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English, when can I conquer you????
#1
Why are there soooooooo many words I have to keep in mind? Sometimes I think the space of my brain is not enough. Vocabulary, can you enter my brain automatically? Tongue
And about this sentence: If there are any points on which you require explanation or further particulars we shall be glad to furnish such additional details as may be required by telephone. Why not turn into this------------If you have any questions, please ring.
Do you guys have any easier ways to learn English if your native language is not English?Imu2
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#2
i think the best way to learn any language is to live somewhere where that language is spoken every day. totally immerse yourself in the culture and , essentially , force yourself to speak it.
taking classes on the side is helpful , too.

most people i know who have become fluent (or nearly fluent) at speaking a foreign language have done so by going to that particular country. and getting a job that involves talking to people regularly.

this american guy i met last time i was in japan , for example ... he was pretty much fluent and that's because (as well as taking japanese classes) he totally surrounded himself with japanese speaking people all the time and got a job in a bar where there were no english speakers. so he could only speak japanese to get by.
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#3
Totally agree with you megumidesu. I lived in Spain for two years before I really started to speak it properly and that was because I was workinh in a place where no one spoke English. It was very much a case of sink or swim.

As to the OP's question about that sentence, I agree that it is overly complicated, probably written by someone who has no idea how to express him/herself succinctly. They would rather use three words instead of one in an effort to appear more important.

Take a look at this:

http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/

I have fought battles with solicitors (the very worst offenders) in the UK over this. It got to the point that in the end I had to write a lot of my own stuff so that anyone else apart from another solicitor, could understand it.
"You can be young without money but you can't be old without money"
Maggie the Cat from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." by Tennessee Williams
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#4
While maybe not to the extent of you or other completely non-english speaking people, even for me speaking English in its correct or "proper" form is hard lol.

Like Megumi-nesan mentioned, growing up here, we listen to our people talk and what not like I'm sure other people do and so it kinda gets ingrained and is bladdey well hard to get out :I

Like to me, pronouncing nearly any word ending in 'er' without an 'ah' is probably one of the utmost problems I have, not to mention phrases like saying "Bring it here" rather than "Bring it come".

But what we have in school is a standardized course in English, so we learn to read, write and of course orally speak it, but because we tend to speak to each other more often, standard speech is not common.

Not to mention for myself personally, I grew up in an Area with a lot of Jamaican people, so some of their speech/words have gotten all mixed up in there lol.

Just try Meggy-nesan's advice. Talk to English speaking people, or even do what I do for Japanese and listen to music or shows or whatever, even if its in the background and you'll probably subliminally pick up on words, phrases and so on.

Sheep
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#5
As a person never having set foot in any Anglo-land, this is what did it for me:

1.- I'm used to watching movies, tv shows, listening to music, whatever in English from an early age.

All hail for Americanization Rolleyes but you know, seeming how it's necessary to learn the language, it helps.

2.- Mostly everything I look online I do it in English. Every now and then a word pops up I don't know. Off to find the definiton. Keep my own dictionary of word I look until they have been imprinted in my memory.

I don't know. If I want to read about how the Ottoman Empire lost almost all territorial possesions in Europe, I search and read for "The Balkan Wars" instead of searching for "Las Guerras Balcánicas". I force myself to read (and even read aloud) as much English as I do Spanish...and maybe even more.

In have a lot of software and even the browser set for English and not my own language.

3.- School had mandatory English...not much help in reaching proper level, but it certainly helps. I don't know if China does it..

4.- My scientific career forces me to do most of my bibliographic research in English. Papers everywhere are written in Anglo...and technical anglo, which was a step further to grasp the language better.
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#6
southbiochem Wrote:As a person never having set foot in any Anglo-land, this is what did it for me:

1.- I'm used to watching movies, tv shows, listening to music, whatever in English from an early age.

All hail for Americanization Rolleyes but you know, seeming how it's necessary to learn the language, it helps.

2.- Mostly everything I look online I do it in English. Every now and then a word pops up I don't know. Off to find the definiton. Keep my own dictionary of word I look until they have been imprinted in my memory.

I don't know. If I want to read about how the Ottoman Empire lost almost all territorial possesions in Europe, I search and read for "The Balkan Wars" instead of searching for "Las Guerras Balcánicas". I force myself to read (and even read aloud) as much English as I do Spanish...and maybe even more.

In have a lot of software and even the broswer set for English and not my own language.

3.- School had mandatory English...not much help in reaching proper level, but it certainly helps. I don't know if China does it..

4.- My scientific career forces me to do most of my bibliographic research in English. Paper everywhere are written in Anglo...and technical anglo, whcih was a step further to grasp the language better.

Oh nu, you've been Murican-fied Hypnotized-smiley

You're no longer mah Chilayin latina brother :0 lolz
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#7
Sylph Wrote:Oh nu, you've been Murican-fied Hypnotized-smiley

You're no longer mah Chilayin latina brother :0 lolz

Tell it as a joke if you will, but Chile indeed has become a US proxy in Latin America.

Oh the dicotomy: we hate their foreign policy but we love their stuff..

*shrugs*
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#8
southbiochem Wrote:Tell it as a joke if you will, but Chile indeed has become a US-proxy in Latin America.

Oh the dicotomy: we hate their foreign policy but we love their stuff..

*shrugs*

Actually we're similar.

We look on Americans as kind of odd, for a multitude of reasons and not just myself( in case people get on my case) , but we love being close enough to get some good shit.

Altho we're outside their range for delivering stuff except for businesses

so Amazon/Ebay = Poop for Bermy people x.x unless you have an American or business shipping adress >,>
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#9
Great question. I was about to sleep then i saw this... Uhmm okay, though English is one of our official languages, I really use our local language in my everyday conversations, sometimes I mix it with English..

If I am gonna judge myself, i may be good already in English, but grammatical errors are really inevitable...

What i do?

- Watch a lot of movies or tv shows using English language..This is great since you would be able to grasp and understand the English language as being spoken by people who are native in speaking it. You have to hear it from the native speakers

- Read a lot.. Actually everything I read are in English. Tagalog would be too long to read and it bores me...

- Regarding vocabulary, have a dictionary handy..if you have a phone, better to download it.

- I guess i became a better English speaker because of school..we are forced to speak English in the classroom, we have speech classes where we will speak in front of many people, i joined Oratorical contests too (lol)... School would be a really good help. So i guess for you, get a tutor perhaps?

- Then in work, every transaction is in English...I even talked to a lot of Australians before everyday of my life.. It really helped alot.

As for you, i think you have a good grasp of the language already... If vocabulary is your problem, if you come across a new word, always use it to remember it well. Actually, even people from US, Canada, UK etc dont know all the English words especially the deeper ones.. Just remember the most essential words... Learn the basic and if you know you are good already, go one level higher..
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#10
Oh f*** they,re going to attack us… my grandad always said this would happen! :p

Keith i think your english is pretty good
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