You can learn English vocabulary easily. In fact, it can be as easy as brushing your teeth. All you need is the right software. The most important thing is spaced repetition.
Spaced repetition is studying something and reviewing it many times. Each time the number of minutes, hours, or days before the next review is longer.
For instance, study a new fact. Perhaps the meaning of the word ‘silence’. Then review it after ten minutes.
Then review it after one hour.
Then review it after three hours.
Then review it the next day, just once.
Then review it after three days.
And after one week.
And after three weeks.
And then review it after two months.
You will remember it for a long time.
This is only a sample schedule. But if you use it it will work well. There are better schedules. They exist in computer programs. One example is SuperMemo. Another example is Mnemosyne. Or perhaps Anki. And of course there are other programs as well.
These programs are flashcard programs. They show you flashcards. You have to tell them how easy it was to remember the meaning of the word. Each time. Then, the program decides when to show the flashcard again (how long before the next review).
Many of these flashcard programs can show text, or a picture, or even play a sound. This lets you review vocabulary in many ways.
You can use these programs to learn more than just meanings. You can also learn how to use the words in a sentence.
The simplest way is to make flashcards with simple sentences as answers. Have more than one sentence for each word. You can have perhaps up to five sample sentences for each word. On the flashcard prompt, have the target word, and a few other words that are in the sentence. You have to recall the sentence. Saying it out loud is the best practice. Then compare with the answer.
The big advantage with these programs is the review schedule. You review at the optimal time. The disadvantage is these programs are not fun. You must be motivated to review.
You can motivate yourself easily. Make a strong clear picture of yourself knowing the vocabulary. Make the image positive.
Now make two to three images of yourself learning the vocabulary. Each image is a step in the learning process. For instance, the first step might be starting the computer to check your e-mail (part of your daily routine). The second step might be starting the flashcard software after you check your mail. The third step might be completing the review session feeling satisfied.
You must ‘see’ these images in your mind several times a day. If you ‘see’ these images a lot, your motivation to study will become stronger. Then it is easy to study.
Now, you have an easy way to learn English vocabulary. And you have an easy way to motivate yourself to do it.
Just do it!

As English Language Learners (ELL) we face many challenges when attempting to learn to read the English language, here I’d like to share some helpful suggestions on how to improve your reading skills for better reading success. Some of the best tips my teachers taught me are those I will share with you here. Oh yes, I do remember those days! And honestly, I still fumble now and then, but I keep moving forward to continue improving.
Here are those helpful suggestions for improving your reading skills:
Carry reading materials at all times. Now this doesn’t mean reading material in your native language. AHA! Been there, tried that, my teacher said, “No.” This means carry reading material in the English language that you are learning. Read as much English materials as you can get a hold of, for example; junk mail, advertisements, newspapers, magazines, monthly newsletters, coupons, and informational flyers. Reading helps you get familiar with the English language use and will help build your confidence when you get ready to practice reading out loud.
Get a pocket dictionary. If you don’t have a pocket dictionary, make an effort to get one. This is a wise investment and will pay for itself in the long run. You may carry it in your backpack, pocket, or purse. Some small pocket dictionaries even a have a thesaurus. A thesaurus is a listing of words that are related to each other and words that may be used as substitutes. A pocket dictionary is highly recommended for all new English Language Learners.
Reading for fun: Find yourself a good book in English; it must be one you think you would enjoy reading. Pick a topic of interest because you will more likely read it through to the end. When you read something you enjoy it makes reading more fun and not seem as challenging, though it may be if your English vocabulary is limited in the beginning. If you need to start by reading children stories, by all means, do so. It works!Being resourceful is nothing to be ashamed of, I say this because while I was learning the English language as an adult there were times when I felt embarrassed. Yikes! I was already an adult and I was just learning the language? Be assured that these tips will help you get ahead too. Today, as a freelance writer and interpreter, I still look for ways to improve my writing skills because this helps build confidence and I share them with you to help you build confidence as well.

By Karel Kosman

There are some interesting mythological explanations for the multitudes of languages existing on the planet, such as the Tower of Babyl in the Bible, where humans developed such a pride they wanted to reach the stars and God himself. Whereupon God said, “[GE 11:6] “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel–because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”

A Hindu myth tells of how not only differences in language, but also diversity in culture, or customs came into being, by the punishment by Brahma of a proud tree: “There grew in the centre of the earth the wonderful `world tree,’ or `knowledge tree.’ It was so tall that it reached almost to heaven. It said in its heart, `I shall hold my head in heaven and spread my branches over all the earth, and gather all men together under my shadow, and protect them, and prevent them from separating.’ But Brahma, to punish the pride of the tree, cut off its branches and cast them down on the earth, when they sprang up as wata trees, and made differences of belief and speech and customs to prevail on the earth, to disperse men upon its surface.”

A Salishan (a tribe in the Americas) myth tells how an argument lead to the divergence of languages. Two people were arguing whether the high-pitched humming noise that accompanies ducks in flight is from air passing through the beak or from the flapping of wings. The argument was not settled by the chief, who then called a council of all the leading people from nearby villages. This council broke down in argument as nobody could agree, and eventually the dispute lead to a split where some people moved far away. Over time they slowly began to speak differently, and eventually other languages were formed.

Formation of Language and Communication

There are several scientific reasons to explain the abundance of languages, such as people’s imitations of animal sounds (Meow Meow), or developing from natural sounds (Ouch Ouch). One interesting theory states that the divergence of languages was motivated by selfish or survival instincts, where one tribe would try to make up some code of communication which would deceive or not be understood by another tribe, so that they could attack them or have some advantage over them.

Generally though, it is believed that languages started forming between 2 million and 40,000 years ago. In our human development, grunts would develop into more complex communication, and Neanderthal man, for example, was able to communicate on some basic level. But around one million years ago in Africa, the FOXP2 gene came into existence and which gave this new humanoid breed greater communication skills and paved the way for more rapid development. It is proven that all humans of today have descended from this African root, where in Africa at one time it was common to find a blond blue eyed Caucasian next to someone darker than night itself, next to a fair skinned half tanned person. But this ability to more elaborately develop communication has given this species of humans an edge over their predecessors, being able to devise and communicate more complex concepts and strategies, to the point that this species overcame all its predecessors, forcing them and Neanderthal man into extinction.

Animals also communicate, but the smartest of which cannot seem to grasp the complex syntax of human grammar. Each language can be considered a living entity and is constantly evolving. The teen goes to highschool and learns the latest lingo to be cool and in, and hence the generation gap is fostered. This latest lingo can vary depending on locality, such that a language can digress geographically, although modern media can cross borders and promote lingo on a global level. But this type of media did not exist before 50 years ago, in which case languages were free to develop and diverge on a local level. Going back further, they could have diverged faster if children did not go to school where they would be taught some nationalised version of their language, instead taught the language of their parents and other locals. And hence we have dialects of the same language.

The bible can be considered the media of the past for this purpose, where, for example in Germany, its translation was drawn from local dialects across a large area of German speaking people, hence creating High German, technically a new language and a nationalised version, unifying many areas. The bible, one of the first major publications in many languages, played a similar important role in the development and unification of those languages. In fact, the first major publication ever was the bible. The Arab language draws great influence from the Qur’an, which is said to be so masterfully articulated that it must have been inspired by the divine. Many of the European languages diverged from Latin, and English is a cross-breed of several languages, as explained below. So what may have started as a universal grunt to depict a particular concept would have evolved over time in different ways depending on the creativity of locals and their discovery over time of the different sounds that one can make with their tongue and mouth. Many languages have sounds, and hence letters in their alphabet, which are not present in other languages. Some languages even use expressions and other bodily parts to express oneself. For example, in Norway, a quick inhale is a common acknowledgement.

As humankind evolved, so did its method of communication on regional levels, languages eventually forming into groups and clusters and related to one another (Indo-European family, etc.). Many languages can be traced to the migration of its peoples, like the Hungarian language, which is said to be of Uralic origin.

This has led the development of around 10,000 languages, but in the modern age, with media, the dominance of certain languages, and general education, about one third of these have already died out. Scientists around the world are frantically trying to record and document the remaining, as they reveal important clues to our development and the migration of the human race as a whole. Field researchers have graduated from handwritten notes and wire recordings to laptops, mini-discs, DAT tape and MP3s. “We are sitting between the onset of the digital era and the mass extinction of the world’s languages,” said Prof Bird. Of the 6,500 presently in existence, another 3,000 could disappear within the next one hundred years if not recorded. Others still expect that 90% of the languages should die by the end of this century. Australia, where Prof. Bird is based, itself has more critically endangered languages than all other countries combined and where there are estimated to be about 80 indigenous Australian languages with only 5 or fewer speakers.

The study of languages first began in India in the 5th century before Christ, on the language of Sanskrit.

Development of an Alphabet – Written Language

Later, at about 1000 BC, the empire of the Phoenicians arouse on the Mediterranean, the power base drawn from seafaring trade between many surrounding civilisations. They are said to be descendents of the Canaanites, and their alphabet drawn from an earlier Semitic/Hebrew prototype, which through the Phoenician alphabet eventually evolved into the alphabets of the Greeks (who were so kind as to add vowels and from which all European alphabets are drawn), the middle east, and India. The Cyrillic alphabet, used by the Russians and in some parts of Eastern Europe, was developed by the Bulgarians based on the Greek alphabet. One of the Phoenician’s great ports of trade was Byblos, although the city’s name was different before and after. It is allegedly the first city ever built in the world, where writing first began (around 1200 BC), where Papyrus was heavily traded and exported to Greece (Papyrus, the original material to write on, where Bublos is the Greek word for Papyrus), it is the oldest and continually inhabited city in the world (presently named Jbeil, 42 km north of Beruit), and the word Bible is derived from its name.

Development of English into a Global Language

As humans have populated the earth, migrating to its different corners and bringing with it and modifying its native languages, we get to a point where there are no longer open and unexplored pastures to migrate to, and where technology and the organisation of civilisations has developed to such a degree that some languages begin to dominate, through education, media, and other means. Simple Chinese has been devised to make learning easier and unify communication across a larger area, such that this is presently the world’s most widely used form of communication as a native language. However, as a secondary and native language, English is the most widely spoken. It is interesting to note that the most English speakers (as a native or second language) are found in India, followed by China, and then by the United States. In fact, there are at least 28 countries in the world where English is considered the official language but which is not the native language of its population (such as India, Pakistan and the Philippines). Although modern Standard Chinese and Mandarin has the most native speakers at around 700 million, and Hindi is the second most commonly spoken first language, English has 350 million native speakers but an additional 1.5 billion speak it as a second language.

English has a fairly interesting history, drawing from its Old English roots spoken in West Germany, more specifically Frisia, the language of Dutch Netherlands. This branch has deviated more than any of the other Germanic languages (itself a branch of the Indo-European family), starting when the Old English spoken by the Anglo-Saxons was exported to that little island of Britain by settlers in the 5th century. Meanwhile and later, we have the North Germanic language of the Vikings, who settled mainly in the north and east coast of Britain. These Germanic languages could have been influenced by the local Celtic dialects, where stronger resistance by the Scots in the north has kept that version of English more unique than the rest.

Following that, for the next several centuries English was heavily influenced by the Norman conquests, where Anglo-Norman is very similar to Old French and which led to Middle English (it has been computed than around 40% of the modern English vocabulary is drawn from French). During the 15th century Middle English underwent a “great vowel shift” in London, with the standardisation of print, leading to Early Modern English around the time of Shakespeare.

Therefore, by the time English has fully matured before entering the modern age, it has been roughly one third drawn from the German language, one third French, and one third Greek/Latin.

And that is when we enter the age of colonialism. Britain, located on an island and by default a strong naval power, was in a good position. The Dutch were also a traditional naval power, where naval trade often led to economic might. Mainland European countries like France, Germany and Spain traded much with themselves and other mainland countries, but they jumped on the colonial bandwagon too, until the major European countries had colonies in different parts of the world, such as the Americas, Africa and Asia. However, later wars within Europe led to various truces and agreements, such that many of the colonies founded by the mainland European countries were lost to the British. If not traded away as part of some truce, they could have been lost in military campaigns abroad, which these mainland countries could not support or defend, because they had enough concerns back at home.

English therefore spread as a global dominant language first by the colonial expansion of the British, then by the long economic might of the United States. It is the main language of business and trade, has become the official language of many countries, and more recently, its dominance has been further entrenched by the media through movies and music. And even more recently, by the internet, first widely developed in the United States. Technology, both hardware and software, also give English an edge, in that many people are forced to learn its basics to become effective in the work force, which in turn creates incentives by many governments and organisations to promote the teaching of basic English.

In Science (although the terminology of science is still mostly drawn from Latin), 95% of articles are written in English, even though half of them are written by non-native speakers. The US presently leads the world in language schools, but prince Charles of England has vowed he will do everything within his royal means to promote the greater spreading of British English in language schools around the world. Unfortunately, he has more than just the abundant US based English schools located around the world to contend with, but also the abundance of private students, where there are simply more US speakers than British and who like to travel around the world, often offering English lessons as a means to prolong their stay in the foreign countries. Furthermore, their pronunciation tends to be more monotone and easier to understand than the jolly, colourful accent of the Brits (whose dialect and pronunciation, even among themselves, can vary markedly).

Unlike France’s Academie Francaise, English has no central authority dictating its further development as it infiltrates the world and undergoes change at every regional level. It can be amusing to consider that, although English has been drawn from so many languages, it is now coming back full circle, its exported words imported back into border regions, creating what is referred to as Franglais in the Channel Islands, Frenglish on the border of Quebec, Canada, and Norwenglish. Perhaps we are all heading towards a global mushglish.

And mushglish is what leading linguists consider it: a poor choice as a global and dominant language due to the inconsistency of its pronunciation and its less than perfect grammar structure.

Since it has established its global dominance, it has also undergone change to make it easier to learn by foreign speakers. For example, there is Seaspeak (a lot of words of which, by the way, are drawn from Dutch, since they are historically a seafaring nation and have therefore thought up much of these words), and Airspeak and Policespeak, so that ships and planes don’t crash into once another, or to help capture international criminals. Then we have Special English, limited to 1,500 words (from its originally robust 500,000) and used by Voice of America. And lastly we have Basic English, used by aircraft manufacturers, international businesses and basic English schools when writing their manuals, this language first devised by Charles Kay Ogden, who said that, “If it takes 7 years to learn English, and seven months to learn Esperanto, it will take 7 weeks to learn Basic English.”

GOOD PASTIME – READING book

Some of us like to spend our free time leisurely without a specific purpose. This is time-wasting and useless. Time goes on without any stops and pauses, therefore we must optimize it wisely and meaningfully.

Reading books could mean a lot to improve our perception and widen knowledge. It doesn’t force us but teach us. Wisemen say, books are  good, silent and friendly teachers. We are openly inspired as well as aspired by reading books and then probably leads us to justify or even deny something around us. Shortly, such a good pastime enriches us mentally and a lot more.

Some meaningful and “positively shocking” advantages of reading could change our mind not to ignore this good habit, here’re some good things in reading, quoted from http://www.persistenceunlimited.com, blogged by Brad Isaac :

1. Reading is an active mental process – Unlike TV, books make us to use your brain. By reading books, we think more and become smarter.

2. It is a fundamental skill builder - Every good course on the planet has a matching book to go with it. Why? Because books help clarify difficult subjects. Books provide information that goes deeper than just classroom discussion.

3. Improves your vocabulary – Remember in elementary school when we learned how to infer the meaning of one word by reading the context of the other words in the sentence? We get the same benefit from book readings. While reading books, especially  the challenging ones, you will find yourself exposed to many new words you wouldn’t be otherwise.

4. Improves concentration and focus – Reading books takes brain power. It requires us to focus on what we are reading for long periods. Unlike magazines, Internet posts or e-Mails might contain small pieces of information. Books tell the whole story. Since we must concentrate in order to read, like a muscle, we will get better at concentration.

5. Builds self-esteem – By reading more books, we become better and well informed. This expertise translates into higher self esteem. Since we are a reading-based persons,  people look to us for more reliable answers. Our  feelings about ourselves can surely get better due to respect given by others.

6. Learn anywhere – Books are portable. We  can take them almost anywhere. As such, we can learn almost anywhere too.

7. Gives us something to talk about – Have we ever run out of stuff to talk about with our best friend? This can be quite uncomfortable. It might even make friendship  in a bit trouble. However, if we read a lot of books, we’ll always have something to talk about. We can discuss various plots in the novels we read, the stuff we are learning in the business books, etc. The possibilities of sharing are endless.

8. Improves our reasoning skills – Books that contain arguments, such as in argumentative writing, could enrich our viewpoints in giving perspectives and truth-based facts to argue certain topics, rather than the feelings- based ones. At the same time we would be somebody critical to all situations, that’s a strong indication that we’re smart, at least not easily fooled.

Let’s get started to read books, now.

compiled by : FACHRIZAL, SE

fachrizal40@yahoo.co.id

(THE TRUTH SEEKER)

HOW TO GAIN SUCCESS?

“Wow…you’re the first rank among your friends”. “ you must be very clever!”

Most of us are impressed and salute on the first rank students. It’s a very common amazement. But, is success frequently signed by the first rank condition? Is IQ (Intelligence Quotient), what’s so called a formal measurement to judge one’s intelligence to be classified clever, the only main factor?……well, is intelligence identical with success?……..give us a break.

Based on facts, the figures we’ve known as clever or smart ones are nobody but those classified average or even retarded persons. Their achievements at schools were not impressive. It’s a very extreme saying, isn’t it? Yeah…, they were called slow in thinking,  that was why they were expelled from formal school. They were looked down.

Let say Thomas Alva Edison, the most extreme one. He was requested to quit from school due to his backward mental and physical handicap (deafness). Catching up lessons was a big deal for him. Finally his mother brought him home and taught him personally. It was a blessing in disguise, actually. He was becoming a persistent one when he was being coached by his mom. He kept on applying experiments more than 1.500 times…over and over. He wasn’t easily discouraged by any failures. Because of his never-stop trial and error, eventually he invented an electric bulb. It was an amazing invention by the time. And at the same time he was no longer called fool. He’s been listed as one of the greatest inventors in human history ever since.

The fact above teaches us on how someone school-dropped-out could eventually be somebody distinguished and respected, just due to his persistence in overcoming hardships. He was the one considered useless earlier but genius later. Practice makes perfect. Experts say, he was the one with high EQ.

What’s EQ, then?  EQ (Emotional Quotient) is an improvable faculty to adapt and socialize with certain condition, unlike IQ, the inborn static capability. Those who have good EQ are usually well-motivated, sociable and persistent as well as adaptable. They like challenges and have courage to pursue something new and better. Such a quotient makes us experience-based and talented persons.

So, just be the one like that. We absolutely have nothing to lose, otherwise we’re naturally improved through our own experiences and repeated hard work despite our moderate IQ.

Come on, wake up, pals. Keep on doing your experiments!!!

Compiled  by : FACHRIZAL, SE

fachrizal40@yahoo.co.id

(THE TRUTH SEEKER)

How to Improve Teaching Performance: English Language

By. Boya Fernando

Language learning institutions are growing rapidly due to counterbalancing with globalization era. Especially people who are not speaking English as their daily language, at least they have to learn it if they want to know more information from books, internet, television, etc. In Asia, for instance, English Course Institution could be one best choice to build business. However, this business will rely on its human resources, trainers. There are some important things to know by English trainers before they start to teach. Identifying students in terms of their ages and goals can be the earliest investigation to set up the best method.

Learning language means facing new vocabularies. Regarding the age, younger students of kindergarten or elementary school will absorb language effectively if they use their part of body to practice English, called as physical response. They learn fast if they touch, feel and taste something to represent the new words. The condition of class activity should also be created in such a way that can make the young learners feel fun. Although nice class with perfect decoration is good, however the quality of trainers is much more important. They have to find games, songs or stories that they might improve to avoid learner’s boredom. For older students of high school or university, trainers should also improve their capability to communicate closely to them. They have to find their students’ favorite just to keep on fun conversation with them. Students of this age need recognizance and respect. Basically, they need to know more figures except their family members.That is why socializing with them even outside of class activity will smoothen trainers to invite them to learn more about new grammar, vocabularies and cultures. The other challenging training is for older learners who have already worked for years, or even are going to retire. The learners of this age usually sigh with their lack of memorizing or understanding lessons. Sometimes, they try to make excuses for a lot of problems and burdens they have to face at the same time. What trainers need to do is encouraging, motivating and listening to them so that problem solving in class can be made up in togetherness. Instead of asking them to memorize all terms, trainers can improve their notes to find vocabularies, functional language that are easy to remember and be used. If they have to make presentation using English which they are not familiar, trainers can give them input first. Try to make it simple by giving them examples. Next, trainers can improve their language by giving them the key to be relaxed and fun using gestures and expression. They shall find that the learning is actually lifting their burdens and making them happy aside from their daily problems, even for a while.They will look forward to having the next class and it is really a good point as an entrance to any ideas that the trainers are going to put in their minds.

Perhaps it takes a little bit more time for trainers to identify what kind of students and what their goals are so that they can improve the method to make the training more effective. However, it is worth even this is the condition that every trainer can be proud of themselves if they can succeed to find the best trigger to deal with a lot of learners with various characteristics and learning styles. Trainers, teachers or educators should improve themselves all the time since they deal with human. Just like “practice makes perfect, experience makes improvement.”

Belajar Bahasa Inggris June 29th, 2009 by Made Widana Arsana

Saya telah diajar/belajar bahasa Inggris sejak SMP (atau mungkin sejak TK), tapi mengapa Kemampuan Bahasa Inggris Saya Kurang Berkembang? What is wrong with me?” Pertanyaan ini mungkin sering menggerogoti fikiran anda jika bahasa Inggris anda masih mentok di situ dan tidak kunjung meningkat. Jika memang demikian pertanyaan Anda maka Anda tetap perlu bersyukur bahwa dengan adanya pertanyaan seperti itu, di dada anda masih ada gelora untuk bisa. You just keep on trying! Walaupun bahasa Inggris memang kompleks (i.e. karena vocab yang banyak, pronunciation yang tidak konsinten, banyak perkecualian, ect. Jika orang lain bisa kenapa anda tidak? Yang perlu dicaritahu sekarang adalah apa yang salah; apakah metodenya, tingkat keseriusan, atau mungkin karena alasan lainnya?

Setelah diketahui penyebabnya, barulah kemudian dicari solusinya. Menurut saya, penyebab utama kenapa kemampuan berbahasa Inggris sulit meningkat hanya ada 4.

4 Penyebab Kemampuan Bahasa Inggris Sulit Meningkat:

Penyebab pertama adalah Kebiasaan berbahasa Indonesia yang (maaf) jelek. Kalau kita ngomong atau nulis, pada umumnya kita suka berputar-putar (not to the point), plus tidak terstruktur, sehingga sering kita tidak tahu mana main subject, main verb, dan seterusnya. Lho, apa hubungannya dengan bahasa Inggris? Silakan baca poin berikut!

Penyebab kedua adalah Ketika menggunakan bahasa Inggris, baik via speaking maupun writing, kita umumnya mempartisi otak kita menjadi 2, yaitu partisi A untuk bahasa Indonesia dan partisi B untuk bahasa Inggris. Pertama-tama kalimat dibuat dulu di partisi A, baru kemudian diekspor ke partisi B untuk ditranslate sebelum akhirnya diekspresikan lewat speaking or writing. Efeknya adalah pola atau grammar yang sudah payah-payah dipelajari sejak SMP menjadi terlupakan karena partisi B terlalu sibuk mentraslate kata demi kata yang dibuat di partisi A. Dan, karena kalimat bahasa Indonesianya muter-muter dan tidak terstruktur, partisi B menjadi tambah pusing dalam melakukan translasi. Akibatnya, partisi B sering hang (macet), dan no output yang dihasilkan. Kalau pun partisi B berhasil mengeluarkan output, output tersebut umumnya jauh di bawah standar, alias bahasa Inggris yang jelek. Selain itu, lawan bicara biasanya sudah tertidur dimakan nyamuk karena kelamaan nunggu.

Penyebab ketiga adalah Motivasi yang tidak konsisten. Bagi pelajar, motivasi untuk belajar bahasa Inggris pada umumnya karena ingin mendapat nilai bagus. Artinya, bahasa Inggris hanya dipelajari waktu mau ujian, dan setelah ujian selesai bukunya sudah mengendap entah dimana.

Penyebb keempat adaah Metode belajar bahasa Inggris yang kurang tepat. Jika hanya mengandalkan daya hafal, your English will not get better.

Lantas apa solusinya?

Gunakan partisi B saja (dan lupakan partisi A).

Dengan menggunakan satu partisi, grammar anda tidak akan terkontaminasi oleh struktur bahasa Indonesia anda yang jelek (jika misalnya memang jelek) dan komunikasi akan menjadi lebih lancar karena berkurangnya birokrasi di dalam otak anda. Dengan bermodalkan struktur bahasa dan vocabs yang telah dipelajari sejak SMP sebenarnya kita sudah dapat berkomunikasi dengan santai. Believe or not? Kalau tidak percaya, silakan buat list dulu! Kelompokkan words yang sudah anda tahu ke dalam nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, dan articles, kemudian total. Saya yakin vocabs anda sudah jauh di atas 1000. You know what? Dengan menguasai 1000 words saja, kita sebenarnya sudah dapat komunikasi dengan lancar, baik di sekolah, di rumah, di mall, di bar, atau bahkan di dalam mimpi. Dengan catatan, jika anda merasa menemui jalan buntu, revisi saja kalimatnya dengan menggunakan words yang lain. Ingat, ketika komunikasi dalam bahasa inggris, just use what you’ve got dan lupakan bahasa Indonesia. Anda akan rasakan bedanya.

Keep your motivation steadily high.

Dengan motivasi yang tinggi, anda akan merasa enjoy (tidak merasa terpaksa) untuk menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam membaca atau menghafal grammar, membuka dictionary, dan praktek bahasa inggris. Jika anda cepat merasa bosan, itu berarti motivasi anda belum cukup tinggi. Kalau saya dulu, sekedar contoh, motivasi itu tinggi karena saya sangat ingin sekolah gratis di luar negeri. Lalu, apa motivasi anda belajar bahasa Inggris?

Karena bahasa Inggris sangat kompleks, tentu saja butuh waktu untuk mempelajarinya. Banyak teman kita menyerah di tengah jalan karena kurang sabaran, terlalu ingin tiba di garis finish dalam waktu yang singkat. Saran saya, don’t be too ambisious to touch the finish line in a very short time. Hal ini selain akan membuat fondasi grammar anda tidak kokoh, juga dapat mematahkan motivasi anda. Rileks saja, sooner or later you will arrive there.

Use good learning media that fit you.

Media belajar yang tepat tergantung pada karakter dan lifestyle seseorang. Media yang tepat untuk orang lain belum tentu tepat untuk anda, begitu juga sebaliknya. Berikut adalah media yang dapat anda coba:

1. Jangan gunakan kamus yang hanya berisikan arti kata saja (i.e. can = dapat, month = bulan, plough = membajak, ect). Why? Karena kalimat-kalimat yang anda buat menjadi salah. Coba perhatikan 3 contoh kalimat berikut, yang kemungkinan besar akibat dari penggunaan kamus seperti itu:

You must can (kamu harus bisa)
The month goes round the earth (bulan mengitari bumi)
Three people ploughed the airplane (tiga orang membajak pesawat itu).

2. Jika anda suka dengarkan lagu-lagu barat then keep doing so, dan jika anda tidak dapat nangkap lirycs-nya, cari di internet. Berikut adalah manfaat dari mendengarkan lagu berbahasa Inggris:

Dapat meningkatkan listening skill anda.
Dapat mengetahui how a certain word is pronounced.
Dapat membantu membangun vocabs anda, karena kata-kata di dalam lagu lebih lama melengket di dalam memori anda (apalagi lagu-lagu bertemakan love).
Dapat membantu mengingat pola-pola kalimat tertetu. Misalnya, dari lagunya the Corrs berjudul “What can I do” anda dapat jadikan acuan tentang penggunaan modal can dalam kalimat tanya; Pola apa yang anda dapatkan dari “It must’ve been love” oleh Rossette ini?
Ketika anda bersedandung kecil di kamar mandi, anda sudah practice speaking, membentuk pola, etc.

3. Jika anda suka nonton DVD, then watch DVD movies. Sub-title dari DVD movies tersebut akan membantu anda bagaimana kata-kata tertentu dilafalkan. Pilih movies yang paling bagus menurut anda sehingga anda tidak merasa bosan untuk mutarnya lagi.

4. Gunakan fasilitas chatting, email, or whatever that uses English.

5. Visit http://swarabhaskara.byethost11.com. Blog tersebut berisikan grammar yang ditulis secara bilangual.

Practice makes perfect.

Bisa karena biasa, jurus rajin dalam arti luas, biasa melakukannya tentunya, bukan hanya memimpikan untuk melakukannya (dreaming). Ini solusi yang luas dan jitu.  Stop Dreaming Start Action Dalam Bahasa Inggris is a must.

That’s all and good luck.

]]> http://bbc-learningcentre.com/2012/03/mengapa-kemampuan-bahasa-inggris-saya-kurang-berkembang/feed/ 0 http://bbc-learningcentre.com/2012/03/mari-berbahasa/ http://bbc-learningcentre.com/2012/03/mari-berbahasa/#comments Sun, 18 Mar 2012 17:02:48 +0000 BBC http://bbc-learningcentre.com/?p=63 Cara Mudah membuat Kalimat bahasa inggris bagi pemula (mengulang)

Pada waktu saya mengajar Bahasa Inggris pada seseorang / sekelompok murid, biasanya selalu ada sesi untuk latihan membuat kalimat. Nah, pada sesi ini biasanya sering terjadi suasana hening, mengapa ? Karena mereka pada mikir, mau bikin kalimat gimana ? Apalagi kalau ditunjuk, biasanya para murid akan blank dan kebingungan. memori kosa kata yang tersimpan di otak tiba-tiba tidak bisa diakses, dan akhirnya ekspresi terakhir dari proses berpikir, yaitu berbicara, terhenti

Cara Mudah membuat Kalimat bahasa inggris bagi pemula (mengulang)Pada waktu saya mengajar Bahasa Inggris pada seseorang / sekelompok murid, biasanya selalu ada sesi untuk latihan membuat kalimat. Nah, pada sesi ini biasanya sering terjadi suasana hening, mengapa ? Karena mereka pada mikir, mau bikin kalimat gimana ? Apalagi kalau ditunjuk, biasanya para murid akan blank dan kebingungan. memori kosa kata yang tersimpan di otak tiba-tiba tidak bisa diakses, dan akhirnya ekspresi terakhir dari proses berpikir, yaitu berbicara, terhenti
Kita bisa memulai latihan membuat kalimat sederhana dari sini. Anda bisa melihat keterangan lengkap tentang S-P-O-K (klik di sini).
Nah, pola S-P-O-K ini bisa disingkat dengan rumus sederhana. Pada waktu kita mau berlatih untuk membuat kalimat sederhana pikirkan rumus ini :
SIAPA ? (yaitu Subyeknya : I,You, They, We, He, She, Arman, Lusi, etc)
NGAPAIN ? (Yaitu predikatnya, berupa kata kerja atau kata kerja bantu)
NGAPAIN APA ? (Yaitu obyeknya)
DI MANA ? (Adverb of place)
KAPAN ?  (Adverb of time)
BAGAIMANA CARANYA (Adverb of manner)
Ok, selamat belajar, point ini sudah pernah saya bahas sebelumnya tapi saya ulang untuk menyegarkan ingatan, dan karena ada beberapa pertanyaan tentang hal ini.Salam Sukses !

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