A lot of people ask if it is possible to learn English without having to live in an English speaking country. It is hard and it takes motivation and effort, but it is possible. You sound like you are overwhelmed with the process. It takes time! Below are the steps one must take to accomplish this goal.
First, take the standard English I and II classes to be introduced to the grammar and vocabulary. This is just a starting point. Ask anyone who has completed these two classes if they are fluent. It doesn’t happen that quickly, but it is a good start. Take the classes for what they are, ask as many questions as you can during the semester and don’t be hard on yourself. Nobody remembers all of the vocabulary and grammar at first. It even takes little kids living in a new country over a year to really speak fluently. Next, watch as much TV in English as you can. Hearing the language while seeing what is happening is a great tool and mirrors what kids do when they are learning. You will hear words on the TV that you have covered in class and they will start to stick. Just memorizing the words you are given in the textbook is a tough way to learn. Being exposed to English vocabulary and then hearing it in a real conversation is how it sinks in. Watching the actor’s mannerisms and actions as they say the words is a great exercise. The main thing on this, especially for the first few months, is to realize that you are not going to understand a lot of it. If you can relax and just go with it you will retain a lot more. Don´t try to analyze every single sentence. Save that for when you are reading in English. Besides watching TV watch your favorite DVDs with the English subtitles on. Watch the movies you´ve seen a bunch of times. Since you already know what the lines are going to be in English you can concentrate on how it is said in English. Another integral step is to get yourself in situations where you can speak in English with natives. With the amount of English speaking immigrants in the US this can be done from pretty much any town. Restaurants tend to have a lot of English speaking immigrant workers. As a waiter you can befriend a English speaking employee and practice all you want. Non profit groups are always looking for ESL teachers to teach Basic English classes. These classes will have plenty of native English speakers. Community colleges offer non credit conversational English classes where you will find others that want to practice. If none of these suggestions are available or if you can´t get to these locations the internet has plenty of opportunities too. Type in English/English chat room in your browser and you will see a bunch of sites that have chat rooms for people to practice their English with native speakers. Through Skype you can practice/speak with a native speaker live and actually see them. Lastly, read in English as much as you can. Make sure to vary the genres that you are reading. Read the newspaper, but also read novels and even instruction manuals in English. Covering these different types of readings you will be exposed to all kinds of vocabulary and grammar and even culture in English. When you are reading is the time you can go slowly and concentrate on the grammar. Think about why things are written the way they are grammatically. Look up unknown words and grammar rules when you need to. Eventually you can power through a novel. Pick a novel that would be considered “light reading”. Don’t go for the classics or for intellectually challenging books right away. You will have to look up a lot of words no matter what book you read. That’s OK. When you finish read it again. You will be amazed at how many words you remember from having looked them up. Relax and don’t be hard on yourself. Languages take a while to learn. Practice, repetition and time are what are needed to really learn a language. You will eventually pick it up. Keep a positive attitude and have fun. On Aug 21, 7:42 am, Charles <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi briana, > > Thanks for your advice. > It's heart warming > > There's just some life goal problem. > Actually,it's a problem for bunch of Chinese college boys. > What are you doing now,for living? > > As I can recall,I didn't see you self-introduction before. > How old are you?Where are you from?What's your major?... > > nice to meet you > good days to you and all > Charles > > > > On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 11:01 AM, briana moore<[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Hi Charles, > > > It is important to strike a balance between studies and sports. Studying > > books, writing drills, listening to audio lessons and actual conversation, > > all are equally important. > > > It is important to keep oneself motivated and focused towards the goal. > > > I agree that it is not intelligent to think too much. We think only because > > of lack of concentration. You can do all the thinking once you attain your > > goals and taste sucess. :) > > > Good day! > > briana- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "English Learner's Cafe" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/english_learners?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
