I would like to complement my ideas about this topic. One day I decided to learn English. One day I was translating a page of a MS-DOS manual, it was about Backups. It was a hard way. With my paper dictionary I had to look up many words! It wasn't pleasurably, but I felt pleasure after that hard work because I got that small aim.
I think that if you write and it takes longer that expected, is just an signal that you need to write much more, that perhaps there is still a long way to go. By the time you had written enough, you possibly will realize that you have achieved a milestone in the process of learning a second language, as it is in our case, the English. Well, something that helps to me, is to read what I write. In that way I can have a better text. I mean, perhaps my spoken English is more fluid that my written English, thus, it helps me. My 2 cents. Thanks, Pablo On 20 jul, 17:18, Pablo <[email protected]> wrote: > Beto, > > Keep listening/watching/writing. Keep practicing. The important thing > is that you enjoy your practice and that you understand what you read/ > listen to. The more you understand, the better. The more you enjoy, > the better. > > Here the link that Ed share to us: > > http://successfulenglish.com/2010/06/more-pleasure-more-english/ > > And to remember: > > "You won't learn anything from the movie if you don't understand it. > You probably won't enjoy it, either. :-( " > > I invite you to read the section "What to do when you don't understand > something" in: > > http://www.antimoon.com/how/movies.htm > > although I don't agree about this point: > > "If you are playing the movie from tape or DVD, you can stop it > whenever you don't understand a sentence." > > If you stop the movie whenever you don't understand a sentence, or opt > for looking up words in your dictionary, you are lost! you aren't > enjoying your movie at all! If you want do that exercise, use movie > clips > (e.g.http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo/orhttp://www.englishcentral.com/en/videos). > > Well, about the subtitles option, I think it's good and bad. Good > because you can learn new words/expressions. Bad because you don't > focus in your listening. > > Let's take an example. You watch a movie that you understand, let's > say a 70%. You don't turn subtitles on. So, what's next? You have to > watch it again with subtitles on, doesn't it? Or, if you are having > bad times: to turn subtitles on, just from the beginning, aren't you? > > Well, for me, an option might be: > > 1. Watch the movie once with subtitles on. > 2. Watch it again without subtitles, or better, listen to the movie- > audio, if you have or can extract the sound track of the movie. > > I think it does help to listen to them repeatedly. In that way we can > pay more attention to how the words are used. Because that's how the > acquisition of new words/expressions is achieved, I mean, listening to > them an enough number of times, doesn't it? > > Well, it's worth to extract some key phrases from Warren's article: > > "Look for books, podcasts, or movies that are 100% comprehensible > (understandable) so you can focus on the content, not the words." > > "Pleasure – that feeling of happy satisfaction you get from doing > something you really enjoy – is a strong indicator, or sign, that > whatever you’re reading or listening to is helping to improve your > English." > > "Focus on narrow reading and listening. Read books and listen to > podcasts or movies in a genre (category or kind) that you already find > interesting. Read or listen to the same topic or watch many of the > same kind of movie so that similar vocabulary will continue to > naturally come up until it is acquired." > > I hope it helps friends! > > Pablo > > On 19 jul, 06:04, Beto Camelini <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi, > > > To improve my english, I´m trying these things: > > 1. Reading more; > > 2. Listening more (even without understand everything, I don´t use > > subtitles); > > 3. Trying to understand words in context, avoid searching in a portuguese > > dictionary; > > 4. Watching movies; > > 5. Talking with others, by msn, discussion groups or, if possible, in > > person. > > > I think these are good steps to begin. > > > MSN e Google Talk: [email protected] > > Web: camelini.blogspot.com > > > 2010/7/18 rohan bhargava <[email protected]> > > > > Hi, > > > I like to tell you that problem you are facing happens to many people.It > > > is > > > very common problem to all begginers.Even this happen to me also.I used to > > > watch english movies,listen english songs but sometimes i don`t get them.I > > > don`t understand that dialog line. > > > Whenever,I speak in english a question is always going in my mind-"Is i am > > > saying right thing?".Sometimes i want to express my views but i don`t get > > > the appropriate words for them.So don`t worry for this.It will be all > > > wright.So i suggest you to keep practicing. > > > Take care > > > Rohan > > > > On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 7:14 PM, Eduardo Costa <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> Hi Beto, > > >> I know how you are felling, sometimes I fell the same when I´m writing, > > >> but this felling is decreasing as much I write. > > >> So I think as much you practice your writing skill (here in this group > > >> per > > >> example) will be better and better. > > >> Two things I had done to help me in this line: > > > >> First: I assumed I´m an english learn, so I had no obligation to write > > >> totally correct, the fact is that when I write I know that exists > > >> mistakes > > >> but I´m not so concerned about that. > > > >> Second: I revised my emails (informal) just one time.. no more. Just > > >> because every time I revise my own emails I changed what I had wrote. > > > >> Any suggestions ? > > > >> Take care > > > >> Ed. > > > >> On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 09:44, Beto Camelini <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >>> Hi folks! > > > >>> I´ve a big problem: I need think first in my native tongue everything I > > >>> try to talk or write in english. I´m trying to change this, but it´s > > >>> very > > >>> hard. I know that if I could find a method to do this, my english will > > >>> improve very fast, becausa I can understand most of things I read. Do > > >>> you > > >>> have any suggestion, based on your experiences? > > > >>> (Believe me when I say that I´m trying, but, for instance, write this > > >>> email is something very complicated and slow) > > > >>> Thanks a lot! > > > >>> MSN e Google Talk: [email protected] > > >>> Web: camelini.blogspot.com > > > >> -- > > >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > >> "ESL Podcast". > > >> To post to this group, send email to: [email protected] or just > > >> reply this message > > >> For invite your friends, visit: > > >>http://groups.google.com/group/eslpodcast/members_invite > > >> Know how help us, visit this FAQ at: > > >>http://groups.google.com/group/eslpodcast/web/frequently-asked-questions > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > > "ESL Podcast". > > > To post to this group, send email to: [email protected] or just > > > reply this message > > > For invite your friends, visit: > > >http://groups.google.com/group/eslpodcast/members_invite > > > Know how help us, visit this FAQ at: > > >http://groups.google.com/group/eslpodcast/web/frequently-asked-questions -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ESL Podcast". To post to this group, send email to: [email protected] or just reply this message For invite your friends, visit: http://groups.google.com/group/eslpodcast/members_invite Know how help us, visit this FAQ at: http://groups.google.com/group/eslpodcast/web/frequently-asked-questions
