Teach you some practical methods to learn English well (Part I)
I searched some articles on how to learn English well on the Internet these two days. After reading it, my experience is that "most of them are very general, and they are nothing more than' listening, speaking, reading and writing'. But people who really want to learn this foreign language are afraid that after reading it, they still don't know how to start in practice. " I hope that through this article, according to my own experience in learning English, I can introduce some practical and effective English learning methods to you.
At this time, everyone's question is probably: "What qualifications do you have to tell us how to learn English? Do you learn English well yourself? " My answer is: "I may not be as good as some students in China in exams, but I am confident in language communication." Give you a few examples! "
Shortly after graduating from high school, 1 delivered an English speech at the press conference on behalf of mainland students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The next day, you can read a report in Hong Kong's mainstream newspaper Ming Pao: Cheng, a student from Peking University, gave a speech in fluent and amazing English.
In my sophomore year, I participated in the World English Debate Competition organized by the University of Toronto in Canada on behalf of the English Debate Team of my school. The competition lasts for three days, three times a day, and the title of each competition will not be known until 15 minutes before the competition. Teams from four schools participated in each competition. Most of the participating schools are English schools, and almost all the top universities in the United States, such as Harvard University, Yale University and Princeton University, have sent players. Originally, it was just to "participate" and "broaden your horizons". Unexpectedly, my teammate Evelyn and I, an excellent Hong Kong girl, actually beat the other three English teams in one of the nine competitions and became the first in the group. Of course, the topic of the debate at that time, "WTO has more advantages than disadvantages for developing countries", gave us great advantages.
If I don't talk to Americans here, many Americans will think that I have lived here for a long time or grew up here. They often tell me that when I speak English, they can hardly recognize my accent.
In view of these examples, if you, my dear reader, think that I am still qualified to talk about ways to learn English, please don't leave, because in the next time, I will share my experience with you without reservation. One day, when you talk about foreigners, don't forget to write a note in Cheng's credit book.
The method of learning English cannot be generalized, because everyone's situation is different. First of all, everyone's level is different: English learning is still divided into primary, intermediate and advanced levels. Secondly, everyone's motivation for learning English is different: some people are purely for exams, while others are for better communication with foreigners. Thirdly, everyone has different conditions for learning English: not everyone has many foreigners to do free sparring, and not everyone has the opportunity to study abroad for a long time.
Here, let me clarify my target audience:
The English learning methods I want to share are aimed at those who aim at communication, not to cope with exams. Of course, good language communication skills and good test scores should complement each other, otherwise it will be a failed test paper, because the purpose of any language learning should be communication. In addition, I mainly aim at those who don't have many opportunities to communicate with foreigners at home or go abroad.
What is the key to learning English well?
First of all, you must have the desire to learn it well. No matter what the purpose is, you must have the feeling of wanting to speak fluent English and enviing others to speak fluent English. If you just hold the attitude of "I will live on China people all my life", then no matter what method I teach you, it is useless.
Second, you must understand that learning English will never happen overnight. However, if the method is right, progress will be rapid. In any case, you need to give yourself at least one or two years to realize your dream of speaking fluent English. Maybe you're thinking now, "Oh, my God! A year or two! This is too long! " Listen, if you don't act now, you will come back to read my article in a year or two, and those who speak good English will still envy others.
Let me talk about the methods and emphases at different stages according to different English levels:
English beginners
People at this stage can aim at "One day, I want foreigners not to recognize me as a China native and speak English". The most important task at this stage is to choose an English accent and start parroting.
My middle school life was spent in Beijing Foreign Studies School. I remember having English class on the first day of grade one. Before we have any English foundation, the English teacher has started playing English tapes for us to follow. I remember that the English textbook we used at that time was a set of English textbooks "Watching, Listening and Learning" used by primary school students in Hong Kong. There are few English words in the textbook, but most of them are pictures. In class, while explaining the meaning of every sentence in the tape, the teacher showed us the pictures in the textbook and repeatedly imitated the pronunciation and intonation of British children in the tape. Our teacher at that time spent some time in America, so the most important thing for us was "pronunciation and intonation". In retrospect, I think that is the most natural teaching method.
The process of any child learning a language is a gradual process from listening and speaking to reading and writing. The transition from "listening" to "speaking" is accomplished through "imitation". The English teaching method in my middle school is to follow this rule: we start by listening to the original tape repeatedly, read it slowly, understand it slowly, and imitate it again and again until the simple English we speak is close to the English of the British children in the recording. I still remember that not long after, many students in the class could only speak a few words of English with a full cockney accent.
At the beginning of learning English, grammar, sentence patterns and vocabulary are not the key points. The most important thing is to repeat them persistently and imitate the pronunciation, intonation and even intonation of foreigners in the original English recording, so that the foundation laid will benefit you a lot in future English learning. Nowadays, large and small advertisements for language repeaters are flooding the whole market, which should be a relatively economical and necessary investment.
I mentioned the English accent earlier (just like speaking Chinese with Beijing accent and Taiwan Province accent). Generally speaking, English in the world can be divided into the following categories. They are not very different in writing, but they have different tastes when they speak:
British English: Usually the British English we hear in China is based on the cockney accent. In my opinion, British English sounds more serious. Unlike American English, British English requires you to pronounce every word clearly, unlike American accent, and sometimes you will get by (purely self-feeling, no investigation). At first, I imitated British English, but because of my personal preference, I gradually turned to American English after learning English for one year. In the United States, many people have a good impression on British English speakers, thinking that they are very educated and gentle. When I speak English, I occasionally pop up a few words with British pronunciation, which excites my American friends for a while. Let me repeat it quickly.
American/Canadian English: Unlike most Commonwealth countries, the biggest feature of North American pronunciation is the "R" sound that needs to be scrolled. I think it will be very advantageous for Beijingers to pronounce this sound, because Beijing dialect has always been known for its rhyme. There are also great differences between the northern accent and the southern accent in the United States. The American English we heard in China is mainly the English spoken by northerners. Canadian accent is very close to the accent of northerners in the United States.
Australia/New Zealand English: I lived in Australia for a while when I was in high school. What impresses me is that the English spoken by the local people is different from American English and British English, but has its own unique pronunciation. They break down when they pronounce certain vowels. Sometimes the pronunciation of "A" sounds like the pronunciation of "I". In my opinion, the Australian accent is also very nice.
South African accent: Some of my colleagues are South Africans. Like the Australian accent, the South African accent has its own characteristics. I am not familiar with it, so I won't jump to conclusions here.
Singapore/Southeast Asia: Many people in this area are native speakers of English, so their English vocabulary is similar to that of westerners. The characteristic of their English speaking is that the end of every English sentence will be picked up, and sometimes the end will be longer.
Introducing the characteristics of these different English accents, my main purpose is to let you know about them, so that you can find out your favorite accent and stick to it in the future. At present, most English audiobooks on the market in China are mainly American sound and British sound (these audiobooks are usually known as American sound and British sound). Beginners should find their favorite pronunciation, and then try to buy tapes or CDs of this pronunciation in their future studies. Most tapes or CDs on the market may be mixed with different accents, such as [[Crazy English]] audiobooks. If so, my suggestion is to imitate the accent you want to learn, and recite articles with other accents as listening exercises. Don't worry, listen more, and you can gradually hear the accent differences of people in different places.
In short, in the beginner stage, the most important thing is to listen more and imitate more. The goal at this time is not to say a few complete long sentences, but to focus on how to say short greetings, simple questions and so on like a foreigner. I remember when I was in the first grade, I would listen to English conversations hundreds of times until I felt that I was particularly London-like. At that time, I didn't have a repeater, so I smashed a few walkman walkmen.
As a beginner, practicing bravery is also a basic skill. I remember when I was a child, my father would often take me to the annual international book fair. My main purpose is to wander around the international booth, pretending to read some original English books that I can't even understand, and then boldly ask the foreigner in charge of that booth how much the books in my hand are. Every time, those foreigners will smile and start talking. I think they are introducing this book! I always stand there, smile and nod, then say "thank you" and "goodbye" and run away. I know I must have confused them. However, as far as I am concerned, I have gained a lot. My courage is getting bigger and bigger. After a few years, when I can understand what they say, I can show them all the words and sentence patterns I know without shyness.
In my opinion, the root of "sorry, I don't have the courage" with foreigners is "too thin-skinned". Here I want to share with you the secret of how to be thick-skinned-prepare for the worst. When you see a foreigner who really wants to practice oral English with him, you will hesitate, think in your mind and weigh the pros and cons. Stop. Your thinking should be like this: "Even if I go forward and take the initiative to talk to him, what is the worst result?" ? Have I forgotten the English I can speak nervously? He doesn't want to talk to me at all? People look at me and don't know what they think of me. In fact, the worst case is' I ran away', and I won't see him/her again anyway. Think about it carefully, the harm can't be greater. The potential benefits are enormous. I can see if foreigners understand what I have learned. When they speak English, I can observe their mood and intonation. Maybe I can learn some new words. The most important thing is that I can apply what I have learned and give myself some confidence and encouragement. "Self-confidence is never innate. Every time you challenge yourself, he is brought to you by success. People need to keep doing what they think they can't do. In this way, every time you turn around, those "can't" become your "can", and you will be more confident to challenge your new "can't" and further expand the scope of your "can". This is the trajectory of our growth and progress.
Next time you see a foreigner, don't worry. Settle down, your brain is hot and your face is thin. Go up and say he is in a dark place, whether he understands it or not. Don't forget, you must bravely take the first step of "practicing courage". Please also remember what you are learning English for.
(This article is taken from my personal homepage)
Teach you some practical methods to learn English well (Part Two)
At this time, I'm afraid you have a certain English foundation, mastered a certain amount of words, and can stutter.
Express some simple meanings. Next, I will teach you how to complete from "stuttering" to "fluency" and from
The change from "thinking in Chinese first, then turning into English" to "muttering in English in my dream"
First of all, you should devote yourself to the English world. There is a slogan like this: "Don't go abroad, travel around the world."
This world. "What I want to tell you now is that you can learn English well without going abroad. The point is that you have to have someone.
In order to create an English environment, immerse yourself in it.
In my life, I have made two leaps in English learning. The first time is the summer vacation when I graduated from grade three and will be promoted to grade one.
The other time was after I met my American boyfriend Jiao Zi. I owe my first flight to myself. The summer vacation when I graduated from Grade Three, I had no schoolwork burden for nearly two months. I have two choices: I can play around and reward myself for my efforts in the first three years; I can also use such a complete period of time to make qualitative progress in a certain aspect. I chose the latter and decided to improve my English by climbing a flight of stairs in two months. Dear readers, don't worry if you don't have a few months of complete freedom as I said. In fact, the step-by-step language learning method is more effective and lasting. However, you must seize all the scattered time to keep yourself away from the English world and do something related to the English world all the time. The following are the components of the English world that I have artificially created:
Learn to sing many old English songs.
Most of the English songs I heard in middle school were European and American love songs in the 1980s. These songs are usually pleasant to the ear, and
And the theme is around "I love you, you love me". These songs involve less vocabulary and more sentence patterns.
Relatively simple, so this is a good way to review or strengthen what you have learned. In addition, learning to sing English songs is also more tolerant.
You can easily find the feeling that foreigners speak English. I don't recommend learning to sing the latest European and American pop songs, because these years
Most popular songs in Europe and America have a fast rhythm, no melody, and the lyrics are not easy to distinguish, which is not suitable for English.
Language learners. You can buy [[European and American classic love songs]] in the market, or [[Learn English by listening to songs]].
Class tapes or CDs, usually with lyrics. You can learn while watching the lyrics at first.
But before long, I can assure you, you can sing a long solo by yourself.
Watch and listen to the original English movies.
It is ok to watch English movies, but what about listening to English movies? There are actually many ways to learn English in China.
Path, in which the tape or CD of "Listening to Movies and Learning English" sold in the market should be your pillow.
friends. Let me explain it in detail. (Disclaimer: The name of the English learning materials I said is not necessarily accurate, because it was many years ago. However, I think the meaning is clear to everyone. At this stage, I recommend you to watch some movies with less profound ideological content. Most modern romantic comedies in Hollywood are in this range. The content of almost every Hollywood romance is similar, the only difference is that the process of love between male and female protagonists is different. This is how I use it.
Using movies as a tool: step one, in the market or
It's an acoustic CD (believe me, it's an investment that will benefit you for a long time). I remember this in Crazy English.
Series plays usually come with the script of the film. I bought a movie called Sleepless in Seattle.
(Sleepless in Seattle) "Listen to movies and learn English". This is a very suitable film for English learning.
Movies-light and lively, without profound meaning that is too difficult to understand. Second, find the movie you bought in the market.
VCD or DVD tapes with English subtitles, watch the movie from beginning to end. If there is a shadow in the middle.
When you understand the words in the plot, you can stop the movie, look it up in the dictionary and write it down in your notebook. Third, one side
Listen to the recording of the movie and read after the script. When you encounter unfamiliar words or sentence patterns, stop and look up the words.
Canon. This process has to be repeated several times until you understand the dialogue in most movies. Fourth, up to now, you have
Have a better understanding of the content and specific dialogue of the film. All I did was sleep over and over again.
Review movie tapes, watch when you have energy, and listen when you don't. Because it has been roughly
I know what every part of the movie is saying, so I no longer need to hold the script of the movie. Fifth, at this time
Wait, when you watch another movie DVD or VCD, you will find that you don't need to watch subtitles, you can use English as your language.
Like foreigners whose mother tongue is their mother tongue, I appreciate this film purely for entertainment.
If at this time, you want to have a deeper understanding of this movie, or you want to exercise your reading ability by watching movies at the same time, I have a good method. You can enter "film reviews" and the names of the movies you want to know in Google, and then press enter, and you can start reading one film review after another slowly.
Tell you a lesson: if you don't know what to talk about with foreigners, just talk about movies. This is in most cases.
This is a foolproof topic, especially for Americans and Canadians.
Most articles about how to learn English well will mention watching more original movies, but in my personal opinion,
Watching ten movies with subtitles is not as effective as understanding a movie thoroughly according to my method. My side
This method is comprehensive, covering different elements of language learning: listening, speaking, reading, writing and understanding language.
The culture of ". When you can conquer one original movie after another according to my method, you will find that,
My pronunciation and intonation, even gestures, are more and more like "foreigners".
Read some articles about your level that interest you, and then repeat the main idea to yourself.
The English learning materials sold in Chinese mainland Bookstore are very complete. In terms of reading, the publishing house has already assigned it to you.
Different levels, different categories. If you like reading stories, go to someone who tells English stories. If you like argumentative writing, find some critical articles to read. If you like the truth in the story, read Chicken Soup.
For the soul. " If you have a book in your hand, you can only glance at it and think there are only a few.
There are few words you don't know, so this book is suitable for your level. In short, this period should be based on
Protect reading enthusiasm.
Don't leave it after reading it and then ignore it. Strike while the iron is hot, and retell the main idea of this article you read quickly in your own language. I remember when I was in middle school, this method was the most effective method I gradually got used to.
A good way to think in English. I remember at the beginning, whenever I finished reading an interesting English article, I would be in the first place.
I fantasize about chatting with foreigners in my mind: they will ask me if I have seen anything interesting recently.
I'll tell them there is, and then they'll ask me what's interesting, so I can start naturally.
Talk to yourself about what the article says.
At that time, I not only repeated the article, but also talked to myself while fantasizing in my mind.
I once imagined myself standing on the podium of the United Nations and giving a speech in English, explaining why I am an Englishman in the world.
The person who speaks it best. I once talked to myself and imagined myself standing at an award ceremony and expressing my views in English.
Thanks to those who have helped me and encouraged me. In short, I will talk to myself in English and go where I want to go.
What are we talking about? Very casual! The biggest advantage of this silly behavior is that "I began to think in English."
"The English sentences I stammered became more and more fluent when I talked to myself over and over again.
Find some like-minded friends, encourage and promote each other.
I remember when I was in middle school, I often spent time with some friends who were eager to practice oral English. We will.
Go to the English corner, share a few learned words or sentence patterns every day, or test each other from time to time.
New words.
Seize every opportunity to talk with foreigners.
In "Teaching you some practical methods to learn English well (I)", I mentioned the mentality of communicating with foreigners. this
In class, I will talk about how I never miss every opportunity to communicate with foreigners. When I was in middle school, I would take a train from Beijing to Guangzhou every winter and summer vacation to visit my grandmother who brought me up. On the way back from Guangzhou to Beijing, when booking train tickets, I will ask my mother to book all the trains from Hong Kong to Beijing via Guangzhou as much as possible. The reason is simple: there are usually many foreigners on the train from Hong Kong. They usually do nothing on the train, so this is an excellent opportunity to "catch them talking desperately"
However, dear friends, the opportunity to talk with foreigners should also be selective. Foreigners are also human beings. Sometimes they are in a hurry or not in the mood to talk. I remember when I was studying in Hongkong, one of my American professors once told me that when he was in China for a meeting, he was sometimes followed a few steps in the street. Later, I learned that their purpose was only to practice oral English. Dude, let's think about it. If the foreigner came from China, would you stop them when they were walking in a hurry, or practice oral English with them? In short, if you think with common sense and have more reason, you can find a good opportunity to talk with foreigners.
There are several good websites to recommend to you:
First, of course, it is the best seedling net (). I will continue to publish more articles about foreign culture and English knowledge. My greatest wish is to share my beneficial experience with you and make progress with you.
(http://som.twbbs.org/klee/notebook) Xiao Benlin's English notebook. This website mainly introduces American common life expressions and some cultural common sense. In addition, Xiao Benlin himself is also very attractive. His writing is lively and humorous, and his website is also a place I often visit.
Third, (http://www.debatabase.org) the most comprehensive English debate topic network. This website is more suitable for learners with higher English level. The website covers almost all the debate topics in the western world, covering politics, economy, culture, religion, society and other aspects. With the continuous improvement of your English, this website will become a source of ideas for in-depth conversation with foreign friends.
Having said so many English learning methods, in fact, in the final analysis, it is still those eight words "artificially creating an English environment". This kind of "creation" should go on all the time, and it is persistent. If I had to choose whether to learn English once a week for seven hours or one hour a day for seven times a week, I would definitely choose the latter.
You can completely turn language learning into a self-entertaining process different from other subjects. This process should be relaxed and pleasant. If you still frown and refuse to read, then I tell you that your learning method is wrong.
Finally, I hope that English learners all over the world can make foreigners speechless, dumbfounded and dizzy one day.