It is hard to believe but we have almost reached the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it is time to reflect and set some goals for the year to come. Indeed, it is a tradition in the UK to make a list of New Year’s resolutions, which are about being better people and doing better in life. Typical promises include going to the gym, finding love, quitting smoking, being more charitable, getting a new job, spending more time with loved ones and learning or improving a foreign language. Of course, these resolutions can be difficult to put into practice and are often long forgotten by the end of January. Here at SGI, we understand how challenging language goals can be and we have therefore created a New Year resolution selector to help you on your way to a successful year of developing your knowledge and abilities in English. All you need to do is select the most appropriate option (a, b or c) for you from each row to generate your ten resolutions. Here we go:
In 2019, I will…
|
|
a |
b |
c
|
|
start |
listening to a variety of English accents |
keeping a list of all my spelling mistakes
|
a learning journal |
|
stop |
saying that I don’t speak English or my English isn’t good
|
relying on my dictionary too much |
doing my homework five minutes before your lessons |
|
remember |
that learning a language is a process that takes time and effort
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to listen to and ask for feedback from my teacher
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that there isn’t one ‘correct’ accent in English |
|
practice |
doing something in English for 10 minutes every day |
new vocabulary as much as possible to commit it to my long-term memory |
translating a text from English into my first language and vice versa
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|
try |
using at least five new items of vocabulary every week
|
online English classes |
to learn the phonemic script |
|
make |
a list of my common grammar errors and cross them off as I master them
|
a recording of my speaking to analyse |
an effort to use a wide pitch range as this will improve my intonation |
|
find |
a grammar reference book/website I like and can use regularly |
a friend who is also learning English and support each other’s journey |
time to read in English for pleasure |
|
take |
time to check my writing for mistakes |
a look at my previous work in English and evaluate my progress
|
regular breaks while studying |
|
do |
plenty of pronunciation practice |
consider the role of body language and facial expressions in my interactions |
regular speaking practice with a teacher or English-speaking friend |
|
enjoy |
reflecting on my progress |
listening to songs in English
|
learning some slang and idiomatic expressions
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Download [In 2019, I will…] in pdf format
S.L.L.
After many successful years, SGI London will again be running the New Year Week Course (27/12/2018 – 31/12/2018), an ideal programme for those busy students who want to use their holiday time over the Christmas period to both study English and also experience the festive spirit in London with SGI’s teacher-led visits and events.
