Please note that the noun ‘advice’ is uncountable.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: Traffic signs[YSaerTTEW443543]
Concentration is everyone’s problem. But take it easy. As someone on this site already said: Making mistakes is a part & parcel of the learning process. Fortunately there are enough native speakers & just knowing members in the site who can guide us if we stray a little bit.
For example looking through the statistics I noticed that many speakers who made one or several mistakes in certain test immediately return to it to perfect.
I find it to be a good approach.
So the resulting formula is very easy:
Don’t be afraid to make a mistake but don’t forget to correct them.
Sure, picking meaningful names people often associate themselves with them.
If the names are warm, silk & comfy - that’s good.
But what if you choose Serial killer nickname?! Does it mean anything?
Uncle Freud would say that means a lot. I’d say that people just like playing games.
They are pretenders & impersonators. And that’s why it is quite interesting to communicate with them.
So, you are from Lwyv city?!
Yep, I knew about this fact cause once read an abridged version of ‘Jungle Book’.
What is more I watched several US cartoons where Bagheera is certainly a male as opposed to the cartoon you were having in mind where Bagheera is a female.
Thank you Tortsten. I wil pay more attention next time.
In Turkey we have an exam called KPDS (Goverment Staff Language Exam!). KPDS measures your English in written form questions. There is no writing and speaking processes in the exam. So there is no resemblance between TOEFL exam and KPDS. When i represented these questions to my English friends, they said this exam was not good for measuring ones capability of language.
I want to give you the example of this exam. Because I will have to take this exam next month.
What i want you to do is, if you have time to check these questions in the link below, please make a comment about them.
I could have pasted the questions here but it will fill the page.
The Link is “ftp://dokuman.osym.gov.tr/2007KPDSKASIM/INGILIZCE/kpds2007kasimingilizce.pdf”
Thanks a lot…
What can be said? The tests aren’t that difficult to pass. Just get started to prepare for them right this moment & not tomorrow.
If there is no written or oral skills assessment then this makes the things quite easier & everything will be dependable upon the number of tests exercises you need to work at. In your sample file there’re only 100 of them - actually, it’s a single day of work.
Thanks Gheon,
The thing is, there are a lot of tricks in these questions. Timing is another problem. I have started to study.
I would agree that this is good forum for students.Very active with a healthy number of teachers involved.
Hello everybody,
I’m line with you Gheon, Boke, Bagheera301, however there is something interesting
happening with me, every day I’m learning a lot of vocabulary, expressions, or simply basic words, but when I’m talking with a friend on Skype, or simply typing on the chat, I forgot all of them, and I feel very embarrassed, so I even created some memory cards to help me out, but even though I can’t remember such phrases, words, expressions that I’m learning day-by-day. Why does it happen? Does it happens with you too? Of course, I’m always revising these materials, just not to forget them, but when you are talking, or typing everything has gone, as if by magic hehe.
I wonder if such phrases, words and expressions that are kept in my mind will emerge naturally by chance one day? hehehe
Bagheera301, the pleasure is all mine, thanks for your reply.
Let’s keep in touch.
Thanks.
Mendes.
Hello Khayam! All I can add to the topic is that you should pull yourself together and divide the workload. It used to help me when I passed my exams. It’s also recomended to set yourself deadlines and follow them. Well, and be as patient as possible. I know from my own experience that it’s difficult to wait till your skills improve, but since the process has begun it will keep on going. And step by step you will get great pleasure & pride in what you’re doing.
Best,
Hi Gheon! You are right to some extent that nicks do have meanings. However your definition is a bit negative. Well, for me ‘pretenders’ and ‘impersonators’ sounds like freaks and I don’t refer myself to such category. I would say people are day dreamers. If we want something we don’t posess our subconcious reveals it. For instance, on having analysed your message, it occured to me that I would like to associate myself with something graceful and strong. But the thing is that I am a complete opposite. Therefore I’m into this nice name.
Hello Bagheera301!
Thanks you very much indeed for your advise. I will try to do my best to improve my skill. In 2006 i had that exam and got 90 point. But i couldnt make a practice. I havent been speaking and writing for nearly 4 years. So i forgot many things.
On the other hand, reading alone is not enough for learning languages. If one wants to make his/her language ability durable, at the same time he/she needs speaking and writing trainings.
Well Khayyam, I believe that our memory is like computer’s - when you really used to know a lot it will restore soon provided you make every effort. There is a nice English proverb: ‘no pains- no gains’. Wish you luck & keep your chin up!
How do you do! What can I say to comment on your problem?! Vocabulary has to be learned in some context. In my view it’s easier to learn 10 sentences with necessary vocabulary than 100 separate words. The problem is that English is a polysemantic language, i. e. most words have many meanings. That is the key problem for the learners. Well, my situation is the following - English is something I love & devote myself to. It often happens, when I write something, the right words just emerge in my memory from nowhere. But it’s not quite ‘nowhere’, it’s our memory mechanisms. Or do you think we are worse than stupid machines?! All you have to do is to keep developing your skills and soon you will feel the pleasure of fluency. Honestly speaking it’s like a narcotic - feeling yourself progressig, understanding films, songs and media. You get addicted to it for the rest of your life!
Thats right Bagheera, In Turkey we have saying: “One who doesnt work, not to be given bread”. Here is the place for studying.
We have a saying which is close in meaning 'who doesn’t work - does’t eat"! So I wish to all of us to earn not only to eat bread & butter, but to eat caviar and truffel!!!
:)) So what is truffel look like? Is it kind of mushroom?
I heard of it but have never tried. There is a good restaurant in Istanbul makes truffel. I will absolutely try…
Well, truffle is an expensive type of mushroom that grows underground. I used it figuratively, meaning I wish all of us to be well off & satisfied with our lifes.
I would agree to a certain extent with Bagheera concerning what was said about Mendes’ problems with forgetting.
First & foremost: words should not be learned outside of context - out of context they’re almost of no avail, cause in this case they are not linked with the other words.
Motivation & personal disposition are very important as well, cause if you don’t like something you fail keeping it in your memory for long.
Also, I’d like to express my IMO on the test system of education. It’s a great fun & inspiration from the educational point of view, but … your knowledge on this or that subject should’ve never been assessed by means of tests!
You’d be natural to ask why?
The answer is quite simple & sad. Even if you have answered all questions in some test without a single mistake that doesn’t necessarily mean you know something well now. Actually, you do know something but the point is that your skills are passive & not active. And eventually, without those leading test questions you cannot talk on the subject & that’s actually what we’re supposed to do - to communicate by means of talking.
From what was said above we can conclude that in order to perfect our language skills testing must be mixed with all the other necessary study techniques & activities: speaking (with native speakers or the other learners at least), reading (of the texts aloud), browsing in the dictionaries, referring to grammar guides when needed, listening to adopted & unadopted movies with or without subtitles, writing essays etc.
And once again, here is the formula that works: the more you practice the better are the results.
“The cognition is an endless transition process from the passive perception to abstract thought.”
Qui non laborat, non manducet (Latin for "he who does not work, let him not eat")
Truffle can also mean Any of various chocolate confections, especially one made of a mixture including chopped nuts, rolled into balls and covered with cocoa powder.