If that pocket dictionary and notebook isn't being used, you'll need to find another way to start expanding your vocabulary. In the books that you read, the Internet sites that you visit, the TV you watch, pick a couple of words to write down and to make a conscious effort of using. It's the only way you'll remember them! If you don't use it, you'll lose it. Have all these words in a notebook that you can refer back to whenever you need. Take the time to go through it on occasion and have those lightbulb moments of the words you've forgotten. It may seem tedious, but it'll be totally worth it. The International Phonetic Alphabet is a system of symbols that correlate to sounds. If you run into a word you don't know how to pronounce, all you gotta do is look it up. The IPA is right there, you can read it, and tada! You know exactly how to pronounce it. It's almost like magic. Since English is so messed up -- being the child of German, French, and Latin (and sprinklings of around 247 others) -- learning the IPA is primo. It's not such an issue for languages like Spanish where the sounds are fairly consistent. C'mon, "cough," "rough," "through?" What is going on?! It sounds a little harsh, but give it a second. Let's say you set up an "English only" rule at the dinner table at home (a really good idea, by the way); how long will it last? Probably not very long. But if you have some type of incentive program (if we speak only English for two weeks straight, we'll go out to eat, etc.) or punishment ($1 for every time the native language gets spoken, say), it'll be a lot more likely to stick. These should be rules for your home, definitely -- you want to avoid slipping back to your native tongue as much as possible -- but they're good ideas for your classes or study groups, too. Maybe in your study group if someone doesn't speak English, they're bringing the food next time! If you do get in the presence of an English speaker, it's so easy to just have your mind freeze up, your body freeze up, and have every single word of English you know escape you. You end up stuttering if you can get anything out at all and leave feeling terrible, never wanting to speak English again. Rest assured it's not just you! This happens to all of us. All. That's 8 Ls. The only way to avoid it is just to realize that it's not that big of a deal, it'll end shortly, and no one's going to judge you for it. English is becoming so prominent all over the world that even native speakers are used to hearing all different levels. You won't say anything they haven't heard before! . Above all else, you need to be patient. Learning a language is a process that can take years. If you get frustrated with yourself, you risk quitting. That would yield the worst results of all! So don't be so hard on yourself -- it'll come. It will. You gotta trust. The easiest way to not get super fed up with all of this is to have a good way to check your progress. That means keeping the same notebook, filling it up, rewatching those shows that you have mastered now, and once in a while revisiting things that used to be difficult. The reminder of how awesome you're getting will be quite the boost!
استهدف عبارات جديدة كل يوم. تعلم الكتابة المنطوقة. فكر في المكافئة والعقاب. لا تفكر أكثر من اللازم. كن صبورًا