I speak 'merican, I know what "I'm gonna warsh mah woof at da launder-mutt 'cause I gots me a qupon fer tew bucks off!" means.
In a professional setting I speak and write in American English to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of what I am conveying to them.
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian." - Henry Ford
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges; When the Republic is at its most corrupt the laws are most numerous. - Publius Cornelius Tacitus
I recently had a two-hour argument with a friend about the following sentence from a story on the Occupy movement. I said it was entirely improper, she said it was acceptable and she liked the way the author pointed out pieces of key information that highlighted the diversity of the movement. I'm all for highlighting interesting aspects... but... the author was clearly attempting to point out a lot of things at once, and ended up with the following abomination:
"A lady was knitting with her tent nearby, sitting in a wheelchair."
Was the lady sitting in the wheelchair, or was the tent?!?
Given context, it is very easy to determine that the lady in question was sitting in the wheelchair. From a grammatical standpoint, however, you are not to leave such things up to the interpretation of your readers.
(And in case you're wondering... it's called a "misplaced modifier")
I'll admit that when I read through the list, I was aware of many of the common-sense words... but I see some of my linguistic upbringing shining through! I've got a few in there that I'll need to watch out for. I was lucky, though... my father always tells us that things are "just across the street", and pronounces across as "AH-CROSS-T". Thank goodness I did not take on that one!
"A lady was knitting with her tent nearby, sitting in a wheelchair."
I can see why that sentence on its own is unclear and poorly constructed. When I first came to Colorado I was living in a condo that had a communal mailbox with message boards on all four sides. I recall one sign that said "Found half Siamese kitten..." which left me wondering what half was found and why anyone would bother to post a sign about it.
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian." - Henry Ford
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges; When the Republic is at its most corrupt the laws are most numerous. - Publius Cornelius Tacitus