Search results for 'tag:TOEFL tag:Learn English' matching tags 'TOEFL' and 'Learn English'

Re: I want to help someone learn English!

Faryadkhamoosh — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:54:58 GMT

Hey medusa I'm Arman. I wanna take the TOEFL exam. Did you hear about it? it's so difficult, specially for me becuase I need a high score. I'm being so grateful if You help me. I dont know how. What's your idea?

Re: Which language is most difficult language for people to learn?

Cool Breeze — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:08:14 GMT

Kooyeen wrote:

It also depends on the level you want to reach. It is definitely very easy to start to learn English and reach an pre-intermediate level, but reaching a very advanced level (high scores on TOEFL, for example) is another matter.

Hi Kooyeen

I agree with you there. The countless exceptions make English quite difficult for the perfectionist. Another thing that makes it difficult for any speaker of English to please everybody is the fact that there are so many varieties of English and so little agreement on correct usage.

A while ago a member of this forum said that for him 'spring does not arrive'. Arrive is either unnatural or incorrect for him in that context. Yet a search for 'spring has arrived' gives about 200,000 hits, which means that there are tens of millions of natives who see nothing exceptional in the verb in that context.

See what I mean?
CB

Re: Which language is most difficult language for people to learn?

Kooyeen — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:12:09 GMT

It is difficult to say, I'd say impossible. I think it depends on your first language. I mean, it is probably diffucult for an American to learn Spanish, but I think it's would be very easy for an Italian. So it'a all relative, in the end.

But if you want to consider all major languages from a global point of view, English is definitely the easiest to learn, and Chinese and Japanese are definitely among the hardest ones (so I was told).

It also depends on the level you want to reach. It is definitely very easy to start to learn English and reach an pre-intermediate level, but reaching a very advanced level (high scores on TOEFL, for example) is another matter. So I don't know how complicated the other languages are, we should ask someone who knows most major languages very well.

Italian is an example of a strange language. It is as difficult as the other romance languages, I guess, but I think it's more flexible, you can say the same thing in a lot of different ways. The problem is that are all the regional dialects affect Italian in some way, so I don't even know what correct Italian is, actually. In some areas, places or situations, regional dialects are the common languages, not Italian. Even if you know perfect Italian, you won't ever understand much when me and my friends are talking, for example...

Re: I want to help someone learn English!

Ratoro — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:32:27 GMT

Hello Michelle
My name is Rodrigo and I'm a chilean boy
would you like help me with my english?
I would like to make a TOEFL exam, do you know it?

well I hope your answer, take care so much!

bye

Looking for a support of English learning

Vunguyen — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:29:48 GMT

Hello!

I am Vu, 27 years old. I come from Vietnam.

Now I live in Hochiminh City and work freelance in handicraft export.

I intend to attend a MBA course in USA in 2008. Therefore, I am learning English for TOEFL and GMAT examinations.

I love to make friend with native English speakers who can help me to learn English effectively. Fairly, I will help you to learn Vietnamese and culture also. Furthermore, if you want to do business in Vietnam, I am willing to support you in contact with suppliers and customers.

I hope that with my three-year-working-experice I will have a good cooperation with all of you.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely

Vu Nguyen

New member greetings

Together — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 11:27:58 GMT

Hi Friends,

greetings,i am new member and passout of TOEFL .so i can help english who are interested .At present i am in barcelona so i am learning spanish.i welcome all of you who wouldlike to learn english in exchange of spanish.

cheers

Basu

Re: IELTS exam

Hinomura — Sat, 13 May 2006 23:30:12 GMT

do google search, plZ! must learn English you can, important, must do it NOW!

Unfortunately, if IELTS is anything like TOEFL it's designed for students who can do postsecondary writing in English, which means you are SOL.

How to thinking in English?

Leonart — Wed, 10 May 2006 10:30:21 GMT

Please tell how to thinking in english! at present, I can think in english but sometime I still think in my mother laguange. Someone told me: I can use an English to English dictionary to find out some word that I dont know. But when I read and try to think to understant a word in that dictionary, I still dont understand. and let me understand it, I have to open dictionary which expain in my native language. In other ways, please tell What can I do?

If I try to write English frequently, can it help me to improve my english speaking skill?

I need to learn English in shortest time - 3 month, it's enough to communicate with foreigner. My level is about TOEFL 400, please advise me a time-table to learn effectively. I can spend 6 hours for learning English each day.

The Business of English

Mkgenie — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 06:29:58 GMT

http://mkgenie.yculblog.com

Keen @ 2006-01-10

On December 24, 2005, some 5.3 million Chinese students sat for the College English Test, Bands 4 and 6, yet another strong indication that the business of English is well and truly catching on in China, to the pleasure of many who profit from it. But have things gone a little too far?

The study of English as an important subject of learning is not new in China. On November 28, 2005, activities were organized to mark the 90th birth anniversary of Xu Guozhang, one of China's most famous English educators and linguists.

While little has changed in terms of the importance placed on the study of English, much has changed as far as teaching methods and the pursuit for profit.

English as a business only made its indelible mark in China in the 1990s. Li Yang, described by Asiaweek as "China's most successful English teacher and a pop-cult figure" ("Pumping Up the Volume", July 30, 1999), is one of those who changed the face of English instruction.

According to a December 2005 issue of Oriental Outlook, Li is more a down-to-earth businessman than a passionate idealist, although he still doggedly promotes his "crazy" teaching model. Once a shy and introverted youngster, Li claims to have discovered a unique way to learn English after he failed an English exam in Lanzhou University. "Read out loud" and "Don't be afraid to lose face" are his more popular slogans. The result is students repeatedly screaming out English words and phrases during lessons; hence the term "crazy English" or "feng kuang ying yu" in Chinese.

Driven by the profitable prospect of helping 300 million Chinese people to speak excellent English, Li founded the Li Yang Crazy English Studio in 1994. His Crazy English methods have been embraced by over 20 million people in over 100 cities of China.

His lecture tours are likened to rock concerts. "He's like a rock star on the stage, and we're like fans who are inspired to shout English out loud," a part-time teacher told Oriental Outlook, but she admitted "we don't speak English like that in our everyday life."

Copycats soon followed, and some even more "crazy" than Li. David Specchio, an English teacher, and 30 Chinese students participated in what was described as a record-breaking "world's longest lesson," which began at 10:00 AM on September 9, 2005 and ended 72 hours later. The stunt was performed at the English First Training School in Shanghai. A doctor was onsite to ensure the physical well-being of the students. Also present were two independent monitors who logged the event, which will be validated by the Guinness Book of World Records. Participants were given a 15-minute break from their class every eight hours, and ate high carbohydrate foods like rice, vegetables and fruit. They reportedly completed three months worth of English lessons.

That the Chinese are "crazy" about English is not an overstatement. A report co-published by Sina.com, zexiao.com and China Radio International last January showed that there were more than 50,000 training institutes in the country. The report also found that the domestic English training market value hit 15 billion yuan by 2004, predicting a rise to 30 billion yuan by 2010.

As more Chinese people go abroad and more foreigners come to China for business, English has become even more important in recent times. To the Chinese, a working knowledge of English is a passport to graduation, the key to overseas study, and a decent job in a foreign enterprise.

Under China's national education system, English is taught in primary schools from the third grade, with numerous examinations along the way, whether as part of vocational training or selection for government-sponsored overseas study.

In addition, the private sector has put a premium on English, with many service industries insisting on some English skills from employees be they taxi drivers or hotel staff.

Of the various proficiency tests, the most influential are the College English Test Bands 4 and 6 (CET-4 and CET-6 respectively), administered by the Ministry of Education.

Millions sit these tests every year.

Before the system was reformed last February, the CET-4 and CET-6 were two of the most important tests a student of English could sit. A university undergraduate had to pass the CET-4 in order to obtain a bachelor's degree, or the CET-6 for a double or master's degree. CET-6 was important for Chinese companies hunting for talent. Whether or not the person would ever use English again either in his personal or professional life was beside the point.

This gave rise to a huge cheat market where test questions were leaked over the Internet for a fee, or where whole test papers could be purchased online.

In February 2005, Wu Qidi, vice minister of education, announced that the tests were voluntary and were not to be used as conditions for graduation.

But 16 of Beijing's universities felt differently. Tan Yuzhi, vice director of educational administration of China Agriculture University, said in an interview with Beijing Star Daily that proficiency testing will encourage the development of English education in schools, while most companies still consider good CET-4 or 6 test scores as a necessary gauge of their future employees' potential.

And so the business of English continues to flourish.

Institutes offer training for major international proficiency and qualifications tests including SAT, GRE (Graduate Record Examinations), GMAT (General Management Admission Test), TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with TOEFL and GRE growing in popularity since the United States loosened its visa policy in 2004, allowing 26 percent more Chinese students into the country.

Three key players dominate the English training industry: the traditional institutes that are offshoots of the universities; foreign ventures including English First, and Wall Street English; domestic schools such as New Oriental, New Channel, and Li Yang's Crazy English.

These players target different sectors of society. Wall Street English, for example, charges students 7,000 yuan for each of its 17 grades of the training process.

English is undoubtedly big business. New Oriental reportedly made a profit of 700 million yuan in 2005. In addition to training, the publication of teaching materials is also a soaring trade. The Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press reported sales of over 1 billion yuan in 2005.

But quite aside from the millions to be made in the English market, questions have been raised as to the reasons why English is so popular. Is it the love of the language and a thirst for learning, or is it really only to pass exams and get good jobs?

Further, doubts have been raised as to whether the training provided by institutes actually teaches English or merely examination skills.

Hu Min, president of New Channel School, highlighted three major challenges facing China's English training market: a lack of innovative and creative textbooks developed domestically; a lack of specialists who really know about administration and training; and a need for institutes to develop alongside changing proficiency and recruitment policies.

But for the moment, people continue to make money from the teaching of English; business owners, teachers and students. "Everyone's happy," said Zhou Wen, the owner of a small training institute."

Re: Which countries are the most successful E.Grammar users

Danyoo — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 01:50:55 GMT

Well actually this is a very good question.

It makes a tremendous amount of difference what your mother tongue is when it comes to your ability to pick up English, especially conversational English. For natives of the Far East region (Korea, Japan and probably China too), their language structures are so vastly different than English, it is a tremendous struggle to learn English as a second language. Whereas, some of the European countries speak languages with similar roots and grammar structure which make it much easier to learn English.

My parents immigrated to the U.S. when I was just 13 years of age from Korea so I had the advantage of being immersed in English language at a relatively early age -- but it was, and still is, a big strugle. Then when I was in high school (long long time ago mind you) I took two years of Spanish. And it was a cinch!!! Not that I aced it without studying...don't think I aced it at all...but my point is since I already was pretty fluent in English, learning Spanish was so much easier! I remember thinking "wow if I had to learn this language from Korean, what a mighty struggle it would be!!".

I am told the easiest language for a Korean to learn is Japanese and probably vice versa. And I know Spanish and Portugese is very similar.

Now as far as being grammatically correct....well that's another story. I have seen many a high school English teachers from Korea and China come to the U.S. and not be able to hold a casual conversation in a restaurant. Being able to read and write and score high in TOEFL is different than being able to converse.

Finally, I agree with previous posters....the key is to start early!!!! Kids have amazing ability to learn. Not only langauages, but sports, musical instruments, arts, etc. Well I tried my best...but now my kids are teenagers and...need I say more?!