to pick something you can understand without too much difficulty, but that
stretches you a little. Linguists call this “comprehensible input plus one”
which they describe as material that is just one level above where you are
currently. They believe students learn a second language best when they
are in a low stress situation and are interested in the topic being discussed.
An easy test of difficulty is whether or not you need a dictionary. You
should be able to read and listen quickly, with only a few unknown words
per page. Because you understand most of the material, you can guess the
meaning of those unknown words without interrupting yourself. Just keep
going, because you will eventually encounter those same new words again.
When you do, you’ll make another, even better guess about the meaning.
Eventually, you’ll learn this new vocabulary simply by enjoying real
English without using a dictionary.
When you listen to real English materials, you get the real English that is
actually used by Americans, Canadians, Australians, the British, etc. That’s
how we really speak. By replacing textbooks with these materials, you will
be prepared for real world communication. When someone greets you on the
street, you’ll understand them. When someone uses a common idiom, you’ll
understand them. Eventually, you’ll completely understand TV shows and
movies too.
Rule Six is the key: learn real English.
LEARNING CASUAL CONVERSATION
In San Francisco where I used to live, I met many students with high English test scores, and great
grades in their English classes. Yet, when they sat in a café, they couldn’t understand what people were
saying around them. They had absolutely no idea what normal Americans were saying.
