章节正文
Suggested Methods For Your English Learning:
Since English is the language that we need to have the command of, either at our job place or in our life, as follows are the methods I list down, basing on my limited experience, for your personal reference.
Learn To Love And Appreciate The Language!
English is an interesting and, some may say, beautiful language. It is useful, though not necessary, to appreciate and love the English language if you want to master it. This principle applies to all other languages. If you appreciate and love the language, you will find yourself more motivated to learn it. And as a result, you would find yourself totally engaged in enjoying every single sentence you listen to, speak, read and write. To appreciate a language is like to appreciate a piece of art, it requires the learners' passions, patience, and dedication.
First Step - Listening
The first step in learning English is listening. Research studies have shown that humans learn languages by listening, speaking, reading and writing.
The right places to start listening in English include radio programs, television programs and movies. As you listen to these programs, try to learn how English is spoken in those countries. Pay special attention to their grammar, choice of words and sentence construction.
Here are the practical materials or sources for your options:
Radio: BBC, VOA (Buy yourself a multiple-band radio or simply log on their official websites)
TV: TVB Pearl, ATV World, CCTV 9
Movies: Too many to recommend (Make sure you watch a movie a fortnight or a month)
Soap, comedies, TV dramas: Friends, CSI (DVDs of these include English subtitles)
Websites: ABC.com, Reuters.com (For reading)
Papers: 21st Century Weekly (DON'T try China Daily, you will get lost and drowned in way too many words of politics and economics) (For reading)
Second Step - Speaking
Like the baby who speaks after listening to its parents speak, you should also begin speaking in English once you have started listening to those radio programs, television programs and movies. When you come across a chance to speak, try to speak along as the radio presenter, newscaster or movie actor speaks. If you are alone and far in touch with the people around, speak to yourself. You may look and sound awkward at first, and you may not feel comfortable until you are used to being self-observed. If possible, speak into a recorder and then playback to find out how you sound!
Fortunately, there are plenty of good English speakers at our job place, both native and nonnative, to whom, you can seize every chance to speak. And make yourself sound like a foreigner, whereas use the simple words to build up short sentences to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. In this way, fluency creates a smooth and happy environment, in which you might get rid of the tension in between and gradually you tend to think in this language. Ask them to point out your mistakes so that you can avoid these mistakes in the future. Then ask them how you should have said that certain sentence in the correct way. Do this over time and you will speak in English more confidently in no time.
Believe that we are language experts or even linguists, as we are already qualified Chinese speakers. Moreover, Chinese is as a matter of fact a language that is more complex and complicated, as compared to most of other languages. We should have the necessary pride in the fact that Chinese does not seem that troublesome to anyone of us, and English is by the way believed to be the easiest tongue ever. Recall how we spoke Chinese when we are to speak English.
Third Step - Reading
In the same way, once you have learnt how to speak English comfortably, the next step is to learn how to read in English. Get a storybook, a newspaper, a magazine or any other material that is written in English by a qualified English writer.
As you read, observe how each English sentence is constructed. In most cases, if what you read in English is different from what you have heard or said in English, stick to the written form, that is, what you have read. This is because English in its written form has been more carefully planned, structured and edited, so that the final piece of writing is in proper English (if the writer is a qualified English writer).
There are two purposes in reading, to search for information and to learn and copy the ways the authors write. I hope we read with the combination of both. Don't be overwhelmed by the difficult vocabulary. You do not necessarily have to look up every new word in a dictionary you have trouble understanding, guessing the meanings of the words might be a recommendable choice. Of course it is not advisable that you are reading an article with the vocabulary outnumbering your personal limits, get yourself an easy or concise reader at the very beginning.
As you progress in your reading skills, shift your focus from observing the English sentence structure to understanding what you are reading. This is important because without comprehension, you will not be able to proceed to the fourth step in learning English------Composition.
Fourth Step - Writing
So now that you can listen, speak and read in English, what next? Well, you have to be able to pen in English. And this may prove to be the most difficult step because not everyone can write in good English.
Very often, students and even working adults are under this mistaken belief that whatever they write others can read and understand their writing. Nothing could be further from the truth!
I recommend you to cultivate a habit of diary writing and pen pal writing. If you correspond via email, be warned. Most people do not write proper English in their email, so never learn how to write good English from them!
Imitating a writer whose writing style you like the best is a useful approach. To start with, you have to have sufficient works of his, study and taste every line he carves. Underline or take down the lines that you think you can apply in your writing the most likely. Rephrase them with your own words for comparison. Very lastly, keep writing similar articles of similar content in similar style till you find yourself on the right track.
English is not that hard a language to he who has a willing heart to conquer all the vulnerable hardship he encounters on his painful yet joyful learning journey. There are no such things as the best methods for English learning. Learning is a personal process. The methods that personally suit you the best are those that you have to stick to. Find your way out! Good luck, my dear friends!
_END
Gill
2005-12-11
关键字:好文共赏
生词表:
Since English is the language that we need to have the command of, either at our job place or in our life, as follows are the methods I list down, basing on my limited experience, for your personal reference.
Learn To Love And Appreciate The Language!
English is an interesting and, some may say, beautiful language. It is useful, though not necessary, to appreciate and love the English language if you want to master it. This principle applies to all other languages. If you appreciate and love the language, you will find yourself more motivated to learn it. And as a result, you would find yourself totally engaged in enjoying every single sentence you listen to, speak, read and write. To appreciate a language is like to appreciate a piece of art, it requires the learners' passions, patience, and dedication.
First Step - Listening
The first step in learning English is listening. Research studies have shown that humans learn languages by listening, speaking, reading and writing.
The right places to start listening in English include radio programs, television programs and movies. As you listen to these programs, try to learn how English is spoken in those countries. Pay special attention to their grammar, choice of words and sentence construction.
Here are the practical materials or sources for your options:
Radio: BBC, VOA (Buy yourself a multiple-band radio or simply log on their official websites)
TV: TVB Pearl, ATV World, CCTV 9
Movies: Too many to recommend (Make sure you watch a movie a fortnight or a month)
Soap, comedies, TV dramas: Friends, CSI (DVDs of these include English subtitles)
Websites: ABC.com, Reuters.com (For reading)
Papers: 21st Century Weekly (DON'T try China Daily, you will get lost and drowned in way too many words of politics and economics) (For reading)
Second Step - Speaking
Like the baby who speaks after listening to its parents speak, you should also begin speaking in English once you have started listening to those radio programs, television programs and movies. When you come across a chance to speak, try to speak along as the radio presenter, newscaster or movie actor speaks. If you are alone and far in touch with the people around, speak to yourself. You may look and sound awkward at first, and you may not feel comfortable until you are used to being self-observed. If possible, speak into a recorder and then playback to find out how you sound!
Fortunately, there are plenty of good English speakers at our job place, both native and nonnative, to whom, you can seize every chance to speak. And make yourself sound like a foreigner, whereas use the simple words to build up short sentences to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. In this way, fluency creates a smooth and happy environment, in which you might get rid of the tension in between and gradually you tend to think in this language. Ask them to point out your mistakes so that you can avoid these mistakes in the future. Then ask them how you should have said that certain sentence in the correct way. Do this over time and you will speak in English more confidently in no time.
Believe that we are language experts or even linguists, as we are already qualified Chinese speakers. Moreover, Chinese is as a matter of fact a language that is more complex and complicated, as compared to most of other languages. We should have the necessary pride in the fact that Chinese does not seem that troublesome to anyone of us, and English is by the way believed to be the easiest tongue ever. Recall how we spoke Chinese when we are to speak English.
Third Step - Reading
In the same way, once you have learnt how to speak English comfortably, the next step is to learn how to read in English. Get a storybook, a newspaper, a magazine or any other material that is written in English by a qualified English writer.
As you read, observe how each English sentence is constructed. In most cases, if what you read in English is different from what you have heard or said in English, stick to the written form, that is, what you have read. This is because English in its written form has been more carefully planned, structured and edited, so that the final piece of writing is in proper English (if the writer is a qualified English writer).
There are two purposes in reading, to search for information and to learn and copy the ways the authors write. I hope we read with the combination of both. Don't be overwhelmed by the difficult vocabulary. You do not necessarily have to look up every new word in a dictionary you have trouble understanding, guessing the meanings of the words might be a recommendable choice. Of course it is not advisable that you are reading an article with the vocabulary outnumbering your personal limits, get yourself an easy or concise reader at the very beginning.
As you progress in your reading skills, shift your focus from observing the English sentence structure to understanding what you are reading. This is important because without comprehension, you will not be able to proceed to the fourth step in learning English------Composition.
Fourth Step - Writing
So now that you can listen, speak and read in English, what next? Well, you have to be able to pen in English. And this may prove to be the most difficult step because not everyone can write in good English.
Very often, students and even working adults are under this mistaken belief that whatever they write others can read and understand their writing. Nothing could be further from the truth!
I recommend you to cultivate a habit of diary writing and pen pal writing. If you correspond via email, be warned. Most people do not write proper English in their email, so never learn how to write good English from them!
Imitating a writer whose writing style you like the best is a useful approach. To start with, you have to have sufficient works of his, study and taste every line he carves. Underline or take down the lines that you think you can apply in your writing the most likely. Rephrase them with your own words for comparison. Very lastly, keep writing similar articles of similar content in similar style till you find yourself on the right track.
English is not that hard a language to he who has a willing heart to conquer all the vulnerable hardship he encounters on his painful yet joyful learning journey. There are no such things as the best methods for English learning. Learning is a personal process. The methods that personally suit you the best are those that you have to stick to. Find your way out! Good luck, my dear friends!
_END
Gill
2005-12-11
关键字:好文共赏
生词表:
文章标签:
章节正文
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