asiong123

I love classical poetry especially the works of Edgar Allan Poe. I am no fan however, of the popular Maya Angelou type of poetry. I actually don't know why, it just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe someday I'll get to appreciate them better.

When I am close enough with the person I'm talking or chatting too, I throw in the occasional LOL and other smileys. I never use it though for more serious conversations.

I recommend the Harry Potter books. They're simple enough to teach you a couple of things about grammar and vocabulary, and they're also very engaging to keep you reading for weeks. I recommend it to all my friends who are struggling with the language and has so far produced great results.

I used to have a very rough English accent before. My accent was like that of a chieftain speaking English for the first time. Back then I felt insecure but now that I have a more Western accent, I kind of miss my old tribal accent. It was very unique and distinct.

Very interesting answers! I also believe that it is necessary for people learning English as a second language to at least be aware of the profane words that comes with the language. People who are currently learning new languages are very susceptible to "accidents", and a simple mispronunciation or a slip of a tongue can cause very big trouble. My next question would be: When teaching English, should profanity be included in our curriculum?

I use two dictionaries as references when writing an essay. This is so I can compare the two definitions and to avoid confusion. I usually use the Oxford Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Do you think it is necessary or important for someone studying English to learn about profanities and curse words. Why or why not?

Another misconception, in addition to post above me, is that English is an easy language to learn. I've seen my former students fall into this trap and struggling later in the subject. English, though popularly and commonly heard, is a very complex language to learn. Homonyms for example, is one of the concepts that is quite difficult to understand as an ESL student.

I believe that grammar separates the professional from the unprofessional. At a glimpse of a letter, you can immediately see if it reflects the professionalism of the sender by merely looking and inspecting his or her grammar. It has nothing to do with intelligence. Grammar is something you can fix with a quick search on Google. It has something to do with attention to detail.

Literature is a piece of a culture expressed into words. Literature is a mirror of what is happening in one's society. It is used to express to other people, the context of a culture, or as a self-reflection of the things where that culture might be falling behind.

Capitalization serves as barriers between thoughts or sentences. Periods serve as pause. All the fundamental parts of a coherent sentence serve a function that is designed to make understanding them easier. I very much dislike receiving e-mails that are grammatically incomprehensible. I just assume that the sender is too lazy to take me seriously and end up sending a horribly written e-mail.

I'm also from the Philippines and I personally have no problems with Taglish. Perhaps because I'm too used to hearing it already. Taglish I think it is a way for most Filipinos to express their thoughts without having to dig deep into a Tagalog dictionary. Our native language is too complex to be translated simply in English, therefore Taglish becomes a solution.

Thank you for the invite! I'll surely go there and discuss my favorite Bruce Willis films. It's a wonderful idea trying to discuss your major interests in a second language. I'm hoping to see you there. I'm sure Bruce Willis will be proud seeing fans learning a new language and discussing his films at the same time.

I was required to learn Spanish in my Catholic university. Unfortunately, I was not able to use it outside the classroom. I had no one to converse with, and no one to share my knowledge of the language, which perhaps contributed to why I am no longer able to speak it well. The instruction of the language in my university was very academic (and religious) in nature, and so I felt that it was not very practical when it came to real life. We were asked to translate English prayers into Spanish, and recite traditional English poems in its Spanish equivalent. I never felt this type of instruction was helpful at all. Nevertheless, I am still hoping to improve on my Spanish through this website, and hopefully someday, I am able to use this beautiful language when I visit Spain.

I found Rosetta Stone to be an ineffective learning module, at least for me. Although I might not have used it properly, which would be obviously my fault. If used properly, it might be a very powerful tool to learn Spanish or any other language the software offers. Good luck, and I hope you are able to make out the most of Rosetta.

I believe the most important thing before you teach overseas is to get major certifications in ESL teaching. I think there are many community colleges offering short courses on English as a Second Language. With a small fee, and a dedication to night classes, they'd be more than happy to give you a certification after you accomplish they're requirements. Good luck on your venture as an English teacher!

This is a very good idea. I hope people will be able to join this practice group. The main thing with any language is conversation, and it is quite difficult for anyone to learn any language without anyone to talk to. Keep up the good work. I'm sure there are many who will be willing to practice English with you.

My first book in English, aside from the standard classroom textbook was the novel The Testament by John Grisham. It was too heavy a book for a non-native speaker to start with, but I didn't find it very difficult to read. It was very conversational, and most words used are standard day-to-day vocabulary. After that, I went for a lighter series, the Harry Potter collection. This series helped me improve on my vocabulary and with everyday conversations as well. I was also able to compare the standard way of speaking English in Great Britain and in the US by reading Harry Potter.

The fantasy series Harry Potter definitely helped me improve my English vocabulary. It was written simply enough for the non-native speaker like me to understand, and it was also very engaging that I had to finish the whole series. Not only did I enjoy, I learned new words that I was able to use in everyday conversations. If there was a starter's book for a non-native speaker trying to learn English, it's definitely Harry Potter.

Thank you for this wonderful resource. As someone struggling with learning this beautiful language, I think this will be a very helpful material. I've tried many resources before, and I have not been satisfied with all of them. I hope that with this material, I'll be able to adjust more with speaking and writing in Spanish.

Hello everyone! I am asiong123, and I am a Filipino fluent with English and Tagalog. Graduating from a Catholic university founded by Spanish missionaries, I was required to take basic and advanced Spanish classes. It was quite the task and I found it very difficult to learn the language. I'm very much willing to improve on my Spanish though, and I am hoping this community at linguaholic will be able to help! Nice meeting you all!

Not exactly a movie, but I definitely learned a lot from watching the 90's sitcom FRIENDS. Before I watched the series, I was not confident with my grasp of the English language. After watching all 10 seasons, I became more confident with both speaking and writing in English. Not only was FRIENDS helpful with my learning of English, it was also very hilarious. I recommend the show to people who are currently struggling with the language.

I had a short gig teaching ESL to Korean students last year. It was difficult at first, because I am not a teacher by trade. I had no knowledge of the fundamentals of teaching, let alone teaching English to non-English teachers. However, it was a fun experience. I quickly picked up tips and strategies on how to teach them basic grammar and pronunciation. I even got to teach them public speaking. I'm still friends with my former students and we catch up once in a while. If I am asked to do this again and if I am not very busy, I'd gladly teach ESL again.

Coming from the Philippines myself, I must say that English spoken in a Filipino accent sounds beautiful to me. Even though a lot of people dislike the roughness of this particular accent, I still like hearing it as it reminds me of home. I also like the classic sound of English spoken in the Great Britain as it just sounds so romantic and polite.