Nuzzle and Scratch

One of the programmes I allow Bond to watch is Nuzzle and Scratch.

I am quite particular of the spoken English, and this program is well suited for him. It’s a funny 20 mins show by Cbeebies.

I do not speak perfect English. It is only with Bond’s existence that we are putting in effort to speak proper English. No short cuts. No “got”. No direct translation from Mandarin. As much as I try to speak well, I still stumble upon direct translation from Mandarin. Though I speak primarily English, it does not mean good English is coming out of my mouth.

For instance, I used to say, “At home i got this” which is a direct translation from Mandarin 在家我有这个 . I should have said, “I have this at home.”

Another example is, “Wait I take it for you.” 等一下我拿给你 I should have said, “I will take it for you later.”

There are many more bad English which I used. I have been putting effort, however it is not easy. So i hope Bond will learn proper English, else in future he will be facing the same kind of difficulty I am facing now.

With multi-language in Singapore, it takes doubly effort to master a language well. If PRC can speak good Mandarin and can also speak equally good English without mixing or direct translation, I believe we can too.