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TheJamal

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Everything posted by TheJamal

  1. I think you'll find avid readers of books have a wild imagination. That's what makes reading so enjoyable! For me, without an imagination, reading fiction or novels would be a big waste of time or just something you do to process information. The reason I enjoy reading so much is it takes me out of reality and into any world I want to go in.
  2. Music has always been a great tool for me to learn. I pick up things faster through listening to melodies and words/pronunciations stick in my mind better when listening to music in the language I want to learn. There's a reason we can all remember the lyrics to 1000 different songs but struggle to learn information for tests!
  3. Yep, this is how I remember this as well. Having examples to keep them straight is a great way to separate the different definitions. I actually use examples for all these sorts of words to keep them straight
  4. I'd say I'm a more visual learner. While I can learn fine out of book, I feel like I can absorb information much easier through a discussion or looking at a powerpoint/presentation of some sort. I like to be engaged and asking questions as much as possible.
  5. 1. Committment 2. Time with a native speaker 3. Having fun learning! Feel like all these three factors are amongst the most important in learning a language. Any sort of big undertaking requires a tremendous time commitment to be successful. Also, having access to a native speaker can help with a lot of the questions you can't get out of a textbook. And the most important is having fun while learning a language. It has to be something you want to do, or you'll never be truly invested in doing so.
  6. I think if you're learning a new language, that it becomes a case by case basis. Some people might think Reading is easier and some might think writing or speaking might be easier. For a language your comfortable with, I imagine speaking would be the most difficult because you're almost always interacting with another person or group of people when speaking. That tends to add some sort of extra importance to it.
  7. My biggest weakness is the pronunciation. The only teacher i've had was not a native spanish speaker in high school, so I don't really have a great basis for pronunciation. I feel like learning proper pronunciation requires being immersed in the culture.
  8. Increased fluency? Not so sure about that one. Might want to ask some friends around you to see if you're actually speaking more fluently or just thinking you are. Alcohol tends to do that!
  9. Absolutely. As the world gets smaller and smaller, business has the ability to interact with pretty much anyone in the world. So employers will always view people who speak multiple languages as a major asset. I think it's a tool that can really set a person apart from the rest of the field
  10. It depends on the content for me. If it's an enjoyable book i'm reading for fun, then I can speed read through it. However, if it's a textbook and I need to absorb all the information, then i'll take my time and often read through several passages many different times.
  11. I'd say the slang aspect is one of the most, if not the most difficult to learn in English. So many words have different meanings at different times. For instance, a popular phrase is "that's sick", can also mean something is "awesome" or "disgusting." I really can't imagine jow difficult learning English as a 2nd language must be.
  12. My 2nd read-through of A Tale of Two Cities was much more enjoyable the 2nd time around. First time I read it was as a 15 year-old sophomore in high-school. Which, needless to say, I did not understand nor enjoy it then. However, I decided to read it again a few months back and really could appreciate it for a great work of literature. Might end up doing the same for other books I neglected back in high school to see if it "clicks" the 2nd time around
  13. Tough situation! Found myself in a similar one a few years ago when I just couldn't pick up a book. What turned it around for me was picking up a Kindle and having access to basically the entire amazon library! Any Notebook reader would do obviously, but having that wide of a selection for me lead to "Oh hmm, looks interesting. I'll check it out." type of moments. I've gotten into some of my favorite novels just by browsing through the Amazon library. The plain reader versions are relatively cheap nowadays and mine was one of the best purchases I ever made. That would be my best advice, without knowing what your interests are and such. Reading favorites also can't hurt! Good luck
  14. I think it is a great idea, as long as the student is able to keep up with the course-load with learning the additional language. For instance, if a student is really struggling to learn basic English concepts, would it be beneficial for the student to add another language onto those struggles? I'm not to versed in these immersion programs, but I imagine they would require some sort of academic standard to join so a lower student wouldn't just greatly struggle through the program
  15. Yes! I didn't use Spanish for a year, after close 4 years in high school, and I could not remember much. It took me a good 6 months to get any sort of comfort level back. I'm still struggling (and frustrated!) with how much i've forgotten. So keep using it! Some people might be able to recall the information easily, but I imagine those people would be in the minority.
  16. I struggle greatly with the aural aspect of a new language, especially when it comes from a native speaker. My original Spanish teacher in high school was not a native speaker, so it was really difficult for me to pick up the "slang" and the accent of a native speaker. Also, I had some troubles adjusting to the speed of just a normal conversation not with a fellow student or teacher.
  17. This aligns with how I sort out these words also. It really helps me to keep the proper use of the words straight. Occasionally, I do slip up the proper use of the words, but it does not happen much anymore
  18. I have been trying to limit my use of emoticon's and the "texting" phraseology. Still, like many of you, it has just become a force of habit that is really difficult to break!
  19. I agree with a lot of the comments here. Tried out the app and it was still difficult at times for me as a native English speaker. Not sure if this is something I'll use a lot, but certainly was nice app to get me thinking a bit!
  20. Hello everyone! I hope to learn many different language tips on this forum and perhaps learn a thing or two about another country. As an aspiring writer, I think it will be helpful for me to work on my language and writing techniques as well as gain some outside perspective to broaden my ideas. I'm looking forward to reading through the different threads and learning as much as I can.
  21. You could probably write a book for how many words and sayings in the United States have different meanings. Words like "Swag", "Yolo" and then,"Thats tight", "For real", "That's sick" etc. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to learn English as a second language and trying to pick up all the different meanings for words and sayings.
  22. I think it's a valuable and beneficial way to understand a different culture as well. If you want to understand German history or certain aspects of German life today, then learning the language can help unlock some of those doors. I've had friends who have done "Study Abroad" programs for school and when they came back, they told me that they were not really able to immerse themselves into the culture until they had some understanding of the language. Which of course, made their experience all that much more rewarding and entertaining.
  23. I, like many, have took Spanish in high school and I deeply regret for not taking it more seriously. As someone who will be looking for a career in the next few years, I've realized how incredibly valuable of an asset being able to speak two languages would be. It would also be an excellent tool for me to understand my heritage more clearly and be able to relate to that my side of the family on a deeper level.
  24. This word gives me trouble as well! Even when I completely slow down my pronunciation of it, I still manage to fumble through saying it. I think it's because I always forget to pronounce the 2nd L and always get tripped up over it
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