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'Which English is correct -- British or American?'

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March 26, 2007

You have a  lot to express. But you tend to get tongue-tied when you have to say it in English.

Do you sometimes not use a word simply because you don't know how to pronounce it? Or  feel unsure about whether you are  using it correctly?

Which English is correct -- British or American?

Communcations expert Prajjwal Rai tackled  several  queries related to the English language during a chat on March 14.

For those of you who missed the chat, here's the transcript.


sahil asked,  I joining as CEO of Norton next month, please advice how to give a damn impressive speach
Prajjwal Rai answers,  As a CEO, there are several aspects that you need to keep in mind. Language accuracy is just one of them. You need to focus on body language, presentation skills, content and context, use of humour, etc. Make sure that your language is gender neutral.


rajeev_pre asked,  how to develop fluency
Prajjwal Rai answers,  The easiest way is to communicate as much as you can in the language that you desire to be fluent with. Do not be apprehensive about making mistakes and observe people who speak well.


sarvenu asked,  what is gender neuteral language
Prajjwal Rai answers,  Gender neutral refers to a speech that dosen't favour any gender. Use of 'Chairperson' is gender neutral. Traditionally we used 'Chairman'.


sanjaylata asked,  when to use there/their
Prajjwal Rai answers,  "Their" is a possessive pronoun like "her" or "our".

"There" generally refers to the position.


gurdeep asked,  what is difference between which and that in use
Prajjwal Rai answers,  If you are defining something by distinguishing it from a larger class of which it is a member, use "that". When the general class is not being limited or defined in some way, then "which" is appropriate.


Tirtha asked,  Hi Prajjwal...Which english is more correct - British or American???
Prajjwal Rai answers,  It depends on the context. Indian English came from UK English. American is a dialect of English and it is your personal choice to stick to any of these.


Aniz asked,  What is the difference between "shall" and "will". Can you please explain with examples?
Prajjwal Rai answers,  "Shall" is more suggestive. However, "will" is more concrete. "Shall" is no longer used in American.


san_d asked,  Usage of Who or Whom is confusing. Can you suggest some simple rules to follow to get it right?
Prajjwal Rai answers,  The distinction between "who" and "whom" is basically simple: "who" is the subject form of this pronoun and "whom" is the object form.


Prajjwal Rai says, Thanks a lot everyone. I am afraid I wasn't able to answer all the questions. Happy Learning! Till we meet again.


-- Prajjwal Rai is a Lead Training Consultant with WCH Training Solutions. He is a Cambridge CELTA certified Trainer and can be reached at prajjwal@wchsolutions.com

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