February 7, 2017
Dear Mr. Carillo:
Thank you so much for replying to my letter, discussing the difference between a verb phrase and a phrasal verb and clarifying on things that confuse me about some grammar terms and usage.
Your response made me realized the error on my letter in that particular sentence “When you introduced yourself to me, I was surprised because I bought your two books entitled “English Plain and Simple” and “Give your English the Winning Edge.” It should be “When you introduced yourself to me, I was surprised because I had previously bought two books of yours, ………….”, as shown on your response when you re-structured that sentence. I didn’t give much thought on this. The past perfect should have been used because these are two actions happened in the past; therefore, one of the past actions that happened first should be in the past perfect tense “had previously bought.” Am I correct on my understanding about the past perfect tense, Sir?
It’s true. Your three books are really great. I will always treasure these books for a lifetime. These are the best English books I have ever bought because all the topics were discussed completely and profoundly, with examples. I have never read a book as enjoyable, engaging, and effective as yours. I have learned a lot from these books. Further, what I like most about your second book “Give your English the Winning Edge” is the topic about paragraph transition. Moving from one paragraph to another paragraph is the most difficult part whenever I write, considering I am an IT person and English is not my forte. When I took time to really comprehend this topic, paragraph transition has become much easier, though I’m still progressively learning these transitional devices. I also like the topic about parallelism.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude for writing and publishing your three great books that are very useful for people like me who is keenly interested in improving my written and spoken English and communicating more clearly. At present, I have three (3) books of yours: English Plain and Simple, Give your English the Winning Edge, and The Ten Most Annoying English Grammar Errors (I also love this book so much, particularly the exercises and answer keys). May I know if you have new books published? I will gladly and quickly buy these from bookstores.
Mr. Carillo, my written English has improved significantly because of your books. Apart from my regular job, I am also the Corporate Secretary of our Home Owners Association. And I’m proud to tell you that all the members of the association and unit owners have expressed their sincere admiration for the letters and narrative reports I have written. Sir, you are the best!!!
Sincerely,
Nina Ortiz
