Lamppost - Profile

Is it not hypocritical to comment on immigrants' standard of English usage when so many natives cannot use their own language correctly? The opening submission in this conversation would have received about half a dozen corrections if checked carefully by a teacher of English.

This cannot help immigrants with a genuine wish to acquire fluency in both spoken and written English, nor is it setting a worthy example for the next generation of native youngsters to follow. A prospective employer, faced with a large volume of applications, can simplify selection by eliminating first those whose use of language is disconcertingly deficient, citing unsuitability to represent the organisation or inability to communicate as the reason, if asked.

This might seem like the whingeing of an old pedant, but I have found that the concise, precise and fluent use of English to be a great asset in both instruction and persuasion.

Wonder how long the rail strikes would last if bank employees handling the salaries of union officials went on strike each time.

Might be severe, but when you have a monopoly you are not too worried about the culprit going elsewhere.

Many years ago I worked for a local authority with respect to general rates. The chief rating officer had a simple policy for habitual bad payers. Rates were payable on demand, in theory. Seven days after the demand went out, he would initiate bankruptcy proceedings against bad payers who had not responded. The effects were spectacular.