***************AMAL MY SOULMATE********************

When I think about what makes someone a good friend, I

think about all the characteristics of my own friends. My

personal definition of a friend, is someone who is always

looking out for me, and will help me if I’m in trouble. A

friend has to be someone I trust and who trusts me in 
 

return. Another important characteristic in a friend is

someone who I can talk to, and makes me laugh

One of the most important traits of a friend, is someone

who will help you if you need it.

How to learn and brush up your English fast / Useful learning tips by Elsi Elsigan

Time-effective and fun learning tips:

Tip no. 1: Shopping and cooking

Why not write your shopping lists in English? You will be surprised how many words you will learn!

It is also very effective to write other notes to yourself in English, such as to-do-lists, appointments, etc.

If you like cooking, it might be a good idea to look for English versions of recipes or buy cookbooks in English. Of course, you can find plenty of English recipes online, even videos that teach you how to cook the dishes.

Tip no. 2: The world is your classroom

Look around and try to name things you see ?wherever you are. Describe the things you see, e.g. a big building, a young girl, an expensive car, etc.

By doing that, you will never be bored again while waiting, e.g. at the dentist’s, at the train station, at traffic lights, etc?

Tip no. 3: Send English messages

Try to send messages in English ?just for fun, e.g. emails to friends or postcards from your holiday.

Or would you like to find a penfriend? You can find English-speaking penfriends online.

Tip no. 4: Songs, films magazines

Do you like music? Print out the lyrics of your favourite songs and sing along! It will do wonders for your fluency and pronunciation. When watching films on DVD, watch it in your native language first and then watch it again in English. It is also very useful to watch an English DVD with English subtitles. You can read the subtitles aloud and try to imitate the speakers.

Tip no. 5: Hobbies

If you have a hobby, e.g. travelling, buy an English magazine on travelling or on a country you would like to visit. Actively look for opportunities to expose yourself to the English language.

Tip no. 6: Talk to yourself!

Don’t think that talking to yourself is strange. ?You do it all the time in your native language. Actively plan or daydream or think about the things you need to do in English. When alone, e. g. in your car, speak to yourself and actually say what you are thinking about. Nobody can hear you, so don’t worry about mistakes or your pronunciation. Before making an English telephone call, go through the dialogue in your head or say the things you want to say on the telephone.

Tip no. 7: Use your mirror

When learning phrases, e.g. small talk phrases, it is highly effective to read them to yourself in front of the mirror. Repeat the sentences until you can say them without looking at them. Act out situations, e.g. ordering food in a restaurant.

Looking at yourself in the mirror while speaking English can make you more self-confident. You will get used to speaking English and you will not feel strange when speaking English any more.

In case you have to speak English in front of an audience, e.g. when giving presentations or in meetings, rehearse what you want to say in front of the mirror until you can do your presentation flawlessly. If you do that, you will be able to fully concentrate on your audience and technical equipment and you won’t have to worry about the language any more.

Tip no. 8: Notes and cards

Every language learner confronts words or phrases that don’t seem to “stick? There’s an effective way of learning those. Write them on Post-it? notes or on cards and stick them to furniture or on your bathroom mirror. You will see the words and phrases every day and before long, you will know them.

Tip no. 9: Internet

Use the internet to learn and improve your English. You are doing that right now, but there is a lot more you can do. Go to an English chat room and chat with people. Post your opinion on certain things on an English forum or a blog. When you try to find information online, look it up in English first. You will find that there is a lot more information available in English than in any other language.

Tip no. 10: Riddles, puzzles, games and jokes

If you like crossword puzzles, buy English puzzle books. Try to solve English riddles and quizzes. It is also fun to read jokes in English.

Improve Your English Language Speaking Skills By Cutting Out Speech Fillers

Listen to Anyone Speak Casually in English

Listen to almost anyone speak casually in English and you'll most certainly hear them use a constant flow of gap fillers, hesitations, pausings and discourse markers that stall their speech or conversation. You know the ones I mean like, uh, ah, hmm, errr, umm and so on. Others you might hear that are frequently used are Huh, oh, well .., so .., and ... but uh ..., let me see ..., the list could go on and on.

While some discourse markers have a true place in oral discourse of many different types, most often they are unconsciously inserted as fillers or hesitations and do not serve to enhance or promote speaking, but rather heavily detract from what is being said.

English language learners

This can be especially true with English language learners and those who may speak English as a foreign or second language. In addition to the above-mentioned aspects, fillers may also be inserted when the speaker is thinking or searching mentally for the correct lexis and vocabulary. Not only is the distracting and annoying to listeners, but negatively impacts even the speakers themselves. If this is the case with you, what can you do to help minimize the problem?

What You Can Do

Here are five simple steps you might take to help to improve your oral discourse and speaking ability in English.

o Record yourself and others speaking in English

o Note what "fillers" you use, how and when

o Repeat short oral discourses practicing without using the fillers you noted

o Have a friend, peer or teacher listen to you speak and ask them to make note of your use of "fillers" and unwanted discourse markers

o Watch, record and imitate experienced speakers to improve your skills

Working with these techniques to aid you in cutting out speech "fillers" will help you to improve your English language speaking skills in a very short time. Once you are aware of what you're doing when you speak in English, and knowing when you use "fillers" will go a long way in allowing you to dramatically improve your spoken English. Try out some of these English language speaking skills improvement methods for one month practice period and you'll see.

Learn English Through Its Proverbs

If you are looking for a new approach to learning English, study English proverbs. A proverb is a short saying used to express a well-known truth. Proverbs are a quick way to communicate and they reveal how a culture has developed. The truth of a proverb is often a truth which every culture recognizes about human nature or the physical world. Each culture expresses this truth in its own unique way. By studying the proverbs of any language, you gain new insight into both the culture and the native way of speaking. Here is how to include proverbs in your study of English. Each of these paragraphs starts with a proverb.

A good beginning makes a good end. Meaning: If a task is carefully planned, there is a better chance it will be done well. Plan your effort to learn English proverbs. I suggest learning one new proverb a week. Jot it down on several 'sticky notes'. Post the notes in locations where you will see them often during your day. Think up conversations which allow you to use the proverb and practice it with your English-speaking friends. Ask yourself if your native language has a saying with a similar meaning. What is different about the way the basic truth is stated? The differences reveal cultural references and influences. They give you a better insight into English culture.

Great oaks grow from little acorns. Meaning: Large successful operations can begin from something small. You can find proverbs by searching the internet on "English proverbs with explanations", "English proverbs", or "English proverbs with meanings". Books of proverbs can be checked out from the library or purchased from book stores.

Learning is treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. Meaning: Education is something you keep forever. Remember you are learning English to improve yourself and to improve your understanding of others. Perhaps you will also improve your chances of getting a job. Education is precious and worth the effort you make to get it.

Practice makes perfect. Meaning: Doing something repeatedly is the only way to get good at it. Use the proverb you are studying as often as you can. Look the proverb up on the internet and see what you find.

If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. Meaning: Wishing alone is not enough, you must act. Reading this article is a start to increasing your English vocabulary. Search the Internet. Watch the news broadcast in English. Go to the library. Talk with English speakers.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Meaning: You should adopt the customs of the people or country you are visiting and behave in the same way. Of course, people do not use proverbs constantly. Speech laden with proverbs becomes trite. People want to hear your own thoughts on the topic of discussion. However, a well-placed proverb can bring instant understanding and displays knowledge of both the English language and culture. This helps both you and your listeners feel more comfortable.

Tips to Improve Your Spoken English

A lot of my students ask me what is it that they should do to improve their Spoken English. So here is a post to tell them what I feel can improve their English skills.

I stated thinking about it and realized that I was lucky to be born in a family where, despite being Indians, English was the language of choice. Since my father rarely spoke Marathi and my mother only ever used Gujrati to discipline me in public, I only ever heard them speak to each other and me in English. Hence fluency in the language just came naturally to me. I only picked up Hindi once I started schooling.

A lot of people don't have such a family environment. The first language they learn is their mother tongue. The next will be Hindi, if they are based in North India. Then when they reach school they finally learn English as the third language. In South India the second language is English, which is the reason why despite accent trouble they are much more comfortable speaking in English.

As a result, here are a few tips that I have collected to help improve Spoken English.

Tip No # 1

Get comfortable with the language. Read for 20 minutes in English. It can be a newspaper, a short story, a poem, or even a novel.

Tip No # 2

Develop your written language. If you don't have the requisite vocabulary you won't be able to communicate.

Tip No # 3

Start Speaking. Try out your spoken English on anyone who will be able to respond to you. Don't be afraid of making mistakes.

Tip No # 4

Keep your ears open for the accent. Watch the English news on Television. Watch BBC for the British Accent, CNN for the American Accent and NDTV 24/7 for the urban Indian Accent.

Tip No # 5

Record yourself. Listen to your voice and catch your pronunciation mistakes. Make a deliberate effort to avoid them.

Tip No # 6

Grammar is important. The parts of speech, tenses, form of verb, articles and modals all contribute to fluency. Make an effort to learn them.

Tip No # 7

Make the Dictionary your best friend. To date I head for it when confronted with a new word. Familiarize yourself with its meaning and use it in a sentence that very day.

Tip No # 8

Have someone proficient read aloud to you. A storybook or a newspaper article will do. Watch how they move their lips while pronouncing certain words.

Tip No # 9

Learn one new word a day. To increase your active vocabulary start memorizing the meaning of a word you had heard but were not sure of. Use it regularly to absorb it into your vocabulary.

Tip No # 10

Start writing a Diary. It will allow you to practice the language in a totally non threatening environment. Write one entry of at least 100 words everyday.

Consequently your Spoken English will improve, but not if you are lacking in commitment. It's all very well to be pumped up today about learning the language and forgetting all about it tomorrow.

Always remember the skills involved in any language are Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Any single one can't be developed in isolation

How to Teach Yourself The English Language

here are many ways to learn the English language. You can spend a lot of money to pay a private tutor or you could spend a medium amount of money to go to English language classes. There is another option: You can spend little to no money and teach yourself. English is one of the hardest languages to learn, but it is not impossible to do.

If you are someone who knows absolutely no English, I would start out by making a few English speaking friends (language is never a barrier when it comes to friendship) and learning a few key phrases from these people. You can also watch English shows or movies with subtitles in your own language. You won't learn all of the English this way, but you will pick up a few things. After you have gotten somewhere and can speak and understand some words and phrases in the English language you can then start to teach yourself English.

Your local library will have some great resources for learning English. There are books, books on tape, CD's, videos and DVD's all focused on teaching yourself the English language. Make sure that you don't take on too much at once though. It can be very overwhelming to learn a whole new language - especially English! Start from the very beginning and take it step by step. If you are not too sure where to begin, you can always ask the librarians and they will be glad to help you choose a resource.

The library is always a good idea, but most libraries only lend their books for two weeks at a time. You can always renew your item for a couple for weeks, but if someone else has placed a request for an item you have, then you are not allowed to renew it. For this reason, I would suggest not depending on the library for one hundred percent of your learning. It may be a better idea to use your library as a stepping stone to better resources.

Once you have looked at and tried every language learning resource that the library has to offer, you can then look to your local bookstore for more. Many people make the mistake of buying themselves a load of books, CD's and other learning tools to help them learn English, and once they get home and try each one they find out that what they've bought is no good for them. Teaching yourself English can be a complicated process, depending on what language or culture you are coming from, and you definitely need the right resources to help you learn. Going to the library and testing what they have is the best thing to do before you spend your money at the bookstore. Everyone learns differently - some will be best suited with a book, others with a video or DVD, and still others a book on tape.

The last thing to do when you are teaching yourself the English language is to be patient with yourself. Learning any new language is a process and you need to take it one step at a time. Be careful not to overload yourself, and don't be discouraged if you cannot speak and read fluently right away.

The English language is said to be one of the most difficult to learn. Patience, perseverance and dedication are all key factors in achieving fluency.

Like No Other: معاينة "Most Frequent Obstacles When You Are Learning English"

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