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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Common English Mistakes That Vietnamese Make

I love Vietnam! In fact, I want to work and live there (I hope I can do it next year). I have quite a lot of Vietnamese friends, some of whom I have already met in person. I've been to Ho Chi Minh City twice and now I still feel the wonder of it. Well, since I can't communicate in Vietnamese well (I'm learning it, though), I interact with my Vietnamese friends in English. Here are some common mistakes made by Vietnamese, based on my experience. I hope this list will be useful for Vietnamese who want to learn/are learning English and for other people too!

Note: I will keep this post updated.

1. "have" instead of "there is/are"
To talk about existence, Vietnamese often use "have", not "there is/are".

Examples:
• Have one teacher here. (should be There is one teacher here.)
• Have five people in my office. (should be There are five people in my office.)

2. no be
Vietnamese tend to omit be forms (am, is, are, etc.).

Examples:
• My friend beautiful. (should be My friend is beautiful.)
• My father at home (last week). (should be My father was at home.)

3. no articles
Vietnamese tend to leave out articles (a/an and the).

Examples:
• I in office. (should be I am in the office.)
• Yesterday my sister went to bookstore. (should be Yesterday my sister went to a bookstore.)

4. infinitives with third person singular subjects in the simple present
When using the simple present, Vietnamese tend to use infinitives with third person singular subjects (he, she, and it).

Examples:
• My mother cook for me. (should be My mother cooks for me.)
• My brother go to school every day. (should be My brother goes to school every day.)

5. no -s or -es in plural forms
Vietnamese tend to use singular forms where plural forms should be used instead.

Examples:
• I want to buy two apple. (should be I want to buy two apples.)
• She have a lot of friend. (should be She has a lot of friends.)

6. no prepositions
Vietnamese often leave out prepositions.

Examples:
• I listening music. (should be I'm listening to music.)
• Wait me. (should be Wait for me.)

7. ending sounds
Vietnamese have difficulty in pronouncing ending sounds.

Examples:
• "Ll" in "will" and "kill" is pronounced like the second 'u' in "usual". (the /u/ sound is pronounced instead of the /l/ sound)
• "Rice" is pronounced like "ry" in "cry". (the /s/ sound is not pronounced)
• "Always" is pronounced like "alway". (the /z/ sound is not pronounced)
• "D" in "seaweed" is pronounced like "sh" in "wish". (the /ʃ/ sound is pronounced instead of the /d/ sound) Continue reading

The Dinosaur Four – Book Review

The Dinosaur Four

by Geoff Jones

On January 28, I came back from Ho Chi Minh City to Jakarta and found this long-awaited book at home! Yeah, I'd ordered a copy of The Dinosaur Four by Geoff Jones last year and got it this year (one year?). :)

The Dinosaur Four is a novel about a blood-pumping adventure of ten people trapped together 67 million years ago, in the Age of Dinosaurs. The plot is gripping; it will undoubtedly keep readers riveted throughout the ride. Deep characterizations and the author's writing style are some other points that I like about this novel. Although the author depicts gore, he also puts humor which I think adds to the appeal of this book. The Dinosaur Four is an enjoyable read to kill your time and satisfy your fantasy 'appetite'. I highly recommend it for sci-fi, thriller, as well as dinosaur lovers.

Have you read The Dinosaur Four? What is your opinion of this book? Share your thoughts in the comment section below! Continue reading

Money

About a week ago I was sitting on the front seat of my eldest brother's car. I was with him, who was beside me, driving through Jakarta, a city with a slew of problems but a host of addictive foods. En route to some place that I already forget, we talked about a topic that I'm sure has always been in the 'heart' of anyone, anytime, anywhere—since the system was adopted worldwide.

We discussed our parents, which were (and are) sick. We had (and have) to spend sums of money coming from our bread and butter. To be honest, it had been as if I was an obese sauropod when I went to the cashier in a hospital in Sunter, North Jakarta, and swipe my bank card to pay for my father's treatment. It had been quite difficult for me to visit my bank website, do some Internet banking, and let those rupiahs 'fly' from my bank account to pay for my mother's. But the fruit that came from that not very long conversation kind of 'widened my eyes'.

Money. This five-letter word is enough to be the source of most problems in the world. I'm not a statistics expert but I believe there are a great number of spouses that have gotten divorced and/or had affairs because of money, not to mention high crime rates brought about by this static thing. Have you read a newspaper today? If yes, I'm pretty sure that at least some of the bad news articles you've read have money as the culprit.

But the problem is not money itself. As the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10, it is our desire that is to blame. In Matthew 6:33, God 'slaps' us so that we don't focus on other things; we have to free ourselves from angst and lead our lives to only one thing: His reign.

Here are some points to end this article:

• Be wise with your money since God lends it to you for His glory. Remember: You are chosen. If it is for good, why don't you let it go?
• Destroy your feeling of insecurity. Rely on God; He is the True Protector.
• People who are winners are those who know that money is only a medium and strive to put as much effort as they can for the good of the world.

Credit: David Hinjaya

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Inheritance

I'm not talking about that popular novel. In fact, I don't read many novels; I've only read several novels, including, of course, those related to dinosaurs, like Jurassic Park and The Lost World. (Pssst: I've just ordered two other dinosaur novels, The Dinosaur Four and Jurassic Dead. I'm dying for them!!! XD)

Okay, getting back to the subject, so, this word (and the concept) went through my mind sometime in the past. But the intriguing point that impelled me to sit in my quiet workplace and write this hopefully thought-provoking article was its relationship with another word: death.

How many people are alive in the world now? 6 billion? 7 billion? Yeah, just a ballpark figure (I'm not a geographer). But the thing is, most humans that have lived in this world—that means an unthinkably huge number—have died. Male and female, black and white, Asian and European. They are gone. People that were once alive, just like us, are gone. What does this life mean for them?

The value of someone is determined by what they do throughout their life, which will eventually become what they have left, what they have inherited, or, in other words, what other people remember about them.

Out of the myriad people, there is only a super tiny fraction that is extremely well-known for their 'remains'. There is no doubt that the name "Albert Einstein" most likely makes people conjure up physics-related stuff. The image of Thomas Alva Edison would lead us to picture his monumental invention, the bulb. These two examples have something that still 'ignites' in today's people's minds. Now I imagine if Jay Chou had passed away now, the first thing that I'd use to describe him is music.

What is 'tickling' me right here right now is the question "Do I want to be an 'ordinary' person, who just entered this realm and will leave without any impressions left for the current and upcoming generations?"

No, I don't. Nonavian dinosaurs already had their days and I want to make my own 'footprints'. Continue reading

Practical English Usage – Book Review

Practical English Usage

by Michael Swan

I feel 'sinful' if I don't let people know this book. So here it is, one of the best English language books I've ever read: Practical English Usage by Michael Swan.

I'd call this book a 'super problem solver'. Why? This book discusses the English language extensively. The content ranges from grammar and pronunciation, through differences between American and British English, to how to correspond in English. Swan writes the content clearly; it is easy to understand and won't baffle the readers. Finding a topic is effortless as there is a very useful index at the back of the book which clearly directs the readers to what they are looking for (the contents are arranged in alphabetical order and numbered). This book is a must-have not only for English learners, but also for English teachers, as, I believe, in someone's teaching career, they sometimes come across questions that they don't have the answers to. In addition, the 3rd edition includes Don't say it!, a section that covers 130 common English mistakes at various levels. I think the remark that Practical English Usage is the 'Bible' of English is not an exaggeration.

The 4th edition of Practical English Usage was published in 2017 and can be purchased here. Continue reading

Birds Are Dinosaurs, so...

Really? Are you crazy? What are you talking about?

You might have come out with these kinds of expression, and you might now be frowning as well. If you think the title seems peculiar, I suggest that you buy (or borrow) a copy of Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages by Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. and Luis V. Rey, and read the chapter Birds (Avialae). (To read my review of the book, click here.)

To true dinosaur enthusiasts, this is not something strange or new. As bats are mammals, birds (including chickens) are dinosaurs. Dinosaurs did NOT go extinct; they are still alive today, with us. So what are the implications? What are the consequences? Here are some that I can think of:

1. Dinosaur pets

A parrot

Do you have a bird pet? Parrot? Cockatoo? Canary? Pigeon? Finch?  If yes, you have a dinosaur. :)

2. Dinosaurs in the zoo

An emu in a zoo

In a sense, we actually have Jurassic Parks. Now you can point to a bird in a zoo and say, "Look! That's a dinosaur!"

3. You might have eaten dinosaur.

Thai chicken satay

Unless you have been a vegan/vegetarian all your life, it is very likely that you have eaten dinosaur.

4. Jay Chou's favorite food is fried dinosaur.

Me with Jay Chou wax statue at Madame Tussauds Singapore

Is this the reason why you compose music amazingly, Jay?

5. Fast-food chains provide dinosaur.

Fried chicken

McDonald's, KFC, Lotteria, Burger King, A&W, and many more. They provide dinosaur!

6. Bird lovers are dinosaur lovers.

Feeding gulls

Are you a bird lover? Congratulations! You are a dinosaur lover! :)

7. Alarm dinosaurs

A crowing rooster

Thanks to those dinosaurs, you don't get to work late. :)

8. The Twitter logo is a dinosaur.

The Twitter logo
TWITTER, TWEET, RETWEET and the Twitter logo are trademarks of Twitter, Inc. or its affiliates

Don't forget to Tweet this article. ;)

9. Donald Duck and Tweety are dinosaurs.

Donald Duck

Tweety

Quick-tempered dino and cute dino!

10. Dinosaurs for weddings

A pair of white pigeons

Dinosaurs represent purity, fidelity, and many things. So sweet... <3

That's all! Actually, you can find countless others. Now I am kind of hungry... Should I eat some dinosaur..? Continue reading