Daily Life in China                  

English Online: About Learning English

  Anyone can learn a foreign language.  

   Physics 物 理学 wu4 li3 xue2 ] and calculus [ 变分法 bian4 fen1 fa3] can be hard because they require abstract [chou1xiang4] thinking.  Learning a language is much simpler and has different difficulties.  

   At first learning a language is difficult because it's different and strange [ 奇怪 qi2 guai4].  After you start studying English this difficulty goes away.

   As you continue to study English you get used to the new grammar rules, reading and listening.  You learn new words which are more strange than difficult.  In class you learn more words and your vocabulary gets bigger.  You get to understand more.  You listen to your teachers, tape and learn pronunciation so improve every week but it's slow.  

   You are asked to speak and it's very hard.  Your vocabulary is limited and you get stuck trying to think of the word to say.  For new learners this is expected.  You begin to think in English but do not have words to say what you want.  In class your teachers try to have you talk about things you read and discuss so the vocabulary is not completely new.  Outside of class talking is a bit harder because what you talk about requires a bigger vocabulary.  You have the thoughts but do not have enough words.  

   Building your vocabulary is very important and helps to get you speaking more easily and freely.  It is not hard to build your vocabulary.  It takes patience and steady work but with time you slowly get to know more words.  

   It's the same with pronunciation.  As you listen and speak you get feedback from your own sounds and correct and re-correct until you learn how to make sounds the right way.  It is a slow and repeated process. 

   Reading is good and helps your vocabulary and understanding of words.  Speaking is the goal and is the best thing for getting you to think in English.  

The difficult part of learning a language is that it is hard to get yourself to practice.  You practice in class but not when your outside of class.  When you go home you usually speak in Chinese.  You should make some time for practicing English.

The following thing are good for you to do:

Your goal at first is to try to make yourself fluent in English.  Do not worry much about pronunciation at first, just try to speak and think in English.

fluency, adj,

1. spoken or written with ease: speak fluent French ***

2. able to speak or write smoothly, easily, or readily: fluent in three languages ***

3. smooth; easy; graceful: fluent motion

4. flowing or capable of flowing; fluid:  

accurate, adj,

1. free from error; conforming to truth: an accurate description ***

concept, n

1. a general notion or idea; conception

2. an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics

or particulars; a construct.

3. a directly conceived or intuited object of thought

connote, v,t

1. to signify or suggest (certain meanings, ideas, etc.) in addition

to the explicit or primary meaning: a fireplace connotes comfort and hospitality

denote, v.t

1. to be a mark or sign of: indicate

2. to be a name or designation for: mean ***

denotation, n

1. the explicit or direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression,

as distinguished from the ideas or meanings associated with or suggested

by it.

2. the act or fact of denoting; indication

3. a word that names or denotes something ***

precise, adj

1. definitely or strictly stated, defined, or fixed: precise directions

2. being that one and no other; the precise dress I wanted

3. exact in expressing oneself

4. carefully distinct: precise articulation (speaking)

conviction, n,

1. a fixed or firm belief

2. the act of being  convincing

3. the state of being convinced ***