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Learning a foreign
language is not a matter of reading some grammar rules and
memorizing vocabulary words-although these are both important activities.
Learning a foreign language is learning a SKILL. It is as much like learning
to play baseball as it is to learning about the Civil War. When you join
your first baseball team, you memorize the rules of the game. For example,
know that three strikes equals an out. However, you do more than memorize
the rules--you go out onto the field and practice hitting and throwing the
ball. Learning a foreign language is similar to this. Not only must you
memorize the grammar rules and vocabulary words, you must also physically
practice-by speaking, listening, writing, and reading the language.
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Make your mouth do what
your mind is learning. Study out loud! Study with a friend, thus involving
yourself in speaking and listening. Make flash cards, and have someone
quiz you out loud with them. Working with language tapes can also be a
great way to get practice speaking and listening. If you study by reading
silently, you only draw upon your visual memory. If you study out loud,
you double your efficiency by adding auditory memory and you help yourself
with pronunciation..
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Study day-by-day. You
can not get by in a foreign language course by cramming at the
last minute.
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Occasionally go back
and review "old" topics and vocabulary. Learning language is cumulative.
You learn new skills on the basis of old ones. The more you review your
old material & skills, the better able you will be to integrate new ones.
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Don't be afraid to make
mistakes. Self-consciousness can be a mighty obstacle to learning
a language. Perhaps part of the reason why small children readily acquire
languages is that they are not afraid of making mistakes. If you are
prepared to make mistakes from time to time, or even frequently, you'll
feel much less restraint in practicing and trying to speak.
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