I am so lucky to have already made friends with so many of you in my travels all over China. I hope that this column will allow me to get to know even more of you. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kim. I was an English teacher in Miami, Florida (USA) before I joined the LYCE family almost ten years ago. Teaching English is my job, but it is also my passion. I love everything about English. I love reading, writing and teaching. I even find grammar very interesting! Each month I will choose a few questions from our readers and answer them here.
Occasionally, when I receive a really outstanding question or letter, I will award that lucky reader a prize…Maybe a book, maybe a whole set of books, or maybe even a spot at one of LYCE’s Intensive Training Camps. I will also occasionally call a reader to personally thank him or her for her question. A person who questions is a person who learns. I always say that if one person has a question and asks it, the answer is going to help thousands of people who had the same question! This really is my goal. I hope you will help me to reach it! I’ll be waiting anxiously to hear from you! All My Very Best!
答：Learn grammar by reciting sentences. But I have no idea in what situation and how to use it. For instance, a primary school student doesn’t know when he should use the simple present tense, but he can blurt out sentences in this tense. Is it useful and can we say that he has grasped the usage of the tense? Another case is that a chairman-in-board wants to learn English, but he doesn’t know much of grammar. He can recite and blurt out sentences in all kinds of tenses. Is it OK to him? Then it is not necessary for him to study grammar? First of all, I beg you to break free of the idea that “grammar” is something separate and outside of English. If you are speaking, reading, writing or listening to English, you are learning grammar! English is grammar. Every page in every English novel, every single English news broadcast and every single English dialogue between native speaking classmates contains countless examples of subjunctive mood, attributive clause, subject-verb agreement and every other grammar point you can think of! I will use your examples to illustrate my point: Even a native-speaking primary student will often make mistakes using the past tense such as, “I throwed the ball to him.” This mistake comes from applying the general rule, verb+ed =past tense. Of course, this rule does not apply to irregular verbs and the child has never even been formally taught any such “rule”. He will however, self-correct by the age of seven or eight due to exposure to the correct form. Of course, it is not as easy for a non-native speaker because exposure to correct form of the second language is limited. This is why LYCE stresses the importance of reciting short passages and mastering useful sentences. The more familiar you are with hearing, seeing and speaking correct grammar, the easier it is for you to internalize and develop your own language sense. Language sense is the ability to naturally choose the correct words and grammar to express yourself. Language sense also helps you in knowing correct test item answers before you even glance at the answer choices. As for the Chairman of the Board, if he can blurt out all kinds of sentences in all kinds of tenses at the appropriate time, I’d say he has already completed his grammar study. Do you think it would be a wise use of his (or anyone’s) time to sit down and start memorizing rules about transitive vs. intransitive verbs? After all, in the real world, grammar isn’t just something to know, it’s something you must know how to use! Don’t give up on reciting sentences…but keep in mind they are just a foundation on which to build your English ability. Spend less time thinking about grammar. Spend more time using it! I’m confident that you will make it!
首先，希望你能摒弃“语法是独立于英语之外”的观点。如果你正在说、读、写和听英语，你就是在学习语法！英语就是语法！在每一部英语小说的每一页、每一则英语广播新闻和以英语为母语的同学的每一个对话中，都包含了虚拟语气、定语从句、主谓一致等等的无数例句，以及你所能想到的任何其他语法点。下面我将用你所举的例子来阐述我的观点：即使是一个以英语为母语的小学生也在使用一般过去时时也经常会犯这样的错误：I throwed the ball to him。这样的错误源于一般规则的运用：动词 + -ed = 过去时。当然，这条规则不适用于不规则动词，而从来没有人教过这个小孩这样的“规则”。但是，到他七八岁的时候，由于对正确形式的耳濡目染，他会自我纠正。当然，这对于母语不是英语的国家的人来说并不容易，因为接触第二语言正确形式的机会是有限的。这就是为什么李阳疯狂英语要强调背诵小短文、掌握有用的句子的重要性。你对听到的、看到的、说出来的正确语法越熟悉，你就越容易使自己的语感内在化并得到发展。语感是自然选择正确词汇和语法来表达自己思想的能力。它还能帮助你在考试中不用看选项就知道正确答案。对于一个公司的懂事长来说，如果他能在特定的语境下脱口而出各种时态的句子，我觉得他已经完成了他的语法学习。你觉得要他坐下来去开始记忆关于及物动词和不及物动词的规则是在聪明地利用他的时间吗？不管怎么说，在现实当中，语法不是仅仅要只是知道的东西，它还是你必须知道如何使用的东西。别放弃背诵句子，但要记住，句子只是培养英语能力的基石。别花太多时间琢磨语法，要把更多的时间放在使用语法上！我相信你能做到！
后缀ic结尾,ical结尾形容词的区别
Kim老师,您好,最近一直在学习疯狂英语,对您为中国英语教育作出的努力表示敬佩和感谢。
我现在有一个问题比较迷惑,在英语中经常有很多很多以后缀ic结尾,ical结尾的单词,都是形容词,有些在意义上差不多,比如electronic 与electronical, 有些在意义上有一定的差别,比如economic,economical,那么它们在用法,以及构词原理上到底有什么规则和区别.如何能很好地使用和辩别它们.
Thanks
Best regards
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jarry
2010-06-30
HOW TO STICK ON
Hello Kim,this is Jarry,I'm glad to meet you! I watched lots of videoes of you sometime ago! I want to progress my English,but I can't stick on!should I do? People around me said it is no use what I do. I don't kown how to stick on? can you help me?
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访客
2010-06-29
Thank you always
Hello, Kim, this is Jaimie, I am so glad to find your column here, as I get a lot of help from your book, and I imitate your pronounciation a lot before, I thought that is the best way for me to improve my English at the beginning. I love your voice and pronounciation. It is so great to find a lot of your sharing here. Best Wishes for you.
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Mary
2010-06-10
Pronunciation
Dear Jim,
This is the first time for me to read your column, which gives me many inspirations and much help, even only once. From now on, i will be a constant visitor to your column.
My question is like this, in those words such as "student, experience,school...", the sounds "st,sp,sk" are read as "sd, sb, sg", that's sure, but others ask me whether we can read "sister" as "sisder", i do not know whether it is right or not, in the past, we just read it as "sister", not other pronunciation. so I want your help. when you are free, please give me your advice.
How can i get used to thinking in English?
Dear Kim:
I'd like to make conversation with you when i read your introduction. You are good nature.
This is Mick, Quality Engineer. I'm crazy about English since i know the Crazy English. I learn that it will take much times for learning English. I found that i was difficult to speak English with my foreign customers. Quality Engineer must understand many relative information, such as Quality System, Environmental Management System and so on. I found that i did not get used to thinking in English for quality language. How would i practice my English to apply the quality expression as soon as possible.
Thanks a million for your correcting me.
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钟娅萌
2010-05-02
英语教材选择
Kim: hello, teacher, I was a university student, like English very much when I was in English, the heart will feel very wide, exotic amorous feelings of the humanities, I also want to learn English, read foreign literature directly instead of reading with individual color of text translation, Still can have fluent and foreign friends dialogue is beautiful thing
I met this question is, now I attended a school tutorial is in June, we will test the level exam, I want to ask the teacher, I should choose the material that can practice fluent English, and in a short time I pass the exam at school program is crazy, listen to the tape reading comprehension, causes and read them crazy way. Please the teacher give guidance, thank you
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Craic
2010-05-02
About pron
Hi Kim
I have been a big fan of Li Yang and you since 2001, when I was in high school. I bought almost all the books that you and Stone wrote, and I followed your advice and practiced extremely hard. Right now, I am studying my Master degree in UK, where people always ask me about why I have such strong American accent :p.
Let me get to the point. I really have a hard time saying sentences or phases like “beneath the surface” and “these things”, where [θ] or [z] neighbors [θ] or [z]. My question is, for a non-native speaker, how to pronounce those combinations in a native way. I know it’s a tricky question, so, to be more exact, should I ignore the first consonant in order to speak as quickly as possible or just say those bothersome phases as slowly and completely as possible? You must wonder that why didn’t I ask some native speakers around me. Yes, I did, but they are not language experts and, of course, give me a lot of craps.
Thanks in advance.
Craic
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Alex
2010-04-29
How to be a qualified assistant English teacher?
I really want to join LYCE, and I failed in last interview. Would you please give me some tips how to make it happen? I know the most important thing is teaching skill, but we can learn when we teach, isn't it?
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李雪梅
2010-04-15
HOW TO improve my spoken-english
My dear teacher,
I am so glad to write to you.First ,I am senior student in Chongqing.I have took part in LYCY SUMMER TRAINING in 2009,which spires my desire to learnning Eglish.I like english very much.
NOw ,I want to improve my spoken-English and enlarge my vocabulary.I think it is a little bit hard for me. I need your advice.Thankyou very much.
yours sencerely
Angela
