Author Topic: A Second Letter from Nina O.  (Read 3291 times)

Joe Carillo

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4646
  • Karma: +202/-2
    • View Profile
    • Email
A Second Letter from Nina O.
« on: January 23, 2017, 05:53:22 PM »
I thought long and hard before I decided to post this second letter of Nina O. in the Forum because I felt that its expressions of admiration for me and my three English-usage books were a little too excessive for comfort.* Eventually, however, my strong reservations in having it seen and read by eyes other than mine were eventually overcome by one obvious thing: that what Nina has written is clearly not rank flattery but a sincere, honest-to-goodness—if at times soaring—effort to express appreciation and gratitude for the marked improvement in her writing that she credits to having read my three books six years ago. Indeed, by and itself Nina’s letter is her self-administered final exam on writing in English, and from the evidence of her letter below I don’t think anyone will begrudge her a good grade; in fact, I won’t hesitate in giving her a B+. That said, all I can do now is to keep her privacy forever so as to spare her and myself the onus of possibly being branded partners in mutual admiration. As I did the first time, therefore, I will simply refer to her as Nina O.

WOMAN WRITING WITH LAPTOP PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSES ONLY

Here’s Nina O.’s second letter:

January 19, 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 things that confuse me about some grammar terms and usage.

Your response made me realize the error in 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 in your response when you restructured that sentence. I didn’t give much thought to this. The past perfect should have been used because these are two actions that happened in the past; therefore, one of the past actions 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 for me 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 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 the unit owners have expressed their sincere admiration for the letters and narrative reports I have written.  Sir, you are the best!

Sincerely yours,
Nina O.
------
*“A letter from a purchaser of my English-usage books six years ago”

« Last Edit: January 27, 2023, 08:03:51 AM by Joe Carillo »