Even in countries in which English is not the primary language, it is important to learn English for a number of reasons. First of all, many English-speaking individuals tour other countries and they may not speak the native language of that country, so it is necessary for them to speak to others who can speak English. Then again, many wish to learn English because they are hoping to visit or even live in an English-speaking country someday.
However, learning how to speak English in a non-English country can be quite challenging. Where those learning how to speak English in English-speaking countries have a lot of resources to their disposal such as television, radio, and libraries that are packed full of books written in English, the resident of a non-English country does not have that luxury. That is why it is important to explore other options.
Below are the 10 best ways that an individual wishing to speak English can learn in their own country:
1. The Internet is going to be your best friend. It is packed full of resources, reading materials, sound recordings, and so much more that can help you learn the meaning of the words that you read and speak.
2. Check out your local video store and see if there are movies in English. There may be a few. Don't worry about the entertainment value of the title. You are watching it so you can stop it and replay it in order to focus on your English speaking skills.
3. Record yourself when you speak English. After you are finished recording, play it back and see what you sound like. If you are not clear, then you can simply try again. This is a great way to see how others hear you.
4. Go to your library and pick out titles that are written in English. Try to read those titles. Just be mindful of the difficulty level and even practice writing some of the sentences.
5. Find an English CD and listen to it. Decipher the words and even try to sing along. This can be a lot of fun. If you want to, you can record yourself doing this and really have a lot of fun.
6. Try to surround yourself with as many English materials as possible. Not just books, movies, and CDs, but magazines and any products that you can find in the store that may have English written on them. Some major brands service many countries and have multiple languages written on their packaging.
7. Practice with a friend. This friend may not know English, but impress them with your skills. You may even try to teach what you have learned because you will be less likely to forget by repeating the information to another.
8. If you hear a word and you don't know what it is, write it down and do research on what it means. In your research you'll encounter many more English words for you to ponder over.
9. Keep a diary in English. The things you write can be as simple as what day it is and what the weather is like outside.
10. And the most important to learn English is to consider is online ESL courses. These online courses help you learn at your pace and provide you with materials that will have you speaking English in no time. All of the other steps can be used outside of your courses to make you proficient in the language.
So as you can see, there are many things you can do, but the ESL courses are certainly going to prove to be the doorway that will get you to where you need to be.
2011/02/17
10 Best Ways to Learn English in a Non-English Country
Learn The Acoustic Guitar Best Ways
There are a few different styles of acoustic you can learn, to name a few pop, folk, blues, flamenco, acoustic tapping, percussive playing etc.
I have found to me that the most beautiful guitar music is on acoustic. There is no better image than a campfire going and people gathered around whilst someone is playing acoustic.
With the acoustic guitar you can just strum away at chords and let the wood resonate with its own sustain. There are certain tunings that allow the wood on the guitar to vibrate more and make it sound bigger and more majestic. DADGAD is one of these. A lot of famous acoustic tapping and percussive players have experimented with these tunings such as, Michael Hedges, Andy McKee, Justin King etc.
To learn the acoustic guitar you have to find what works with you. If you like just sitting back relaxing strumming away a chords then maybe folk, pop and blues songs are the way to go. Or if you prefer something a little more challenging go for the acoustic tapping or flamenco. Flamenco guitar can take years to perfect but once you do, you'll find other things to learn on guitar much easier than if you hadn't gone and learnt the Flamenco first. The best way of learning is just to implement these things and learn them now otherwise it will always be put back on the shelf and never touched.
As far as resources go to learning these genres and styles, there are truck loads of them. Especially on the net, you could learn so many pop orientated songs right now from tabs or on video lessons.