: Re: What does it mean when someone says "it doesn't sound very natural"? I hear this pretty often when I say/write something, be it in text messages or emails or on any social media/forums. What

@Karen856

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Natural refers to language that native speakers say or write. It is possible to write sentences which are not natural, by using words that wouldn't normally be used, or using word order that makes sense but is unusual, or by speaking/writing in a way that is unsuited to the situation.

An example would be if a person always spoke as if they were dictating a legal contract, using only a small number of precise terms. Or if every phrase they said was a Billboard top 100 song lyric. Or if unusual word order like Yoda they use.

To make your writing seem more natural, you need to read more and practice writing sentences that match the patterns you see in real life. You need to develop a sense of which words to use and where, and which kinds of sentences to use and which to avoid. You need to have appropriate grammar and choose the appropriate dialect and register.

For what it's worth, what you've written in your question sounds perfectly natural to me.

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