How to Learn English Efficiently Min-Te Sun, Ph.D. Department of Comp. Sci. & Info. Eng. National Central University

Disclaimer I DO NOT MAJOR IN ENGLISH! I DO NOT WORK FOR ENGLISH DEPARTMENT! MY UNDERGRADE ENGLISH IS ONLY ABOVE THE AVERAGE! This presentation content is based on – my personal experience in English learning – especially after studying abroad – the training I received in Singapore RELC this past summer

Who Am I? Min-Te Sun (Peter) Sun – An associate professor of Computer Science & Information Engineering, National Central University – Studied in US for a long time (from 1993 ~ 2002) – Worked as a CS professor at Auburn University, Alabama between 2002 and 2008 (before coming back to Taiwan) – Have taught CS courses in English for more than 10 years

Define Good English The ability to communicate with others through English – by reading – by writing – by listening – by speaking It has nothing to do with English tests! – Getting good grades from English tests is merely a by-product!

Is Good English Important? For Individual – Reading – lifelong learning to improve your competiveness, especially when you want to acquire the most up-to-date knowledge – Writing – s with foreign friends/co- workers/customers – Listening – Q/A with foreign customers/boss/etc – Speaking – presentation in front of foreign customers/boss/etc, traveling abroad At University level – Internationalization is one of the most prioritized tasks

However, We Have Struggled w/ English All of us start learning English at least since our junior high school, so why do you still come here? Issues – Lack good environment? – Bad English teachers? – Too many exams to ruin your appetite?

Perseverance is The Key Courtesy to

How to be Persevere in English Learning Do not set the bar too high – – Times, Newsweek Magazines English learning through Recreation (Fun) – Playing English games (may not applicable anymore) – Attending social events – Travelling – Listening to music and Karaoke – Etc…

English Reading Check your English vocabulary – You need about to score high in TOEFL/GRE/GMAT – The average vocabulary size of a 4-year college native speaker is – You need about 3000 ~ 5000 words to start with Basic English vocabulary –

Start with What? Using English to learn English – Read English textbooks – Play English online games – Browse interesting English websites daily (Sports News) (Movie Database) (E! Entertainment News) (Top Music Chart) (Dilbert Comic) (Shermans Lagoon Comic) (Snoopy) (Deal Site)

English Writing You should have received enough grammar knowledge from your high school English classes Never trust Google translation – Better choices out there How to improve your writing – Reading, reading, and more reading – Spelling and grammar check tools are your best friends – Imitate Good Sentences Write English s (and do it w/ care) daily/often to – International Pen Pals – Your professors/advisors (and ask them to correct your grammar whenever there is a mistake)

How About English Listening/Speaking? The Most Difficult Parts in English Because – No Environment! Suggestions – Take courses taught in English (there should be plenty at NCU) – Get to know some language partners (there are quite a few international students at NCU) – Speak in front of people in English (for presentations, group meetings, TA sessions) <= This will make a huge difference

Differences Between English Writing and Speaking In English writing, we sometimes use sentences with complex structure – I recommend against complex sentences, unless you can not avoid that In English speaking, NEVER use complex sentences – No native speaker do that, either

Other Things You Should Try Listen to English songs – Do not learn from Rap songs (Ebonics) – Practice singing English songs (KTV is a good place) Correct yourself whenever you hear something wrong in your own speech – Phase 1 – You are too nervous to even hear your own voice (ask others to correct you) – Phase 2 – Correct yourself (mostly grammar mistakes) – Phase 3 – Improve your pronunciation (tools like audacity help)

English Pronunciation American English Accent Resources – ish/frameset.html ish/frameset.html Tools – Audacity

Intonation Makes a Big Difference Lack of intonation – Mandarin: fixed tones and rhythm – English: variable pitch and tempo Incorrect intonation – Its pretty good. Where can we learn the correct intonation? – English songs – Watch movies (with and w/o caption) A highly recommended movie: Forrest Gump