5 Traits of a Successful English Learner

At any moment I believe there is at least one human being asking how they can learn English effectively and achieve their linguistic goals in the shortest time frame possible. I myself am an English learner and the fact that my bread and butter now is teaching English doesn't diminish it to the slightest degree: I was, am, and will always be an English learner. Through this article I'd like to discuss 5 qualities that are possessed and shown by successful learners of this sexy language (and also any other tongues, I think). This is wholly based on my own English-learning experience as well as my collective observation of my students and other English learners. Happy reading!

1. Love

Love is one of the greatest forces in life. When we hear the word "love", it usually conjures up images of a couple hugging, kissing, or doing other romantic stuff. However, love is broader in scope and involves feelings toward inanimate objects, such as languages, as well. If you are aiming for success in learning English, love is the most important quality you need to possess. When you love something, it is always easy to achieve what you want with it, isn't it? You will learn without having to be told to, because it comes from the deepest of your heart. Love of English will keep you moving forward and decimate any obstacles getting in the way of your awaiting success!

2. Curiosity

I have also noticed that high-achieving English learners are those who maintain a high level of curiosity. English is like a complex puzzle that needs to be solved but there are certain patterns or guidelines that can help you master this language. This should be a very fun activity but it requires a substantial amount of time and effort. You need to always crave for more and keep being insatiably curious. For example, if you know the word "happy", do you know other phrases or expressions that express the same idea? Its synonyms maybe? As for grammar, it is essential to be in the habit of asking "why?" Why do we need to put an -ing form after the word "enjoy"? Why is the phrase "extreme tall" grammatically wrong? Your English-learning experience will be markedly different with the existence of this quality.

3. Enthusiasm

Being enthusiastic is crucial to the development of one's English proficiency. With burning enthusiasm, you will achieve in one day what mediocre ones would in a week. Within the same window of time, learners with such a characteristic will finish five long grammar exercises while apathetic ones may even struggle to complete one short exercise. Practice does make perfect and it is only with enthusiasm that this can be effectively done. Just like the power of love, if you are exuberant, you do what you need to do on your own initiative. However, it is important to keep in mind that this quality has to be paired with consistency; otherwise, the impact would not really be significant.

4. Reflection

Just as we look in the mirror before starting off for a wedding party to ensure that our appearance will not disappoint the guests, it is essential that we regularly & continually reflect on our English learning. Try to ask yourself such questions as "How long have I been learning English?", "What improvements have I made?", and "What areas do I still need to work on?" On a smaller scale, you can review what you have just said or written. Was my pronunciation entirely correct? Did I use the correct verb forms? Is this sentence grammatically perfect? Did I make any mistakes in terms of punctuation and capitalization? Doing self-assessment is, indeed, critical for your success in learning English.

5. Humility

Last but not least, aside from making you a likable human being, humility helps you reach what otherwise would be unreachable. I personally believe that we can learn from anyone, anywhere, and anytime. What we have experienced cannot be 100% the same as what others have. Therefore, even if you think you know everything, you actually do not. Being humble must be part of your disposition if you are to attain optimal outcomes from your English-learning experience. Admitting that we are not perfect is not a weakness; on the contrary, it is a strength. There are always gaps in our knowledge and it is conceivable that there are many people who have pieces of knowledge and probably tips/advice that we do not know. Thus, willingness to learn from such people and ask for their help is key to enhancing your English skills. Look around and you may see an opportunity to take your English to the next level!

I hope this article is particularly helpful for your English-learning voyage! Please write you think in the comment section below!

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You may be interested in reading the following articles:

• How to Be Good at English (Part 1)
• How to Be Good at English (Part 2)
• 5 Recommended Websites for Learning English
• Is Grammar Important?
• 12 Common English Mistakes That Indonesians Make
• Quick Tips on the IELTS Test
• Language Finds a Way
• Language Is an Illusion
• Common English Mistakes: Present Simple and Present Continuous

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Is Grammar Important?

Grammar is not important. As long as you understand what I say, it's enough.

The text above represents a comment that I sometimes hear from English learners -- odds are you have heard this kind of utterance as well. However, does this statement hold true? Is grammar not important?

The quick answer is yes. Grammar is important indeed. Let's use two different approaches to answering this question.

We can be sure that grammar is important by looking around and realizing how many grammar books there are and how diverse they are on the market. ELT (English Language Teaching) publishers such as Cambridge, Oxford, Longman, and Collins have collectively produced numerous grammars, which are aimed, without a doubt, at English learners. These include the classic Understanding and Using English Grammar and Fundamentals of English Grammar by Betty S. Azar and Stacy A. Hagen and COBUILD English Grammar, which I am about to order a copy of. The existence of such books demonstrates how important grammar is in communication. This is not to mention that most, if not all, non-grammar-focused ELT books also discuss grammar, albeit not comprehensively and thoroughly.

Now, let's take a look at this mini-conversation between two old friends, Paul and Karen, which takes place at a subway station:

1. Paul: Hi Karen! Long time no see! How are you?
2. Karen: Hi Paul! I'm good. And you?
3. Paul: I'm all right. It's been 5 years. By the way, what do you do after you graduated from university?
4. Karen: You mean what I do now?
5. Paul: No, that time after we graduated from university.
6. Karen: Oh, I see. I worked as a salesperson for a kitchenware company for about two years. I was getting bored, so I decided to leave the job. Now I teach chemistry in a high school in my hometown. How about you?
7. Paul: ...

This made-up dialog illustrates how our use of grammar can affect the effectiveness of our communication. Paul doesn't use the right auxiliary verb, "did", (line 3) and it leads Karen to ask for clarification (line 4). This means Paul needs to give Karen clarification (line 5). Although Karen finally understands what Paul intends to know, this series of unnecessary actions takes (and wastes) some time and, therefore, reduces communication efficiency.

It is sometimes argued that grammar is important only when it comes to speaking, not writing. The example above shows that grammar matters whether you are speaking or writing -- the only difference is that people are more likely to get embarrassed by what they write because writings tend to be recorded or stored and making corrections is not always possible, while on most occasions once you speak, it is gone.

I always believe that when you love something, it is going to be easy. This has resulted in me coming up with an unpublished, Bible-referencing quote: "The love of grammar is the root of English proficiency". This may not be wholly true, but it will certainly boost your English skills more than you would without such passion.

If you find it hard to learn grammar (or, more generally, English) and think that grammar is too complicated to master, you might want to read my other articles How to Be Good at English (Part 1) and Language Is an Illusion. I wish you the best of luck on your grammar-learning journey!

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6 Tips for a Successful Vacation Trip

Everybody loves traveling. Who doesn't?

This is a train of thought that used to be in my brain until I found someone who isn't keen on it. However, I strongly believe that in general, people – wherever they come from – would feel excited about exploring different parts of the world – ones whose ground they've never stepped on."

Although not a travel maniac myself, I have visited, I think, quite a good number of domestic and international destinations. My Indonesian trips include those to the world-famous, culturally rich Bali (also known as the 'Island of Gods") and Bandung, which is the capital of West Java and where you can find the Museum of Geology, which houses a life-sized T. rex skeleton as one of its numerous exhibits. On the international side, Vietnam is the country that I have visited most frequently (I've landed at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport four times), and the rest comprise Australia's external territory Christmas Island, the little red dot Singapore, the musang king durian producer Malaysia, as well as the Philippines, where you can relish various pork-based dishes and where the popular bakeshop Goldilocks hails from.

Me standing in awe at a T. rex skeleton on display at Bandung's Museum of Geology, Indonesia

Me in front of a heart mural on Bonifacio High Street, Taguig, Metro Manila, the Philippines

All of the experiences I've had (be they good or bad) have accumulated in such a way that I am compelled to share to you what I think travelers should keep in mind before they set out for their desired destinations. I truly hope this list of tips will help make a great escapade. Bon voyage!

1. Prepare plenty of money

If there's one thing that must be with you on any trip, that's our 'greeny' companion: money. You can forgivably forget some of your belongings, such as your shower gel or favorite shorts, because if you have enough money, in most cases you can buy new ones (at least basic needs) in your destination.

If you are going to travel abroad, make sure there is ample foreign currency in your pocket; banks and money changers are places to go in respect of this. It is also a wise idea to check the currently valid currency of your target country (when I was in the Philippines, I couldn't use my 1,000-peso bill since it belonged to the previous expired currency issue).

You might also want to find out whether you can use credit cards as a means of payment if you plan to make purchases in certain stores of the country you're going to visit. Carrying a credit card is definitely more convenient than cash, not to mention the promotions for which only credit card holders are eligible.

2. Get your passport and visa ready

This applies to foreign tourists. You cannot get out of your home country if you don't have a passport. According to AirAsia website, generally make sure your passport is "valid for at least six months after the date you enter a foreign country." Don't be too lazy to do some math – my brother once faced this kind of problem, when he was traveling to Cambodia if I'm not mistaken. If you happen to lose your passport (hopefully not) in your destination country and can't find it, you have to contact your country's embassy there. Remember that you can't leave a foreign country without a passport.

While in some cases you are required to have a visa to enter a foreign country, you might be eligible to get into one without a visa. For example, as an ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) citizen, I was able to travel to Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines without having to apply for a visa, yet under a certain limit of days of travel (click here to know about the ASEAN visa-free policy). Some countries provide visas on arrival, which basically means you can get visas when you arrive at the airports of the foreign countries. Remember to check the visa requirements to avoid any immigration problems.

Note: To apply for a passport, go to the immigration office, whereas to apply for a visa, go the foreign country's embassy in your home country.

3. Create an itinerary

It might sound trite, but planning what to do, where to go, how to do it, and so on and so forth is essential. You wouldn't want to waste any time when you are on vacation, as any bit of it is precious. I used the service of Visit A City to make an itinerary for my Kuala Lumpur trip a few months ago and it went well. The website gives you a great deal of information about tourist attractions, such as opening hours and ticket prices, if any. To get a good idea of the place(s) you're thinking of visiting, you could also go to travel websites such as TripAdvisor or ask people who have had an experience of being there. The more research you do, the better itinerary you will come out with. Nevertheless, things do not always turn out well. It is highly recommended to work out backup plans and be flexible on your trip for the best experience possible. For instance, what will you do if the natural history museum you've always been wanting to visit is closed due to urgent repairs? Or where will you go if bad weather doesn't allow you to take pictures in your favorite park?

4. Be aware of time difference

Yes. And I was a victim of this natural phenomenon. As you might know, I live in Jakarta time zone (UTC+7). On February 25, 2016, when I was in transit at Changi Airport, Singapore (UTC+8) on my third trip to Vietnam, I got carried away by the beauty and grandeur of the world's best airport, taking photos and stuff. I didn't realize, at one moment, that it was time to go to the designated gate to board my flight to the rice-producing country since my reference was my phone, which was showing the wrong time – one hour late. As a result, I missed my flight and had to waste around 1 million IDR (71.7 USD) on a new flight scheduled for the next day (yes, I spent the night at the airport). The lesson that can be learned is that travelers should be aware of any temporal difference between geographical areas and adjust the time settings on their devices, including watches and phones, to avert such pesky incidents.

Click here to read a reflection article I wrote in relation to this matter.

5. Install important apps

Thanks to the jaw-dropping advancement of technology, traveling is now easier than ever before. A GPS app can help you navigate an unfamiliar area, such as a city, in a very convenient way (going astray is not as scary and nerve-wracking as it used to be). I'd recommend using MAPS.ME, which was extremely helpful during my international trips. What makes this app special is that you can still use it while offline.

Language can be a problem when traveling. If you don't understand the local language, a translator app such as Google Translate is just the ticket. Personally, I used it and/or the website when I was in Vietnam to communicate with local(s) as my Vietnamese proficiency was not good enough.

A private car or public transportation such as buses and trains might be your the primary choice for your excursions, but you may still need to install transportation service apps such as Grab and Uber for a smoother trip. My trips to Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines would probably have been much less pleasant if it hadn't been for these amazing apps.

Note: As many of these apps require an internet connection to run, make sure you can access the internet in your destination.

6. Learn the local language and get familiar with the culture

In the previous point, I mentioned the ease that translator apps offer for a trip to a place where an unfamiliar language is used. Nevertheless, I still think that it is necessary for tourists to learn some local language, at least basic expressions such as those equivalent to "thank you" and "I'm sorry". This can break the ice and you will gain respect from the locals for showing effort to learn their language (this might also prevent you from being ripped off (too much)).

There is an Indonesian saying: lain padang lain belalang, lain lubuk lain ikannya. Translated into English, this expression would roughly be "different fields have different kinds of grasshoppers, different pools have different kinds of fish." The message, which you could have probably worked out, is that different areas, such as countries, hold their own customs, manners, etc. It points to the importance of learning about local culture: what is mandatory to do when you meet an elder, what is considered rude or inappropriate when talking, and that kind of thing. This will save face and help you stay away from awkward or embarrassing situations. I will never forget an occasion when I experienced a little culture shock in Vietnam: a woman flinched, probably feeling offended, when I was shaking her hand as part of my introduction. I reckoned this gesture was acceptable and regarded as polite in Vietnamese culture, but it turns out that it isn't customary for Vietnamese women to shake hands with men, as explained by one of my closest friends from the said country. Adjusting to the social mores of your destination is a must-do. Continue reading

Quick Tips on the IELTS Test

Many people in the world would like to pursue their dreams by continuing their studies in their favorite universities or working in top global companies. If the organizations are located in English-speaking countries, it is very likely that one of the requirements is in the form of a test or exam such as TOEFL or IELTS. In this article, I am going to give you quick tips for achieving a good (or even great) band score on the IELTS test.

One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” This is just true in the case of IELTS taking. Before you face the real test, make sure you devote a sufficient amount of time to getting prepared for it.

The very first thing you should do is to familiarize yourself with the test format and band score criteria. You have to be able to answer questions such as How many and what types of questions are there in the Listening part?, How many texts are there in the Reading component and how long does it last?, What is the minimum number of words do test-takers have to write in the IELTS Writing? In addition, keep in mind what you have to do so as to achieve your desired band score. For instance, to reach a band score of 8 in the IELTS Speaking, you must “use paraphrase effectively as required”, and to attain a 7 in Writing Task 1, you have to “use a variety of complex structures”. Knowing these will be of great mental advantage to you in tackling the exam, with good time management being one of the results.

Possessing that knowledge alone is not enough. In order to succeed in the IELTS, you also need to do a substantial amount of practice. It is highly advisable that you do many practice tests. Make sure you practice carrying out the various possible task types; for example, in the IELTS Reading there are multiple choice, identifying information, identifying the writer’s views/claims, matching information, matching headings, and so on. What is more, put a lot of effort into honing the skills that are required to get your target band score – these might include paraphrasing and using complex structures (see above). Learning with an IELTS tutor can be very helpful too as they can monitor your progress and give you feedback based on your performance – what is already good and what still needs to be improved on.

Last but not least (and perhaps one that is often forgotten or missed by IELTS participants), ensure that you are physically fit and remain calm during the test. Nourish your body with plenty of nutrients and, while practicing can take a lot of energy, remember to always have enough rest and sleep. Taking an exam can also be especially stressful, with students sweating being a common sight in examination rooms. Getting nervous can lead to your mind going blank and it definitely reduces your chance of performing to the best of your abilities on the IELTS test. Test-takers might find the effect even stronger in the Speaking section, where they need to give responses to an examiner face-to-face. Therefore, relax and enjoy the “show” – relishing your favorite beverage before the test begins might help. Wish you the best of luck with the IELTS test!

Information about IELTS can be accessed at https://www.ielts.org.

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How to Be Good at English (Part 2)

As I'm getting older (and so everyone is), I'm becoming more and more aware of the importance of this wide spoken language – English. My international friend base is continuously expanding and it is English that unites us. I've already written an article about how to be good at English; however, this piece of writing contains more personal and detailed information. Curious? Here they are, four techniques I use to boost my English proficiency!

1. Watch videos online

Oh, come on! We live in the Internet era and myriad online videos are waiting for you to be watched! The site I visit is – as you might have expected – YouTube. Firstly, I watch videos without subtitles, trying to get the message. Then, if there are any words I couldn't catch, I watch the parts which they are in with a subtitle on. Your pronunciation awareness will certainly increase – you'll know which syllable the stress of a word is on, accustom yourself to connected speech, etc. You could watch Ted Talks – I've seen some people giving engaging speeches – as subtitles are provided.

2. Read novels

You might be thinking, Why novels? The quick answer is because they contain lots of words, or in other words, a great amount of language. I used to hate novels, actually, but I ended up falling in love with them after realizing their efficacies. If you want to learn a language, you have to expose yourself to as much language as possible – and novels would be your great helpers. By reading novels, you get hosts of new words, new collocations, new idioms, etc. Don't know the meaning of a word? Before looking it up in your dictionary, which is something you should keep at hand, try to guess it by looking at the context – look at the words and/or sentences surrounding it. For example, take a look at this text:

John went into the forest and saw a XXXX. Strangely, it didn't bite him; it passed by him instead.

What is XXXX?

Premise 1: It was in the forest.
Premise 2: Strangely, it didn't bite.
Premise 3: It passed by John.

Conclusion: XXXX might be an animal (based on the fact the pronoun 'it' is used and points 1 and 3: animals are common in forests and moving is an activity typical of an animal) and it was probably a predator (based on point 2: the writer had expected XXXX to bite John).

On top of that, reading will increase your grammatical accuracy awareness. Unconsciously, you'll realize the existence of new structures and your brain will click when people use them incorrectly!

Tip: Find a novel that is right up your alley. You don't want to fall asleep when reading it!

3. Talk to yourself

What? Yeah, it seems strange. But since I can't find a language partner – I hope you have found one or will – I myself am my language partner. One 'trick' I use is to create sentences (about 4–5) every time I learn a new phrase, structure, or anything. For example, I would say to myself something like "Have ever you visited Saigon? She's been my language partner for two years. Mr. Masrani has worked for his company since 2010," if I were learning about the present perfect simple. I would always strive for a high level of fluency before I move on to the next point. Sometimes I also combine several grammar points, for example by telling a story that comprises a number of tenses. Other times I use an idiom with different tenses. Basically I do lots of experiments! This method turns out to be very effective to me, and you could give it a shot.

4. Write a blog

Yeah, actually what I'm doing now is one of the ways to brush up on my English – to practice writing. By writing a blog, I can make use of all the English things I've learned in a free and creative way, while being able to express my ideas to the public at the same time. And another piece of good news is it is gratis – I created this account without any rupiah or dong.

You may have noticed that all these points relate to the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, don't limit yourself! Besides these, I also do other English-enhancing things like reading news items online and enlarging my vocabulary through websites such as Espresso English. Another important thing is to make sure your effort is as closely related to your interest as much as possible since you will progress faster. I wish you all the best on your English journey!

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How to Be Good at English (Part 1)

My high school English teacher said that English is a "golden bridge". And, that's certainly right. As an international language English connects people all over the world. Even Jay Chou, my favorite musician, studied English in order to play the role of Kato well in the movie The Green Hornet.

I have a few friends from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Kenya, Nigeria, Sweden, and India. What language do I use to communicate with them? Yeah, English! English makes you "fly" around the world! English is like "a tongue that everyone must own" if they want to "get out of their shells".

And, several questions come up:
• What is the way to be good at English?
• How can we understand well what people say in English? (listening)
• How can I speak English fluently? (speaking)
• I want to read Harry Potter novels but I can't! Can you help me? (reading)
• How can I produce good writing in English? My teacher ordered me to write an English essay. (writing)

I have experienced learning English for more than ten years—yep, not too long. Some people told me that I am good at English. (I don't know whether it is true or not. Humbleee~ :p) Given the fact, I'd like to give you some tips on how to be good at English. I hope these are useful for you. :) Here they are~

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Tip #1

Like learning other languages, learning English is a matter of habit. You have to accustom yourself to it. Wanna be great at listening? Watch English movies! (such as Hollywood movies) Try not to turn on the subtitles. You can read the text when you feel it is necessary. Another way is to listen to English songs. (Phew! Jay Chou has not written any legitimately English songs. I hope he will. :)) Wanna be awesome at speaking? Talk with English-speaking people! Find some partners that are willing to converse with you in English and do it consistently. Wanna be excellent at reading and writing? Read a lot of English books! (I suggest that you choose ones that are interesting to you) The more you read, the better you can write. You will meet a lot of new words, and you can use those in your writing. :) Don't forget to write anything in English! Why don't you update your Facebook status and tweet in English? :)

Tip #2

Oxford and Merriam-Webster dictionaries

Your dictionary is your "weapon". It is an extremely useful means of learning English. Whenever you find a word that you don't understand the meaning of, look it up in the dictionary, Don't be lazy to open your dictionary! Make sure that your dictionary is good. A good dictionary provides how to pronounce a word, what type of verb a word is (is it a transitive or intransitive verb?), what part of speech a word is (a noun? an adjective? an adverb?), etc. I myself use Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary and several Oxford dictionaries.

Tip #3

Think once, not twice. Once you read or listen to a word, "feel" the word. Imagine what it describes, what its form is, etc. For example, the Indonesian word for "human" is "manusia". When an Indonesian reads or listens to the word "human", they have to imagine how a human appears, what forms it, etc., rather than the word "manusia" and subsequently those! So, what is in his brain is the form, the appearance of a human, not the letters "m", "a", "n", "u", "s", "i", and "a" and then the form and the appearance of a human! Let's see the pictures below:

Don't do this... :(

Do this! ^_^

In my opinion, this is a common mistake made by most learners of English. They think twice. We just need to think once.

Pretend that your brain has two modes: one is your mother-tongue mode and the other one is English mode. When you want to do anything in English, block your native language mode completely! Nothing in it is to "infiltrate" your English mode! All of your mind is English.

Tip #4

English is not a phonetic language. This is very important. In "about", "a" sounds /ə/, while, in "all", it sounds /ɑ:/. In "say", "s" sounds /s/, while, in "is", it sounds /z/. There may be more than one speech sound for one letter. Be careful with this.

Tip #5

Your brain is amazing! Be fast! You don't have time to think! Use your subconsciousness.  Don't be "fascinated" with the words you read and hear. Don't get "captivated" with the words you use. You have to think a looooooooooonggggg wayyy~

Tip #6

English Grammar in Use and Advanced Grammar in Use

Grammar is the foundation of a language. It is needed for all kinds of activity: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. You should have good English grammar books—and, of course, read them. My favorites are Betty Schrampfer Azar's series, one of which is Understanding and Using English Grammar, English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy, and Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings.

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Additional information: There are many means of learning English, e.g., books, websites, and English clubs. I like to read four of-the-day English points on EnglishClub to enrich my knowledge. I also have an English-learning group named Learn English with Q-Man. Please join if you'd like to. :)
★ English: Connecting People ★
PS: Sorry, NOKIA.. :p

Related article: How to Be Good at English (Part 2)

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