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> ...and wondered "why does s/he speak English so well?" it's not because of school.

As an American, I've always been surprised when conversing with people from other countries considering their usage of English is not bad and is far better than those that are American natives. However, also as an American, I'm not surprised by the lack of skill in regards to the English language that is present amongst the population here (I'll use 'amongst' if I want, Chrome) due to the general disregard for the language (as if using the wrong form of your/you're is really that difficult or unimportant).

Edit: As is inevitable when one comments upon improper usage of a language, they tend to screw it up themselves. I have done just that. I will leave my mistake to commemorate it: "As an American, I've have always been..."

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The key distinction here is that native English speakers speak with whatever dialect that they grow up with. On the other hand, most ESL speakers try to learn a so-called "Prestige" dialect, like RP or General American. Thus, most fluent native speakers have a more prestigious accent and way of writing due to this, than those who speak English as a first language.

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That's a great point that I haven't thought of before! I tend to forget that when others learn a new language it is generally taught in the proper and/or polite manner.