i love English ^^': February 2009

Sunday, February 15, 2009

How to Hear English Everywhere

Posted by namsinhluoi at 9:10 PM

Two simple definitions

to hear: to receive sound with the ears
to listen: to try to hear

You are very good at languages. That's obvious, because you already speak one language very well - your own! And if you can learn and speak one language well, then you can certainly learn and speak one or more other languages.

But did you ever ask yourself: "How did I learn my own language?" In fact, you never really "learned" it at all - you just started speaking it. One day, when you were about two or three years old, you started speaking your language. A few words at first, not full sentences. But you spoke. And very soon you made progress without even thinking about it. It was like magic!

But it wasn't magic. It was the result of hearing. For two to three years before you spoke, you heard people speaking your language all day, and maybe all night. You heard people speaking your language. Maybe you listened to people, but more importantly you heard. them. Then, as if by magic, you started to speak. All that hearing was necessary for you to start speaking. For two to three years words went IN to your head. Then words came OUT of your head! That is why hearing (and listening to) English as much as possible is so important to you now. The more English you put in, the more you'll get out!

So how can you hear a lot of English when you're not in an English-speaking country or family? Fortunately, there are many ways of hearing English in almost all countries of the world.

Radio
You can receive English language radio in most countries. Two of the best international networks are the BBC World Service and Voice of America. Both of them have special programmes for learners of English. You can find information about times and frequencies for your country on their web sites. Click here for links to radio stations.

Television
TV is an excellent resource for hearing and listening to English. The pictures help you understand what is being said. If you don't have access to English-language TV, you may be able to watch TV on Internet.

Internet
It is now a lot easier to hear English by Internet. If you're reading this at your computer, you can probably listen to some English-language radio news right now, without even moving! To be able to listen to radio on the Internet, you'll need to have special software called a "player" installed in your computer. Most sites work with two players - the RealPlayer from RealNetworks and the Windows Media Player from Microsoft. Don't worry. Both these players are free and you may already have them installed on your computer.

Music/songs
Songs in English are everywhere, even on foreign-language radio and TV stations. Listen to them often. Buy some cassettes or CDs, or make recordings, and try to write the words for an entire song. But choose one that is not too difficult. That means it should be reasonably slow, and with real words sung clearly. Some pop songs are very unclear and are difficult even for native English-speakers to understand fully!

Cinema
Outside the English-speaking world, many large cities have cinemas that show films in English, usually with sub-titles. Make it a habit to go to these films. If you need to read the sub-titles, at least you'll be hearing English even if you don't understand it.

Video
Video has one really great advantage. You can play it again . . . and again. You can use video to watch film cassettes that you buy or borrow. If there are sub-titles, you can cover them with paper (which you can remove if you really don't understand after listening several times). And you can use video to record programmes from television and then watch them several times to improve your understanding.

Friends
Try to make friends with English-speaking people so that you can practise your English through conversation. Of course, this will practise your speaking as well as your listening. And if you don't have a lot of time to go out and meet people, at least you can chat a little by telephone.

Finally, don't worry if you don't understand everything you hear. Hearing comes first! Understanding comes next!

by englishclub

Saturday, February 14, 2009

The Importance of Speaking Practice

Posted by namsinhluoi at 9:59 PM

There are 4 key skills when you learn a language:

listening
speaking
reading
writing

Which one of these is the "Odd-One-Out"? Which one of these is different from the other three? The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone, on your own, without anyone else. You can listen to the radio alone. You can read a book alone. You can write a letter alone. But you can't really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be "dangerous" because men in white coats may come and take you away!!

That is why you should make every effort possible to find somebody to speak with. Where can you find people who can speak English with you? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?

At School

If you go to a language school, you should use the opportunity to speak to your teachers and other students. When you go home, you can still practise listening, reading and writing, but you probably can't practise speaking. If your teacher asks you a question, take the opportunity to answer. Try to say as much as possible. If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible. Don't worry about your mistakes. Just speak!

Conversation Clubs

Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another. Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you. They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.

Shopping

If you are living in an English-speaking country, you have a wonderful opportunity. Practise speaking to the local people such as shop assistants or taxi drivers. Even if you don't want to buy anything, you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop. "How much does this cost?" "Can I pay by cheque?" "Which do you recommend?" Often you can start a real conversation - and it costs you nothing!

Pubs and Bars

Even if you don't live in an English-speaking country, there are often American, British, Irish and Australian pubs in many large cities. If you can find one of these pubs, you'll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.

Language is all around You

Everywhere you go you find language. Shop names, street names, advertisements, notices on buses and trains... Even if you are not in an English-speaking country, there are often a lot of English words you can see when walking in the street, especially in big cities. And there are always numbers. Car numbers, telephone numbers, house numbers... How can this help you? When you walk down the street, practise reading the words and numbers that you see. Say them to yourself. It's not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to "think" in English. For example, if you walk along a line of parked cars, say the number on each car quickly as you pass it. Test yourself, to see how fast you can walk and still say each number. But don't speak too loud!

Songs and Video

Listen to the words of an English-language song that you like. Then repeat them to yourself and try to sing with the music. Repeat the words as many times as possible until they become automatic. Soon you'll be singing the whole song. Or listen to one of your favourite actors on video and repeat one or two sentences that you like. Do it until it becomes automatic. It's good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.

Above all, don't be afraid to speak. You must try to speak, even if you make mistakes. You cannot learn without mistakes. There is a saying: "The person who never made a mistake never made anything." So think of your mistakes as something positive and useful.

Speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress.

by englishclub

How to write better English

Posted by namsinhluoi at 12:38 AM Labels: Experience Share

If it takes you twice as long to write something in English as it does in your own language, then try these tips.

Before you start

Ask yourself "Why am I writing?" By thinking about the purpose of your text (perhaps you want to explain something, or ask something etc) you can choose the most appropriate vocabulary and level of formality.

Who are you writing to? Who is your reader, and what is their level of knowledge or English? Choose your language carefully and avoid words and expressions that are too technical or complicated.

Plan before you write. Prepare for writing by making a plan, and looking up all the words you need before you start writing.

A plan helps you keep a clear focus and helps you avoid repetition. Just jot down the points you want to make and order them into logical paragraphs. Remember that paragraphs shouldn't be too long. In fact, in certain types of writing, such as emails, your paragraphs can be one sentence long.

It's quicker to look up all the words you need before you write so you don't interrupt your "flow" of writing.

What to write

Say why you are writing in the first sentence. Use phrases such as "I am writing to enquire about…" so that your reader understands why you are writing. If you're replying to someone, you can write "Thank you for your email."

Use standard greetings and endings. Most letters begin with "Dear Mr X" or "Dear Ms X" and should end "Yours sincerely" (or in American English, "Sincerely yours"). If you know your reader quite well, you can be less formal with "Dear (first name)" and end "Best wishes" or "Best regards". If you absolutely have to write "Dear Sir" end with "Yours faithfully" rather than "Yours sincerely".

In emails you can start with the first name "Jane", or precede it with "Hi". If you are writing to a number of people, you can leave out the greeting. To end an email you can write "Best wishes", "Kind regards", "Thanks" or in British English "Cheers".

Use a closing expression in letters such as "Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance." In emails you can write, for example, "Many thanks for your help."
In letters, write the date out in full: 7 June 2006 or June 7, 2006. Avoid using abbreviated dates such as (7/6/2006) as although British speakers will understand this as 7 June, Americans will understand it to be July 6.

Extra tips

Use linking expressions to connect ideas and sentences. Words such as 'and', 'but', 'therefore', 'however', guide your reader through your ideas and make your writing easier to read. See also Linking Words in our Grammar section.

Be careful of referring words such as 'this' and 'it'. Make sure they refer to the right word or phrase.

Write as concisely as possible. Don't make your sentences too long, as they might become difficult to read. Avoid more than two ideas in any sentence.

Follow this word order principle to keep your sentences concise:

Subject - Verb - Object - Manner - Place - Time(Who — Does—What— How— Where- When)

"Please could you send us the confirmation as quickly as possible."

"The Managing Director will visit the factory on Monday 10 July at 10 am."

Edit what you write. Use your computer spell-check, but check for grammatical mistakes yourself.

Edit out unnecessary words and phrases and avoid old-fashioned words such as "hereby", "herewith" and above-mentioned". Rather than writing "We hereby enclose a brochure", get to the point with "We are enclosing a brochure."

Read what you have written out aloud. Is it easy to read, or are the sentences too long? Have you put in enough punctuation?

Get someone else to check what you have written. Another person may see something that is unclear or a mistake

by english-at-home