How to improve my English?

jl2315

seneca Post time: 2011-11-23 21:49
You need to think about your perceived "slowness" in holding down a dialogue: Is it caused by your thinking in your first language, then translating it into a second one?
That is the approach you should AVOID. Unfortunately, it is the approach inculcated in all Chinese English learners.

In other words: You must take action to overcome it. Ideally, you don't need your first tongue to understand what is being said in a different language. YOU SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON TRANSLATING.

Excellent advice.  Most Chinese learners of English do not realize that translation is in general more difficult than writing, and for learners at any level, formulating sentences first in Chinese and then translating them into English is a lot more difficult than organizing your thoughts directly in English.

Ronny

The thing with English at the stage I'm guessing your at is that you may not improve much if you don't do the reading and watching TV( DVD etc). It's your brain that needs immersion, when you read you not only gather patterns of speaking but there is also your voice in your head as a guide to your progress, how smooth it your reading when compared to reading Chinese etc. with a DVD, if the speech is to fast, then watch it again and again until you can catch every word, moving on to the next should be easier. this practice will make you speak and listen better, but conversation is also of prime importance, you must put into practice what you learn, once you get it right, keep up the movies and books, to keep in practice when your not getting conversation. As for comprehension, you should already have the basics, more will come with experience. no subtitles when watching movies.

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terryfoy

Alas, I haven't heard the dulcet airs of a blackbird this year yet, but there are many mimics around in the form of your common starling.  Starlings are great mimics - and will copy the sounds of any birds they come into contact with - even blackbirds. When you do hear the blackbird trill - it is unmistakable - it must be Spring.  Which reminds me - I have to clear the garden path - we had snow last night.
On a totally different topic:
There are many different accents / dialects in Great Britain - sometimes it is difficult to comprehend what each other are saying simply because of the varied tongues.  Yet - we are all talking English.  I want Chinese English learners to think about this and to feel that they are not alone.  The English language has many variants - if you feel that sometimes you are not understood - then welcome to the club.  

xiaodi0325

terryfoy Post time: 2012-2-6 05:59
Alas, I haven't heard the dulcet airs of a blackbird this year yet, but there are many mimics around ...

The website address is unavailable. Why aren't the website addresses which I click on this forum available?
Am I late?

luoxingxing21

Best way to improve your English is: watching series, movies.
Lots of word, expression I had no idea before, how to use it and when.
I had learnt a lot from it, there is so many idom, so many thing are just not in the books. And you are not able to study in the schools.