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You're right about not letting the little details get in the way of using a language. When I start to do that myself, I think of an old friend of mine, who is speaking in the video clip I'm sharing here. I think he was about 80 when this was recorded, so he had lived in California for about 50 years. He never really did master English, and yet for all the years I knew him, he was a fluent communicator with students of every background. His personality, his love of people and of his art always came through clearly, not at all hindered by his fractured grammar and limited vocabulary. And nobody loved him less for the imperfection of his English.

https://youtu.be/nYdEryI_ciw?si=QeapwD1n4yd3mlux&t=108

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