The article originates from How to Get Rid Of Your Chinglish & Think in English
Two years ago, I came across one advice which said “We should use English instead of learning English”. It hit me. I suddenly realized I’d learnt English over ten years but seldom used English. Then I began to use English. I bought some simple books written in English and began to read. It was too hard for me at that time. But I kept reading one by one and finally, I red over twenty books written in English in a year. I almost abandoned books written in Chinese. I can’t agree more with this author who urges us to read English books. I’ve learnt a lot of new and original knowledge. The most important thing is that I could learn from the authors instead of the translators.
The other tip is listening. In fact , I’m a audible person. Listening to English podcasts and books is much easier for me than just reading books. I’ve been listening to English podcasts and audible books for nearly two years which enables me to fully use my spare time to learn new things. I’ll download the audible book after I finished one paper book and then listen which means I read one book two times.
I’ve invested most of my time on reading and listening but they’re just inputs. I’ve been accustomed to reading and listening and they’ve become my soft zone. Speaking and writing are outputs and they’re difficulty for me. I have the need to listen and read but don’t have to speak and write. A few days ago, I began to write something every day in English which was not so easy for me. No pains no gains and just keep writing.