First stop, the local library
So we’re improving our English or learning a foreign language, right? Then our first stop is the library. You need to find a decent grammar book in the target language and a selection of relatively short reading material in the target language. Both resources can be readily available at the local library, or at little cost. With these, you can improve your English or foreign language skills considerably. The grammar book is a useful guide to the difficult spots you encounter when the grammar of the target language is significantly different from English or your native language. But make no mistake, it’s not “the Bible” and you shouldn’t overload yourself with grammar rules and regulations. Your grammar book is a handy guide for occasional reference. Use accordingly.
A structured guy
“I’m a very structured person, so I really needed a grammar book to help me structure Dutch and then German, which have very strict grammar rules for application,” adds now-living American ex-pat Kayleigh Garman and teaches English in Istanbul, Turkey. “It also enabled me to learn Danish using many of the same methods I had learned from learning and using my other foreign languages.” Kayleigh now speaks seven languages. He must be doing something right.
Cochimi or Kukapa, anyone?
There are plenty of fun magazines to choose from in most major languages, and unless you’re learning Cochimi or Kukapa you should be able to find one at some point. Short articles of the type Newsflash are best suited at the beginning. A newspaper, a general magazine, the Bible, pamphlets, flyers, and even — oh yes, comics can help you along the way to becoming fluent in your new language.
While you may be able to flip through one or more of these publications in a matter of minutes, the personal satisfaction of having done so will be priceless. Copies of foreign language periodicals are available at newsstands, libraries, airline offices, consulates and embassies, bookstores, universities, language institutes, ethnic shops, shops, travel agencies and restaurants by subscription and online.
Thanks to Larry M. Lynch | #Read #English #Foreign #Language #Skills
