Quote:

Original Posted By blappi ►
I live overseas for 5 years now and most of the time I couldn't finish a sentence in English without any grammar mistakes lol.

My English teacher used to say that even Western people make mistakes with grammar when they speak, but they always get their grammar right when they write something. So I guess that's the best way to learn: by writing paragraphs in English (story, report, reviews etc) with the correct grammar. I remember that about 6 years ago when I first studied English, my teacher always started the lesson with random conversations, then we would study grammar or something, then as homework, he would give me an open-ended question that I need to answer in English, and it had to be at least 1 page long.

Also when you speak in English, try not to rush. Speak in a slow or normal speed but try to use the correct grammar. You will feel better when you can finish a sentence with minimal grammar mistake, eventhough it takes longer time for you to finish the sentence. When you get used to speaking English, then the pace will pick up automatically. As for vocabulary, when you speak or read or write in English regularly, you will gain more vocabulary without you even know it. So for now, don't rush.
Good luck.

Quote:

Original Posted By HermawanChenz ►
Do u know the 4 aspects of a language??

First is listening, then speaking, then reading then writing..

A baby first listens to his parents, then he speaks by copying what they say..
later on he learns to read, and by doing so, he will come across some new vocabularies, lastly, he knows how to write..

If you want to be able to be good at English, don't just be good @ one aspect, as
they are related to one another..

Long ago, a native speaker gave me a seminar about Teaching English.. let me share you what I got.. Language is for communication, so if you speak using bad grammar but others understand you, it means u have made a good communication.. however that is not enough, as if you speak using bad grammar it shows that you are not educated.. let's compare with Indonesian language.. let's compare you and tukang becak.. you can speak Indonesian, and so does he, but what makes you different from him? the answer is that you are more educated than him as when you speak, you use Tata Bahasa Indonesia, while he doesn't.. so if you speak without using the correct grammar, you are just like a tukang becak, because you can't use the correct grammar while the one you are talking to can..

As a basic step, using bad grammar while speaking is still fine as long as your partner understands you, and that's communication, but still for further level of communication, you need good grammar especially when you want to make a presentation or when you have to write an academic composition, etc.. If you can use good grammar while you speak it means your English has improved..

As a conclusion, for the basic step, enrich your vocabularies, but don't only focus on enriching your vocabularies, at the same time, you need to listen to people talk a lot, then copy how they speak, because speaking is copying, you copy not only the grammar, but the pronunciation as well..

Good Luck..

Quote:

Original Posted By Lux.Ivan ►
Well, in my opinion, we should learn grammar first. However, as we learn it, we should not neglect the vocabularies because both of them are the essential elements in English Language. Hence, they are intertwined with each other.

Writing an English essay is about conveying our ideas to the readers. Thus, we want to make them understand clearly what is our stand in that piece of writing. Additionally, we want to make our writing as striking as possible to the readers, such that, better still, we make an indelible impression to them. In order for these objectives to be achieved, we need clear expressions in our writing and, in this case, grammar is involved.

Similarly, the idea of conversing in English is to communicate with others effectively. "But, some English-speaking people do not bother about grammar when they converse, yet they can still communicate well". Yes, it is true to the extent of informal speech. However, we, inevitably, will face a situation where we are required to communicate with proper English Language (during formal speech). How embarrassing it is if we cannot communicate using proper English in that kind of situation!

Indeed, using a thematic vocabularies, whether in writing or in speaking, is as crucial as using proper English Language because certain vocabularies enable us to convey our ideas better and give a deep impression. Succinctly, let me illustrate my view with examples,

Sentence 1 (Grammar): Many Pakistanis were afraid in the face of hunger, and, in the wake of it, good men start to become the opposite. People are in the grip of fear and they become uncontrolled.

Sentence 2 (Vocabulary): Much men quail because famine and starvation. Many magnanimous person been ruthless, the downtrodden person becoming frenzy they go.

Sentence 3 (Grammar + Vocab): Great civilizations quailed in the face of famine and starvation, and in the ensuing chaos good men turned on each other, hearts silenced by fear and minds driven into a frenzy by the sheer weight of the people in Pakistan.

Which is the most striking one?

Quote:

Original Posted By Sticker12 ►
i think we have to understand the basic tenses and know more vocabulary.i have a same experience with you,i dont really like grammar,so i just improve my vocabulary.because i believe that five basic tenses help me to learn other tenses naturally.

Quote:

Original Posted By diventone ►
in my opinion,choossing to studying grammar first is better,i give u a solution,studying grammar by listening to music,and u 'll get the grammar and vocab without different times..ok,wish u be the best!:addfriends:addfriends:addfriends