“What can I do to study English?”
Many students ask this question in the trial lesson at the Smith’s school of English in Fuse. I could just tell them that they just need to start with Smith’s. But I choose not to. I think a person in a trial lesson at a conversation school already wants to take the lessons to get better in English. And our lessons help. They are good.
Instead, I tell them to do what they like doing – in English.
Some examples. If you like to read you can read books in English – Graded Readers (or Oxford Graded Readers) are great and very easy in the low levels. A beginner in English can read them. If you like to watch movies you can watch American movies twice – the first time in Japanese and the second time in English. Turn off the Japanese subtitles! Watching movies will help a lot to improve the English listening skill and to learn natural native English.
You have just started to study English at an English conversation school like a Smith’s school of English, what can you do to study?
Here is my to do list:
- repeat the lessons
- learn vocabulary. I prefer to learn with the help of vocabulary cards. You can see mine in the picture above. Work on your vocabulary. It is important for your English and you can do it by yourself. Vocabulary is the most important basic ability. There are many ways to learn vocabulary. You can do it alone or with a friend.
- If you need, repeat grammar. For daily conversation, grammar learned in junior high school is much more important than any rare “high level” grammar. So start by repeating the grammar you have learned in junior high school. Compared with vocabulary, grammar study is difficult, but it is limited. Remember that you will need a good knowledge AND the ability to use the grammar.
- to 7. Practice the four basic language skills: writing, reading, speaking and listening. Practice them by doing something you like to do in English. If you want to master English and have a lot of time, you should keep working on all four skills.
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