3. C. The facts about English II
(5) English has official or special status in at least 75/
195 countries, with a total population of over 2
billion.
(6) English is spoken as a first language by around
345 million, and as a second language by around
300 million people in the world.
From the British Council Website English Worldwide
3
The facts about English
(1) 80% of the world’s electronically stored
information is in English.
(2) Three-quarters of the world’s mail is written in
English.
(3) 80% of Internet users communicate in English.
(4) English is the main language of books,
newspapers, airports, and air-traffic control,
international business and technology, diplomacy,
sport, international competitions, pop music, and
advertising.
4. C. The facts about English I
(1) 80% of the world’s electronically stored
information is in English.
(2) Three-quarters of the world’s mail is written in
English.
(3) 80% of Internet users communicate in English.
(4) English is the main language of books,
newspapers, airports, and air-traffic control,
international business and technology, diplomacy,
sport, international competitions, pop music, and
advertising.
(5) English has official or special status in at least 75/
195 countries, with a total population of over 2
billion.
(6) English is spoken as a first language by around
345 million, and as a second language by around
300 million people in the world.
From the British Council Website English Worldwide
5. How to learn
English well
listening
Reading
speaking
Writing
others
To learn English well, what should
you do?
Can you give us your advice?
6. How to learn
English well
listening
Reading
speaking
Writing
Listen to
English songs
Listen to the radio
in English
Always speak Englis
in class
Read the magazines and
newspapers in English
Write down the correct
spelling and grammar
next to the mistakes
Othersothers
7. Work in pairs. Read the problems and give advice.
Student A’s problems
1.It’s difficult to remember new words.
2.I can’t find my dictionary.
3.I want some information about
Dietetics.
4.I want a new book to read.
8. Work in pairs. Read the problems and give advice.
Student B’s problems
1.It’s difficult to understand TV programmes.
2.I left my homework at home.
3.I want to know where the park is.
4.I want to listen to some English music.
9. Learning to Learn EnglishH. Douglas Brown, Ph.D., American Language Institute, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
1. Don’t be afraid
Sometimes we are afraid to speak a foreign language because
we think we are going to make terrible mistakes and people
will laugh at us. Well, the best learners of foreign languages
try not to be afraid. They make game of learning. They are not
anxious about making mistakes. And they sometimes share
their fears with friends. You can do that too, and you will then
feel better about yourself.
2. Dive in!
Try to speak out! Try to say things in English! The best way to
learn English is to speak it yourself. Don’t worry about perfect
pronunciation or grammar; other people usually will not
criticize you.
10. 3. Believe in yourself
You have lots of strengths. You have already learned some
English. You must believe that you can do it! Compliment your
fellow learners on their efforts. Then maybe they will return the
favor.
4. Develop motivation
Why are you learning English? Make a list of your reasons for
studying English. Those reasons can be your individual goals for
this course. If you have your own reason for learning English,
you will have better success.
Learning to Learn EnglishH. Douglas Brown, Ph.D., American Language Institute, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
11. 5. Cooperate with your colleagues
You are learning language in order to communicate with other
people. So, practice with other people and you will be more
successful. Create your own conversation group. Try out new
ways to communicate in that group. And, in class, remember
your colleagues are your “team” members, not your opponents.
6. Get the “big” picture!
Sometimes learners look too closely at all the details of
language (words, pronunciation, grammar, usage). It’s OK to
pay attention to those details, but it is also important to
understand general meanings (the “big” picture). Maybe you
don’t know the right words or grammar, but you can say things
anyway. See movies in English. Read books and magazines for
pleasure.
Learning to Learn EnglishH. Douglas Brown, Ph.D., American Language Institute, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
12. 7. Don’t worry if you are confused
Learning English is a big task! Sometimes you will feel
confused about all the things you have to learn in a foreign
language. Try not to worry about everything all at once. Don’t
try to learn all the rules right now. Ask your mentor questions
about English. And try to learn a little every day.
8. Trust your “hunches”
Sometimes people think they should analyze everything
(grammar rules, word definitions) in their new language. The
best learners do some analyzing, but they follow their best
guesses, their intuitions about the new language. If they have
an intuition that something sounds right, they will try it. So, the
next time you feel that something is right, say it, you’ll probably
be right, and, if you aren’t someone will give you some
feedback.
Learning to Learn EnglishH. Douglas Brown, Ph.D., American Language Institute, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
13. 9. Make your mistakes work FOR you
A mistake is not always “bad”. We all make mistakes learning
anything new. Successful learners don’t worry about
mistakes, they learn from them. They take note of their errors and
try to correct them the next time. Some things you can do:
• Make a list of your mistakes
• Select grammar points to watch for
• Tape-record yourself and listen for errors
10. Set your own goals
Other people have usually so far set goals
(assignments, homework, class work) for you. But you need to set
your own goals, too. You can do that by doing the following:
• Set aside a certain number of hours a week for extra study
• Learn a certain number of words a day/week
• Read a certain number of extra pages a day/week
Take charge of your own learning!
Learning to Learn EnglishH. Douglas Brown, Ph.D., American Language Institute, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
14. The following are some of the thoughts of Indonesians about
the English language. Tick the ones you personally agree with.
Agree
Don’t
Agree
1. English can only be learned by those who
knows its grammar …. and since that is very
technical the majority of the people fail to learn
it.
2. The simplest way to learn English is to read
the dictionary everyday, and memorize ten
words.
15. Agree
Don’t
Agree
3. It is a fact that whoever speaks English well
can’t write well, and whoever writes well can’t
speak well.
4. I avoid speaking in English because if I will
make mistakes, people will make fun of me.
16. Agree
Don’t
Agree
5. The best way to improve your pronunciation is
to read aloud.
6. It takes so long to translate what I want to say in
my mind, that I give up.
17. Agree
Don’t
Agree
7. It is hard to find the right words to express my
thoughts.
8. You must have been to many debates and
other activities to really speak with confidence.
18. Agree
Don’t
Agree
9. Someone told me to watch English movies but
they spoke so fast …. I couldn't understand
anything so I stopped.
10. English is an international language and we have
to learn it whether we like it or not.
