The Ten English Learning Commandments - Alexina
   
  Set yourself small and achievable goals
  These can be based on all aspects of English from speaking to writing. Your target could be to learn 5 new words a day OR learn vocabulary on the topic of travel for that holiday to England you always dreamed of. By keeping the goals small you will stay motivated and not feel overwhelmed!
   
  Do 5-10 minutes of listening 4 times a week
  Listen to your favourite English song or watch a bit of an English film, listen to the radio or use internet listening resources. Don? always have a pen in your hand, sometimes it helps to just listen-this is after all the first thing babies do when learning to speak!
   
  Talk to yourself in English
  No, this doesn? mean you are crazy! When alone in your house talk to yourself about anything and everything. This will help you to improve your pronunciation and become familiar with your own voice in English.
   
  Record your own voice
  I know that this can be embarrassing but I promise it is useful. By playing the recording a few days later you will hear where you pronunciation weak points are and so be able to practice and improve these areas.
   
  Read something everyday for 5-10 minutes
  Make sure it is at the appropriate level and most importantly that it interests you-if it is too difficult or just plain boring you won? learn anything! When you have finished quickly summarise (speaking or writing) using ?ho, when, where, what and how?? as prompts.
   
  Keep a personal dictionary of new words
  When reading or listening write down new words in your own personal dictionary. Write down what part of speech they are, and make a sample sentence with them. Spend a few minutes before bed each night reviewing this.
   
  Keep a diary or journal
  This doesn? have to be a long and in-depth thing, just spend about 10 minutes 3 times a week writing this. Don? always pay attention to grammar, learn to enjoy writing. Improvement comes with practice.
   
  Re-write your local news in English
  If you don? want the personal approach of a journal try re-writing the news in English. Remember to do it for a short time, often! Short, regular intense sessions are more beneficial than long, irregular ones!!
   
  Always use an English-English dictionary
  DO NOT use a Chinese-English dictionary! It is a bad habit to always rely on translation. Imagine the satisfaction you?l feel when you translate something with your own brain in English!!!
   
  Treat yourself!!!
Perhaps the most important rule!! Always reward yourself when you achieve one of the targets you set. The reward can be in the form of good food, or a new toy to play with, even a nice weekend holiday with your loved one. Whatever makes you happy! Rewards will keep you motivated!!
   
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