ENGLISH LEARNING TIPS GENERAL TIPS Remember that English learning is a process Do your homework Be patient with yourself Practice, practice, practice

Motivation: In addition to your classes at EIE, personal motivation is a significant factor in learning English. Acquiring a new language takes commitment and time, so if you made the decision to improve your English language skills, spend at least 20 minutes a day on reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Goals: Set up learning objectives for yourself each week, and stick to them. Your goal may be a particular grammar focus, reading a few articles in English, or even communicating with a stranger in an English-speaking country via the Internet. Vary your learning routine to keep yourself motivated.

Enjoyment: It is much easier to learn something if you have fun while doing it. Enjoying the learning process may involve using the right materials, finding the appropriate topics, and learning the correct techniques. Relax, open your mind, and have fun!

Confidence: Everyone makes mistakes when it comes to languages, even native speakers. The key to improving in English is to shed your shyness and be bold and adventurous!

LISTENING & SPEAKING

Use the Media: Mastering listening skills is a precursor to successful communication in English. You can practice listening by watching the news in English, listening to English radio channels and American/British music, watching English movies, or listening to language learning CDs.

Move Your Mouth: However terrifying speaking in a foreign language may be, keeping your mouth shut will not help you improve your language skills. Understanding what other people say does not necessarily mean you can speak in the same way. Practice speaking aloud in front of the mirror, in the car, or during other personal time.

Practice with Friends: If you have foreign friends, call them up and ask them out for dinner or drinks, so you can practice what you’ve learnt in class or on your own. You can also find a friend who is also learning English to practice speaking with you on a regular basis.

READING

Read, Read, Read: There are no shortcuts in improving reading. To improve upon your reading speed and comprehension, pick up any articles or books that interest you--- in English. Your reading materials can be anything from the Internet news to entertainment articles to computer science journals.

Use the Dictionary: When you come across words that are unfamiliar, look them up! That’s what the dictionary is for, and do not hesitate to use it. Although it is time consuming, the results are worthwhile. Getting an electronic dictionary is a sensible investment if you are serious about learning English.

Ask Questions: If you come across anything that you do not understand while reading on your own learning time, bring it to class and ask the teacher. EIE instructors are always eager to help students, so don’t be shy!

WRITING

Read Good Materials: Writing is the most difficult skill in English language learning. Reading good articles, journals, excerpts and books is one of the most effective ways to learn writing. Your mind will eventually register correct sentence structures and build vocabulary that is useful for writing.

Write Outlines: Whenever you read an article in English, write a brief outline about it. Not only will that help you better comprehend the reading, writing outlines are beneficial for structuring essays that you will write in the future. Outlines help you establish clear introduction, body and conclusion.

Write English E-mails: Writing casual e-mails in English help you improve self-expression in words. You can also write to your teacher and ask them to correct your grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary in between classes.

GRAMMAR

Increase Reading Frequency: The more English you read, the more your mind will be able to register accurate sentence structures and grammar.

Learn Specifics: Pay attention to and memorize irregular verbs and cases early in the learning process. Also learn the language associated with time concepts and hypothetical situations.

Practice Grammar Activities: Many English learning textbooks have grammar focus supplements. Drill yourself by doing grammar activities two or three times a week.

PRESENTATION

Know Your audience: To grasp attention from participants at your presentation, you must understand who they are and what information they expect to hear from you.

Prepare Clear Outlines: Good presentations are always structured and clear. Writing a concise outline is the first step to creating a successful presentation.

Be Confident: Confidence can be built by practice. Before each presentation, go over the content at least two or three times and make sure you thoroughly understand what you will be saying.

MEETING

Have Clear Objectives: Write down the objectives and goals you would like to achieve, and strive to achieve them during the meeting.

Be Flexible: Do not take on extreme positions during meetings to avoid negative atmosphere and detrimental outcomes. Use mostly neutral language and keep the meeting positive and constructive.

SOCIAL

Avoid Sensitive Topics: During interaction with people from different cultures, be sure to think before you speak, and avoid conversation topics that are controversial or potentially offensive.

Keep a Conversation Going: Nobody likes uncomfortable silences, so be sure you think of a variety of topics that could interest the people you are interacting with, and keep the conversation alive by asking questions and initiating discussions.