Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

madmermaid · Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 5

hello everybody,
i am to do a research on the difficulties of teaching and learning english as a second language..

Idea

as far as i am concerned, it is often difficult for nonnative speakers to speak and write in English. some think that there is too much vocabulary, and some find it hard to understand the grammar.

what do you find difficult?or do you think english is an easy language?
can you think of any ways to cope with those difficulties?what must be done by students? and what by teachers?

i appreciate your contributions..

i would be grateful if you enclosed your name, age and location Wink

fa6ma · Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 363 Location: Qatar

Hi.

...
my name is Fatima i'm a17 years old girl ....from Qatar....

i think that learning english language as a second language is very easy because the grammer is not complicated and the sentence structure is easy ....the vocab is not hard to learn also.....

teachin english is also can be fun if you love the language and if you are good in using it.....

i hope that i helped you... Wink

river1974 · Joined: 20 May 2003 Posts: 525 Location: Taiwan

I am a Taiwanese. For me, the most difficult parts of learning English are listening and speaking, especially the latter. I know the most efficient way of improving speaking skills is to practice constantly. However, I don't get many chances to talk to foreigners, except for the classes at the Englsh cram school. But unfortunately, I only go there once or twice a week since I am usually exhausted from duty on weekdays and feel like going home for a rest. Some people propose practicing speaking by talking to yourself in the mirror, but I am not used to this way. I think my problems on English learning also mirrors those of others here in Taiwan. In the Englsih class, many students can read the articles very clear but they become clumzy when it comes to speaking. The above are my personal opinions and I hope that helps.

madmermaid · Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 5

thank you so much my dear friends:)
your words help me a lot![/quote]

jeni · Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 8

I am a Chinese. My problem is similar. I can read. I can listen clearly if the others speak slowly. But I can't express myself correctly. I'll make grammar mistakes and forget words.

Just as now ,I feel difficult to write down these sentence. And I think what I wrote must full of mistakes, can anybody correct me ?

madmermaid · Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 5

thanks for your response jeni.
i understand you very well.
and i think you were good enough to express yourself clearly. Wink

this is certainly the case! one must be able to get rid of his/her shyness first, the rest will be done in time.
however, if i should try to correct a few points:
i am having difficulty (in) writing down these sentences. And what i wrote must have been full of mistakes
i am not sure, but you might have to say: "understand clearly", instead of "listen clearly"
i need to know your age and gender for the survey, please let me know them:)

jeni · Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 8

As your words, I correct me like this:

I can read , and I can understand clearly if the others speak slowly. I am having difficulty in writing down these sentences, and what I wrote must have been full of mistakes.

I think I can improve my English by this way .
Thanks for anyone who help me.

I am 30, and I am a female.[/quote]