Depression to English

[Markchoi1992]

I have already learnt a lot of Grammatical structures and vocabularies. indeed, my writing skills and vocabularies horribly improved a lot.
But when I speak to someone else, especially for Foreigners as I am studying oversea, and I can not really exploit What I had learnt on Grammar and Vocabularies. I can speak only with the general conversion but when it goes deeply or they speak so fast. I will be completely dead.

just want to know how I can really improve speaking and accent by myself.
how many words should I need to memories each day?
I learnt lot of words but when i talk to someone else, most of my words i totally forget... why..

i feel very depressed because I every day keep learning words but I still think that is not good enough

 

[emsr2d2]

I have already learnt a lot of grammatical structures and [STRIKE]vocabularies[/STRIKE] vocabulary. [STRIKE]indeed[/STRIKE] In fact, my writing skills and [STRIKE]vocabularies[/STRIKE] vocabulary [STRIKE]horribly[/STRIKE] have improved a lot.

[STRIKE]But[/STRIKE] However, when I speak to someone else, especially [STRIKE]for[/STRIKE] to foreigners (which I have to do as I am studying overseas), [STRIKE]and[/STRIKE] I [STRIKE]can not[/STRIKE] cannot really exploit what I [STRIKE]had[/STRIKE] have learnt [STRIKE]on[/STRIKE] in grammar and [STRIKE]Vocabularies[/STRIKE] vocabulary. I can [STRIKE]speak[/STRIKE] have/manage only [STRIKE]with the[/STRIKE] general conversationion but when it [STRIKE]goes[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]deeply[/STRIKE] gets deeper or they speak [STRIKE]so[/STRIKE] fast, I [STRIKE]will be[/STRIKE] am completely [STRIKE]dead[/STRIKE] lost.

I just want to know how I can really improve my speaking and accent by myself.
How many words should I [STRIKE]need to[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]memories[/STRIKE] memorise each day?
I have learnt a lot of words but when I talk to someone else, [STRIKE]most of my words i totally[/STRIKE] forget almost everything. Why?

I feel very depressed because I [STRIKE]every day[/STRIKE] keep learning words every day but I still think that is not good enough.

Do not be depressed about your English. Learning a foreign language is very difficult. Some aspects of English are particularly difficult.

You said that you are studying overseas. Are you studying in an English-speaking country? If so, you are in the perfect position to improve your spoken English. Find a native speaker who is happy to just talk to you on a regular basis. You might have to pay them or perhaps you could offer to teach them your native language in return.

 

[andrewg927]

If you feel difficulty communicating with a native, feel free to ask them to speak slower. Most people will be happy to oblige. Don't worry about the accent. As long as you speak clearly with correct pronunciation and decent grammar, people will understand you. But most importantly is the pronunciation. I can't tell you how many times I can't understand or misunderstand someone because their pronunciation is totally off. Look up words that you know but are not totally sure how to pronounce them correctly. I can tell you there are many words in English that have very counterintuitive pronunciations. Some of them may have been borrowed from other languages like French, German, etc so to pronounce them correctly, you need to know how they are said in the original language. When it comes to borrowed words, many natives have trouble pronouncing them correctly so you are certainly not alone there.

In regards to how many words you should learn a day. I don't know the magic number. I feel that you should learn as many as you can tolerate. I am sure some ESL teachers will have better advice.

Also if you feel that you are intimidated by a native speaking too fast and with words you don't understand, not only ask them to speak slower but ask them to word things differently or simply ask them what certain words they said mean. In everyday conversations, you will encounter a fair amount of slang and your vocabulary books may not include them because they are not considered standard English. I strongly encourage you to buy a book dedicated to English slang. Also keep in mind, Americans and Britons speak differently when it comes to slang. Ask yourself which country/region you want to live for a while because I can assure you if you use British slang in America, people will not understand a word you say.

Your last question why you forget most words you have learned when you speak to a native. It is not important to know the exact why because there could be many factors involved. But with a lot of practice and persistence, you will become more comfortable and able to communicate better.

I volunteered to help non-native speakers speak better for many years so I understand the frustration but the worst thing you can do is to get depressed. I sincerely hope you will achieve your goals one day.

 

[Tdol]

how many words should I need to memories each day?

This is not a very useful strategy- most native speakers use a very small vocabulary, though can recognise a lot more words. Knowing how to use common and flexible words well in all sorts of contexts is better than simply knowing lists of words that most speakers don't use much. A large vocabulary does not necessarily result in fluency.

 

[Markchoi1992]

Thank you for correcting my English.
i will never give up !!!! as long as i am still alive !! if you do not mind adding me a friend on Facebook, i will be very pleased

 

[emsr2d2]

Thank you for correcting my English.
I will never give up [STRIKE]!!!![/STRIKE] as long as I am still alive! If you do not mind adding me as a friend on Facebook, I will be very pleased.

That's a good attitude.

Note my corrections above. It is very important to follow these rules of written English at all times:

- Start every sentence with a capital letter.
- End every sentence with one appropriate punctuation mark.
- Always capitalise the word "I" (first person singular).
- Do not put a space before a comma, full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
- Always put a space after a comma, full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.

I can't speak for anyone else but I only friend people on Facebook if I know them in real life.

 

[Markchoi1992]

Yeah. Especially I text someone else or Facebook comments I often ignore those tiny mistakes. But, I will be very active on this forum if you do not mind asking a good many of questions there hahaha.

 

[Markchoi1992]

many thanks for motivating me. I will keep pushing myself to another level and do you have any suggestion I can easily memorise vocabulary.
Now, My skill is to keep reading a pinch of words every day. yeah, it works but I found out that my spelling sucks. It is just like I can pronounce the word and understand the meaning of it but the spelling is not the same as them

 

[Tdol]

Ask away. We'll try to answer. :up: