what you want to send. Then you will not have to apologize for mistakes and blame T9 for everything.