- Narrativas coletadas por Ana Maria Barcelos -

 

Narrativa de ALS (aluna de secretariado)

My Language Learning History

I first got in contact with English at my junior high school course. I’ve always studied at public schools and in my city, teachers weren’t able to give a good language class with so many students and important points were left behind. I liked the subject, but I couldn’t talk or write correctly.

At high school I also started studying in an English Course. It was good because we had few students and I had the opportunity to ask more and really learn pronunciation. I was shy at first, but the time at class when we discussed about a subject, trying to give an opinion in English, were important to my learning. In the first levels we had more gramatic with a lot of exercises to memorize and get in touch with English structure. I got used to have some minutes every day to repeat the dialogues and to write a new word I’d learned. It does help when you have difficulties in spelling.

To me, the best way to learn is to find brand-new subjects in english every day trying to use it throughout your activities I love literatur; the books I’ve read (aloud to my mother sometimes) were rely important. I also liked to borrow some video tapes for the weekends. It’s a funny way to learn and you don’t have to pay so much attention on the expressions you don’t know it’s easier to get the context and learn naturally.

My last advice is to keep a partner or a group of friends to talk to you in English regularly, exchange letters or e-mails. My twin sister has always studied with me and now we exchange many e-mails to practice. Those are the moments when I’m not so worried to be wrong and I speak withouot any preocupation. You’ll improve your English faster, for sure.