How to learn English?

[Sayyida]

Actually I can’t jump the 13th day of the month. Normally I passed the date. But any special occasion or exam or some think like that I was little bit worried. So I can manage that day. Now I have some strengthen that It is usual then other days.
I am working with a organization. I have the appointment. Some time I need for my job or some time I need for my director. Yes there are mant kind of appointment for our day life. We need appointment for doctor, teacher, Government officer, layer or some special person those who are very busy.
To day I thought how many appointment I have got. Only two, not so much. I have to think more.
Sayyida

[Loetji]

Hi Torsten.

It always great to share our experience in learning english.
when I strated learning it , internet wasn't a common thing like present day.
I tried to read news paper , the I chose short articles. I took easy topic such as gossip and traveling . then I cut them up and collected them. I under line the unfamiliar words and looked for the meaning in dictionary .
but after sometime I got bored.
then I tried to change the way I watch films.
I used to focused on the subtitles, I tried to both listened to the words and read the subtiles. I took note for the new expressions I heard.
I found it really fun. sometime my friend asked me why I always took pencil and paper when i watched films.
I have been doing it up until now.

best regard.
loetji

[Quangquang]

Hi Torsten,
I've learned English for a long time and I learn it by many methods. But if we only learn English by grammar book or listen your cassettes that we don't usually speak English directly, I think it will not effects much. I really want to improve my skill English by talk directly to each other.
Can you open a chat room that everyone can join and chat voice to each other. Weekly we're going to talk about one subject and every member can join in and discussion.
Have a nice day,
Quang

[Jeanstrang]

Good evening ( maybe it is in the morning or in the afternoon in your countries),
I have speaking problem like Quang :cry: . In many years since I started learning English, my listening, writing and reading skills are developed sharply but my speaking seems fixed. I have tried many many ways to improve my Speaking but when I said with someone I forgot vocabulary so I said falteringly. But I have a few of experiences in learning grammar, vocabulary, and listening.First of all, I think that it will be easy when you study very hard. If you are lazy, you will have problems. I don't say all of you because there are exceptional cases. I often review grammar and read special examples. Reading special examples helps you remember in a long time. I often learn new worlds through games ( such as Dreamday Honeymoon),English stories, songs and news. I listen news on BBC or a few of English channel. It helps me practice listening and new words.
I want to learn more experiences from all of you!!! :D

[Hoanghuong]

Hi everybody!!

I have read all commentary above and I was also one of the people who want to find the best way learning English. As Mr Torsten said, Consistency is the key to success in speaking, listening, reading, and writing English.. Maybe ,you know a lot of way learning English and try to practise it regurlary. But after a few times, you get frustrated with new word, new structures, new expressions...... Sometime, you wonder that Why did you forget new words easily though you just learnt it last night?. About me, I tried to learn by heart 10 to 20 new words everyday and also listened to some news on the VOA or watched Films. I tried practising for several times and I found my skill English is getting better than before. I feel happy. Afterward, I've taken a middle- term test for 2 weeks . when I finished my test , I started learning English again. At that time, I realized I forgot what I have learnt at all. It's hard for me to find the best way learning English. How long could I speak English as fluently as I desired????

[Sayyida]

I am thinking what the difference between social entrepreneurs and business entrepreneurs is. Social entrepreneurs those who have social activity, they are doing awareness of people for their rights, they tried to understand them about their work from getting tanning, workshop and seminar. For the event issues raised locally which they need. Say one person or maybe one organization goes to some slam or village. First they identified their need. That people are very poor. Poverty is their main problem. So they need the job. What the organization or that gay are do? These organization or these gays want to do them. So they planed to train them. They select 50 participants. They make a training module. Six month they trained them including aware of their rights. They gave cash capital for doing some business and give them market support. I think these activities are social entrepreneurship.
And business entrepreneurs are simple. All the activity is related with profit. They never worried about poverty or poor people. They need only profit. What you think?

[Maryann]

Hi to everyone. Really nice topic for a discussion here. There are so many methods developed by different scholars that you can choose any of them that is perfectly suitable for you. But the most stupid thing that makes me angry is when some people say than thanks to their mathod you'll learn English in 3-5 months. I don't believe this! And you? Is anyone here who can prove it? I was studying for 5 years at the University staying among lecturers and students speaking English but still can't say that I know the language as I'd like to. It really needs much work (unless you are a prodigy),patience and a GREAT desire!I have many group-mates that left for USA and they said they still had problems in expressing in English after staying there for 2 years. As for me I improve my knowledge by watching dvd movies without subtitled (as most of the forumers if i can say like that): "Che Guevara", "You Stupid Man", "Finding Nemo","Futurama", "Friends" and others. I was lucky to subscribe a mag here in my country based on studying FL and they offer movies and different literature in English. But the best thing for us is to speak in English, even to ourselves, and think in English. Expressing thoughts in English will help you to find out new words and soon you'll feel free speaking about daily subjects.

Thanx for reading and attention, that was my opinion :)

Maryann

[Suada]

hy everybody...
(i am aware that I'm a bit late but i didn't have a proper connection)i personally enjoy reading books written by English authors and at the moment I'm reading Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down and it's awesome. also i watch BBC quite often and every day i listen to some audio cassettes and i can proudly say that i understand each word those people are saying. it's fun to learn English :P

[Pravi_2]

Hi All,

A person can not become a master in any language unless he/she can UNDERSTAND, SPEAK and WRITE fluently in that language. I believe, reading books, watching/listening to movies/news or conversing with others in english(or with themselves) may not make a person master in English, since WRITING aspect is missing in this approach.

I feel, writing also needs to be practiced. I write small one page essays and I ask my native English speaking friend to correct the same. This I do on a day to day basis or whenever I am free. I choose small moral stories as topics for my exercises.

What is your say on this approach friends? :)

Best Regards

Pravi

[Sunflower.baby]

Hi friends,
I'd like to share you guys the following email received from the web site (EffortlessEnglishClub.com). I do think it's useful and AJ said what I've done for years (thanks AJ).
Check it out yourselves and let me know if you have any concerns. It's a long email actually.

Here is the content of the email:
--------------------------------------------
You're Not Stupid!
[i]Hi. Today I want to talk about error correction.

Error correction is a controversial topic. A lot of people have strong emotions about it.

Most English teachers believe that error correction is necessary. In fact, they think it's vital. Many students, who have been trained by their schools and teachers, also believe that they need to have their speaking errors constantly corrected.

My students, therefore, are a little confused when I tell them, "I will never correct your spoken errors".

Some people get upset when I say this. Other English teachers get upset. They feel I am committing a sin- that I am committing English education heresy!

Some students even get upset. They beg me, "AJ, please correct my speaking errors". I always say "no".

Of course, traditional English classes love error correction. When a student speaks, the teacher will directly or indirectly focus on their mistakes. For example, a student stands up in class. She says, "Yesterday I had good time. I go to store and go shopping".

At this moment, the student feels nervous because all of the class, and the teacher, are listening to her. But she also feels happy- she just spoke English. She just communicated information clearly in English.

But her happiness is soon destroyed by the teacher. If the teacher is nice, he will say, "OK. Yesterday you had A good time. You WENT to THE store and WENT shopping."

If the teacher isn't nice, he will say, "No. You need to say A good time... and you didn't use the past tense. You're talking about yesterday. What is the past tense of go"?

Either way, the student now feels foolish and stupid. She now thinks, "English is so difficult,... I'll never be good at English". Her motivation is destroyed.

But it's even worse. Because error correction is TOTALLY ineffective. There have been many, many studies of spoken error correction. For example, they divide students into two groups. Group 1 has their mistakes corrected constantly, for 3 months, or 6 months, or 1 year. Group 2 never has their speaking errors corrected.

At the end of several months or years, they test each group. Surprisingly, there is still absolutely no difference in their speaking accuracy or errors. Each group still makes the same number and type of mistakes.

Correcting speaking errors is a waste of time... and it hurts the student. Error correction kills speaking speed and fluency. Every time a spoken error is corrected, the student stops, thinks, and analyzes English grammar.

Over time, their speech gets slower and slower. They think slowly and carefully about everything they say. They are paralyzed by the worry of making mistakes.

If you have a tutor, NEVER ask them to correct your spoken mistakes. Instead, focus on listening to correct English. The more you listen to correct English from native speakers, the more you automatically correct your own mistakes.

Your speech becomes more accurate AND faster- and it happens effortlessly and automatically.

So forget error correction. Don't focus on the negative. Don't focus on mistakes.

Focus on the positive. Focus on listening to a lot of real English from native speakers.

And when you speak... just relax and speak. Focus on communicating ideas, not on perfect grammar. With time, your grammar will improve automatically.

Good luck!

AJ Hoge
Director
Effortless English, LLC
EffortlessEnglishClub.com

[Juliafekete]

Hy Sunflower Baby!

I've read the message about correcting mistakes in spoken English.

I think they're absolutely right. Reading the message I've remembered that I had the same experience in class when I was 14 (general school, 7'th grade) I think. I had a bad English teacher who didn't like me. I had difficulties at reading aloud in front of other people because of my eyes. She knew this and she was torturing me intentionally. In every English class she told me to read. Naturally she was correcting me all the time. One day I felt that I couldn't support that any more and I told her that I won't pronounce a single word at her class. I hated her and unfortunately a started to hate English as well because of her.

Next year I went to a particular teacher and soon I learned lot of things. But my real love for English started 3 years ago I think when I first met a native English speaking missionary. Then I felt that I want to learn English to be able to speak with him.

He was organizing Bible study every Wednesday. I started to frequent his reunions. we were singing English worship songs for half hour. I was always taking notes. I write down the new words from the songs and soon I was able to understand them.
He was speaking an hour about certain quotations from the Bible. I was always siostening but never said my ideas. At first because I didn't understand what was he speaking about and after that because i didn't have much knowledge of Bible.
But these reunions helped me a lot.

In 2007 in October I started to frequent a course at a language school where I had the opportunity to meet native English speakers again. From there I bought the English books of the Headway English Course. These books helped me a lot because in them there are in organized way most of the grammar materials and there are a lot of exercises related to grammar.

I am watching movies also in English and I like very much English blues music. I' listening it almost every day. I don't like watching the news because I think that for me it is enough to confront my daily problems not to know other tragedies as well. I don't know why, but here in Romania in the news always talk about accidents and dead people or if not are shown people who have a grath income and have the possibility to travel around the world.

I think I'll never have the opportunity to become famous and this is why I don't want to know how good is for some people who maybe aren't as intelligent as me but they had much luck.

Something tragic happened in my life 2 and a half months ago and I was forced to move away from the town where I was taking the English course. Not I knew that my, maybe only, purpose is to keep studding English. Then I started to search for online English courses until I've found the www.english-test.net website. I think this site fits the best with my purpose. I can tell why. Because here are a lot of tests and I instantly receive the correct answers if I do mistakes and I can receive online support as well.

Thank you very much!
Julia

[Sayyida]

There is no limit for learning. It is absolute the on going process. Everyone can learn every think. Maybe it about education, cooking, makes, culturing or any other for people livelihood. But it should be. I don’t believe that it’s depending on age. But think is how they should learn.
Parents have the responsibility for their children. But who pass their childhood they have the responsibility for their own. Like English, I can’t speak and write good English because I don’t have practice. So what I do?
It’s very simple that its time to learn now.
Question is how can learn? I search how can learn in English in web side. Finally I found www.english-test.net . I enjoy it’s very much. I make a rutting for everyday.
I have been lessened news, watch tv and follow Torsten guideline. Now I felling very well. I understanding very well when I watching tv.
I beg my apology for my bad English.
sayyida
:)

[Emil]

hy,
the main problem for me is to write in english; so, i have to force my self to write more often...

[Emil]

hy
i'am sorry but i don't receive lesson 10; is it to muche truble for you to sent me again? thank you

[Hellokareem]

Yes, I know there are lot of way to improve my English, read English news paper loudly, wach english movies etc, but My point of view, if dosn't have experiance, cannot speak English at all. Now I am trying one method, think in English, I believe this is the best way to improve My English.