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I've experienced much the same from the other direction, pigale. When you learn a language as a child, you don't need to know what all the parts are called. I've learned far more about how English works from trying to learn Italian!

That is quite interesting Chrise and confirms what I have often thought - the British people can afford to know very little about grammar, and still speak correctly, while with French (and other languages) you cannot go far without a fair knowledge of grammar - that is if you want to speak correctly, let alone spell.

Italian has always sounded lovely to my ears, unfortunately I do not speak it.

Hey Rusty, sorry for being a bore!

Agreement etc. in French and Italian makes it all much more complicated.

On the other hand, spelling is much easier than in English!

............however, I've seen a lot of discussion in various places bemoaning the frequent confusion between "well" and "good" - grammar would help there!

Yes, in a way, such as with this rule of 'i' before 'e' except ...etc
But there again there are exceptions in every language.

~What I like about English is that you do not encumber yourself with unnecessary words; just think we need 10 or 11 words just to say something equivalent to 'yours faithfully' or yours sincerely' - and we are no more polite than you are!

Spelling from hearing can be a nightmare. There's the old example (G B Shaw, I think) of

GHOTI









pronounced "fish" - gh as in "rough", o as in "women", ti as in "attention".

???? Sorry, don't get that one !

If GHOTI could be pronounced "fish", how would you spell "fish"?

ghoshi... don't know, you've lost me - and I might add that I am hopeless on logic problems!