Is this English book good for people to master?

[ps2huang]

I want to learn English grammar and elements just like those native-born speakers--although I already know some rules of grammar. I think to make me throughly understand English that I need to learn as a begginer.

For example, I don't know why people often put "else" behind the nouns it is modifying. Else is an adjective, so putting it in front of any noun should make sense. Also that in Mandarin speaking, we could put any kind of adjective in front of pronouns. But this doesn't work in English; it just doesn't make sense to people. I don't know why. When I speak, I memorized lots of grammatical rules which I have to think before speak. And I think in order to go to UC-Berkely, in order to be interatcing fleuntly with people, I need to study over with a book.

I also know when you command someone to do something, you say the verb which is in its origin instead adding -ing onto it. Like: Do it. But when you want to add an adverb to make it stronger, people often add it behind the expression, like "do it slowly" instead of "slowly do it." I don't know why it would be wrong if I choose to put that adverb in front of that expression.

I hope to be as good as those native speakers in the States, so I have to re-study the basic structure of English. There are too many unopened frustration for me which is of English that I need to take care of them throughly.

 

I went and found a book: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=nl6FcHrBd2&isbn=0764553224&itm=2

 

See that link?

 

Do you think this book helps? Do you think it will unveil all my troublesomes?

 

I just don't get it why we can put adjective in front of any pronoun in Chinese but not in English.

[Luminous]

I just don't get it why we can put adjective in front of any pronoun in Chinese but not in English.

 

Because its a different language.

 

Do you live in the states? You seem to be making it a bit too hard on yourself, i think that once you live there for about a year, you will catch on to all the grammar rules pretty easily. After all, its a pretty damn easy language.

 

I dont personally know that book, but pretty much all "for dummy" books are good, so it should be some help.

 

Ni hao ma?

Wo shuo zhonwen,yingwen,drwen!! Ni?

[Primarygun]

Are you a Chinese or currently learning Chinese?

[Luminous]

Wo Meiguoren/Deguoren. Wo hao pengyou jiao wo yidianr zhongwen. Wo xiang zhongwen. Aber wir können auch deutsch reden. O podemos hablar en Espanol. Es no problemo!

[ps2huang]

Wo Meiguoren/Deguoren. Wo hao pengyou jiao wo yidianr zhongwen. Wo xiang zhongwen. Aber wir können auch deutsch reden. O podemos hablar en Espanol. Es no problemo!

請你用中文跟我說好嗎?

我來美國已經有一陣時間了。

不過在中文上詞類的用法很多，我就不曉得為什麼在英文上有那麼多的限制!

[Bettina]

Wo Meiguoren/Deguoren. Wo hao pengyou jiao wo yidianr zhongwen. Wo xiang zhongwen. Aber wir können auch deutsch reden. O podemos hablar en Espanol. Es no problemo!

 

I am from America. I really want a friend that knows chinese a bit. I would like Chinese language. But we can talk also German. Or we can speak in Spanishl. It's not a problem.

 

How close did I get?

 

Bettina

[atinymonkey]

Ah babelfish. Always good for a laugh.

[ps2huang]

I just responded to you in Chinese traditional font, hope you understand!

[Bettina]

Ah babelfish. Always good for a laugh.

 

Actually, babelfish couldn't help me. I had to go to about a half dozen sites and look up individual words.....it was kinda fun.

 

Bettina

[ps2huang]

If you can't understand Chinese characteristic, I will do it in this way, but my pinyin sux.

Ni hao arr, wu shi Taiwan zen. Wu jua de MeiGuo de Yin Wuan wuan fa hao lan arr.

[Luminous]

Wo Meiguoren/Deguoren. Wo hao pengyou jiao wo yidianr zhongwen. Wo xiang zhongwen. Aber wir können auch deutsch reden. O podemos hablar en Espanol. Es no problemo!

 

Im an American/German. My good friend taught me a little chinese. I like chinese. But we can also speak german. Or we can speak in spanish. Its no problem!

[Primarygun]

That entertains me. We can talk Cantonese here!

Bettina, how did you get those words? I don't get it.

ps2huang, I think english grammar is not very difficult but it is too difficult for us to have a voice like an American's or British since we didn't learn from a foreign teacher when we are in our childhood.

[Luminous]

I wish i had someone to help me get better at zhongwen, my friend used to teach me all the time, but ever since hes moved away i have noone to practice with anymore, so ive forgoten alot too =/ . But wo bu dong guangdonghua. I know some of the symbols but only a very few, so for me to try to read a sentence written in traditional script is pretty much useless. and ps2huang can it be that you wrote the pinying is some sort of dialect, i can only read some of it, duibuqi =(

 

and glad i could entertain you a bit Bettina lol. Lee Ruso >> zdrastvooytye, dobrey den!!Davay papyom somnoy.

[ps2huang]

As a matter of fact, the variety of Chinese grammar is more than English one.

So anyway, I like to get a sense of how those US native-born people learn English.

[abeefaria]

ps2, the book is probably a good guide for you, but to learn how we Americans speak, you really need to watch our tv and/or movies.

 

However, in more formal settings, like writing for a job, then you need to know the rules. I believe the American Psychological Society puts out a book about grammer and it is considered by many to be the book to go to when you have a question.

[atinymonkey]

ps2, the book is probably a good guide for you, but to learn how we Americans speak, you really need to watch our tv and/or movies.

Huh. I would have thought studying English TV and/or movies would be the best way to learn English. Silly me.

[ps2huang]

ps2' date=' the book is probably a good guide for you, but to learn how we Americans speak, you really need to watch our tv and/or movies.

 

However, in more formal settings, like writing for a job, then you need to know the rules. I believe the American Psychological Society puts out a book about grammer and it is considered by many to be the book to go to when you have a question.[/quote']

Are you saying that native-born American use many phrases to make some sentences fast-paced so that people can communicate easily?

[Luminous]

I've never read any special books or studied grammar, and i think i had D's in english all throughout high school , but i never had problems getting a job =P. btw, i know this vietnemese guy who barely speaks any english and hes a doctor, so...

[ps2huang]

I've never read any special books or studied grammar, and i think i had D's in english all throughout high school , but i never had problems getting a job =P. btw, i know this vietnemese guy who barely speaks any english and hes a doctor, so...

"This vietnemese guy?" Who are you referring to? Well, anybody can get into life and work for jobs as long as they know some English. But if you want to go to some best universities in US, you need to know the exact flow of grammar.

[Deified]

It's true that movies/tv are good for refinement, but if your just learning they can be really hard to understand. Actors talk fast and recording can distort things, I speak pretty good German but I can hardly catch anything in German movies. Radio is worse.

[ps2huang]

It's true that movies/tv are good for refinement, but if your just learning they can be really hard to understand. Actors talk fast and recording can distort things, I speak pretty good German but I can hardly catch anything in German movies. Radio is worse.

I heard that those native-born Americans could write down which is exactly like what actors and actress speak, including punctuations, all correct while they are watching movies. I don't know if it's true.

[Deified]

Yea, I'll bet that's true. I don't think I could write fast enough though.

[ps2huang]

and they never make any single mistake?

[j_p]

... like "do it slowly" instead of "slowly do it." I don't know why it would be wrong if I choose to put that adverb in front of that expression...

...I just don't get it why we can put adjective in front of any pronoun in Chinese but not in English.

 

These are not actually wrong, they are just uncommon. Yoda you will sound like if speak this way.

 

But the answer to your question is that English is not a heavily inflected language; that is why word order is so important.

 

Advice:

If you want to study, work on vocabulary; as long as you know the right words, the conversation will flow.

 

Don't worry so much about the rules of grammer; people would rather put a little effort into figuring out what you mean than watch you struggle to get the words out.

 

To learn the rules of grammar, read, read, read. Start with children's books, start with Dr. Suess, and work your way up.

[ps2huang]

These are not actually wrong' date=' they are just uncommon. Yoda you will sound like if speak this way.

 

But the answer to your question is that English is not a heavily inflected language; that is why word order is so important.

 

Advice:

If you want to study, work on vocabulary; as long as you know the right words, the conversation will flow.

 

Don't worry so much about the rules of grammer; people would rather put a little effort into figuring out what you mean than watch you struggle to get the words out.

 

To learn the rules of grammar, read, read, read. Start with children's books, start with Dr. Suess, and work your way up.[/quote']

So you mean many native speakers say"slowly read it", too. Just that speak "do it slowly" will be easier for mouth and throat interatcion, right?