I need help with my English

rash9000 says on Dec 17, 2004, 07:59:

please answer to my question I really need your advice

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utopiacowboy says on Dec 17, 2004, 08:44:

This is going to sound stupid but what you need to do is talk English. A child doesn't learn a language by reading books or studying grammar. They just listen and imitate the people they hear. My wife is studying English grammar and going to English classes all the time and she can't speak enough English to carry on even a simple conversation. Why? She doesn't practice speaking. Her children are doing incredibly well because they are in school where they have to listen to English and speak English all day. You need to put yourself in situations where you have to speak English. BTW, I think your English is pretty darn good. Don't get discouraged - I bet it's improving but you're not aware of it because it's incremental.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Miguel says on Dec 17, 2004, 09:15:

Tranquilo, rash Estoy de acuerdo con utopia. Necesita hablar cara a cara, en vivo con la gente aqui en Estados Unidos. You can also get tips here, in both Spanish and English. Good luck and Feliz Navidad!

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rash9000 says on Dec 17, 2004, 10:38:

Thanks for all your advices. And Gringoinbogota, no, I'm in clemson south carolina where there is few latinos...

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adrimm says on Dec 17, 2004, 11:10:

OP - make it known that you are learning, ask for corrections Sounds as if you speak English well enough to get by on (if you've managed in an anglophone community for 8 mos) and that may be why you have hit a bump in the road.

Agree that conversation is the best way; keep talking to people as much as you can and *tell* them that you are trying to improve your English. Ask them to help you by correcting your errors as you converse. Don't feel shy. After they correct you use the corrected way to say something to make sure you are using it right, AND (this will sound corny and may interupt some conversations), but even take a note-pad with you and jot down their corrections so you can review them later on.

IMHO Most people are very willing to help correct language, as long as they feel their corrections are welcome.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Dec 17, 2004, 12:17:

learning to speak I'm pretty familiar with this subject also. When I first came to the States I noticed that everybody seemed to understand rather well my high-school English (from Finland), but that I had hard time understanding other people. People spoke very fast and didn't seem to have the time to let you figure out what to say, how to answer the questions, how to make any remarks. Getting in a conversation in groups was a real bitch. I had much more luck in one-to-one situations. Making friends was the real step forward for me. I dated several gringos and learned much spoken English from them. I befriended girls of my own age and learned even more English. A year later I was offered a position to teach English at a language institute in Colombia and I was totally scared...somebody told me that my students would be lawyers, doctors, engineers, and I was just a little girl barely out of high school. I thought that that may be but they didn't speak English, but I did. The rest is history.
So, my best advice would be to get a few really good friends that speak only English. (Shouldn't be hard in South Carolina). Get some classes in your local community college and you'll meet a lot of people who'll teach you conversational English.
Best of luck,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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