Not in order of importance, just as they come to mind!
Mind you, I guess I should list them as ways to improve your mastery of a Second of Foreign language, LOL!
1. cable TV! - don't laugh! back when we first got cable here in ES, there was ONE cable company, and they had SEVEN channels only...all in English and no subtitles!...Grandma had it installed in our house...if we wanted to watch the "cool" programs, we had to make an effort to understand them!...it certainly helps train your ear!
2. books - At school they gave us summarized versions of books geared towards ESL (English as a Second Language) or EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students...but I also had my father's book case replete with "real" books...and he let me choose whichever I wanted!
3. Magazines- if you finished your work fast, our teacher would give you either a National Geographic or Time Magazine to read quietly while the rest of the people finished theirs.
4. Friends/family - when you have friends/ family members that don't speak your mother tounge, you tend to learn pretty quickly!
5. Getting rid of the shame- NO ONE speaks perfectly...I consider myself well educated and, still, will sometimes say things like "imprimido" (instead of "impreso") or "morido" instead of "muerto) ...I generally recognize the horror the minute those words leave my mouth, turn beet red and correct myself, but, the point is I DON'T speak perfect Spanish (not to mention there are probably 100,000 mistakes I make that I don't catch!)...so, if I'm not perfect in my own language...how can I be expected to be in another one? We all make mistakes...live with it!(plus, as a foreigner, one should get some credit just for TRYING!)
6. Etymology and phonetics classes- which I took at the university...knowing where a word came from really helps!
those funny little markings next to the dictionary made sense after that!...
9. Composition lessons- one writes as one thinks, if you're thinking is disorganized, like mine, you really need this!
8. Practice, practice, practice! - I've been blessed that I've had the opportunity to practice my English on a daily basis for the past 20 years!! ...unfortunately, my German is almost "lost", since I HAVEN'T had this opportunity!
It doesn't fit anywhere on the list, but one of the things I find fascinating about learning/ practicing a foreign language is that it gives you wonderful insight into other cultures!
Things that helped me improve my English
July 15th, 2008 at 06:35 pm
July 16th, 2008 at 12:57 am 1216169830
July 16th, 2008 at 01:20 am 1216171241
My husband (who speaks English as a second language and who speaks with a native flair) picked up a lot of his English skills watching American movies every weekend. Tom Cruise (back in the Top Gun days) was his speaking model!
July 16th, 2008 at 05:02 pm 1216227734
It is a real shame but my one trip to France at age 16 turned me off to learning any other language. The people there were beyond rude to us and I've never had even a moments wish to speak anything but English since. Like I said, it is a real shame. I hope you encounter nothing but kindness from native English speakers.