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Tigerstyleone · Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Posts: 181

what is English Corners?

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

A meeting of students, and other people interested in conversing in English, usually lasting one or two hours. Typically a few native speakers of English are on hand to help the conversation along. English corner can be very good or it can be very bad, with the outcome resting on how it's organized.

Shroob · Joined: 02 Aug 2010 Posts: 1339

English Corners are usually student organised events where the emphasis is on speaking English.

90% of the English Corners I have been to have been pretty boring. I go because I think if the students have gone to the trouble of organising something, and kind enough to invite me, I should go. They usually follow the same format, an brief introduction of what will happen, mostly singing or a speech competition (where the majority of the speeches are indistinguishable from each other) forms the main part, then a Q+A from the foreign guest.

If it's your first time, be prepared to answer the same questions over and over and over and over. I've been to at least 7 English corners organised by one group of students and they always ask, 'Do you have a girlfriend? What do you think of China? Can you sing for us?' etc.

However, 10% of the English Corners are fun to go to, usually, as 7969 stated, they are much better organised.

xiguagua · Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 768

I find that the best English Corners are the ones where you can just sit around and BS for an hour. I don't mind talking to students, and once you get passed the intro questions it can be fun.

imo the WORST English Corners are when they want to put on stupid shows like someone singing or dancing or heaven forbid the "fashion" show. Ugh. Don't waste my time with that garbage, just show up, say "Welcome to English corner" and give the topic, at the end, review the topic with volunteers or whatever and say thanks for coming. Or maybe i'm just old fashioned.

JoeThePlumber · Joined: 11 Apr 2010 Posts: 90

get ready for the following exciting questions from curious Chinese teenagers:

"Do you like Kobe Bryant?"
"Can you use chopsticks?"
"Do you like Lady Gaga?"
"Do you like Prison Break?"
"Why are you in China?"

There may be one or two more, but generally you'll be asked these four or five questions about eleventy-billion times.