As I could remember, memorizing vocabulary has been the way I learned English. Till now, even though I got lots of vocabulary packed into my mind, I still could not make a smooth and precise use of English. However, we could have spent less time learning English as long as we find the right way and right tool.
Too often, we just memorized English vocabulary and its Chinese counterpart, but ignored there is no perfect and absolute Chinese meaning for each English word. As a result, Reading an article with no new word but still getting no meaning is constantly recurring. However, English teachers of the past focused too much on the enlargement of the extent of students' English vocabulary, but less touched on how to pick up words in an accurate and effective way.
Luckily enough, our conscientious and scrupulous teacher helped us patch up this basic but vital knowledge. Learned, but neither stuffy nor pedantic, she not just gave us a brief introduction of general and specific dictionaries, but also told us what makes a good dictionary, that is, large amount of vocabulary, clear definition, ample examples, related idioms or phrases. To me, her lecture came as a beacon light of hope to guide me out of the maze of learning. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of my misunderstanding. Through her informative and resourceful class, I realize that a bad dictionary with meager content get you loss in the vast and boundless sea of English Learning, while a good dictionary will lead your way to the paradise of English Learning.
That's right. Learning a language means using it. So we should know how to use it in a right way.
ReplyDeleteWhat a compliment, Bava. I'm glad you find the lecture helpful to you.
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