Oh! Thanks for your grammar tips. Your tips reminded me of all those grammar and vocabulary points taught when I was in secondary school (much equivalent to middle school and high school in the US).

Well, I prefer having the tips here. I’m not quite used to the other platforms.

I learnt too much about “being objective” when I was at school, and so I think I do use passive structures too much. Perhaps I write English while I still think in Cantonese.

As for the quotation marks, I checked grammar books and I realised that they end at different places for British and American English. I grew up in Hong Kong and I will stick with the British placement. Maybe in the future my cousin from NYC will talk to me about this too. :)

And I find that you can think in Chinese as you can interpret exactly what I mean even though I wrote wordily and clumsily.

You understand the “ghost” thing PERFECTLY!

More to add about the “ghost" thing:
The hall of residence for my university is next to a locally well-known area of funeral homes. According to superstitions, cemeteries and funeral homes are places where ghosts staying in the living world live. So we often say that we live next to ghosts or with them back then.

Thanks very much for your sharing. “A Modest Proposal” blew my mind as I heard of it just now. I should read it to maybe reduce my stress level (all owing to the situations here), and practise/master/perfect my communication skills.

I may be able to communicate well with the irrationals. Brain is essential I wish everybody had one.