Self-Study English Development Exercises

Im looking for an effective way of learning English. Thank you teacher. This lesson is very good and useful. I ensure these tips will help me do my coming English test better.

Nijar, keep learning and you will see yourself grow in English knowledge!

I got it,nevertheless it’s still difficult for me to draw it.Let me try one with(Do you understand this dialogue?!)

My teacher’s lessons,Snoppyboy’s comments,Buttafly’s lyrics all these and more Bring down the house.

Everytime scrolling down I feel it there,I learn,I learn…......if you get my drift!

The use of descriptive words to make a point is called “imagery.”  Specifically, it is creating a mental picture in the mind of the reader/listener through the use of their imagination.  This is for your information, if you get my drift!

These words will keep me in your orbit to hit the nail,my teacher.

Nijar, you not only knocked the ball out of the ballpark but now it is in orbit!

It’s difficult to pronounce it frequently,it makes me laugh(complicated sh,s).

About part of speech; 

1-She: a feminine singular pronoun(subject of the sentence).

2-Sells:verb(present simple -singular-tense).

3-Sea shells:a noun(the-direct-object).

4-by the sea shore:prepositional phrase(the sea shore is a noun which is a      part of this phrase)describing the place where the girl sells sea shells.

I hope that I got it my teacher,thanks.

Pronunciation and Parts of Speech Identification:

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

Question:  

Can you pronounce this sentence and identify the parts of speech of each word?

Irene, that makes my day, thanks for your genuine compliment and expression of appreciation! 

Great lessons from the skillful teacher! It needs some time to learn every piece of information given by you, dear Alston, and I am doing it constantly.

No doubt, you have been doing a priceless job for Ebaby members.

As it was said by Robert Frost: “There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can’t move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies.”
Thanks a million, dear Aston, for the gentle prod that carries me a step nearer to mastering English.

There are no such environment to learn speaking english. I think that we will improve the speaking very fast if the surounding environment we stay in are speaking english. We Chinese can learn English well on reading and writting but speaking .what do you think so? 

Lesya, consider this:

“I can live two months on a good compliment!” – Mark Twain

Thanks! 

Forgot to mention, I print all of your lessons  out and  keep them in the special folder.

Your lessons are useful, moreover my children are learning English in school and I see that your stuff can be very useful as for me as for them.

Interesting article about Learning by Manfred Spitzer was introduced.  Thank you, dear Alston.

I’m convinced again and again that you go into your work  with all seriousness, attention and devotion.

All your lessons are well structured, interesting, challenging and quite complicated ( for me ;)

Nothing is left for me  than quitely read and learn all stuff your provide to us and watch the answers of other students involved into the discussion. :)

Glad having you as an English teacher. 

Sinderella, very good information which I hope students will use to learn English.  Thanks! 

There are some ways of my own English learing.

1. Never give up, keep working on. At least 10-15 minutes every day English is in the morning and the evening the best time to learn English.

2. Methods must be flexible. Learn a way is boring, you can use other ways, so that you won’t feel bored.you can learn English on the internet.

3. Connect up to down, don’t make it alone. Memory English according to the passage, don’t isolated, remember the words and phrases, try to grasp the meanings of the words.

4. Remember useful expressions, and make sure accurate. The commonly used communication language memorize, common makes perfect.

5. Try to use the first person to remember idioms and patterns, make sure to remember deeply

Morteza- Good to hear from you again!

Saeed- Hello, welcome aboard!

Jakarl- Thanks for the information, no site has it all!

hi

They are great my tutor.

thanks alot

Learning by Manfred Spitzer

Learning: The Human Brain and the School for Life, by Manfred Spitzer.

1) The human brain is designed to learn, and it learns all the time.

The human brain is designed to learn, and continues learning throughout our lives. Our brain is constantly forming connections between neurons, or strengthening existing connections, or creating new neurons, in order to deal with the information it receives.

The brain learns best when the input is meaningful and interesting. The brain also prefers new information. Tests have shown that learning takes place best when the information is relevant, and when the information is new and challenging.

Learning is not limited to schools. Learning takes place everywhere and at all times, and throughout our lives. Research has shown that we continue to create new neurons and retain neural plasticity into old age.

Learning is an energy intensive activity.The brain burns over 20% of the calories consumed by the body.


2) The brain controls what it is going learn.

The brain does most of its learning on its own. With the right input, the brain is quite capable of creating the necessary labels and rules required to organize the information it has received and stored.

It is not always necessary, and is sometimes counterproductive, to teach rules explicitly. It is often more effective to let the brain develop its own rules, from the observation of the information received. We all learn to speak our own language and yet most of us are unable to provide rules to explain how the language works. We just know how to speak our language.

We learn better from examples and than from rules. We learn better from stories and episodes than from facts. We develop the”know how”  of how to do many things, but we “know” far less about why. We learn more from observing others, than from explanations, and exhortations.

The brain can prioritize, managing easy input before dealing with more difficult input. Children are exposed to a full range of language content, but focus first on the simpler structures and words they need and can use. They learn more difficult words and grammatical structures later, when they are ready.

3) Attentiveness, Enjoyment and Motivation: The three key factors in learning.

Spitzer describes, in detail, experiments which show how three factors are decisive in learning outcomes.

1) Attentiveness: This refers to both general alertness, and the ability to focus on specific details.
2) Enjoyment: The emotional state of the learner influences the performance of the brain.
3) Motivation: Motivation is a decisive factor in learning.

To Spitzer, schools should focus on these three elements. The best teachers are the ones who can create conditions of attentiveness, enjoyment and motivation. The teacher’s academic knowledge of the subject may be of less importance.

Spitzer feels that schools are where young children learn not to like learning. He challenges schools to stop demotivating learners.

4) When we learn, we change

Learning causes a change in who we are. Children are not afraid to change. Young children moving to a new country usually learn the language of their new friends without any hesitation or resistance.

Older learners have a stronger vested interested in their own identity, and in what they already know. This is one reason why adult language learners can have difficulty learning a new language.

Adult learners need to feel comfortable. A friendly community of learners and teachers can form a social support system for adult learners, helping them confront and accept the change that learning brings.

 LingQ, as a learning system and learning community, is very much in line with these insights from Spitzer’s book.