THE 4 LANGUAGE SKILLS

I. ENGLISH LISTENING SKILLS

What is Listening?
 Listening is receiving language through the ears. Listening involves
identifying the sounds of speech and processing them into words and
sentences. When we listen, we use our ears to receive individual sounds
(letters, stress, rhythm and pauses) and we use our brain to convert these
into messages that mean something to us.
 Listening in any language requires focus and attention.
 We learn this skill by listening to people who already know how to speak
the language.
 To become a fluent speaker in English, you need to develop strong
listening skills.
Here are 7 Ways to Hear English Everywhere
Two simple definitions
 to hear
 to listen
- That's obvious, because you already speak one language very well - your
own!
- And if you can learn and speak one language well, then you can certainly
learn and speak one or more other languages.
- In fact, you never really "learned" it at all - you just started speaking it.
One day, when you were about two or three years old, you started
speaking your language.
- For two to three years before you spoke, you heard people speaking your
language all day, and maybe all night.
You heard people speaking your language.
- All that hearing was necessary for you to start speaking.
For two to three years words went IN to your head.
- That is why hearing (and listening to) English as much as possible is so
important to you now.
- Fortunately, there are many ways of hearing English in almost all
countries of the world.
1. Listen to English Radio
2. Watch English Television
3. Watch/Listen to English by Internet
4. Listen to Songs in English
5. Go to Cinemas with English-language Movies
 6. Use Video for English Listening Practice
7. Get English-speaking Friends
Strategies
- Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.
- Keep cool (idiom=stay relaxed) when you do not understand - even if you
continue to not understand for a long time.
- DO NOT translate into your native language (synonym=mother tongue)
- Listen for the gist (noun=general idea) of the conversation. Don't
concentrate on detail until you have understood the main ideas.
II. SPEAKING SKILLS
What is Speaking?
- To speak, we create sounds using many parts of our body, including the lungs,
vocal tract, vocal chords, tongue, teeth and lips.
- In fact, some English learners practise speaking standing alone in front of a
mirror.
- Speaking can be formal or informal:
 Informal speaking is typically used with family and friends, or people you
know well.
 Formal speaking occurs in business or academic situations, or when
meeting people for the first time.
- Speaking is probably the language skill that most language learners wish to
perfect as soon as possible.
- English learners can practise speaking online using voice or video chat and
services like Skype.
1. Record yourself.
2. Read aloud.
3. Listen to mp3s, podcasts, and the news.
4. Listen to music, too.
5. Watch TV and movies.
6. Narrate your world.
III. REAIDING SKILLS
What is Reading?
- When we read, we use our eyes to receive written symbols (letters,
punctuation marks and spaces) and we use our brain to convert them into
words, sentences and paragraphs that communicate something to us.
- But the complex process of reading also requires the skill of speaking, so
that we can pronounce the words that we read.
 - In this sense, reading is also a productive skill in that we are both
receiving information and transmitting it (even if only to ourselves).
- On the other hand, reading is something that you can do on your own and
that greatly broadens your vocabulary, thus helping you in speaking (and
in listening and writing).
- Reading is therefore a highly valuable skill and activity, and it is
recommended that English learners try to read as much as possible in
English.
Guide to Reading for English Learners
 Why Read?
 What To Read
 Tips
 Strategies
 Levels
 Tests
 Categories
 Glossary
FURTHER READING
- Reading Academicall
- Introduction to the QUASAR Method
- Reading for academic and research purposes is very different from leisure
reading.
- It is important that you develop and improve your skills for reading
academically so that you are more efficient and can pick out relevant
information more effectively.
IV. ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS
What Is Writing?
- "Writing" is the process of using symbols (letters of the alphabet,
punctuation and spaces) to communicate thoughts and ideas in a readable
form.
- A writer may write for personal enjoyment or use, or for an audience of
one person or more.
- Taking notes for study purposes is an example of writing for one's self.
- Blogging publicly is an example of writing for an unknown audience.
- A letter to a friend is an example of writing for a targeted audience.
Here are some tips that students should follow:
1. It may be obvious, but don’t forget to take notes during classes and do all
your homework!
2. Write in your own words!
3. Write, write, write!
4. Get your writing checked.
5. Learn the correct version.
6. Exchange correspondence with your friends in English.
7. Keep adding phrases to your vocabulary.
8. Take care when you're writing.