13/12/2006
How to learn English
As of today, my English skill has been improved so much although it's still too far away from considering good. Let’s conclude 10 strategies of how to learn English:
- Go to school. It’s better to study at school where doesn’t have many Chinese. I remember when I took my ESL class, I prefer not to have somebody who speak or interested in learning Chinese in my class.
- Make friends with English speaker. I am lucky. My cousins speak English, and I focus myself speak English with them. I speak in Chinese only with something I can’t explain, but soon after, I ask them how to say it in English.
- Write a research paper. So that you have to read more, write more, and study more.
- Participating actives. If you can, be a volunteer. Join groups or different activities.
- Sending emails. I did it a lot with my friends. Especial my friend Naoko. We always “talk” via Emails.
- Online chatting. It’s good that you can talk to different people and learn more slang, but it’s bad that you don’t know who you are talking to.
- Take online class, and it could be expensive too. I don’t suggest it when you just start learning English.
- Get a job in an American company. I love it. You will not only learning the language, but also the culture.
- Do gambling. It’s not for kids, but it’s for someone who’s greedy for money. That’s what I did with my good friend TamTam. We first gambled $30, and I won, but we change back to play with quarters. Our rule is whoever speak Chinese first, has to pay the other person a quarter. It’s fun.
- Get an American boyfriend which I consider not a good idea but one of the best strategies to learn. For people like me, who’s serious with relationship, it does not work.
In conclude, don’t be afraid to make mistake. Even when I am typing/speaking now, I make tons of mistakes. Don’t be mind. Feel free to make as much as you want. Type/speak whatever you want but make sure to go back and check. Nobody’s going to laugh at you. 