1.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Be
confident. People can only correct your mistakes when they hear you make them.
2.
Surround yourself in English. Put
yourself in an all English speaking environment where you can learn passively.
The best way to learn is through speaking.
3.
Practise every day. Make yourself a
study plan. Decide how much time a week you are going to spend studying and
stick to it. Establish a routine.
4.
Tell your family and friends about
your study plan. Get them to push you to study and also don’t let them
interrupt you.
5.
Practise the 4 core skills: reading,
writing, speaking and listening. They all need to be worked on for you to
improve.
6.
Keep a notebook of new words you
learn. Use them in sentences and try to say them at least 3 times when you
speak.
7.
Visit EC’s ( education consultant) free
learn English website at least once a day and complete a lesson.
8.
Memorisation of lists is one of the
most common ways of learning vocabulary for a test. It's only a good exercise
for short term studying because you often do not retain the information that
you have learned for a test.
9.
Use your body clock. If you’re not a
morning person, study in the afternoon.
10.
You will find words easier to remember
if you try to remember an example sentence using that word rather the word on
its own.
11.
Plan to take a test. You’ll find
that you work harder when you need to study for something.
12.
Saying that, it’s better not to
study just to take a test. Think of the bigger picture. What can you do when
you have a good command of English? How will the quality of your life improve?
13.
Give yourself a long term goal.
Focus on working towards it.
14.
Give yourself short term goals too
and reward yourself when you achieve each one.
15.
Create an atmosphere in which you
want to learn, not because you have to. You’ll learn more when you’re learning
because you want to.
16.
Know what works best for you. Think
about what methods have been successful for you in the past and stick with
them.
17.
Figure out how you learn. It can be
by memorising, reading, speaking, summarising or other methods. Find out how
you study best. It can be in a quiet place by yourself or with a group.
18.
Get help! If you don’t understand
something you’ve got to ask someone. Ask your teacher, classmates or friends
for help.
19.
Review! Review! Review! Make sure
that you take the time to review things you have studied in the past.
20.
It’s not a good idea to study on
your own for more than 30 minutes at a time. Take regular breaks, get some
fresh air and stretch your legs.
21.
Don’t be in such a hurry to move up
a level. Concentrate on the level you are at now.
22.
Watch DVDs rather than TV. It’s
better to use something that you can watch over again to catch information you
might have missed the first time.
23.
Watching TV only gives you the
chance to hear something correctly first time. This is better for high level
students. It can be great practice for speaking to native English speakers so
you don’t have to ask them to repeat themselves!
24.
Read graded readers. These books are
especially written for your level. Read a whole novel. You can do it! You’ll
feel great afterwards.
25.
Children’s books have easier words
and are a good alternative to graded readers.
26.
Newspapers are a good place to find
passive constructs. Read through an article and see if you can find the passive
sentences.
27.
Read for the general meaning first.
Don’t worry about understanding every word, then go back and look up new words.
28.
For a word you don’t understand in a
sentence, look at the other words around it. They will give you a hint. Try to
guess the meaning from the context.
29.
Learn root words. They’ll help you
guess the meaning of words. For example: scrib = write, min = small
30.
When you learn a new word, think of
all its other forms: Beautiful (adjective), beauty (noun), beautifully
(adverb).
31.
Learn prefixes (dis-, un-, re-) and
suffixes (-ly, -ment, -ful), these will help you to figure out the meaning of
words and build your vocabulary.
32.
English, unlike Japanese or French,
uses word stress. For new words, count the syllables and find where the stress
is. Only one stress per word and always on a vowel. Two syllable verbs have a
stress on the second syllable (beGIN). 2 syllable nouns (TEAcher) and
adjectives (HAPpy) stress the first.
33.
Use English whenever you can. It’s
as simple as that!
34.
Don’t translate into English from
your own language. Think in English to improve your fluency. Talk to
yourself…but not on the bus otherwise people will think you have gone crazy!
35.
You can’t learn English from a book.
Like driving a car, you can only learn through doing it.
36.
The most natural way to learn
grammar is through talking.
37.
Keep an English diary or journal.
Start by writing a few sentences a day and then get into the habit of writing
more.
38.
Why not start an online blog and
share your writings with the world?
39.
To become a better writer brainstorm
as many ideas and thoughts onto paper without worrying about grammar or
spelling. Then think about the structure. After that, write your piece using
good grammar and spelling. Finally, read it through or give it to someone else
to check for mistakes.
40.
Keep an eye on your punctuation as
it can totally change what you’re trying to say. Check out the difference in
meaning between these two sentences: “A woman without her man is nothing” and
“A woman: without her, man is nothing”.
41.
Sing your heart out! Show the world
your beautiful voice! Learn English songs and sing along with them to improve
fluency and intonation… anyone for Karaoke?
42.
Get a penfriend or use chat-rooms,
forums and community sites. If you can’t speak to someone in English, this is
the next best thing.
43.
Shadow English CDs. Listen to a few
sentences then repeat what you heard. Focus on the rhythm and intonation.
44.
Have English radio on in your house.
Even if you are not actively listening to it, you will still be training your
ears.
45.
Mirror CDs. Read out loud along with
a CD. Again, this is great for intonation, pronunciation and rhythm.
46.
Dictation. Listen to a CD or friend
and write down what you hear.
47.
Nobody likes to hear their own
voice, but be brave and try it! Record your voice and listen to your
pronunciation and intonation. It will help you to identify your problem areas.
48.
Ask your helpful teacher if you can
record his lesson. This is a great way to review. You can also listen to your
teachers speaking speed and intonation.
49.
Use an English/English dictionary as
it will help you to keep thinking in English and not translating.
50.
If an English/English dictionary
seems scary, there are learner’s dictionaries for English students of your
level.
51.
Don’t become too reliant on your
dictionary. Your dictionary should be an aid, not your main teacher. Try to
guess the meaning of words rather than going straight for your dictionary.
52.
Don’t give up! Stay positive!
Sometimes you will feel that you aren’t learning quickly enough. Everyone feels
like this, don’t worry about it. You’ll get there in the end.
53.
Enjoy it! We learn more when we are
having fun!
54.
If you get nervous when speaking,
take two deep breaths before you say something. You’ll speak better when you
feel relaxed.
55.
Keep yourself motivated by looking
back at the textbooks and CDs you used in the past. You’ll be surprised at how
easy they seem to you now! Congratulations, your level is improving!
56.
You are never too young or too old
to start learning English. Don’t make excuses not to learn. What are you
waiting for?
57.
Procrastination can stop you from
being successful. To stop procrastinating, it's important you understand if
your procrastinating is to avoid studying, or if it is your bad habit.
58.
If you haven’t gotten the results
you wanted yet, it’s not because you’re bad at languages, it’s because you
haven’t found your own special way of learning yet.
59.
Use resources which match your
level. Don’t use texts/listening exercises which are too difficult or too easy.
Use materials which challenge you but don’t frustrate you.
60.
Don’t worry about making your accent
perfect. It’s an important part of your cultural identity to keep your accent.
Native English speakers enjoy hearing English spoken with an accent.
61.
Instead, be aware of the differences
in American and British English and use your words accordingly. For example:
Elevator (US) / Lift (British).
62.
Carry cue cards with you. These are
small cards which you can write new words on. You can pull them out and look at
them whenever you a free minute.
63.
Use post-it notes and stick them
around your home. You can use them to label things.
64.
You can’t ignore phrasal verbs (two
words verbs), there are hundreds of them in English and they’re widely used.
The more you focus on their meaning, the more you’ll be able to guess the
meaning of new ones. You’ll start to recognise their patterns.
65.
Gather your thoughts. Take a second
to think about what you’re going to say. You know the grammar, but maybe you
don’t use it correctly when you speak.
66.
Meet new people. Make the effort to
mix with English speakers in your town. You could join a club or go to bars
where foreigners hang out. Buy one a drink, they love that!
67.
Be the person to start conversations
in English. Try to keep the conversations moving and use listening words
(‘really?’ / ‘go on…’/ ‘what happened then?’) Don’t wait for others to speak to
you. Get in there!
68.
Debate. Discuss topics in a group.
Each person should choose a viewpoint (even if you don’t agree with it) and
debate it within the group. Make sure you get your point across. Learn to
listen actively. Active listening will help in the classroom and it will help
you get more out of, and contribute more to, group study sessions. Focus on the
person who is talking. Don’t fidget or become distracted by other people or
events. Concentrate on the speaker with your ears and eyes. Follow the
movements the speaker makes in an effort to hear more. It may help to repeat
what you hear others say in an effort to understand their thoughts.
69.
It’s not enough to only learnEnglish words. You can teach a parrot English words but that doesn’t mean it
can speak English! You still need to have an understanding of grammar.
70.
Verb tenses are used by English
speakers to talk about the timing of actions. You might not have the same
expressions in your own language. It’s important that you know these tenses and
when to use them.
71.
English has many irregular verbs.
You should drill yourself on them.
72.
Keep it up! If you take a break from
speaking English, you will find that your level decreases and all your hard
work has been wasted.
73.
Remember that as long as you have
tried your hardest, you have succeeded!
74.
Learn English with a friend. You’ll
have someone you can practise with and you can motivate each other to study.
75.
Keep in mind that it takes longer to
improve when our level is high. Usually the fastest progress is made when we
are beginners. Don’t think that you’re suddenly not learning anymore, it’s just
a less noticeable progress.
76.
Make sure that your English matches
the occasion. It’s OK to use slang with friends but not in a business meeting.
Decide in which situation it’s appropriate to use the words and phrases you
have learned.
77.
Textbook English is often different
from the way we casually speak. To learn casual ‘slang’ watch movies.
78.
Idioms can be difficult to memorise,
but they are great fun to use and they’ll make your English more colourful.
79.
When talking we usually link words
together so that two words can sound like one. Simply put, we link words ending
with a consonant sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (consonant >
vowel). We link words ending with a vowel sound to words beginning with a vowel
sound (vowel > vowel). Practise these to improve your listening and
pronunciation.
80.
Make use of the internet. It’s full
of resources to help you learn: BBC Learning English ;
learnenglish.ecenglish.com
81.
Think about your strong and weak
points. Write down which areas you want to improve on and work on improving
them. Of course, don’t ignore your strong points. Congratulate yourself on how
well you’ve done!
82.
Unlearn your mistakes. You probably
make the same grammar mistakes over and over again. Use English tests results
as a study tool. Go over your mistakes and choose one or two that you want to
focus on. Use your favourite grammar book to check rules.
83.
For fluency, try image training.
Before you go to that restaurant think through what the waiter is likely to say
to you. Think of what phrases you are going to use.
84.
Much communication comes through
body language and gesture. These can be different between cultures and
countries.
85.
The easiest one - Sleep! You’ll
learn more after a good night’s sleep. You’ll be able to concentrate more.
86.
Take an English course in an English
speaking country.
87.
If you studying abroad, mix with
people from other countries not only people from your own country. It’s not a
good idea for you to live in a shared house with people from your own country.
Enjoy a more cultural experience by spending time with other nationalities.
88.
Have you thought about getting a job
or doing an internship abroad?
89.
Get yourself a qualified teacher.
Who wants to learn wrong things?
90.
Nobody can learn all of the Englishlanguage. No need to worry about trying. A useful shortcut to learning is that
in English we have lots of words that have the same pronunciation, but a
different spelling and meaning. For example, ‘come here’ has the same
pronunciation as, ‘I can hear the birds’. You might find it easier to build
vocabulary by knowing the different meanings.
91.
Once you have a basic level of
English explore the different ways you can say the same thing. This makes your
English more interesting to the listener and it shouldn’t be too difficult for
you because you already know the basics. For example, how many ways can we say,
‘Goodbye' in English?
92.
When you are on your English course,
be prepared for your class. Do your homework as soon as possible and hand it in
on time. Review your notes and your last lesson a few minutes before the class.
Doing this will refresh your memory and you'll be warmed up for lesson.
93.
Don't get distracted in class. Focus
on the lesson, don't stare out of the window. Don't be late, arrive a few
minutes before the start of the lesson. Don't sit next to people who won't
speak to you in English. Switch off your phone. Be organised, remember to take
your textbook, notebook and pen.
94.
Find a comfortable, peaceful place
for quiet study. You need somewhere where you can focus 100%.
95.
Last but not least, learn English with EC!
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Website: www.truonghoanggia.edu.vn - Email: truonghoanggiasaigon@gmail.com
Điện thoại: 0937261618 - Hotline: 0902641618
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