How were you taught English?
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well, it's coz one of my colleagues asked me how she can teach her niece English...
i didn't know how to answer her coz i was "taught" by being grilled by mom who was an english teacher
also, there was a matter of the BBC World Service which i loved listening to since young, music by various groups like The Beatles, The Hollies, Led Zeppelin and The Doors (hey! they sang in English
)
most of all, it was reading... reading voraciously since i was able to read.. and mostly comics like Asterix and Beano...
so, mine was a mishmash and not a formal way of learning...
how were you taught English? -
I can't remember. I slept through most of my English classes. Somehow my reading habit taught me I guess. Started with Enid Blython stuff, then Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, blah blah blah, with Beano and Dandy on the side, Sesame Street, etc. After a while you somehow figure out how sentences should be formed.
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Good question
My parents both spoke English when we were kids
Actually I think I speak and write better English when I'm younger
Now my speech and writing is very much affected by Singlish
When I was young I read a lot and there were those phonetics classes which I attended.
I think the best way to learn English is to read and listen to the BBC news -
im taught by my teachers in pri sch cos i at home speak hokkien.
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read a lot of books in sec sch and suddenly, ta da! english improved loads. in JC they kept trying to teach me the asian way of writing GP but would i listen? noooooo. so i kept getting C6. then come to a levels... im 1 of only 2 people in my class to get an A1 for GP the rest leh? diligent people who follow the whole taught procedure all get Bs n Cs. follow somemore la. Don't forget where the damned GP papers are marked. UK
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Me too. Both parents spoke English to us. I fed off many Enid Blyton titles and lots of comics like Dandy, Beano, Bunty, Richie Rich, etc. Just loved to read. Mum used to have the radio on all day long. Back then there was only one station so I had a regular diet of all kinds of songs. Then there was TV too.
Sidetrack: My last few visits to Sg, I realise that more people speak Singlish and Mandarin. -
high five!Originally posted by HENG@:read a lot of books in sec sch and suddenly, ta da! english improved loads. in JC they kept trying to teach me the asian way of writing GP but would i listen? noooooo. so i kept getting C6. then come to a levels... im 1 of only 2 people in my class to get an A1 for GP the rest leh? diligent people who follow the whole taught procedure all get Bs n Cs. follow somemore la. Don't forget where the damned GP papers are marked. UK
I slept my way through GP too, but my GP tutor was a very nice and understanding man. He knew I'd always aim for the odd duck questions that cannot be prepared for in advance. I got an A1 too.
Say..what IS the asian way of writing GP? -
simple. whatever it is that singapore gp tutors teach.Originally posted by av98m:high five!
I slept my way through GP too, but my GP tutor was a very nice and understanding man. He knew I'd always aim for the odd duck questions that cannot be prepared for in advance. I got an A1 too.
Say..what IS the asian way of writing GP?
personally i think all that crap about having to examine both sides of the argument is wrong. if u have a stand, make it clear, give your reasons, refute whatever counter arguments are in existance. above all, argue with passion, and write about a cause or a stand u truely believe in.
doesn't hurt to develop a slightly personalised style of writing. imagine the marker having to read thru a few thousand singaporean students all writing in the same bland asian way. if im them i also make sure u all dun do well enuf to ever come near UK. -
The problem is alot of people cannot argue convincinglyOriginally posted by HENG@:simple. whatever it is that singapore gp tutors teach.
personally i think all that crap about having to examine both sides of the argument is wrong. if u have a stand, make it clear, give your reasons, refute whatever counter arguments are in existance. above all, argue with passion, and write about a cause or a stand u truely believe in.
doesn't hurt to develop a slightly personalised style of writing. imagine the marker having to read thru a few thousand singaporean students all writing in the same bland asian way. if im them i also make sure u all dun do well enuf to ever come near UK. 
I mean Heng@, just look at the way they argue in other threads -
i know!Originally posted by elindra:The problem is alot of people cannot argue convincingly
I mean Heng@, just look at the way they argue in other threads
no wonder they cannot convince me. and then they accuse me of being unreasonable.
oh the irony -
Originally posted by HENG@:i know!
no wonder they cannot convince me. and then they accuse me of being unreasonable.
oh the irony
What I find really funny is the way they start getting vulgar -
Ah, I remember being given notes on the usual topics like poverty/3rd world, environmental issues etc and I refused to read them. Even for exams I'd just go straight for the goofball questions that few will dare touch, because there are no notes on them. I figured if the marker can read something interesting that stands out he or she would give higher marks just as a bonus to the student for not boring them with the same old crap.Originally posted by HENG@:simple. whatever it is that singapore gp tutors teach.
personally i think all that crap about having to examine both sides of the argument is wrong. if u have a stand, make it clear, give your reasons, refute whatever counter arguments are in existance. above all, argue with passion, and write about a cause or a stand u truely believe in.
doesn't hurt to develop a slightly personalised style of writing. imagine the marker having to read thru a few thousand singaporean students all writing in the same bland asian way. if im them i also make sure u all dun do well enuf to ever come near UK. 
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Originally posted by elindra:
What I find really funny is the way they start getting vulgar -
reading newspaper watching news, watching tv??
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wanna see one real life example now?Originally posted by elindra:
What I find really funny is the way they start getting vulgar
http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=194308&page=3 -
it didn't matter what topic i choose, as long as its something i can write with a passon.Originally posted by av98m:Ah, I remember being given notes on the usual topics like poverty/3rd world, environmental issues etc and I refused to read them. Even for exams I'd just go straight for the goofball questions that few will dare touch, because there are no notes on them. I figured if the marker can read something interesting that stands out he or she would give higher marks just as a bonus to the student for not boring them with the same old crap.
and write with flair. -
Oh but Heng Heng, I saw that thread that was why I posted that.Originally posted by HENG@:wanna see one real life example now?
http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=194308&page=3 -
from dad
perhaps its because of his academic background (mission school, university, etc)
mom is a ethic dialect speaker -
hurhur
i learnt BM and mandarin before i came to singapore and picked up england
primary three was terrible, my subsititute english teacher was trying to teach me grammar
then i picked up some books and read, and read..and read
dont have that kind of stamina nowadays, but at least readings helped me from the last guy in the class to lumber one -
When i was very very young instead of toys i loved books. Everytime my mum bought me out shopping (which was almost daily) i would buy story books. Thats how i started i guess
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i learned frm Enid Blyton..n those Noddy books
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watch tv, read books, listen songs.
i still dunnoe how to recite a to z. -
i dont know, but debating with someone in sgforums is akin to banging your head at the wallOriginally posted by elindra:Oh but Heng Heng, I saw that thread that was why I posted that.
you can beg the other guy to present his points, but he rather go into personal attacks and utter some other random gibberish
and i dont like people to use analogies, not because analogies are bad, but because they couldnt handle it -
everyone around me spoke english except my grandparents...
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I discovered the wonders of Roald Dahl, and later, Enid Blyton.=)
I remember my favorite Roald Dahl book was Matilda.=)
Slowly I graduated to Nancy Drew, then Agatha Christie, and now Mitch Albom.
Reading's wonderful!
Sadly, time doesn't quite permit.
Sadly, I hate to admit it, but I used to read the dictionary.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
In primary one, which is.... hmmmm.... ten years ago.