My strategy in learning English

Learning English is just like a marathon. Everybody at the starting line has the ambition to win the race, but only a few men can carry on energetically when the others are feeling tired out. Why? Besides the gift that God gives to them, another thing decided by themselves is the method they use, which is also called strategy. It is the same with English. Just having the enthusiasm alone is not enough. What we need more is a good strategy that helps us succeed with less sweat.

My strategy in learning English is practice. Practice makes perfect. English is a kind of means, so the value of it can be reflected only when it is used.

Seizing opportunities to talk to the locals, the teachers or even my students in English is a effective method to improve both my listening and speaking skills. Sometimes I may feel shy because of the lack of self-confidence. It’s quite normal. To learn English, the first step is to discard my small and ridiculous dignity which has no use but to block my way to improve my English. Overcome the shyness and speak it out, so the improvement will come soon after.

Another way is to watch English movies and listen to the English broadcast such as BBC and VOA. Usually, the pronunciation in the movies or the broadcast is standard, which helps a lot for us to pronounce the words well. Moreover, the speaking speed they use is a little fast for me. If I am able to catch them, I can easily understand what the professor says in NUS, which is definitely helpful. On the top of this, I can also pick up some new words and phrases while I am doing the watching or the listening.

What’s more, regular reading and frequent writing are also necessary. Using the newly learned words and phrases as many as possible can undoubtly strengthen the memory of them. Especially reading the typical English works written by some great masters of English literature does really help me to improve my grammars and expressing skills.

In conclusion, to learn English well, my strategy is to practise as much as I can, whatever the method I use.

From JiangXiaoning(Arthur)
SM3 Group 5
3th,Feb 2009