forum.englishteacher.ru

It is a pleasure to find such an informative site)) Hornestly I have never learned Englis from russian sites and have just recently stumbled over this web recourse  but must admit your site is really useful for learners of English. The section of american channels is magnificent))

I can't say so. Here are pretty boring people. And fairly snobbish. And not fun. At all.

mirock


Don't know may be It will become clear to me later on - I've  been visiting the site for roughly month or so that's why I can't make any conclusions right now). Well, I think the site is useful to beginers and those who want to refresh their knowledge of English. The problem is some people don't get only practise will help them be more confident in english writing or speaking )


But here I am and we'll have a blast)

Here is vacuum. What yet blast?)

 mirock
 
 to have a blast is the enlish idiom that's currently used in America. It is another way to say that one has a lot of fun.

 
 
 

i understand 8-)

Now that you guys have met here, I guess there will be a lot of fun on this forum. Show us, boring people, what it is to have real fun in English.

 to incredibly boring guy ( also we'll find out if he's  slightly arrogant either )
 
yeah, the boredom overtook you and you began to speak...

I don't completly figure it has  been  the words of encouragement or what???

will be a lot of fun on this forum

Your assumption will be absolutely correct as long as your stop typing ambiguous messages and silly hints. Hope this post will finally hit home...

Those were words of sarcasm, of course. I don't really think you and mirock can change anything here. If the place seems boring to you, just leave it.

Everyone understands it is important to practice. People are not fools. If you really want to make them more active, do so. But I guess you just don't have a clue about how this can be done. Not that I have, of course. But I think criticism won't work.

One thing seems obvious to me: if you want to involve someone in conversation with you, you have to talk about something that interests that person. People coming to a language learning forum will much more likely be interested in discussing language learning than space travel. Really, imagine the opposite situation: you come to a forum dedicated to discussing space exploration and start a thread about language learning. Is it likely to be popular?

Yes, it sounds like a great idea: let's talk about everything in English. But in practice, who can talk about everything?

Yuri P


Sir, why not you :)


By doing so your vocabulary will be expanding and I really think it's truely vital to apply English rather than talking about it like crazy) Seem like you are already able to participate in the forum topics I am offering. Dunno what keeps you from that...

 
Yuri P


you've maxed out on your quota of insults, dude.... why don't you practice English or you guess there aren't any dark areas of it you are clueless about.... So either it is better off to put the converse to bed and learn English together by talking about space, nature, history, science or whatever you can propose!!! Is this variety of possible topics not extensive  enough???

Yuri P


Poor thing! You've missed the point. Please, read carefully trough the following phrase(I've added two words to it to make it clear enough why your unreasonable claims get me through the roof:

yours - and mine - in discussing language learning than space travel in English

It looks like you get insulted too easily. It would have been an insult if I had written something like "get out of here". But "leave the place if it seems boring to you" is just a piece of advice.

That is exactly what I meant. We are talking about practicing a language. It is hard to discuss something that doesn't really interest you, and it is even harder to do this in a foreign language.

Btw, answer me one question: why are you so eager to practice English with non-natives? Why not with native speakers? If you think it is possible to discuss any topic just for the sake of practice and vocabulary expansion, why not do this on an English speaking forum? It looks like a much more logical thing to me.

dunno seems like you've never read my previous posts. Again just tell me why not you?


I like this idea either but there is so little forum activity so I got bored. What forum can you propose me if I write a lot and want a reply within 20 -30 minutes?

Why not me what? Why don't I create threads here and talk about everything? Probably because I am not a talkative type. In real life I speak very little.

No, I can't suggest any sites in particular. If there is little activity on those forums, maybe you should register on a whole bunch of them and write on all of them simultaneously.

Do you really have so much to say on the topics you mentioned that you can write every 20 or 30 minutes day after day for months? It seems incredible. I suspect you will soon start repeating the same stuff.

you can write every 20 or 30 minutes

Yep, litteraly and figuretively speaking space is a really vast area  . Super black holes collisions or sunsports on the sun's surface or spacecrafts which are gonna be beyond our Solar system just in severel years or Mars and "Curiosity" (hope you know what it is) crawling across its surface or Jupiter with its misterious satellite called Europa and so on.  Believe it or not, it's just a tiny fraction of probable topics and I haven't even mentioned anything about politics, nature, history....

I don't need this. I whole enough.
This forum is pretty boring. It is fact. Just see on length of topics. There haven't none hits. I have another places for fun in my webserfing. Why would I need in all this deadly boredom and totally sleepy kingdom?

 :bm:

Oh, that's great. So I think you can share some links with slavyan to forums where threads are long and active.

I don't know what still makes you come here. You must know better.

Yuri P

share some links with slavyan to forums where threads are long and active

ok, man, I am a bit down in the dumps after reading through what you've scribbled in the post. Why are you getting overly sarcastic as if trying to hint, "Slavyan, you better follow your supporters." It is silly to act as though all the forumers were divided into two camps on the site and it's up to you to get rid of those who are less loyal to you and your vision of the forum and don't prefer being on your side of the fence. Be nicer to people, please.

Does it really matter? If mirock has such links, it would be great if he shared them with you. Actually you should have thanked me for the advice.

Yes, for example, don't say "you scribbled" when talking about their posts. And of course don't address them as "incredibly boring guy". Right?

Practice what you preach if you want me to take you seriously.

Yuri P

Ok, man, I'm not dyed-in-the-wool arguer) Let's bury the fucking hatchet. I want you to forget this fervid dispute over whose approach to learn English is better. Yep, I am feeling slightly guilty of being too isistent on my point of view but still if you hadn't written the post making me feel uneasy in the first place I'd've probably never entered the fight.

Sometimes everybody of us got contemplating moments in life and one of such moments in my life was all about pondering on some ways of getting english learnt in a much quicker way. For instance, I can easily express my thoughts via English while talking because it all boils down to pattern recognition but i got hard time putting my ideas on paper.

 I was thinking over it for quite a long time and bam I figured out I had to build up my english writing skills by listening a lot and then writing a content of a story I was listening through.To my regret, it is tremendously difficult to find someone to share this particular strategy with.....

What I mean though is that I've almost lost any hope for finding someone who would be ready to invest much of their spare time into refining writing skills. Americans just get confused and rush away when I am telling that I am going to be writing for a few hours and expec them to do the same for me)). Perhaps, it is quite boring to them to spend their precious time on writing as long as they mustn't write an essay or smth like that))

Where did we have such a dispute? The last one I remember was between me and Inego. Are you and he the same person? As for our argument on this thread, I don't think we should forget anything. It is part of the reality we live in. I must admit though that I should not have blamed both of you for the words said by mirock.

Actually what you suggest is all about writing. Because if your partner wanted to read, he could find a lot of authentic texts instead of reading your more or less broken and unnatural English. I don't mean compared to mine, of course, so don't take it personally. Just generally speaking. Writing in English is nothing special for Americans, so why expect them to be enthusiastic about it? People who enjoy writing are rare.

Even rarer are those who enjoy it so much that they are ready to overcome all the difficulties of writing in a foreign language. It is really difficult. So the negative result of your search seems only logical.

Add to this that many of us just don't have much to say. I can't imagine myself talking for hours. Maybe writing essays is a more realistic plan than finding the kind of partner you are looking for. Yes, I know that it's boring.

Yuri P, if this excellent English you speak is a result of the analytical approach to learning languages you defended in that dispute with me, I take off my hat. Just wow. How long time did it take to get you there?

I don't really know because I have stopped and started again many times and usually the learning periods were much shorter, like learning for a month and then forgetting about English for the rest of the year. It all adds up to a few years, I guess, but I have absolutely no idea how many.

My English is not so good as it may seem sometimes because when I write I look up words and collocations in a dictionary or on the Internet. Leave me without them and I will drop to a lower level. And I certainly don't speak it well, since I have never spent time on developing this skill. I think I would manage to make myself understood if I had to, but I would probably be ashamed to call it "speak English". :D

By the style of your "written speech" I judge that you don't check up the grammar and / or dictionary that often since your style seems very fluent.

It can be fluent at times, but far from always. How about you? Can you estimate how much time you have spent on English?

I think I have been reading texts in English almost every day during the course of over ten years, but I am still very far from having grasped this language. Maybe it is due to the fact I have been learning other languages in the meantime.

What do you mean by having grasped the language? Using it as easily as your native one? I wonder if it is even possible if you don't live in an English speaking country. We are not forced to use it.

he could find a lot of authentic texts instead of reading your more or less broken and unnatural English.

Sure thing, I am not going to be insisting that my English is fluent or even close to that) but I have always tried to use phrases or expresions from authentic texts needless to mention I have been really immersing myself into English by listening to science podcasts and watching american or british movies for 2-3 hours per day over the last 1,5 -2 years.

My ability to speak English is far beyond what I had been dreaming before I actually came to the usa and met americans who were eager to learn Russian. What else to say? :) living with an american family for a whole year was a great experience . Although, there's no point in denying that my writing sucks occasionally)))

shit, why i can't edit my posts right now

been dreaming before - been dreaming of 

Yes, I meant exactly that.
What you say is true, but anyway, you must agree that it is possible to come very very close to this level, so close that natives can sometimes confuse you with one of them. Actually, this goal is not that interesting. A high level of language knowledge is an outstanding achievent by itself. There are many other languages to learn!

Inego

What languages are you familiar with except English? I assume to get  any foreign language enhanced significantly you gotta put so many efforts and plenty of time into it. How are you learning them?

.
what you are saying is beyond my wildest dreams :)

"Familiar with" — what an exact word you have used for the meaning!
I am familiar with German, French, Chinese, Turkish, Latvian and Spanish. I discovered (what a discovery! :)) that the degree of "familiarity" of a language is in strictly linear dependence from the time you "invest" into "learning" it, and I "learn" languages by reading books (mostly parallel texts, be they available) and watching news and other videos on YouTube. I also used to read books adopted by Frank's method but find them far inferior to simple parallel reading.

slavyan
OK, so all you need is to improve your writing? Well, then you have a topic to write about: "My year with an American family" or something like that. I think it could be interesting to read. For Americans too.

Absolutely! I would read it with interest, too!
How did the Americans take your English, what was their attitude towards your using of it, its level and so forth?

ok, do i have to launch the new thread completely dedicated to writing about my being in the usa or we can actually carry on talking about it right here?

How did the Americans take your English

well, at first they said my level of it was ok but then I realised they simply did whatever they could to actually support me undestanding that I was facing numerous problems there) they always encouraged me saying that my english was getting better each day) however, they were comprehending that their country and way of thinking were kinda alien to me)

their attitude towards your using of it, its level and so forth

as for their attitude towards me, they were incredibly friendly and kind people, the family of five, who weren't only the family but  a musical band singing various religious songs). But anticipating one of your possible questions you might ask I assure you they never attempted to make me be a god believer though I had mentioned i didn't  believe in the existence of god at all

ask whatever is interesting to you btw I've been at Seattle) It is a TRUELY breathtaking city and so SAFE.

What do you mean by SAFE?

SAFE ok, let's put it tis way if you get drunk and lie on a bench and you have your pocets full of money when you wake up the money will still be there. I am not kiding I was shocked by that at first.

sorry fo my mistakes i  was typing like crazy)

well, another example illustrating how safe this particular spot on the map of the usa is for instance, just picture this situation in your mind you are standing by the road there are no any cars whatsoever probably you would try to walk across the road while nobody sees but americans would always stop paying attention to the traffic lights)

oh gush) you can infer just the opposite from this phrase . I mean would always stop and pay attention to the traffic lights)

and in addition to the previous two reasons explaining why I regard the city as being tremendously safe is that if you are under 21 you are not eligible to buy alcohol and NOBODY I WANNA EMPHASIZE IT ONCE MORE NOBODY will sell it out to you or help you purchase it until you show your id to them) It is insane, isn't it?)))

 .
lol, you are my hero)

Well, what you wrote about safety indicates that the Americans are a more law-abiding nation than we are. Maybe that stems from the fact that the core of the society has been mainly Protestant for three centuries or even longer.

slavyan
You can hardly improve your writing style through forum posts if you type them like crazy making a bunch of mistakes in each. Practicing such writing will only reinforce your bad habits. Of course it's OK if all you want is to make your writing fluent regardless of its quality. I must confess I don't really know what exactly you meant by "writing skill". But from the fact that you made a distinction between speaking and writing I concluded it was something other than putting to paper things like "i got", "I'd've" and the like. Because in the latter case I don't see what your problem is. Just write the way you speak. Otherwise I think you should do it slowly and correctly, checking every sentence for mistakes, bad style, ambiguity and so on. If you are not prepared to write like that, I don't see how you can possibly improve. Nobody is going to correct you on a daily basis.

i got", "I'd've"

what's wrong with the phrases. For my money, they are perfectly normal.

btw I am not writing an essay and you plus other nerds are not a group of distinguished professors to judge me. What the hell are you talking about? I am not gonna make any rush decisions but man, watch watch your tongue cuz sometimes some totally unexpected stuff slips out of your mouth!

i got", "I'd've"
 do you really think I don't know what  I'd've or i got mean if I write them more often than the full forms like I have got (I have) or  I would have. TO ME,this way of writing is worth applying cuz (because) it saves my time.

Come on, guys! Take it easy, try to find interesting and good in each other's posts and close your eyes on what could make you angry ;)
Yuri P is a perfectionist while slavyan's attitude is more informal, is it really a casus belli?

some americans are a royal pain in my ass I mean they like being so religious and connected to God. There are always a big grin on their faces and friendly attitude toward complete strangers. What I find a bit suspicious is that I can't get why they rush to all the continents to teach locals how to get a relationship with god. They are so concerned about the rest of the world nonetheless, those fans of religion never move to the most dangerous neighborhoods in New York (I was there two years ago) cuz blacks get so mad when somone is trying to turn them back into "normal people". From state to state America is quite different so it is impossible to put all the pieces of the american style of life together to get pretty clear picture of what America is. Anyway while travelling around this stunningly beautiful country you can experience a particular slice of americana depending on which of the 50 states you are in.

Haha, these religious Americans went in their spreading of Christianity as far as to the flat in Novosibirsk (where I lived). That happened in nineties, though. I mean, really, one day the door bell rang, I looked into the peep-hole (is it called so?) and saw two well dressed and generally good-looking young men, who, being let in, instantly, with a slight accent, began pursuading me that Jesus loved me and so on :)

Jesus loved me and so on

Why do you think Jesus is talking straight to you and me.)) What comes to my mind when somebody remindes of Jesus is the song sung by John Cash. It's called a man in black: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXRmJyIyJbM

Inego

do you love the song I guess youhave already heard this paticular genre of American music - country music

heard of this

As I said it depends on what you mean by "writing skill". If those things look normal to you in writing, then I don't understand what exactly you want to improve. Probably spelling or typing speed.

For me speaking and writing are games with different rules. Not totally different, but still there is a difference, and if you want to be good at writing, you should know it. By "you" here I don't mean you personally (just in case you are about to lose your temper again). You personally seem to know best what you should do, so good luck on your way to perfection.

Just wait until I come home from work, I can't watch Youtube at the office ;)