Discussion Forum: Learning Vocabulary |
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- Learning vocabulary - strategy Maria Kotecka 11/3/2009 1:38:32 PM
Hi everyone , have you ever tried online programm to learn vocabulary on www.learn-vocabulary.org ? I really recommend it. It's free and the best I found. And on top of that - very good looking, vithout annoying advertisement, unlike others free programms. Im really curious about your impression of that.
Maria
- modern English Lola Akita 6/7/2007 11:01:51 AM
I just moved to Australia from Japan a few months ago. I studied English in junior high school, high school and college. I got good scores on the TOEFL and IELTS, but when I came here I found people couldn’t understand me. The daughter of the family I’m staying with told me that my expressions are too formal and old-fashioned. She said I sound like a grandmother not a 25 year old. How can I make my language sound more modern? - Re: modern English Cecelia Sumi 6/7/2007 11:03:42 AM Idiomatic expressions are always changing over time. A lot of our expressions are influenced by culture and technology. For example, fifty years ago the expressions “coach-potato, surfing, chat room, and reality TV” did not exist. These expressions are constantly used today. In order to be able to use up-to-date expressions, it is important that you are learning idiomatic English from a current source. Many expressions in ESL text books that are used overseas are very old-fashioned, such as the “cat that ate the canary” and rarely used today. Use materials that are current when studying English. Living in an English speaking country such as Australia gives you many opportunities to learn from observing and interacting with native speakers. Try and pick up expressions from them whenever possible.
- Re: Re: modern English Hea Shon 6/7/2007 11:04:53 AM
I can relate. I thought I spoke very good English until I moved overseas. It took me awhile to realize that the English that I learned at school isn’t the English that is actually spoken by people in North America. If you can’t live in an English speaking country it’s really important to study lessons from English speaking countries. That’s the best way to learn how people really talk.
- formality level Hea Shon 6/7/2007 10:56:21 AM I know not all expressions can be used in all situations. Everyone says that English speakers are very relaxed, but how do I know if it is possible to use an expression in formal situations?
- Re: formality level Cecelia Sumi 6/7/2007 10:59:08 AM That’s a great question. If you are unsure about the appropriateness of an expression, it is better not to use it. You can ask an English speaker in what situation it can be used. Or you can listen to native speakers talk in a given setting. Pay attention to what expressions they use, and imitate them. If you don’t have many opportunities to speak to or listen to native speakers, think about the source of the expression. Did you learn the new expression from a movie, a book, or online? Was the setting in which the expression was used formal or informal? If it was an informal setting, refrain from using the expression until you have the opportunity to learn more about it. You may also find that some ESL lessons identify expressions as formal or informal.
- obvious meanings Hea Shon 6/7/2007 10:48:24 AM I love it when I hear an idiom that I don’t know, but I can understand right away, because somehow the meaning is so clear. I’m working with a lot of English speakers and one night after work we all went out to a buffet restaurant. One of the men still had food left on his plate after everyone had finished eating. He said, “I can’t eat this. My eyes are bigger than my stomach.” I understood that expression immediately. Before someone asked the best way to remember idioms…if possible try to experience a situation when they are used. I know it is not always possible. Has this happened to anyone else? Have you heard a new idiom and understood immediately because of the situation when it was used?
- Re: obvious meanings Ming Chai 6/7/2007 10:50:29 AM My host family’s father said one day last summer “It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk.” I didn’t know that expression, but I could understand it right away.
- Re: Re: obvious meanings Lola Akita 6/7/2007 10:53:10 AM
It is nice when you can understand an expression right away. But I think most expressions in English aren’t like that. For every easy to understand expression, there are 100 not so easy to understand ones. Especially when they are related to things in the culture. I heard the expression “He’s six feet under.” I had no idea what that meant. I later learned that it means someone is dead and they’ve been buried in a grave. Where I live we don’t bury people, everyone is cremated. So that expression was very difficult.
- remembering new words lukas rowley 6/3/2007 9:33:38 PM When I study new words I can understand them in the classroom, but I forget it as soon as I close my book. How can I remember new expressions?
- Re: remembering new words Maria Kotecka 11/3/2009 1:25:39 PM
Hi , have you ever tried online programm to learn vocabulary on www.learn-vocabulary.org ? I really recommend it. It's free and the best I found. And on top of that - very good looking, vithout annoying advertisement, unlike others free programms. Im really curious about your impression of that.
Maria
- Re: remembering new words Maria Kotecka 11/3/2009 1:21:49 PM
Hi , have you ever tried online programm to learn vocabulary on www.learn-vocabulary.org ? I really recommend it. It's free and the best I found. And on top of that - very good looking, vithout annoying advertisement, unlike others free programms. Im really curious about your impression of that.
Maria
- Re: remembering new words Maria Kotecka 11/3/2009 1:21:48 PM
Hi , have you ever tried online programm to learn vocabulary on www.learn-vocabulary.org ? I really recommend it. It's free and the best I found. And on top of that - very good looking, vithout annoying advertisement, unlike others free programms. Im really curious about your impression of that.
Maria
- Re: remembering new words Cecelia Sumi 6/3/2007 9:38:16 PM
Remembering new vocabulary is a very challenging part of studying a new language. There is no one method to help you remember new expressions. There are several learning strategies that I would like to suggest. Different people learn in different ways. A strategy that works well for one individual may not work well for another. It is important that you try a variety of learning strategies until you are able to find one that suits your individual learning style.
1. Use the language as frequently as possible. Try using new words/expressions shortly after learning them. If you are frequently using the words/expressions you’ll remember them more easily.
2. If you don’t have the opportunity to use the words/expressions in conversation, try composing conversations in your head. Think of situations in your day-to-day life when the new words/expressions could be used appropriately. Then think of the actual sentences that would be used in the situation. Don’t generalize. If the expression is “made a pretty penny” (from A Run of Bad Luck) think of a situation when that expression could be used, for example, your grandfather became rich because he started an ice cream shop at the beach. Then the actual sentences that might be used would be:
Person A: Your grandfather is a very successful man. Person B: Yeah, he is. He opened an ice shop up at the beach when he was young. It was a small shop, but he made a pretty penny from it.
3. Keep a dictionary of new words and expressions. Buy a notebook and write down new vocabulary and defintions in your own words in either English or your own language. Don’t rely on a definition from another source; write a definition that you can understand easily. It’s important to remember to read over the entries that you record. Review them on the bus, before you go to bed, waiting for the kettle to boil, or whenever it’s convenient for you.
4. Review the source of the words. Reading a story only once is not enough. Read each story or article several times. Look over the exercises that accompany the story even after you’ve completed them. Review is very important. Try to compose more sentences using the new vocabulary.
5. Try writing a journal, or your own stories. Write them down in a notebook and try to use new words and expressions. Don’t worry too much about the style of writing, just focus on finding ways of using the new language. You could write about your own life, or you could write fiction, or about current events.
I hope these suggestions are helpful. - Re: Re: remembering new words lukas rowley 6/7/2007 10:31:08 AM For me, I like to think of a real situation about my family or friends when I could use the new word. I always could remember the expression “laughed his head off” when I think about my little brother. When he watched the movie Home Alone, he couldn’t stop laughing. He laughed so much when he watched that movie that my mother thought he was going to get sick. He just couldn’t stop laughing. When I later learned the expression “laughed his head off” I starting thinking about my brother laughing, so I’ll always remember what it means.
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