| Do write to us with
your views about the English language and any questions you
may have.
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Dear Sirs
I am about to begin an English language course. The reason
for this is that, in the near future, I shall be using
English more frequently in my job. I studied English at
school (I left school 15 years ago) but have practised
very little since then. I write an occasional business
letter in English but I rarely get the opportunity to speak.
I know that my writing ability and knowledge of English
grammar are quite good but I think that I shall find conversation
very difficult. I am also rather nervous about attending
a language course at my age. When I was at school, we had
a lot of grammar, but not much speaking or listening. I
imagine that teaching methods have changed quite a lot
since then. What happens now in a language class and can
you give me any advice?
Joachim Schmidt
Düsseldorf
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The Editor's reply
The most important advice I can give you is "don't worry, and
don't be afraid of making mistakes". As you say, your written
English is good and you realise that what you need is to be able
to communicate.
When you learnt English at school, the teacher probably did
most of the talking, maybe using your first language for much
of the time. On your new course, you will find that the teacher
uses English for all of the time. This means that you will not
rely on your own language for translation and that you will become
used to listening to English.
The teacher will also provide you with many
opportunities to practise speaking. On modern language courses,
the students have
to be active, (not only the teacher)! If you are learning in
a group, you will probably be asked to take part in "pair work" with
a partner or in small group work. On a one-to-one course, you
will be speaking to the teacher for much of the time in the lessons.
If you worry too much about making mistakes, you will not want
to speak. The only mistakes which are really important are those
which cause misunderstanding - the teacher will point those out
to you. You should not be too concerned about speaking perfectly
- most native speakers also make mistakes!
I advise you to spend as much time as you can, outside the classroom,
going over what you have learnt and doing some homework or self
study if you have time. If you can also listen to the language
(on the radio, on television or on cassettes), this will be very
helpful.
Good luck with your course - I hope you enjoy it!
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