TeechConsult's GELLpad

Speaking in English - The basic stuff

Developing your speaking skill in English: The beginning

From Fokus magazine (M) 'Living English with Teech Airil'
by Airil Haimi Adnan @ Teech, July 2008

Tentu anda pernah berjumpa dengan seseorang yang mampu bercakap dengan fasih dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Bagaimana perasaan anda ketika itu? Tidakkah anda juga ingin bercakap dalam bahasa antarabangsa itu dengan fasih? Sebenarnya ia tidaklah sesukar yang anda sangka. Tetapi seperti biasa, ramuan yang diperlukan adalah usaha dan tidak cepat berasa penat dan jemu…

Hello again readers! I hope that you have been trying all the tips that I have shared with you so far, with regards to your English language skill. In this article I hope to share with you some simple tips to improve your speaking skill.

Oh yes! Just to let you know, when we talk about speaking in English the skill itself can be divided into two areas, namely fluency and accuracy.

In order to become a really good speaker of English, you must have BOTH fluency and accuracy. Having one without the other is not good enough for a GELL!

Listening in English - The basic stuff

Developing your listening skill in English: The beginning

From Fokus magazine (M) 'Living English with Teech Airil'
by Airil Haimi Adnan @ Teech, June 2008

Ramai pelajar sekolah rendah dan menengah menghadapi masalah untuk memahami apa yang mereka dengar dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Mungkin hal ini berbunyi remeh, tetapi realitinya tanpa kemahiran mendengar yang baik adalah agak sukar untuk anda mula bercakap dengan fasih dan menjadi seorang GELL. Maka bulan ini saya ingin anda mula melatih kemahiran mendengar anda pula…

For many international students of English, listening is the most difficult skill to acquire and to master. Basically, nobody can teach you how to listen well, so you must try to work hard to make this skill a part of your life.

Let me share with you a secret, even though it is hard to practice your listening skill in English – the more you persevere the more you will start to enjoy listening, because you will REALLY understand what is being said by people who are using English.

Imagine you are watching ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ in the original English language version. You think that Patrick, Spongebob’s friend has just cracked a joke. But, you are not laughing. In fact, you cannot laugh because you really do not understand what Spongebob and Patrick had said to each other!

Writing in English - The basic stuff

Developing your writing skill in English: The beginning

From Fokus magazine (M) 'Living English with Teech Airil'
by Airil Haimi Adnan @ Teech, May 2008

Bulan lepas ruangan ini membincangkan cara untuk menambah kemahiran membaca anda dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Bulan ini fokus kita adalah kemahiran menulis pula. Memang sukar untuk belajar menulis dalam suatu bahasa baru tetapi anda perlu belajar agar hasil tulisan anda nanti akan dapat difahami oleh orang lain dan juga mempunyai daya tarikan yang boleh membantu anda mendapat markah tinggi di dalam ujian serta peperiksaan…

Whenever I mention writing to my students, they will always moan and groan and pull a long face. Let’s face the fact – writing is not easy and not everyone can become a good writer in the English language.

Is this true? NOT NECESSARILY! Even though not all of us can become excellent writers like William Shakespeare or John Grisham, ALL of us can learn how to write using good grammar and with good creativity.

One of the biggest problem for Malaysian students in terms of writing in English is that they are only good in one area at a time. So for example, your English grammar is okay but your essay lacks imagination and so it fails to get the high grade that you want.

Some students have a bigger problem when they write in English because their grammar is very bad and they do not know what to write whenever they are asked to do so!

Reading in English - The basic stuff

Developing your reading skill in English: The beginning

From Fokus magazine (M) 'Living English with Teech Airil'
by Airil Haimi Adnan @ Teech, April 2008

Apabila anda mempelajari suatu bahasa baru, kemahiran membaca amat perlu agar anda dapat menambah ilmu tentang bahasa berkenaan. Walaupun tidak semua orang gemar membaca, untuk menjadi seorang GELL yang berjaya anda perlu mencintai kemahiran ini. Membaca juga adalah titian ilmu yang akan membawa anda ke dunia baru serta mengembangkan imaginasi serta fantasi anda…

On your journey to become a GELL, you basically cannot run away from reading new things in English. But how do you start, and where should you begin, especially if you are trying to develop your reading skill independently on your own?

First, you must choose your reading materials carefully, so that you see suitable vocabulary being used in context. This not only helps you to become a good reader and to enrich your vocabulary, but it is also useful to help you practice your English grammar.

You must also remember that when you read on your own, you should start off with reading materials that are not too overwhelming either in size or with vocabulary which is too difficult to guess the meaning from the context.