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Mixer 120 Best Way To Learn English
Six native speakers of English share the best way to learn their language.
- Transcript
- Audio Slide Show
- Vocabulary
Tom / United Kingdom
The best way to learn English is go and live in an English country, take English lessons and get lots of English friends. Failing that, you just have to put in a lot a time and a lot of practice.
George / United States
The best way to learn English, I guess it would just be by talking to people in English and just keep going at it and keep going at it, and eventually you'll get it I think.
Jess / United Kingdom
The best way to learn English I think would be to go to England or to an English native speaking country and live there for maybe for a year or two years. I learnt a lot of Spanish by having a Spanish boyfriend, so I would also recommend a close relationship with someone who speaks the language you want to learn.
Michael / Singapore
The best way to learn English is to take whatever you learn in class and to practice it outside of class, because we know that most of the students they just learn it in class but they don't have opportunities to practice what they learn outside, so if you don't have any English speaking friends, what you can do is of course go online and there's a lot of pen pals and you can just make some friends online to practice your English and that would work as well.
Mike / United States
Well, nobody learns the same the way so there are a lot of ways to learn. I think the best way is probably to vary the learning methods. Do a little reading, a little speaking, a little writing, and a little listening. Try to combine the different methods and get a balanced approach.
Hanna / Australia
The best way to learn English is to make lots of friends who speak English. If you have a lot of friends who speak English, then it becomes a very interactive experience and you also have incentive to learn more.
Failing that, you just have to put in a lot a time
The phrase "failing that" means "if that does not work". Notice the following:
- If the coke machine does not give you change back, pull the handle. Failing that, kick it.
- Try to choose the best answer. Failing that, guess!
I would talk to people in English and just keep going at it and keep going at it.
When you keep going at something, that means you continue to do it. Notice the following:
- He kept going at the puzzle but he could not solve it.
- Don't stop. Keep going. Keep going.
They don't have a lot of opportunities to practice.
An opportunity is a chance to do something. Notice the following:
- We do not have many opportunities to relax at work.
- When you travel you have many opportunities to speak English.
Try to combine the different methods and get a balanced approach.
A balanced approach means more than one method is used to achieve something. Notice the following:
- Raising a child takes a balanced approach to discipline.
- Good teachers have a balanced approach to teaching content.
You also have an incentive to learn more.
An incentive is a reward to do something. Notice the following:
- My incentive to losing weight is to look good at the beach.
- What is your incentive to learning English?
my culture were brought up to think that that's really bad.
In this case, "brought up" means to be raised from childhood.
- I was brought up to believe it is impolite to eat with your elbows on the table.
- Many boys are brought up to believe they should hide their feelings.
If you do anything wrong then it's on your record.
"Record" in this case means a criminal history or some other official record of your behaviour.
- If you are late for work more than 3 times, it will be noted on your record with the Personnel section.
- Many countries will not issue a visa if you have a criminal conviction on your record.
The policeman asked me to pull over.
In this case, "pulling over" is an action taken when you are driving a car and it means
to move your car to the side of the road and stop.
- Thanks for giving me a lift home. You can pull over at this corner and let me off.
- In Japan, you should pull over to the left and wait if you hear an ambulance coming.
The policeman in Dubai was very straight and honest.
When we are talking about people, "straight" means to be honest and not evasive nor to hide
anything.
- It is important to have people who are straight working in positions of authority, so that their power is not abused.
- When my sister had an accident, my father was completely straight with me about her condition and didn't try to protect me from the difficult truth.
He turned me down, it is really bad in the Arab culture.
To be "turned down" is to be denied something.
- I asked Jack if he would go out for coffee with me, but he turned me down. I was so disappointed.
- When I asked my mum if I could get a motor bike, she turned me down because it was too dangerous.