Question:

Dear English native speakers all around the world, I am in bad need of your help!?

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I am a beginner English teacher. I was asked to prepare a comprehension passage but before I hand it in I want to make sure that the passage is 100% correct. So I wonder if you could find anything wrong in it concerning grammar, spelling, punctuation, preposition or vocabulary misuse or any other thing you may realize. You can make it easily by pressing right click on my text and then copy and paste in the box you write in. Next, put any mistake between two dashes and then write the correction beside it between brackets.

Example: Yesterday I - visit - my sister. (visited)

spoke to)) . This is the woman who I - spoke to her -

We all - objected on - the new law. (objected to)

He hopes to - arrive in - his goal. (reach)

And here is the passage:

The main principle of learning any language is to be able to communicate with its native speakers. Being able to communicate requires two main elements; the first one is to understand the language you receive through listening and reading; second is to react well to what you receive through speaking and writing. Thus, one can say that to learn a language you have to acquire the four main skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. But here is the problem: how do you think we can get those skills? Is it enough to just attend courses and study some materials and do the homework? Will that only help?

I think we need to do something different besides theoretical study which is to be exposed to the real language.

Exposure technique is the most effective method to excel in learning any foreign language. However, exposure sometimes is not easy to conduct because the real exposure should be in the real environment of the language. So if you want to be exposed to the American language, for instance, you have to go to the States and stay there for at least one year talking with Americans, listening to them, watching their movies and plays, practicing the daily activities with them like buying and shopping getting your car repaired and even involved in a fight or falling in love with one of them and using the emotional expressions. But what if you can't go there like most of us can't? Is there an alternative method through which one can be exposed to the real language? I believe we can go to conversation courses like the one we are here now since you are not allowed to use your mother tongue language and are obliged to use only English so you stay for two hours twice a week listening, reading, speaking, and writing only in English; I guess that method would help but much less than the real exposure mentioned before.

But before going through exposure you need to carry some equipment and know how to use them. Like a soldier in a battlefield, if he didn't carry his own weapon, what do you think would happen to him? Of course he will be killed very soon. The same thing would happen if he carried his own weapon but didn't know how to use it.

You, as an English learner, are like the soldier and the English environment around you is like the battlefield in the pervious example.

Have you got the message yet? So, what do you think the equipment you need to carry in order to excel in the four main skills of the language?

1- Structure: can you imagine constructing any building without setting up the structure first? Can we just put the bricks beside each other and that's it? Of course that building would collapse very soon.

Here comes the importance of studying the structure of the language because without being aware of it, you won't be able to construct any sentence even if you know a lot of vocabulary since you won't be able to put them together. My recommendation to you is to study grammar gradually level by level not to go directly to the advanced level so as not to feel frustrated due to finding it too difficult for you to understand. Make sure not to separate grammar from the language so when you come to learn any new grammar rule try to set many examples for yourself using some simple vocabulary in your sentences.

The reference books I would suggest are Oxford Practice Grammar or English Grammar in Use in their three levels.

2- Vocabulary: like the previous example, can you imagine constructing any building without walls? Can we just set up the structure and leave the building bare with no walls that are made from bricks and cement?

Being aware of great deal of vocabulary is like bricks you put between pillars to build walls. So what is the benefit of being an expert learner of advanced English grammar without knowing good deal of English vocabulary and expressions? You can learn many vocabulary through reading some reports, articles, and short stories then begin to underline the new words and try guess their meanings according to their position in the text or go directly to your own dictionary but make sure to use an English-English one . I would suggest Longman active study dictionary as it has many useful examples that help you understand meanings. Many useful varieties of reports and stories are found at this web site which I recommend you to visit: www.voaspecialenglish.com

The most powerful point in this site is that it has many reports and articles in different fields like agriculture, health, news, education, science, and exploration reports so you can enrich you knowledge of vocabulary in many different areas.

3- Language functions: As we said in the previous example, in order to build a building you have to set up the structure first then build the walls from bricks and cement. But do you think that is enough to present an ideal building? We didn't mention any thing about decoration that makes the building look nice and valuable.

It is language functions element that you need to study and be aware of in order to use grammar and vocabulary in a suitable way to express certain meanings and purposes like inviting, apologizing, …etc.

No certain reference I would suggest for language functions, however I think, as I mentioned before, that attending conversation classes is the best method one can enrich language functions especially when you are taught by an effective instructor and sit among cleaver students.

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3 ANSWERS


  1. You should sit down with an older teacher to discuss this. It's a huge project not a question.

    You're asking for a 2 hour lesson. For that I'd charge $80.


  2. The next time I have a week to spare I will get back to you

  3. Sorry Ibrahim.

    This is too much work.

    I don't know if you're asking about editing your work or about your statements as well.

    Good luck, anyway!

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