Increasing English Fluency

One of the best ways to help improve fluency is to speak about subjects you know well. Speaking about what you know, you'll tend to take more risks as you've probably picked up related vocabulary along the way due to your interest in the topic. Even if you don't know all the jargon, you'll certainly be able to try out some new vocabulary you'll have seen on numerous occasions

Why Learn English: 10 Reasons to Learn English

There are many reasons to learn English, but because it is one of the most difficult languages to learn it is important to focus on exactly why it is you want to learn English. Here we will look at ten great reasons why English is so important. Post this list somewhere you can see it and it will montivate you to keep going even when you are tired of trying to figure out which witch is which!

1. English is the most commonly used language among foreign language speakers. Throughout the world, when people with different languages come together they commonly use English to communicate.

2. Why learn English when it is so difficult? Well, knowing English will make you bilingual and more employable in every country in the world.

3. Despite China, the United States is still a leader in technical innovation and economic development. English is used in the United States and in each of these fields.

4. English is commonly spoken throughout much of the world due to Great Britian’s expansion during the colonial age. People in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, parts of Africa, India, and many smaller island nations speak English. English is the commonly adopted second language in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. Speaking English opens these countries and cultures up to you.

5. Another reason why English is so important is that it is the language of science. To excel in science you need to know English.

6. English is based on an alphabet  and, compared to Chinese, it can be learned fairly quickly.

7. English is also the language of the Film Industry and English means you no longer have to rely on subtitles.

8. In the United States, speaking English immediately opens up opportunities regardless of your ethnicity, color, or background.

9. Learn English and you can then teach your children English -- or if they are already learning, you can now communicate with them in English.

10. English speakers in the United States earn more money than non-English speakers. Learning English will open your job prospects and increase your standard of living.

5 Speaking Rules you need to know!

1. Don't study grammar too much

This rule might sound strange to many ESL students, but it is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in English, then you should try to learn English without studying the grammar.

Studying grammar will only slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small fraction of English speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teaching English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English grammar than I do. I can easily look up the definition and apply it, but I don't know it off the top of my head.

I often ask my native English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively.

Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a causative verb, or do you want to be able to speak English fluently?

2. Learn and study phrases

Many students learn vocabulary and try to put many words together to create a proper sentence. It amazes me how many words some of my students know, but they cannot create a proper sentence. The reason is because they didn't study phrases. When children learn a language, they learn both words and phrases together. Likewise, you need to study and learn phrases.

If you know 1000 words, you might not be able to say one correct sentence. But if you know 1 phrase, you can make hundreds of correct sentences. If you know 100 phrases, you will be surprised at how many correct sentences you will be able to say. Finally, when you know only a 1000 phrases, you will be almost a fluent English speaker.

The English Speaking Basics section is a great example of making numerous sentences with a single phrase. So don't spend hours and hours learning many different words. Use that time to study phrases instead and you will be closer to English fluency.

Don't translate

 When you want to create an English sentence, do not translate the words from your Mother tongue. The order of words is probably completely different and you will be both slow and incorrect by doing this. Instead, learn phrases and sentences so you don't have to think about the words you are saying. It should be automatic.

Another problem with translating is that you will be trying to incorporate grammar rules that you have learned. Translating and thinking about the grammar to create English sentences is incorrect and should be avoided.

3. Reading and Listening is NOT enough. Practice Speaking what you hear!

Reading, listening, and speaking are the most important aspects of any language. The same is true for English. However, speaking is the only requirement to be fluent. It is normal for babies and children to learn speaking first, become fluent, then start reading, then writing. So the natural order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing.

First Problem

Isn't it strange that schools across the world teach reading first, then writing, then listening, and finally speaking? Although it is different, the main reason is because when you learn a second language, you need to read material to understand and learn it. So even though the natural order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing, the order for ESL students is reading, listening, speaking, then writing.

Second Problem

The reason many people can read and listen is because that's all they practice. But in order to speak English fluently, you need to practice speaking. Don't stop at the listening portion, and when you study, don't just listen. Speak out loud the material you are listening to and practice what you hear. Practice speaking out loud until your mouth and brain can do it without any effort. By doing so, you will be able to speak English fluently.

4. Submerge yourself

Being able to speak a language is not related to how smart you are. Anyone can learn how to speak any language. This is a proven fact by everyone in the world. Everyone can speak at least one language. Whether you are intelligent, or lacking some brain power, you are able to speak one language.

This was achieved by being around that language at all times. In your country, you hear and speak your language constantly. You will notice that many people who are good English speakers are the ones who studied in an English speaking school. They can speak English not because they went to an English speaking school, but because they had an environment where they can be around English speaking people constantly.

There are also some people who study abroad and learn very little. That is because they went to an English speaking school, but found friends from their own country and didn't practice English.

You don't have to go anywhere to become a fluent English speaker. You only need to surround yourself with English. You can do this by making rules with your existing friends that you will only speak English. You can also carry around an iPod and constantly listen to English sentences. As you can see, you can achieve results by changing what your surroundings are. Submerge yourself in English and you will learn several times faster.

5. Study correct material

A common phrase that is incorrect is, "Practice makes perfect." This is far from the truth. Practice only makes what you are practicing permanent. If you practice the incorrect sentence, you will have perfected saying the sentence incorrectly. Therefore, it is important that you study material that is commonly used by most people.

Another problem I see is that many students study the news. However, the language they speak is more formal and the content they use is more political and not used in regular life. It is important to understand what they are saying, but this is more of an advanced lesson that should be studied after learning the fundamental basics of English.

Studying English with a friend who is not a native English speaker is both good and bad. You should be aware of the pros and cons of speaking with a non native speaking friend. Practicing with a non native person will give you practice. You can also motivate each other and point out basic mistakes. But you might pick up bad habits from one another if you are not sure about what are correct and incorrect sentences. So use these practice times as a time period to practice the correct material you studied. Not to learn how to say a sentence.

In short, study English material that you can trust, that is commonly used, and that is correct.

Language is better learned in 'casual study'

International scholars at a conference held in Shanghai on the science of learning suggest an easier, more active way for children to learn a second language than traditional rote memorization in a classroom.

The answer lies in informal learning environments where students not only connect with real life but connect with it in more than one language.

English courses in China have long been criticized for what has been characterized as their dried-up teaching methods and absence of practical application.

Yet studies show that about 81.5 percent of a person's life is spent in informal learning environments. With that in mind, language learning should not be limited to a formal classroom or to a single language, the experts say.

"They should learn English through more active communication, rather than focusing on vocabulary and grammar. It is a way to learn multiple languages," said Dirk Van Damme, head of the innovation and measurement division of the education directorate of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

"The ability to speak and communicate is very important. And bilingualism can help stimulate the development of the brain. Chinese students - at least those in Shanghai - are very capable in their second-language learning," Van Damme said.

Exposing children to a bilingual environment through informal study is important, said Cheng Kai-ming, a professor of Education at the University of Hong Kong.

"Learning has always been an essential part of human life," Cheng said. "Now we are living in a society with rapid changes, one that is already substantially different from the typical manufacturing base of the past. Therefore, it's prime time to reinterpret learning."

Another expert also saw the value of bilingual learning but offered a caveat.

"The human brain has a remarkable ability to reorganize its structures in response to differences in environmental and behavioral experience, such as educational, social and multicultural learning, or monolingual versus bilingual language learning," said cognitive neuroscientist Laura Ann Petitto, science director of the National Science Foundation's Science of Learning Center.

Bilingual exposure at an early age will produce some positive effects for a child's growth and learning ability, especially in the area of reading. But she also warned that if a child is exposed to two languages or two reading systems simultaneously, it may cause language delay and confusion.

In an academic report, Bilingualism Alters the Brain's White-Matter Microstructure, Patricia Kuhl, a professor at the University of Washington, said that children in bilingual environments demonstrate higher cognitive ability. Experiments showed, for example, that children in a bilingual environment can get toys into a box more quickly than their single-language peers.

In December, the Ministry of Education released a draft reform plan for the national college entrance examination, or gaokao, making it clear that English will be moved from the exam in the future. Provinces and cities across the country are required to work out their own plans under the direction of the ministry.

So far, many regional gaokao reform plans across the country remain undeveloped, but debate continues to swirl about how English is taught.

ENGLISH LEARNING IS A MUST NOW!!!!!!

How to Understand Native English Speakers

My students often complain to me that native English speakers speak too fast. They say that movies and TV shows seem too difficult to understand, and this causes them to get discouraged.

The truth is, native speakers can be difficult to understand, however, this is NOT just because of speed…..Even more than speaking quickly, the reason why native English speakers seem difficult to understand is that they change and transform their pronunciation of words and sentences.

This transformation of sounds means that there is a huge difference between classroom or written English and the real English that native speakers speak in everyday life.

How to Understand Native English Speakers: Plan of Action

In order to better understand how native English speakers speak, you must:

Understand that written, classroom English is different than natural, spoken English.

When you are practicing your speaking and listening skills, recognize that you are learning a different language.

Listen to/watch videos of native-level English speakers while reading the transcript.

Re-listen to and take notice of how the speakers are transforming their language, and how this compares to careful written English.

The more you understand the differences between written English and spoken, the more you can train your ears to listen to native speakers and understand them.

ENGLISH MANIA !!!

ENGLISH MANIA !!!

Click now to watch short video on why the world is going crazy to learn English!

Why Learn English: 10 Reasons to Learn English

There are many reasons to learn English, but because it is one of the most difficult languages to learn it is important to focus on exactly why it is you want to learn English.

Here we will look at some great reasons why English is so important. Post this list somewhere you can see it and it will motivate you to keep going even when you are tired of trying to figure out which witch is which!

English is the most commonly used language among foreign language speakers. Throughout the world, when people with different languages come together they commonly use English to communicate.

Why learn English when it is so difficult? Well, knowing English will make you bilingual and more employable in every country in the world.

Despite China, the United States is still a leader in technical innovation and economic development. English is used in the United States and in each of these fields.

English is commonly spoken throughout much of the world due to Great Britian’s expansion during the colonial age. People in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, parts of Africa, India, Pakistan and many smaller island nations speak English.

English is the commonly adopted second language in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. Speaking English opens these countries and cultures up to you.

Another reason why English is so important is that it is the language of science. To excel in science you need to know English.

English is based on an alphabet  and, compared to Chinese, it can be learned fairly quickly.

English is also the language of the Film Industry and English means you no longer have to rely on subtitles.

In the United States, speaking English immediately opens up opportunities regardless of your ethnicity, color, or background.

Learn English and you can then teach your children English -- or if they are already learning, you can now communicate with them in English.

English speakers in most countries earn more money than non-English speakers. Learning English will open your job prospects and increase your standard of living.

Why learn English

Learning to speak English well may be the best thing you can do to improve your life.

That’s right. Do you think it would be fun to have access to information that other people can’t get? Talk and write letters to interesting people that others can’t communicate with? Impress people around you whenever you opened your mouth? Make big jumps in your career, leaving others miles behind?

You can get all this if you speak English well.

Get access to knowledge

What are you interested in? Is it science? Music? Computers? Health? Business? Sports? Today’s media — such as the Internet, television, and the press — give you almost unlimited access to knowledge about your favorite subjects. After all, we live in the information age, don’t we?

There’s only one problem. Most of this knowledge is in English.

Here are some examples of knowledge you can use if you know English:

•       Most pages on the Web. That’s over a billion (1,000,000,000) pages of information! It’s amazing that learning just one language gives you access to almost all knowledge on the Internet.

•       Books — on any subject, from all over the world. Read books by British or American authors, and books translated from other languages. Whatever you’re interested in, you can read about it in English!

•       The press. Only English-language magazines and newspapers can be bought in every part of the world. You don’t have to search for Time, Newsweek, or the International Herald Tribune!

•       Science. English is the key to the world of science. In 1997, 95% of the articles in the Science Citation Index were written in English. Only about 50% of them were from English-speaking countries like the USA or Britain. (source)

•       News reports. Watch international television networks, such as CNN International and NBC. They broadcast news much faster, and more professionally, than smaller, national networks. And you can watch them everywhere in the world.

Communicate with people

We like to call English “the language of communication”. Why? Because it seems all the people in the world have agreed to use English to talk to each other.

•       About 1,500,000,000 people in the world speak English. Another 1,000,000,000 are learning it. (source)

•       75% of the world’s letters and postcards are written in English. (source)

•       Almost all international conferences and competitions are conducted in English. For example, the Olympics and the Miss World contest.

•       Diplomats and politicians from different countries use English to communicate with each other. English is the main language of organizations like the United Nations, NATO, and the European Free Trade Association.

If you can communicate in English, you can:

•       Contact people from all over the world. Talk about your ideas and opinions on Internet discussion groups. Send e-mail to interesting people. Learn about their life and culture.

•       Travel more easily. Communicate with people wherever you go — English is spoken in more than 100 countries (source). Ask directions, have a conversation, or... ask for help. Who knows, maybe English will save your life someday!

Push your career forward

If you want a good job in business, technology, or science, get out of that armchair and start learning English now! (If you already have a good job, start learning before you lose it!)

Knowing English will let you:

•       Put “excellent knowledge of English” on your CV. Get your dream job, and earn more money.

•       Gain technical knowledge. English is the language of technology, especially high technology like computer science, genetics, and medicine. If you’re going to read about technology, you’ll probably have to do it in English.

•       Learn computer science. Read technical articles without difficulty. Or write your own articles!

•       Be a world-class businessman (or -woman). It’s simple. International business is done in English. And all business today is international. So if you want to play, you have to know English — to contact other businesspeople, go to conferences, read international business newspapers and magazines, etc.

•       Become a better scientist. Contact scientists from other countries, go to international conferences, visit academic centers abroad. Learn about new scientific discoveries by reading papers, books, and magazines.

•       Use your computer more effectively. Most computer applications are in English, so you will understand them better — and become a better employee.

•       Learn new skills for your job. The section “Get access to knowledge” explains how English helps you learn.

Enjoy art like never before

English lets you feel the culture of the world like no other language. With a good knowledge of the English language, you can do wonderful things:

•       Watch American and British films in the original. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to dubbed versions!

•       Read great books. Every famous book was written in English or it was translated into English. There is an amazing number of titles — from classic plays like Hamlet to modern thrillers like Jurassic Park.

•       Enjoy English-language music more. Believe us: music is much better if you can understand the words.

English is easy to learn

English is not only the most useful language in the world. It is also one of the easiest languages to learn and to use:

•       Simple alphabet — no special symbols such as é or ä. Type in sweet, part, film on your computer. Now try süß (German), część (Polish), фильм(Russian). Which is easier?

•       Easy plurals — simply add s to a word. One car, five cars; one telephone, two telephones... There are very few exceptions.

•       Short words. Most of the basic words are short: run, work, big, go, man. Long words are often shortened: sitcom = situational comedy, fridge =refrigerator, OS = operating system. Speaking English saves you time. :-)

English: The man is blind.

German: Der Mann ist blind.

English: This is a blind man.

German: Das ist ein blinder Mann.

English: I see a blind man.

German: Ich sehe einen blinden Mann.

•       Call everybody “you”. You can say “Do you speak English?” to your friend or to your teacher. In other languages, you have to use the right word for the right person. In English, everybody is equal. :-)

•       English is everywhere. You can easily access English-language television, music, websites, magazines, etc. You don’t have to learn from boringtextbooks. You can learn and use your English at the same time. Using your English is especially important because it increases your desire to learn.

Get satisfaction

English is not only useful — it gives you a lot of satisfaction:

•       Making progress feels great. We’ll never forget the moment we discovered we could speak with Americans or watch TV in English.

•       You will enjoy learning English, if you remember that every hour you spend gets you closer to perfection.

•       Using English is fun, too, because every sentence you speak or writereminds you of your success.

YES YOU CAN .....

Learn English Without Grammar Study

Most students who learn English think they must study English grammar rules. Likewise, most English language schools and most English teachers make grammar study the core of their lessons.

While few students enjoy this approach, most resign themselves to years of boredom in the mistaken belief that grammar study is a necessary evil. Most believe that English grammar study is necessary to master the language.

New research, however, refutes this belief. Research in the field of English language education increasingly finds that grammar study is a very inefficient and ineffective way to master English.

Based on the research of Dr. James Asher, Dr. Stephen Krashen, Dr. Ashley Hastings, and Dr. Brenda Murphy, new teaching methods are yielding powerful results-- without grammar study.

These methods utilize an intuitive approach to teaching the language. Students imitate the learning methods of native speakers. They acquire English grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation without studying lists or rules.

Rather, teachers employ carefully designed stories, conversations, and movies to teach grammar patterns naturally and effortlessly.

Research at Shenandoah University found that students using these intuitive methods learned 35% faster than students who studied English with traditional grammar-based methods.

Dr. James Asher's research found that students who use the new intuitive learning methods learn 4-5 times faster than students who use traditional study methods.

British English and Australian Slangs