I'm sorry, maybe I'm just an uncultured brute, who doesn't appreciate the subtleties and artistry of the 19th century English authors like Charles Dickens and his contemporaries....
But really, after reading a few pages of Great Expectations or a Tale of Two Cities, I have to say: those books are really, really boring. I'm not sure how they got to be venerated as classics of English Literature, but I have to say that 19th century English Literature has no way of competing with 19th century French Literature, or 20th century English Literature.
I'll read Catch-22 or For Whom the Bell Tolls instead anyday.......
So, being in Europe, I am amazed how well some people speak English, especially here in Germany. Maybe the French are not as good, but in any case the average French person speaks better English than the average American/Englishman speaks French. And the northern European countries are amazing at English...Denmark, Holland, Norway, etc.
So I guess English is indeed the international language, and learning it is important.... If one needs further motivation, you can see this:
Now that we've established that English is important to learn, what is the most effective way to learn it?
I vote for this method:
he he he he he....no wonder Japanese people speak English so well!
Anyway, once that's done, unfortunate situations like this one can be avoided! Win-win situation!
