Grammar rules, how best to learn them
I like the grazing approach, nibble on a bit of grammar rules, then read and listen, and then go back to a bit of grammar. Work with examples, in the grammar book…
Time to stop avoiding grammar rules!
The evidence is now in: the explicit teaching of grammar rules leads to better learning. At least that is what this article from The Guardian in England claims. Unfortunately the article does not offer any proof that the evidence is in, but rather…
Listening, reading and literacy. Kindle and Audible.com launch new product.
Kindle and Audible.com have lanched a new product that combines listening and reading and they call it immersion reading. Yes listening enhances reading, especially for struggling readers, or for language learners. That has been at the core of the…
Passive vocabulary is more important than active vocabulary.
Just to be a bit of contrarian, I believe that passive vocabulary is more important than active vocabulary. Passive vocabulary is the focus of most of my active language learning. If I have a large vocabulary, the rest will come. For me, it is mor…
When to move on to the next lesson.
This is a perennial question at LingQ and elsewhere. Here is my take on it. The first rule of language learning is to do what you like to do. This way you are more likely to continue, and put in enough time. Having said that, I strongly recommend …
Learning words, word frequency, graded readers and more.
To me the major task in language learning is the acquisition of vocabulary. If this is done through massive listening and reading, it will naturally bring with it a constantly improving familiarity with the language, making it easier and easier to…
Words and more words
Here is the podcast.For those that do not understand, I could provide a transcript if there is a lot of interest, but not just for one or two people. It is a lot of work.Steve
Why input trumps output in language learning.
Some arguments in favour of input. I am sure there are many more.We need to understand before we can speak. I would rather understand well and stumble when I speak than the reverse. If we can produce intelligible phrases and do not understand the …
Pronunciation Exercise
Here is a recent pronunciation exercise I published in our newsletter. Click this link to access the audio version of the text. if (FlashDetect.installed) { $(‘flash_embed-HhuewdBIqr’).show(); $(‘quicktime_embed-HhuewdBIqr’).hide(); } else { $(‘qu…
