English, baby!

Bad English

Date: Apr 13 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

curb

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

When you are learning another language, it is difficult to blend what you learn in books with how people actually talk.

In every language, people stutter, insert extra words and use expressions that are not in the dictionary.

English, baby! members sometimes comment on the “bad English” of our cast members. For example, they say we shouldn’t be saying “like” so much. But “like” is very common in the spoken language. Of course, you would never use the expression in writing unless you were quoting someone.

Listen to Amanda and Kevin talk about bad English.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Amanda

Kevin

Amanda: So what’s interesting is I have a four year-old son…

Kevin: OK.

Amanda: ... and so we’re trying to teach him the language. The English language. But it’s very difficult to realize that, how we speak with all the slang and the poor construction using “like,” “um,” the pausing…

Kevin: The colloquialisms.

Amanda: Yes. Pausing, “um,” “Like, well”... It’s so difficult to curb that while you’re teaching a child because you don’t want to teach that or pass it on. It’s near impossible.

Kevin: Well, it is but his English will eventually get good. But it does take sort of coaching, right?

Amanda: Absolutely.

Kevin: And, and good teaching, both from the parents as well as in school.

Amanda: You don’t realize how much you do it yourself.

Kevin: Mm hm.

Amanda: You know which mistakes are mistakes and you just, that’s how you’ve taught yourself.

Kevin: Yeah.

Amanda: You’ve trained yourself incorrectly.

Kevin: It’s very interesting.

Amanda: And it’s so hard to rewind and go the right way even though you know what’s right.

Kevin: I used to be an ESL teacher and a lot of students would write in essays the word gonna... g-o-n-n-a.

Amanda: Oh no.

Kevin: Which they didn’t realize was OK verbally but written, is, is not appropriate.

Amanda: Right.

Kevin: So it takes a lot of practice.

Amanda: It does. I’m working on it…

Kevin: It will come.

Amanda: ... still!

Quizzes

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Discussion

Amanda is teaching her four-year-old how to talk. It is making her realize her own poor speaking habits.

Kevin has a lot of teaching experience. He assures Amanda that her son will learn how to speak properly despite her own mistakes.

Kevin also points out that his ESL students would use colloquialisms (like “gonna”) as written language.

Do you have bad habits in your native language?

Would it be hard for someone to learn the difference between the spoken and the written in your language?

Comments

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Ramon Romero

United States

It is one of the bigest difficult for peaple like me that learn some english by myself, but some day l hope to enjoy the succes to speak and understand it, with the help of ENGLISH BABY, of course. Thank you.

Tarcísio

Brazil

To my mind, it is acceptable to use the spoken language depending on the context. When it comes to a formal situation, the spoken language is not appropriate. It goes for any language, even for English, of course!

bluesky_9891

Viet Nam

Hi everyone! I think Enghlish’s not easy not difficult. But for me, it’s so hard to speak E. Sometime i have a chance to talk with native speakers but i can’t speak well. i just speak a little bit. That times, i don’t know what i should speak although when they went i know that i can speak better. i don’t know what wrong for me is, maybe i’m shy or not confident. may i help you to solve that trouble?

Sun-Marina

Russian Federation

I used to take an ESL class. And the communication with some native speakers is the best way to improve your English. But there is nothing wrong if you use colloquialisms (like “gonna, wanna, gotta…”) in your informal written language with your friends. The point is you should just understand the difference.

Damir83

Uzbekistan

Hi , i am from Uzbekistan, I wont go to another country , where speak only english. I have famali – whife and 2 son. i dont have many time for lerning english and it is big problem ! Soon , one company wont speaking whis me -from SKYPE . This is problem for me! what im mast doing or how i may learn englis quickly ?

weah44

Sudan

i too realized sometimes we express english expression by the our first language , in my case arabic . that is problem i faced till now.

i think it is quit difficult to differenciate between wriiting and spoken engllish , becuase simply we write what we speak

i like this lesson , it make me point out some problem in my language and now i can improve it

Cici Yong

Canada

i am business girl…i work for www.safaso.com ...so i just talk with my customers about working…i almost forget how to talk in oral…

chen_zhen87

China

I want improve my oral English,but I have few chaces to speak.How can I improve it?

Bruce_zhou

China

actually,for now ,sharing and internet technique well-developed,so we can find many method and learning materials from internet to learn second language,but you know ,methond and tips just less help you to speak fluently language,the most key point is that depend on how hard you work and how often you practise,actuall,learing language have no short path,just accumulate the time and efforts,you will be speaking prefect second language very well

zamalek

Egypt

i hope i can speak english fluently

vioslove

United States

I do not like people using bad language.

the best mani

Algeria

hello i want to now more about english speaking

okezsoke

Hungary

Many hungarians use english words in their conversations. We often use “lol”, “loser”, “láma -> lame”, “low”. It seems slowly but surely we adopt all the ugly words :)

An-china

Germany

I have some friends from Africa, when they study Chinese, they always blame that the written Chinese is so different with the spoken one. You learn to say this, but when u try to talk, there r million difference…

It’s same for us to learn English.I think more practise is really necessery

meggar

Morocco

millazhang

China

Actually, I am sad when people ask me to find one who can speak English ,you know I am trying to explain what I think.apparently ,I failed.I have a bad English .

adem_wallave

Turkey

its not easy to learn english. english like a flower. ıf you do not water it . it dies. we should repeat english everyday regularly but ı know its hard because working takes me too much time. we should repeat at least short time

Ada Zhang

China

It is really hard for me to distinguish whether the word is proper for speaking or writing. English is not my mother tongue, and it's quite different from Chinese. I started to learn it in junior middle school, but I still can't use it well. I've never lived abroad. Maybe that's the problem.

sabina)

Azerbaijan

i want speak english well

kawkaba

Morocco

he morroc im karima from i have problem in my englishe i can writh englishe very well but i spoke very bad and i made a lot of mistakes .can i find some one to helpe me