Success Secrets of Learning English
According to : prof. Richard Graham
Hello, my name is Richard. You are about to learn the secrets that will allow you to become fluent in one of the most amazing communication mediums on the planet, the English language.
If you wish you could speak English better, or even if you know nothing at all and just want a head start, this book is what you have been waiting for, the key to making English something that you, yes you, can speak beyond your wildest dreams.
1. Realise that you can be good at English.
Anyone can become good at English. You can become good at English. Race does not matter. Millions of Americans speak fluent English, yet thousands of them are biologically exactly the same as you. Where you were born does not matter. Most of the English speakers in the World today learnt English as a second, or even third language. Even in your country there are many, many highly proficient English speakers. Where you live does not matter. Whilst going to live 5 years in Hawaii may make you fluent more quickly, in this age of the internet, TV and travel it's quite possible to get fluent at English simply by living at home. Just look at how many foreigner speakers get along so well here without speaking the local language at all! It's not where you live, it's how you think.
2. Realise that English is easy.
Do you think English is difficult? If you do you will never learn to speak well. But what are you comparing this to? If you think that English is more difficult than your own language, then how can you know if you don't speak English yet? The key to being good is to realise that English is easy. Is English brain surgery or quantum mechanics? No. It's simply a foreign language, something spoken effortlessly by millions of people everyday without a second thought. Truly great speakers of English treat English as a secondary thing, not something to think about, and certainly not to worry about, it's simply another skill, like riding a bicycle or driving a car. It is something you can achieve. And you can achieve easily. All it takes is a little effort and the right way of thinking. English is easy.
3. Do something you enjoy.
You must love to learn English. You don't see it as work, but as play. To achieve this the key is to do what excites you, but do it in English. Do you have a passion for fishing, or fashion? The latest stock prices or the hottest music? What about your family or children? What gets you going? What's the one thing that if taken away from your life would have the biggest influence on you? Now imagine reading, listening and talking passionately about that subject, but in English.
4. Set a goal
How good do you want to be? Without a goal, however hard you try you will never achieve anything. You need a decided, specific, written goal. Maybe you have one already? Maybe you need a certain level of English for a promotion or pay rise? Maybe there is a special girl or boy you want to speak to in English? Maybe you have a big business trip coming up? Set that as your goal. See yourself with that promotion, with that pay rise, with that boy or girl or talking effortlessly during that business meeting. Set the goal, work everyday towards it and you will achieve it.
5. See yourself in the future.
Or if you don't have a hobby or passion, try this idea. Close your eyes. See yourself in the future. You are fluent in English. You are talking to someone. Can you see? Who is this person? The American president? The president of your company? Britney Spears? David Beckham? You are laughing and joking. You understand everything they say. They understand everything you say. You are having a thoroughly enjoyable time. You are speaking fluent English. Look in the mirror. This is you. Keep this image in mind; this is your new goal. Work everyday to make it come true.
6. Don't mind what other people think
In my first couple of days in a new country I was out drinking with some English friends. There were some local people in the bar, and naturally we were keen to meet some of the locals and have a chat and maybe share a beer or two. We were quite lucky in that one of the guys in the groups was not only really fun and friendly, he also spoke quite good English ( well, I think the beer helped a little!). When we had finished it was decided we would go to another bar. So we all got on the train.
7. Take responsibility
We all start from different points in life.. And there's nothing to do but accept it. If we constantly say "yes, but he was born in America so of course he can speak English", or "Yes, but he went to the best university and had the best teachers" then we are blaming other people. Blaming other people is to make excuses, and making excuses is to open the path to failure. First we must take responsibility ourselves. How good you are at English is all up to you. Everything starts with you. You are the master of your destiny, only you can determine how good you wish to become. Decide today you wish to be brilliant. Take responsibility. Make it happen. Become a brilliant speaker.
8. Only think positive thoughts.
Just like driving a car, our thoughts are self fulfilling, whatever direction we look at when driving, or think about during the day, is the direction we will go. Successful language learners always look on the positive side of things. They see a language as something that can be mastered, one step at a time. If along the way we make mistakes, or lose faith, it does not matter as long as we continually look forward. See the goal in your mind and head towards it. .
9. A little a day
Research in other countries shows that instead of a big study session once a week, a little everyday is much more effective. Get in to a routine and don't allow your mind to forget what you have learnt. See everyday as a chance to add something extra to your English potential. Make it a routine. Like learning to play baseball or to ride a bike, or a little exercise, whatever you do everyday, you get good at it. Do a little English everyday and you will get good at it.
10. Listen to CDs in your car.
Get as many English Language CDs as you can. Listen to them all the time. "But I'm too busy!" you say, and I quite understand! That's why I recommend listening to them on your way to work or school, either in the car or on a portable music player. It's your time, use it. Do it everyday and you'll soon see how much you can learn.
11. Be careful of "weird English"
When you buy your books or CDs, buy lots of different CDs from lots of different companies. The reason is that many CDs that are written by people who don't speak English and hence they contain lots of mistakes. But if you buy lots of different CDs and books, you'll soon figure out which bits of English are real, and which are not! Learn English that is cool, so that other people are so impressed they say "wow!" when they hear you speak.
11. Every step counts.
Realise that learning English everyday is like putting pennies in the bank. Every time you save a few pennies, the amount in your account increases and increases. English is the same, every time you do even just a little bit it adds and adds to how good you are. What if instead of 5 minutes everyday you did 10? What about 20 instead of 10? Every minute is a minute invested. Think how those minutes of study are building up, penny by penny, minute by minute to make you a wonderful speaker of English.
12. Take every chance you have.
Every chance is a gift; you'd be a fool not to take it. If you are asked to speak to some people in English, if you see someone lost on the street, if you are on holiday and want to order some food. Take the chance and do it. Speak English. Don't give into the easy path of being embarrassed or afraid.
13. Get an Electronic Dictionary
Buy an electronic dictionary. The key is to take it with you everywhere you go. Whenever you hear or see a new word, put it in the memory. Then when you have some free time, on the train or waiting to pick the kids up from school, test yourself with the "memory function". The dictionary will flash up an English word at random, and you have to guess the meaning.
14. When you wake up in the morning...
This is another trick that I use to learn languages and you can use it too. You know in a morning and you wake up, you think to yourself "What time is it? Quick, I've got to get a shower, then some breakfast, then that meeting at 9 o'clock!". Well, I used to do that in the new language. Take a bit of time to figure out the things you want to say, learn them and then use them everyday. The best thing about this idea is that even if you make mistakes no-one will ever hear them! If you find one day that you want to say something and you don't know how to say it in English, just look it up. Either use your electronic dictionary or ask a teacher or friend.
15. Don't read at first
CDs or mp3s are always better than books to study from as you can hear the right pronunciation. If you see new words in a book, it can be difficult to know how to say them. Usually this means your pronunciation will be really bad.
16. Going to bed at night.
This is another great trick that people have always used to practise writing. But here we'll use it to get your speaking to a fantastic level. All you do is grab yourself a tape player or audio recorder and speak into it all the things you did today.
17. Get everyone involved
Of course learning English by yourself is fun, but why not share that fun with other people? Make it a house rule that from 7 till 8 PM people can only speak English. If anyone speaks another language by mistake they have to put some money in a special savings box. You can use that money for a special treat.
18. Speak as much as you can, but don't become a groupie!
Now that you're listening to CDs and speaking English everyday, you are getting really good. Now to get to the next level you also need to practice real English with lots and lots of people. Don't worry, it's easy! One way is to use the internet. Look online for "language exchanges".
19. Watch one TV programme a week in English
Thanks to satellite and bilingual TVs, as well as the internet & DVDs, it's now really easy to watch programmes in English. But don't start off by saying "right, I'm only going to watch TV in English from now on!". Just like swimming, you don't start by jumping in the deep end of the pool.
20. Set goals and do things one at a time
Earlier on we talked about goals. Can you still see the image in your mind of you speaking to that famous person in English? Can you still see you laughing and joking in English? Good. The thing is that you can only aim for one goal at a time. Some people say things like "Oh, this month I'll do English everyday, I'll exercise and lose 10 kilograms and I'll learn how to cook Thai food". But you can only do one thing at a time. Make English your number one priority. Then when you have achieved that goal, make all your other dreams come true.
21. You can do it!
Confidence is the key. You are special. You can do it. You are a very clever person, after all you've had the energy to keep reading right to the end of this book. It's not brain surgery, it's not genetic engineering, it's just English, and you can do it. Stay with it, just five minutes a day and you will become better than you every imagined. It's all up to do. Decide to become a great speaker. Believe it will happen, and it will.
22. Do it today!
So you're all geared up ready to be able to speak English today? Well, do it! Don't wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes! Don't think; do it! There's never been a better time for you to start. . The best time to start is right now! You are the new you, the new you speaks great English and the new you starts now!
Enjoy and be genki,
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