English, baby!

Bad English

Date: Apr 13 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

curb

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

When you are learning another language, it is difficult to blend what you learn in books with how people actually talk.

In every language, people stutter, insert extra words and use expressions that are not in the dictionary.

English, baby! members sometimes comment on the “bad English” of our cast members. For example, they say we shouldn’t be saying “like” so much. But “like” is very common in the spoken language. Of course, you would never use the expression in writing unless you were quoting someone.

Listen to Amanda and Kevin talk about bad English.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Amanda

Kevin

Amanda: So what’s interesting is I have a four year-old son…

Kevin: OK.

Amanda: ... and so we’re trying to teach him the language. The English language. But it’s very difficult to realize that, how we speak with all the slang and the poor construction using “like,” “um,” the pausing…

Kevin: The colloquialisms.

Amanda: Yes. Pausing, “um,” “Like, well”... It’s so difficult to curb that while you’re teaching a child because you don’t want to teach that or pass it on. It’s near impossible.

Kevin: Well, it is but his English will eventually get good. But it does take sort of coaching, right?

Amanda: Absolutely.

Kevin: And, and good teaching, both from the parents as well as in school.

Amanda: You don’t realize how much you do it yourself.

Kevin: Mm hm.

Amanda: You know which mistakes are mistakes and you just, that’s how you’ve taught yourself.

Kevin: Yeah.

Amanda: You’ve trained yourself incorrectly.

Kevin: It’s very interesting.

Amanda: And it’s so hard to rewind and go the right way even though you know what’s right.

Kevin: I used to be an ESL teacher and a lot of students would write in essays the word gonna... g-o-n-n-a.

Amanda: Oh no.

Kevin: Which they didn’t realize was OK verbally but written, is, is not appropriate.

Amanda: Right.

Kevin: So it takes a lot of practice.

Amanda: It does. I’m working on it…

Kevin: It will come.

Amanda: ... still!

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Discussion

Amanda is teaching her four-year-old how to talk. It is making her realize her own poor speaking habits.

Kevin has a lot of teaching experience. He assures Amanda that her son will learn how to speak properly despite her own mistakes.

Kevin also points out that his ESL students would use colloquialisms (like “gonna”) as written language.

Do you have bad habits in your native language?

Would it be hard for someone to learn the difference between the spoken and the written in your language?

Comments

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tiger_bagira

Greece

NICE

abdo_haji

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

yah we want to speak English very well we have to do many thing like have some friends know speak english very well and the best if they are from country the first language is english scond thing we have to try to speak english and we should not care if we will have mistakes or no.. there are many thing we have to do it i take chanse for any one u want to add it :)

janetbba

Algeria

no i dont have bad habits in my native language although our way of speaking in fact differs a lot from the formal language or the way we write .

miss_eos

Viet Nam

I really find it so hard to talk English, especially to be like native-speakers. I'm often at a loss for words when it comes to the crunch. I hope someone can help me to fix this. I'm so stressed with my speaking.I do stutter English sometimes.

kwasibabyboy

Ghana

hello,how are you?this is David a boy of 20 yrs old and i want to be friend with you .i will like to end here hear from you.have a nice day.

breezemsa

Saudi Arabia

my english language is not very well nowadays…......because i did not read any english book for 2years ….i believe that reading and writing and listining improve your language mre and more

i so glad to be with ebaby members

anaser72

Jordan

For those who did not understand this conversation and in general lessons in this web, just repeat listening, real grasp will be achieved by repetitive listening.

fatoct73@yahoo.com

Sudan

from my experience along the way to get fluent in english there is nothing valuable to do rather than to put you self in an invironment of native speakers,like this web ,coz in our media there are lot of mistaken lanquage habits which by practise and repeatision com as if it is right.

happysmilesunny

China

yes, espercially for writting, I would pay moer attention to that!

leuyacc

Peru

i can write english so so, but i can´t to read.

Mostafa5

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

yea.i think we will face with formal and informal words,when we are friendly maybe use informal cuz we are fiendly.like yea and yes or no and nop and so more word in this class.its same in other language eg farsi , english , ... i think its very easy too learn informal and i will learn formal form directly after those.human can learn better in fun and relax(in my idea).i think we can speak in our own words too improve speaking.for those guys who cant understand what they said : read the text while playing audio if u cant first read the text then listen too audio.u can if u want ;)

yonitta

Saudi Arabia

really i can't understand the conversation

I feel frustrated

how i can make it easy ??

There is simpler lesson than this ?? >> plz plz answer me

dinesh123

India

I am very weak in English. Please guide me

Lao champa

Lao People's Democratic Republic

i also very bad english i only can speak but write is very bad

foz12

Saudi Arabia

many mistakes I have been in English and not

only English also my Arabic with all the slang

but what I realize in mouth that even my mistakes are alot but any way I'm happy with my understand and I will improve my English day after day< I hope that hhhhhh

qiangwang

China

When I can speak fluent English

Hope that one day earlier 相信自己一定行

loklokloklok32

Hong Kong

As a asian people i worry that using wrong vocabulary.

lyc6011

Hong Kong

Amanda's English nearly equals native speaker that 's enough to coach her son.

diasber

Algeria

hi ijust like to say whats difficult is pronociation!!! also i amnot used to talk to friends in english..i think i have to practise this langage if i want to progrss !lolo i am shy. and i stop here!!!!

have good time

caandrade

Ecuador

Last year I did a research work about native language interference on the written english of EFL learners in Ecuador, and this experience allows me to discover that I´m still have some kind of native language interference, and when I did the theoretical research a linguist also wrote on her book: "I have been writing about interference for about 20 years and I still realize that my native language is still bothering me"