Easy Easy Easy

I am very much flattered by being asked to put the tips together so that many others might enjoy the benefits. To start the whole Shenanigan in the most possible easy way, I want to emphasize one point: it is easy.

So, the following brief intro should serve this purpose well:

- Establish the connection between word and the thing that the word refers to. That's how you begin to THINK in the language you are learning.

- A language has it's structure and rules - but, it is a bad idea to start with rules. This is especially true when you just need to improve your spoken skills. Notice that most language training programs are conducted in classroom setting, where the focus shifts from phonetics to rules. Even though some adults (including young adults) pass the best age to take another language, according to some research publications, it is very possible that an adult can still jump start a second language simply by mimicking native speakers.

- Pay attention - before opening any thick grammar books, know that the major difference between language and science is that language requires a very minimum base knowledge on logic. You have access to live conversation, commercials, publications 24/7. The best material in language learning comes from daily life. Therefore, paying attention to the way (including phrase, facial expression, word choosing, the flow of the conversation, and of course the accent/pronunciation) how native speakers express themselves is the easiest way to improve yourself. Do not focus on translating everything. Instead, try to THINK in the language that you are learning. Try to forget the logic of your native language and let your instinct kick in.

The second phase is reading. Anything written, a recipe, a news, an essay, a dissertation, a policy on a government agency's website, cooking magazine. Don't confine yourself to certain books. Those books are good, but they group things into chapters and add translations, which really from my standpoint of view are interruptions. This might not be easy for someone with limited vocabulary. Don't panic. Accumulation takes time. I strongly recommend using an english to english dictionary, if you have to.


- Don't worry - do not worry about your vocabulary, grammar, and/or accent. People feel things and they understand. The first few times it will be awkward, maybe even painful and embarrassing. But again, worry doesn't help. Like learning to ride a bike, a language will gradually take its root in your brain, and become your habit. When you start to feel comfortable saying something in that language, you know it is no longer foreign to you.

Now it's the time to take a serious look at the structure and rules.


Hopefully by now, you have realized that the key is:
THINK in the language you try to master!

所有跟帖： 

• thank you! THINK in the language we try to master -戲雨飛鷹- ♀ (0 bytes) () 04/23/2010 postreply 20:06:52

• 回複：the bedtime story is lovely -gemini68amy- ♀ (76 bytes) () 04/23/2010 postreply 22:06:08

• 回複：speak more than -gemini68amy- ♀ (136 bytes) () 04/23/2010 postreply 22:36:32

• 謝謝你分享的這些實用的學習英語的tips, 頗受啟迪。周末快樂。 -婉蕠- ♀ (0 bytes) () 04/24/2010 postreply 07:07:18

• 回複：Easy Easy Easy -海外逸士- ♂ (94 bytes) () 04/24/2010 postreply 07:41:26

• 回複：回複：thank you. -gemini68amy- ♀ (0 bytes) () 04/26/2010 postreply 09:19:43