Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Jenniferdu521]

I wanted to read some children's storybooks. I found some in a bookstore, but it is so expensive to me for they are original.......

I also read, write and listen English everyday, but I can not feel the improvement. I want to say english face to face with the native speaker, but i am afraid I can not understand them very well......


English is very hard for me~~~~

[python69]

[Wajeeh Khan]

Hey guys. I'm also a student. So I don't have that much knowledge about English. But I've been working very hard to improve my English over the past year. Believe me, just one year back, I could not even speak a single sentence without breaks. I had a lot of hesitation. But now I've removed all the hesitation out of me. I can now speak English before anyone. I'm not perfect though, but at least now I can speak. Something that really worked for me was that I used to speak with my ownself. Whatever I was thinking, whatever I was about to say, I tried to say it in English. Apart from that, no need to tell you to speak as much as you can. See, in the beginning just learn some of the basic words and a lil bit of grammer. Then start speaking. Then as you get used to, try to improve both the things. Whenever you see an unfamiliar word concern to dictionary. And figure out if this word is useable in the routine life. And your grammer must be such that you can make the other people understand you. But don't focus so fiercely on grammer. As you can make others understand you even you're making lil mistakes. E.g some of the native speakers in a fluent manner say, "It don't work." So now you can have an idea how much you've got to pay attention to your grammer. Talking about accent, in the beginning, never try to follow the accent of native speakers or you will get yourself frustrated. Once you've improved the vocabulary and grammer to a fair enough level, then it's time for you to improve your accent. Hope I'm not wrong.........

[CP]

Python69's comment is just an advertisement. See all posts by python69.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[davidbailey]

I see this started several years ago...but I want to learn Chinese...
so, I wanted to ask Helina if she learned English...and how she did it.
And based on your experience...how would you recommend I learn Chinese?
_________________
Warm Regards,
David A. Bailey, Jr

Language Secrets Revealed
http://EXLsite.com

[englishlanguageprofessor]

This site has simple and easy to use study guides to help you with your writing and speaking:
http://englishforuniversity.com/?page_id=1885

[Dimas]

I am Dimas,from Indonesia.
Here I want to share about my experiences about learning English.
As we know,there are some specific skills in learning language.Some of them are listening,speaking,reading and writing.I think,speaking item is more importent then the other because we use it in our daily life,especially in communication to others.So,we must emphasize this speaking skill.
In my past time,I usually use the "conversation English for purposes" book to improve it.But,we must try or learn it every time and every where.
Hopefully,this experience can help you full.
Good Luck.
_________________
HI,I AM DIMAS FROM INDONESIA.

[matsumi23]

I think many of the people replying to this seem to have a pretty high English level. If you want to improve in 2010, podcasts are the way to do it. A fellow classmate got me onto this idea. I was wondering what she was listening to in her Ipod and I wondered how she improved her spoken English so quickly. She turned me to the podcast website, www.china232.com
It sounded strange at first because I'm Japanese and thought this would be only for Chinese people. It's Actually a couple of Canadian brothers who live in Shanghai and talk about all kinds of cool, interesting stuff. I've learned so much from this and I'm sure you'll love it. They have both a free section and a VIP section. I'm a VIP member now and it's great. Try out their free stuff first and if it's at your level I'm sure you'll improve so fast like all my friends who use it. It's really so much better than what is taught in schools. You will just have fun listening and be able to talk to Western people with slang and understand real conversations in real life and TV. I think this should be great for most people in this website.

[IngridLLG]

[joemayerich]

I am here to help you. Learning any language is difficult but if you really want to learn and put in the effort, it can be accomplished. I can help online if anyone needs it.
_________________
I teach English online and can help you in all areas. http://absolutelyesl.com/

[vernongstamm]

Learning English online via a VOIP classroom and Skype is one way to study. This way generally offers a student one on one lessons as well as the student being able to study from the privacy of their own home. Online Tutors are generally less expensive than schools, thus allowing students to spend less for the same type of quality. What it all comes down to is whether a student feels comfortable in an online private class or in classroom filled with other learners.

If you're seeking online one on one classes, I can help you with that. Visit my website at www.stammeducation.net or email me through [email protected].
_________________
Learn English from the comfort of your own home with my online teaching methods. Online English classes are as low as $7 USD per class. Inquire now by using the inquiry form on my website.

[jake74]

I agree, learning English online via Skype can be good. In person is probably the best... Practice, practice and more practice is needed most. Some people find repeating words and phrases from an English film helps, and of course practicing with friends, Korean or Native English Speakers is excellent. Study as much vocabulary as possible too! Here is a new site I found for studying online. http://englishonlinegraduate.com/ With a free trial and a new English help discussion forum...
http://student.domscafe.com/

The best way to learn English or Korean is to immerse yourself in the language and try not to speak your own language for a while. If possible living aboard is great for this!

Cheers!

Jake

[Jitu5]

Here are some tips which may help you to master the English Language!

Speak without Fear:

The biggest problem most people face in learning a new language is their own fear. They worry that they won�t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they don�t talk at all. Don�t do this. The fastest way to learn anything is to do it � again and again until you get it right. Like anything, learning English requires practice. Don�t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want.

Use all of your Resources:

Even if you study English at a language school it doesn�t mean you can�t learn outside of class. Using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible, will allow you to learn faster. There are many different ways you can improve your English, so don�t limit yourself to only one or two. The internet is a fantastic resource for virtually anything, but for the language learner it's perfect.

Surround Yourself with English:

The absolute best way to learn English is to surround yourself with it. Take notes in English, put English books around your room, listen to English language radio broadcasts, watch English news, movies and television. Speak English with your friends whenever you can. The more English material that you have around you, the faster you will learn and the more likely it is that you will begin �thinking in English.� .

Listen to Native Speakers as Much as Possible:

There are some good English teachers that have had to learn English as a second language before they could teach it. However, there are several reasons why many of the best schools prefer to hire native English speakers. One of the reasons is that native speakers have a natural flow to their speech that students of English should try to imitate.

Watch English Films and Television:

This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very effective. By watching English films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors. If you listen to the news you can also hear different accents.

Listen to English Music:

Music can be a very effective method of learning English. In fact, it is often used as a way of improving comprehension. The best way to learn though, is to get the lyrics (words) to the songs you are listening to and try to read them as the artist sings. There are several good internet sites where one can find the words for most songs. This way you can practice your listening and reading at the same time. And if you like to sing, fine.

Study As Often As Possible!

Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language.

Do Exercises and Take Tests:

Many people think that exercises and tests aren't much fun. However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English. One of the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare your future results with. Often, it is by comparing your score on a test you took yesterday with one you took a month or six months ago that you realize just how much you have learned. If you never test yourself, you will never know how much you are progressing.

Record Yourself:

Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape but like tests, it is good to compare your tapes from time to time. You may be so impressed with the progress you are making that you may not mind the sound of your voice as much.

Listen to English:

By this, we mean, speak on the phone or listen to radio broadcasts, audiobooks or CDs in English. This is different than watching the television or films because you can�t see the person that is speaking to you. Many learners of English say that speaking on the phone is one of the most difficult things that they do and the only way to improve is to practice.
_________________
Jitu5

www.manuscriptedit.com

[Ian Coldwell]

Some great ideas from so many people.
It�s very important to remember how we learnt our native language(s). If you want to learn a language well you need to have exposure to that language on a regular basis.

Young kids are exposed to their maternal language(s) for up to 3 years before they utter a clear sentence in that/those language(s). Their brains are accumulating language information so that they can process it into useable phrases.

It all comes from having repeated access to an ever-increasing language input (from Mum, Dad, big sister/brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbours etc etc)

I picked up, with very little study, both Spanish and Catalan after the age of 30 by having regular exposure to the two languages.

A child hears the word �nose� tens or even hundreds of times before they use it in a sentence.

You must find good examples of the spoken language, break it up into small manageable sections and listen to the same section at least twice a day every day for a week. The next week listen to another one. You can get material from the BBC, or search for podcasts on internet. If you record 1 or 2 minutes of classical music (without words) at the beginning it also helps to open up both hemispheres of your brain

My younger students listen to between 10 and 20 minutes twice a day, older students listen to longer sections. You might like this fun article to put things in context: http://www.learnenglishlanguagewell.com/?p=19
_________________
We want to show and encourage others how to effectively improve their language acquisition to enable better communication www.learnenglishlanguagewell.com

[d25reiko]

Hi, I am Japanese who have been learning English over 10 years. My English is improving little by little but not enough level to speak fluently.
I think learning English grammers is really important to write/speak proper English, so I've studying grammer books over and over again. I also ask my american friends about grammers.
One thing that i can say about speaking is "don't be afraid of mistakes"!! We are ESL students, and nobodys expecting perfect English from us!! so don't be afraid of speaking English..!! and one more thing!!! I like watching movies and listening music. I learn new words/idioms a lot from them, and I am always trying to use them in conversations.
I hope those will help you to find effective ways of learning English.