When we practice speaking on our own without using a text, try using one word as an "anchor" which will help get the flow of language. Using one word as a frame of reference can help find good vocabulary, style of speech and alternative words. It will give us confidence to make speech flow. Here's an example: "Anchor word" = colour My favourite colour is blue The colour of my friend's car is red That picture is so colourful! My bedroom needs painting a different colour Have you seen my colouring book? What colour is your new dress? A coloured shirt Cake colouring Then you can add on more information: My favourite colour is blue, but my girlfriend's favourit colour is green My friend has just bought a red car I'd like to buy that colourful picture! My bedroom needs painting a different colour, what about white? This idea just give you a quick way of thinking of how to speak freely, without having to carefully think of a subject. Bye for now Alan

Hello everybody

Have you seen on TV when the film can be "frozen" (stopped) so that we can analyse something better?

Football matches, news items, game shows. This idea is useful.

And we can do the same thing with language speaking practice on our own.

1. Look at a situation (real or imaginary)

2. "Freeze it" 

3. Ask a question about it:

Example: a ladder (next to) a wall,

"why is that ladder there?"

4. Answer the question:

"someone is painting? someone needs to repair something?"

5. Expand the sentences:

"I wonder why that ladder is there? I wonder if someone is doing some painting or repairing something?"

5. Look at the gaps in you vocabulary. Words you know, words you don't know, words you want to know.

6. Revisit the situation and "freeze" it again

"Ah, maybe someone put a ladder next to the wall ready to do some work and then walked away to get something, or maybe they have forgotten something they need"

This way, from a simple situation with a few words:

Ladder

near to

a wall

You then get more words in your mind about a situation:

Maybe

someone

ladder

next to

ready to do

something

they

forget/forgotten

need

 

You can make this idea simpler or more complex

For example:

Simple situation "I want a cup of tea"

I

want

(cup of) tea

Complex situation: "wanting to book a holiday, a plane ticket and a travel visa"

wanting

book a holiday

book a plane ticket

book a visa

bye for now

Alan

Hello! This is my welcome page! I have a new-look website for 2010!

On the "home page" there will always be this "welcome message" and also my most recent article. All my other podcasts and text blogs and music are still there. All you need to do is just click on any category from the list on the left of this page!

You can also use the Libsyn Player to play MP3 recordings.

Have a Happy New Year 2010 everybody!

Your webhost Alan Palmer

alan_r_palmer@hotmail.com (for your valuable feedback!)

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My name is Alan Palmer. I am a 53 year old Conformity Manager from Lancashire, England. My hobbies are learning languages and playing guitar I've been learning French for 18 years. I started German at the age of 11 and learned it for 3 years. I restarted German again in 2001. I'm also learning Mandarin Chinese (the most important dialect in China) and I learn some Spanish when time permits. Over the years I've realised certain things about learning languages that I think may be useful to others, so my podcasts and textblogs will be language-based (or musical) and mostly in English, but I will post things in other languages too occasionally. I hope you find my webcasts interesting and I hope to post at least two per week. Take care and be good, be happy! October 2009 

Hallo! Ich bin 53 Jahre, Conformity Manager aus Nordwest England. Ich bin verheiratet und habe 2 erwachsene Söhne. Mein Interesse Sprachen zu lernen begann bereits in meiner Jugend. Mit 11 Jahren fing ich an Deutsch zu lernen. Erst mit 35 Jahren habe in angefangen Französisch zu lernen. Seit dieser Zeit habe ich mir zum Ziel gesetzt diese Sprachen zu beherrschen und betreibe es als ernsthaftes Hobby. Im Jahr 2001 begann ich wieder Deutsch zu lernen. Auch habe ich jetzt angefangen Chinesisch und Spanisch zu lernen.

你们好! 我是Alan Palmer。 (我中文的名字是阿伦）我生活在英国西北部，我是一名53岁的公司经理。我已经结婚，并且有两个已经长大成人的儿子。 在我年轻的时候，就开始对学习外语产生兴趣。我从十一岁起开始学习德语，直到35岁时才开始学习法语。从那时起，我已经开始认真对待这个学习外语的爱好，希望能把外语讲得更流利。 2001年，我开始重新学习德语；而在2007年,我又开始学习汉语

Bonjour. Je suis Alan Palmer. J'ai 53 ans et je suis Responsable Qualité dans le Lancashire, au Nord-Ouest de l'Angleterre. Je suis marié et nous avons deux fils d'âge adulte. Mon interêt pour les langues a commencé quand j'étais petit. J'ai débuté par l'Allemand à l'âge de 11 ans. Je l'ai appris pour 3 ans, puis à 35 ans j'ai commencé à apprendre le Français. Depuis, mon passe-temps est de poursuivre mon objectif, c'est-à-dire de parler des langues couramment. J'ai recommencé à apprendre l'Allemand en 2001 et je viens de commencer le Mandarin, qui est un dialecte chinois, et l'Espagnol.

Hola! Mi nombre es Alan Palmer. Soy un de 53 años de la conformidad Administrador de Lancashire, Inglaterra. Mis aficiones son el aprendizaje de idiomas y de guitarra que he estado aprendiendo francés de 19 años. Empecé en  Alemania a la edad de 11 y e aprendido durante 3 años. Me reinicia alemán de nuevo en 2001. También estoy aprendiendo chino mandarín (el dialecto más importante en China) y puedo aprender a algo de español, cuando el tiempo lo permite. Con los años me he dado cuenta de ciertas cosas sobre el aprendizaje de idiomas que creo que puede ser útil a los demás, así que mis "podcasts" (MP3) y "textblogs" serán basada en el lenguaje (o musical) y en su mayoría en Inglés, pero voy a publicar cosas en otros idiomas también de vez en cuando. Espero que mi webcasts sea  interesante y espero enviar al menos dos por semana. 

Your webhost 

Alan (Language Explorer)

www.language-explorer.co.uk