ELISA ENGLISH's Blog 英語園地

Many people have asked me this question: “How can I improve my English skill?”  Instead of answering them one by one, I thought that it may be beneficial to share my thoughts with you all.

First of all, I want to say that it takes time to learn a language. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t see the results right away.  I am over 40 years old, so I have learned English for over 32 years already.  Not good at English does not mean that you are worse than anyone else.  I have seen many Taiwanese students studying in the US with very poor English ability; however, they are very good at Computer Science, Engineering and etc.  It only means that you may not be able to advance in your career if working in an English speaking country.  Spanish is another language that is very popular in the US .  I don’t know Spanish either, but I don’t feel that I am less capable than anyone else.  Chinese is also becoming a very popular language in the world.  Don’t look down on yourself.

First: Assess what skills you need to improve: reading, writing, listening or speaking.

Second:  Make it a habit.  To improve English language or any other language requires practices, as you have already heard of the saying: “Practice makes perfect”. 

You just have to keep it a habit to practice English every day.  You don’t have to spend too much time on it everyday.  10 to 20 minutes will be enough.  As you know it, many a little makes a mickle. 

Third: Choose the right materials.  Select articles at your level of comprehension and something that you are interested in.  Look up words from the dictionary and practice writing sentences with words you just learned.  Have a grammar book in hand to make sure that your grammar is accurate.  Remember, to choose articles at your comprehension level; otherwise, you will be frustrated with all the vocabulary you need to look up from the dictionary. 

Fourth:  Find a mentor who can provide guidance and correction to your written and oral communication.

It is not hard.  It just takes time.  I hope that this will help you in picking up your English ability.

Note:  I live in the US and already have a full time job as a project manager and 2 little kids to take care of, so I am unable to provide any tutoring service.