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I now have all the language partners I am able to work with. I do not want to have any more language partners. I live in California, near San Francisco. I was born and raised in what is now Silicon Valley. For two years, I volunteered as an ESL instructor for beginners (mostly immigrants) at a social service organization in my city. I am working very hard to learn Japanese. I read a lot and I have a variety of interests, so I enjoy conversing on a wide variety of topics. I want to get to know the people I talk with - what you do and what you think about as you live, work and play. I can help Japanese speakers with English grammar, but I am particularly interested to help people move toward conversational fluency. I also enjoy helping Japanese speakers improve their pronunciation of English. I can teach you how to pronounce English correctly, but you will have to work hard to make this correct pronunciation a habit.
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  • Corrected
    0 voted
    March 5, 2019
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  • Commented

    We learn best when we receive "comprehensible input." This means that we need to listen to and read words that we can make sense of. If we listen to something that is too difficult for us - for example, it contains a lot of words or expressions that we do not understand, or the words are spoken too quickly for us to understand... then we will learn very little, no matter how much time we spend. I am describing how young children learn to talk. The parent, usually the mother, will talk very simply and very slowly (we call it "baby talk")so the young child can understand. When the child can understand, then we begin to use harder words and more complicated word structures. Young children do not learn to speak by studying grammar and memorizing lists of vocabulary. The words and expressions they learn are usually the ones that they find most meaningful, most useful. We should do the same.

    After focusing on comprehensible input, I would say that it is very helpful to find a "language parent." For you, a language parent would be someone who would pretty much always speak to you in English at a level that you can consistently understand correctly - explaining any difficult words that you are not able to understand immediately. They would not correct you (particularly not for grammar) unless you say something that means something totally different from what you intended to say.

    0 voted
    March 1, 2019
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  • Corrected
    0 voted
    March 1, 2019
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  • Posted
    Beautiful Sunsets Name three places where you have seen a beautiful sunset. I was traveling by train through Spain and I saw a gorgeous sunset. The whole sky, wherever I looked seemed to be on fire. I saw a beautiful sunset in the US, in Nevada, in the desert - there were no obstructions... no buildings, no trees, no mountains/hills. I once saw a beautiful sunset from an airplane - a sunset above and among the clouds.
    March 1, 2019
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  • Corrected

    I will give you ways to make your writing more simple by writing less (fewer adverbs, shorter complete sentences). Also, when you speak shorter sentences it is easier to do.

    One month has passed since I arrived in the  UK

    It's been a month since I arrived from Japan.
    Studying children's literature is much harder than I expected.
    Much more reading, and much more thinking deeply. I need to read more and think more deeply.
    But people are nice and I love the nature surrounding me.
    I think I can say that  I've started to settle down. and I have become used to living here.

    However, I find it really difficult to communicate with other people deeply.
    I can understand what my friends are saying, but  I can't say much myself.
    I wonder how bilingual people think when they talk. 
    Do they think in both languages at the same time?
    For me, When I talk to people, I have no time to think in Japanese and translate it to English, so I feel like I am talking without thinking.
    I practice by talking to myself in English, but I usually lose track of what I was trying to say.

    I have not discovered the most efficient way to become fluent in English, so I need to practice speaking English daily.
     
    In Japanese, they say "習うより慣れろ, " meaning you learn best by doing.
    So I'll try to make opportunities to talk with people in English.

    It's difficult for me to keep a conversation going if there is I have nothing in common with the people whom I talk to.
    At the moment, I have more international friends than local friends, since we have the same goal: to be a good & clear English speakers. and We also we are facing  face the same challenge: living and studying in the  a foreign country.
    I don't think that I can improve my communication skill dramatically, but I'll work steadily.
    Starting  I will start by doing my homework with my full effort!

    You did a great job sharing your thoughts.

    It is not possible to listen to a conversation in English, come up with something to say in Japanese, translate that to English and speak that English translation in the conversation. This is especially difficult to do with Japanese and English because the word order is so different between the two languages. The most efficient/effective way to converse in English is to think in English as you listen, think in English as you form what you want to say, and then say it in English very soon after the speaker stops speaking. Cognitive linguists believe that people who speak different languages actually think differently because they organize and process their thoughts differently according to the particular language they speak. For you to speak English fluently, knowing vocabulary and grammar isn't enough. You must organize and process your thoughts in a way that matches the English language. You must practice thinking whole thoughts (phrases, short sentences) in English.
    0 voted
    November 4, 2018
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  • Posted
    The impact of when you start learning a foreign language Here is an interesting article about the impact of when you start learning a foreign language. I have started learning Japanese at the age of 70. I am about 10 months into this endeavor. So far, so good. I have made good progress and I continue to be motivated to work at it:

    http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20181024-the-best-age-to-learn-a-foreign-language
    October 29, 2018
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  • Posted
    Exceptions to general rules for using definite and indefinite articles

    Don’t use a/an before the names of meals:<o:p></o:p>

    We had lunch at noon.<o:p></o:p>

    <o:p> </o:p>

    Don’t use a/an before words like school, prison, or college when talking about them in a general way:<o:p></o:p>

    <o:p> </o:p>

    I hope to go to college.<o:p></o:p>

    He spent three years in prison.<o:p></o:p>

    She goes to church every Sunday.<o:p></o:p>

    He believes that after he dies he will go to heaven.<o:p></o:p>

    He is a football player. He came home late after practice.

    <o:p></o:p>

    <o:p>I have to go to work this Saturday. </o:p>

    Use “the” before the names of shops or places where you go for services when they are the ones we usually go to:

    <o:p></o:p>

    <o:p> </o:p>

    I need to go to the supermarket.<o:p></o:p>

    She went to the doctor’s.<o:p></o:p>

    <o:p> </o:p>

    In certain cases you would leave off an article:<o:p></o:p>

    Do you need time to do this?<o:p></o:p>

    There was space in his suitcase for an extra sweater.<o:p></o:p>

    Bribery is a crime.<o:p></o:p>

    Crime doesn't pay.<o:p></o:p>

    Music makes my heart sing.<o:p></o:p>

    Thunder keeps me awake at night.<o:p></o:p>

    Candy often goes on sale after Halloween.<o:p></o:p>

    /Alcohol/Booze/ is not good for you.

    I ran out of ... salt, sugar, milk, beer, breath.<o:p></o:p>

    <o:p> </o:p>

    <o:p> </o:p>If you put the word "some" in front of time or space, it still makes sense, so you can leave the article off. I'm not sure if this works in every case, but it may be helpful.

    <o:p></o:p>

    There is an exception to my "some" test. Even if a noun passes the "some" test, if you can replace the noun with "someone," you still need to use an article: <o:p></o:p>

    … guy came up to me and asked me a question. A guy came up to me... or The guy came up to me... would be correct. In informal English, you could also say Some /guy/dude/ came up to me...
    September 14, 2018
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  • Posted
    An example for using in, on, at I am a native speaker of English, but grammar is not a strength of mine. I made up an example using in, on and at. Please correct my example if it is wrong. He was late for his train. He ran and arrived at the station about 5 minutes before his train was scheduled to leave. He arrived on the platform just in time to board his train on time.
    September 14, 2018
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  • Corrected

    The Behaviour of My Dog

    I have a dog in my house. She is a small Yorkshire terrier. She has been a part of our family for 12 years. At first, I was a little scared to interact with my dog, because it was my first time to have a pet. My dog also seemed nervous when I rubbed /petted/stroked/ (petted is common for American English, stroked is common for British English, however in American English it is common to talk of rubbing a dog's stomach) her. Over the years, I was able to stroke her without the fear of being bitten. I have noticed my dog seemed relaxed in my arms too. I was very happy to find this out. I thought she may have sensed my attitude towards her. How clever a dog is!

    You could also say "it was my first time having a pet."

    Good job!

    0 voted
    September 7, 2018
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  • Corrected
    0 voted
    September 6, 2018
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