English learning

China
October 21, 2012 7:12am CST
As a Chinese student,learning English sometimes is really hard,because the culture,written word are really different,but as for me,I feel it is an interesting subject ,I have learned it for 8 years,during the high school,it was really difficult for me ,I think I suffered a long terrible time in that stage,I don't think I learnt something that I can use in my daily life,all the students sudied English just for scors,you know ,that situation was really bad and always made us feel tired.today,I'm in an University,learning building,but I still don't give up English,because it has been a part of my life.The life in the university is really different from high school,you are free all the time,you have too much time,so ,it gives me a good chance to study English . my English teacher gave me a book called STEVE JOBS last semester,I think you know the book ,it's really thick,about 630 pages,I'm surprised and fun,I know I must spend much time on it ,oh,my God,reading it just like a long journy,but I believe it will be interesting ,I can learn English,improve my reading skills,at the same time ,I can learn a real Steve Jobs,though he went to another place .
11 responses
@adhyz82 (36249)
• Indonesia
21 Oct 12
it`s good if you are motivated and have passion for learning i think it`s the good start for began studying english iam indonesian and of course like your experience, learning english is something difficult for me.. maybe because i want to learn this languages, i try day by day, minute by minute for learning english i know that my english is stil poor but iam not giving up
• China
21 Oct 12
Oh,my GOD !I'm really glod to get your comment,do you know ,you give me a big surprise! because your response is too fast! In Indonesia,do you usually speak English?I think it should be really easy for your citizens of your country.In China,many people are curious your culture.
@HomeBase (1153)
• United States
21 Oct 12
@adhyz82...Your English looks good to me! If you speak as well as you are writing here, then you are doing very well. Don't you dare give up!!
@HomeBase (1153)
• United States
21 Oct 12
@adhyz82...Oops, I mean to highlight the word "dare", so the sentence should read, "Don't you dare give up!!" I need some coffee to wake me up so that I can type better
@gerald_lian (2188)
• Australia
21 Oct 12
I hail from Malaysia, but am currently residing in Australia where English is the main language. Although English is not my mother tongue, I have been brought up learning and speaking this language in my home and at school as well. In Malaysia, I always thought my English was good, but when I arrived in Australia to study and work, I realized that my English language mastery is only fairly so-so. But being in an English-speaking country is a good thing to brush up my grasp of the language, because I have to use it to converse each day, so there's no way not to use it. As for yourself, I really do hope that you'll be able to improve your language skills too. Participating on myLot should at least help to some degree, where you can observe how native English speakers express their view and you can learn the phrases, grammar and vocabulary that they use.
• Australia
21 Oct 12
Glad to be a source of encouragement and advice!
@adhyz82 (36249)
• Indonesia
21 Oct 12
xinyu, you should be lucky here and your government didn`t block too mylot..that`s cool..
• China
21 Oct 12
Thank you so much,you give me a lot of encouragement,your advice is pretty good ,I should make full use it,to use it in a right way .Obseving the native speakers' English is really necessary for me.
@VKXY62 (1605)
• Australia
22 Oct 12
Hello Xinyu100, I am wondering, may I ask, what other subjects you are studying, and where do you want to go with your studies? Will you end up working in some foreign country for a a while and then return to China, and take up your own business? I wonder where in China you come from, a city or somewhere in the country side? I live in Australia, near Melbourne. One of Melbourne's recent Lord Mayors was a Chinese businessman, Mr. John Chun Sai So. :-) So there you go, ha ha. I also wonder, have you come across any memorable words that are the same in English as Chinese except the meanings are of course very different. All the best to you and yours.
@VKXY62 (1605)
• Australia
22 Oct 12
Hello again Xinyu100, I think you will bend and break a few things in your experiments, yes? This is good, perhaps you will work on something like the materials that are harder than diamond. It would be of great benefit to drillers and miners for harder tools to exist. I am a little familiar with the province of Jilin, way up the north east of China. I have never been to China, but I collect samples of meteorites, I have done this since the 1980's. I have a small thumbnail size portion of the Jilin meteorite that landed in 1976. Knowing where and how it came to be, is part of the interest in studying these stones from other worlds and where they landed. Perhaps you have seen or touched a part of the same stone. That would be funny. I just looked at the internets photos of Changchun, it is a very big city indeed. I just looked at your own photos, thanks for popping them online. They are nice and colourful, I like the twilight city pics. You can still see the buildings, and all the lights are on. I might have been seeing things, but, 'I tawt I taw a putty tat !' That was Tweety Pie that said that. I now also for some strange reason, have the urge for a facefull of Kentucky Fried Chicken. :-P I had something like those ears, but, they were reindeer horns. I don't think I looked cute though. At the time my hair was long and I had a bushy beard, I would have looked like a mad Viking or something. :-) You will find your own way in life, I am sure. Sometimes an unbelievable opportunity just suddenly appears before you. Sometimes, it needs a little work to make it happen. Persistance. English is, as you know, a phonetic language, and mainly sounds the way it looks. With the many, ha ha, exceptions. You are doing very well. May I ask a question about Chinese language. When speaking in Chinese, when you greet someone, there is the term Ni Hao. I believe this is the impersonal version that is used between friends or family. I was made aware of another more polite term, Nin Hao, for use with someone not familiar or have never met before, or, just being polite. Is this correct? This is what I get for a 'hello' ?? translation. Is this the Ni Hao, or the Nin Hao. Maybe this is just textbook learning version of proper Chinese and it is not used. I have an old record here, a 78 speed, from 1930's I think. I think it was the first Chinese No.1 recording in Europe. It is titled, Rose, Rose, I love you. And so, I listen to this song, ??????? , ah ha, so, now I understand Megwai is a woman's name in Chinese and, if I ever get to that KFC in Changchun, after I have had a great feed, I can tell them, Wo Ai Ni. :-)
• China
22 Oct 12
Wow!I'm so moved by your response,you give me a surprise again. In Chinese,Nin Hao is generally to elders or people with status of the honorific(such as your teacher,superior...); Ni Hao is between the same generation regards,it also be used in service industry,usually for the first time to the customer call. and I want to say,we don't use Ni Hao to our friends or family,because the close relationships,if I say Nin Hao to a good friend,he might feel strange and even a little bit angry. rose ,rose ,rose I love you is a beautiful and old song,it's famous in Cnina,especially in Shanghai.Rose in Chinese is Meigui,haha Jilin is famous for its meteorite,it has the biggest meteorite,now it is displayed in the museum.
1 person likes this
• China
22 Oct 12
Hello VKXY62, I major in material mechanics,theoretical machanics and structural mechanics.To be honest,I don't like them,they are really boring .I want to be special,I believe English may become one of factors to effect my life in the future,most people around me can't speak English,so I think it would be an opportunity to me,I have to learn it and one day I would speak it very well,I regard it as a tool .I hope to use it to create more chances . I want to go abroad very much,I want to broadon my horizon.at present,I'm a student,I don't know what job should I take,I need to consider it thoroughly.I believe the God will help me and give me some good advice.It is not kidding. I live in Changchun,the provincial capital of Jilin Province,do you know it?you can look my photos. I'm not afraid to memorise English words,even though it consists of many letters or has really different meanings,I have my way to memorise,I never feel difficult. May GOD bless you.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
22 Oct 12
Hi! I am glad to know that there are still people of your age who are interested in learning and who is consistently striving to develop their skills. I am a Filipino and English is not a native language for me as well. It's just that you just have to expose yourself as much as you can to the language. As of now, I am currently trying to learn Japanese. I don't really need it in my work but I know it would really be cool if I learn one more language. Keep up the good work!
• Philippines
24 Oct 12
Well.. I think that's because they have Kanji but other than that yes you are definitely right.... It's something that's pretty much hard to remember. Brave? Thanks for the compliment. (^.^) I would say you are brave as well because you chose to study a language that has different letters. Should you have any problems learning, just add me up as your friend. I am an English course graduate. I am not that good but perhaps I could help you one way or another.
• China
24 Oct 12
Wow,I'm very glad to make friends with you!I believe you,I believe you can help me to learn English better!
• China
22 Oct 12
Wow,sometimes I think Japanese is similar with Chinese,there are many Chinese words in it,but the pronunciation ,written way are really diffrent from Chinese,I think it's a little bit difficult to learn.But if you learn it ,I think you are very brave and confident !I usually watch Japanese cartoons and caricatures. May God bless you.
@HomeBase (1153)
• United States
21 Oct 12
It is good to learn any language, especially English since it seems to be a universal language. You are blessed to know at least 2 languages. I would love to learn how to speak Chinese, but I know that it will be a lot of hard work. As far as Steve Jobs goes, I think that after you read that book about him, you should read other books about him as well. You will learn something different from each book. Also, you should check out some interviews of him that are on Youtube.
• China
21 Oct 12
Thank you so much!I'm from China,as a matter of fact,Chinese is difficult to many foreigners,because the culture is really different from other countries especially to the western world.But there are still many people learn it very well,if you want to learn Chinese,you can have a try,don't be afraid,it is a language,but also an art as well as English,it is very interesting.
@HomeBase (1153)
• United States
21 Oct 12
I like how you say that Chinese is an art. That is how I think of it, especially with all the characters one has to learn to write...whew!! I have a few Chinese language books and DVD's. Some of them I have not even opened yet. I know that I should get started on them and try, because I really want to learn Chinese.
• China
21 Oct 12
I think you can make some Chinese friends or someone who can speak Chinese,it is a good way to learn it.As for me,I have 3 friends from America,we usually talk together,so it improves my speaking skill,at the beginning,I felt tense and shy,but later,I found it is really interesting.
• India
22 Oct 12
hey ! what you said is true learning english can be really difficult specially if you come from a country where people don't speak much english. also in english one word can have several meanings. like open 'up'. shut 'up' . cook 'up' stories etc.. one word 'up' used in various ways. its great as long as you dont loose courage and keep trying. one should not feel bad if he/she speaks poor english. I'm sure we would have tough time if we try learning mandrin or thai. i really like it, you are trying, and you are learning from 8 years
@adhyz82 (36249)
• Indonesia
24 Oct 12
i see.. you have good motivation for learning english my friend it`s good i think.. where do you want to study?? abroad?
• China
22 Oct 12
If you love English,and have a clear goal in your mind ,just do it.mylot is a good website,it can be your tool to learn English,we should make full use of it.come on!
• China
22 Oct 12
I studied English in the middle school for 3 years,in high school for 3 years,too.And my 2 head teachers are both English teachers.In the university,I learnt 2 years English,and now I'm preparing the IELTS.The attitude to it is really important,I usually think so.
@viet129 (70)
22 Oct 12
Hi Xinyu. Well done for studying well to learn English. It is a difficult language to learn and many words sound the same and are spelled the same but mean different things. It can be difficult to learn in the classroom and if you were to travel to England, you would find that conversational language is very different to what you learn in the classroom. English grammar is very hard and even English people have a difficult time with it, so don't worry! I was learning Chinese for about a year and I love the language. I find it a beautiful language to learn and listen to. However, when I went to China, I could not understand what people said, as they talked too quickly...haha! Keep with it because you write very well! Robin
24 Oct 12
Yes, I understand the difficulties. The best way to learn a language is to study some in the classroom and then to spend some time in that country. Of course, it is not possible for most students but it's a good way to learn, by speaking with native speakers. I have been teaching English for some years to foreign students in England and abroad and so know the problems and difficulties. Another good way to learn is to try to listen to English news broadcast, either via TV or online. They speak clearly and not too fast and is a good source for learning. I am sure you will do well and I wish you every success :-)
• China
24 Oct 12
Wow,thank you so much for giving me the comment.Well,you said the situation is right,for it has a common feature that Chinese students learn it in the class just for exams,for scores,most of them don't know how to use the grammar,this habit is really bad,they don't know how to learn English at all,and it seems like it has been a tradition ,and too many students are not interested in it,so you know,the reason why Chinese students can't learn English well.I remember that I learnt English at the age of 12,it's so late ,at the beginning,I mean in the first class ,I did't know what's English,just found each word contained many letters,I felt so confused,and I didn't know how to remember English words,it's so difficult for me,with a negative attitude,I learnt half a year,and then gave up.later on,I thought about it ,well,I‘m wrong,if I regarded it as my interest,maybe the result would be different,so I picked it up again,over 8 years,I found that the attitude to English is really important.
• India
21 Oct 12
Hi friend, welcome to mylot. It is not a tough thing to learn English, we will learn it easily based on our interest. Not every one is born with a great English knowledge, we are improving our skills in day by day manner, in the same way if you have aim and work hard to achieve it, surely you will get it in one day. Surely you will learn English and improve your English skills in a good manner, my heartiest wishes for it
@adhyz82 (36249)
• Indonesia
21 Oct 12
your english is good vidhya mylot helps your english become better and better.
• China
22 Oct 12
Thank you so much vidhyaprakash-2. learning English based on our interest is a good way,because it embodys your attitude to English,it's very important,having a clear aim is also really necessary ,it is your power after all.
• Philippines
22 Oct 12
being in this site mylot.com, your english will surely improve better.
@caopaopao (12395)
• China
21 Oct 12
Go on studying hard, and maybe you will be another Steve jobs. I am serious. I know many college students don't spend most of their time in studying or learning English, many of them spend time in playing games, falling in love with a person, making friends... You are really different, it's good that you are different from most of your contemporary. God will help those who help themselves. You will succeed one day. Nice evening!
@caopaopao (12395)
• China
21 Oct 12
Mylot is really a good place to learn English.
• China
21 Oct 12
Wow!thank you so much,I will try my best to learn ENGLISH.our society has a big feature that the competition is very fierce,so as a student who don't take a real job must make full preparation,you need to have some tools to create your own life,you also need to be special in some fields that some people don't master.it'a a way to live.
• China
22 Oct 12
I am form china too, i graduated form university over 4 years, but i still use chinese english in daily communication or mail writing.But campared with my classmate,my English level is better than them,this is how ridiculous. I think mylot is a good website to improve my english skills,and can communicated with others.
@adhyz82 (36249)
• Indonesia
22 Oct 12
@clarckchen : you find a right website..here, in mylot, you will interact with anybody and only using one language, english..like or dislike, this way makes you can learn english quickly..
• China
22 Oct 12
Wow ,it's really a good way to learn English,we should make full use of it,when you face the website pages are totally in English,I think you must feel a little bit difficult and terrible at the beginning,but also feel fresh.This is a good place to improve our English.
@THISISIT (63)
• Philippines
22 Oct 12
you must motivate yourself to be able for you to learn english the easy way. Try to put passion from it and you will feel that you are not just learning but enjoying it.
• China
22 Oct 12
Yes,you are right,I must enjoy it,different attitudes will lead to different results.