dagny's avatar
dagny

Nov. 12, 2023

0
My Journey of Language Learning

To me, comprehensible input and shadowing are the two most effective methods for developing speaking ability when you are on a low budget and don't have access to native speakers.

My learning process has been dull and painful; I don't really have any unconventional learning methods or amazing learning tips to share. But to get into detail about how I reached my current English proficiency level (B2), I'd divide the process into three stages.

(1) From A1 to B1 (2020–2021):

Learning Methods:

•Textbooks and workbooks (50%)

•Making sentences (30%)

•Shadowing (20%)

I started learning English in August 2020 and reached the B1 level at the beginning of 2022. Moving from A1 to B1 took me nearly one and a half years. During this time, 80% of my study hours were devoted to grammar and vocabulary, and 20% to pronunciation and fluency.

I systematically worked through various grammar textbooks and workbooks from A1 to B1. It is through my textbooks, along with some additional instructional videos and audio lessons on YouTube, that I learned some of the most fundamental grammar rules in English, such as the basic twelve tenses, conditionals, subject-verb agreement, relative clauses, articles, and conjunctions. As for my workbooks, they included articles on diverse topics, vocabulary lists, grammar points, exercises, and listening CDs. When using them, I would first memorize vocabulary words and read the article. Then, I would listen to the CD and echo what I heard as closely to simultaneously as possible. Finally, I would record myself reading the article aloud.

To make my shadowing practice more challenging, I sometimes shadowed without looking at the article. This required intense concentration and cognitive engagement as I usually forgot 60% of what I had heard. I would painstakingly listen to the audio repeatedly until I could effortlessly repeat the content in full, complete sentences instead of using broken, fragmented words. Through the process of repeating, I internalized new sentence structures, expressions, and collocations. Overall, this harder version of shadowing was helpful for my fluency, listening comprehension, and retention; it bridged the gap between passive understanding (reading or listening) and active use (speaking) by reinforcing my memory.

I also made sentences with new words every day. To me, making sentences was the best active learning method to practice writing when I was at the B1 level and couldn't produce more complex and longer texts. It helped me not only learn the meaning and contextual usage of new words but also their grammatical usage within a sentence. It provided a more nuanced understanding of the language's syntactic structures than rote memorization.

(2) From B1 to B2 (2022):

•Learning Methods:

•Textbooks and workbooks (30%)

•Making sentences and writing short essays (30%)

•Shadowing (30%)

Conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors (10%)

I started taking conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors online per week in January 2022. During this year, I dedicated at least 30 to 45 minutes daily to shadowing and mimicking, so my conversational skills improved quickly, and my English also progressed from B1 to B2.

I stopped taking conversational lessons in December 2022.

(3) Sill at B2 (2023):

Learning Methods:

•Reading and listening to a high volume of native content and writing long essays or texts (immersion method) (90%)

•Shadowing (10%)

I have been at the upper-intermediate level since the end of 2022. Currently, I don't use any grammar textbooks or workbooks. Although I don't have any structured learning plans at this stage, I've switched everything I used to read, watch, and listen to in my native language to English. Since my major at university is English, I now read and write more in English than in my native language. The only skill I am at a loss as to how to improve is my oral English, which reached a plateau a year ago and never really progressed beyond B1. I still do shadowing and practice pronouncing individual sounds, syllables, and words frequently, but I suffer from phonological fossilization regardless.

I'm pessimistically certain that my English will never reach the C1 level unless I live in an English-speaking country for an extended period.

en 3
Correct
Corrections
deleted_user_17708's avatar
0

My journey of language learning

My Language Learning Journey

Then, I would listen to the CD and echorepeat what I heard as closely to simultaneously as possible.

(2) From B1 to B2 (2022):


•Learning Methods:


•Textbooks and workbooks (30%)


•Making sentences and writing short essays (30%)


•Shadowing (30%)


Conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors (10%)


I started taking conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors online per week in January 2022.

In the last sentence, you need to specify how many times per week you took lessons ("once per week," "twice per week," etc).

(3) Still at B2 (2023):


Learning Methods:


•Reading and listening to a high volume of native content and writing long essays or texts (immersion method) (90%)


•Shadowing (10%)


I have been at the upper-intermediate level since the end of 2022.

Feedback

It's extremely impressive that you reached this level of English in only 3 years.

rabbit_1999's avatar
0

(2) From B1 to B2 (2022):


•Learning Methods:


•Textbooks and workbooks (30%)


•Making sentences and writing short essays (30%)


•Shadowing (30%)


Conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors (10%)


I started taking conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors online per week in January 2022.

In 2022, I took virtual lessons with native-speaking tutors every week to improve my conversational fluency/ability.
(*Instead of saying in "January 2022" and "I stopped taking conversational lessons in December 2022", you can just say "In 2022".)
(*"virtual" or "online", both work and are interchangeable)
(*Like the other commenter mentioned, you should only use "per week" to indicate something is recurring more than 1 time that week, i.e. "two/three/four times per week". Not sure if you accidentally forgot to add a number, but if not, you can use "every week"/"weekly", or "once every week")

I stopped taking conversational lessons in December 2022.

You can negate this sentence.

The only skill I am at a loss as to how to improve is my oral English, which reached a plateau a year ago and never really progressed beyond B1.

However, my oral skills plateaued a year ago and never really progressed beyond B1. I'm unsure how to improve/break out of it.
(*Your sentence works just fine; I just wrote out a more laidback way of wording.)

I'm pessimistically certain that my English will never reach the C1 level unless I live in an English-speaking country for an extended period.

Feedback

You have quite sophisticated English skills and this was an informative post on language learning :) I hope that you eventually break out of your language plateau. Keep up the good work.

lvllotsuig81's avatar
0

(2) From B1 to B2 (2022):


•Learning Methods:


•Textbooks and workbooks (30%)


•Making sentences and writing short essays (30%)


•Shadowing (30%)


Conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors (10%)


I started taking weekly conversational lessons online with native-speaking tutors online per week in January 2022.

Word order isn't an issue here, but "per week" would typically be used only in instances where you want to specify how many times per week (i.e. "two times per week") something occurs. Otherwise, "weekly" can be used if you only had one lesson per week.

Additionally, a more concise way of saying, "two times per week" would be "twice weekly".

(3) Still at B2 (2023):


Learning Methods:


•Reading and listening to a high volume of native content and writing long essays or texts (immersion method) (90%)


•Shadowing (10%)


I have been at the upper-intermediate level since the end of 2022.

Feedback

Your English is excellent. Keep up the great work!

dagny's avatar
dagny

Nov. 13, 2023

0

Thank you so much for your corrections and kind words!

If I had three thirty-minute conversational lessons per week, is it okay to say: "I started taking three thirty-minute conversational lessons online with native-speaking tutors per week in January 2022" and "I started taking thirty-minute conversational lessons three times weekly online with native-speaking tutors"?

lvllotsuig81's avatar
lvllotsuig81

Nov. 13, 2023

0

Certainly. I think both are fine! Anybody would understand the message you're conveying, so you're all good! :-)

If I wanted to be even more concise, I might say:

"In January of 2022, I began online conversational lessons with native tutors three times per week."

My journey of language learning

My journey of language learning

My Language Learning Journey

To me, comprehensible input and shadowing are the two most effective methods for developing speaking ability when you are on a low budget and don't have access to native speakers.

My learning process has been dull and painful; I don't really have any unconventional learning methods or amazing learning tips to share.

But to get into detail about how I reached my current English proficiency level (B2), I'd divide the process into three stages.

(1) From A1 to B1 (2020–2021): Learning Methods: •Textbooks and workbooks (50%) •Making sentences (30%) •Shadowing (20%) I started learning English in August 2020 and reached the B1 level at the beginning of 2022.

Moving from A1 to B1 took me nearly one and a half years.

During this time, 80% of my study hours were devoted to grammar and vocabulary, and 20% to pronunciation and fluency.

I systematically worked through various grammar textbooks and workbooks from A1 to B1.

I learned some of the most fundamental grammar rules in English through my textbooks and some instructional videos and audio lessons on YouTube.

As for my workbooks, they included articles on diverse topics, vocabulary lists, grammar points, exercises, and listening CDs.

When using them, I would first memorize vocabulary words and read the article.

Then, I would listen to the CD and echo what I heard as closely to simultaneously as possible.

Then, I would listen to the CD and echorepeat what I heard as closely to simultaneously as possible.

Finally, I would record myself reading the article aloud.

To make my shadowing practice more challenging, I sometimes shadowed without looking at the article.

This required intense concentration and cognitive engagement as I usually forgot 60% of what I had heard.

I would painstakingly listen to the audio repeatedly until I could effortlessly repeat the content in full, complete sentences instead of using broken, fragmented words.

Through the process of repeating, I internalized new sentence structures, expressions, and collocations.

Overall, this harder version of shadowing was helpful for my fluency, listening comprehension, and retention; it bridged the gap between passive understanding (reading or listening) and active use (speaking) by reinforcing my memory.

I also made sentences with new words every day.

To me, making sentences was the best active learning method to practice writing when I was at the B1 level and couldn't produce more complex and longer texts.

It helped me not only learn the meaning and contextual usage of new words but also their grammatical usage within a sentence.

It provided a more nuanced understanding of the language's syntactic structures than rote memorization.

(2) From B1 to B2 (2022): •Learning Methods: •Textbooks and workbooks (30%) •Making sentences and writing short essays (30%) •Shadowing (30%) Conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors (10%) I started taking conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors online per week in January 2022.

(2) From B1 to B2 (2022):


•Learning Methods:


•Textbooks and workbooks (30%)


•Making sentences and writing short essays (30%)


•Shadowing (30%)


Conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors (10%)


I started taking weekly conversational lessons online with native-speaking tutors online per week in January 2022.

Word order isn't an issue here, but "per week" would typically be used only in instances where you want to specify how many times per week (i.e. "two times per week") something occurs. Otherwise, "weekly" can be used if you only had one lesson per week. Additionally, a more concise way of saying, "two times per week" would be "twice weekly".

(2) From B1 to B2 (2022):


•Learning Methods:


•Textbooks and workbooks (30%)


•Making sentences and writing short essays (30%)


•Shadowing (30%)


Conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors (10%)


I started taking conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors online per week in January 2022.

In 2022, I took virtual lessons with native-speaking tutors every week to improve my conversational fluency/ability. (*Instead of saying in "January 2022" and "I stopped taking conversational lessons in December 2022", you can just say "In 2022".) (*"virtual" or "online", both work and are interchangeable) (*Like the other commenter mentioned, you should only use "per week" to indicate something is recurring more than 1 time that week, i.e. "two/three/four times per week". Not sure if you accidentally forgot to add a number, but if not, you can use "every week"/"weekly", or "once every week")

(2) From B1 to B2 (2022):


•Learning Methods:


•Textbooks and workbooks (30%)


•Making sentences and writing short essays (30%)


•Shadowing (30%)


Conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors (10%)


I started taking conversational lessons with native-speaking tutors online per week in January 2022.

In the last sentence, you need to specify how many times per week you took lessons ("once per week," "twice per week," etc).

During this year, I dedicated at least 30 to 45 minutes daily to shadowing and mimicking, so my conversational skills improved quickly, and my English also progressed from B1 to B2.

I stopped taking conversational lessons in December 2022.

I stopped taking conversational lessons in December 2022.

You can negate this sentence.

(3) Sill at B2 (2023): Learning Methods: •Reading and listening to a high volume of native content and writing long essays or texts (immersion method) (90%) •Shadowing (10%) I have been at the upper-intermediate level since the end of 2022.

(3) Still at B2 (2023):


Learning Methods:


•Reading and listening to a high volume of native content and writing long essays or texts (immersion method) (90%)


•Shadowing (10%)


I have been at the upper-intermediate level since the end of 2022.

(3) Still at B2 (2023):


Learning Methods:


•Reading and listening to a high volume of native content and writing long essays or texts (immersion method) (90%)


•Shadowing (10%)


I have been at the upper-intermediate level since the end of 2022.

Currently, I don't use any grammar textbooks or workbooks.

Although I don't have any structured learning plans at this stage, I've switched everything I used to read, watch, and listen to in my native language to English.

Since my major at university is English, I now read and write more in English than in my native language.

The only skill I am at a loss as to how to improve is my oral English, which reached a plateau a year ago and never really progressed beyond B1.

The only skill I am at a loss as to how to improve is my oral English, which reached a plateau a year ago and never really progressed beyond B1.

However, my oral skills plateaued a year ago and never really progressed beyond B1. I'm unsure how to improve/break out of it. (*Your sentence works just fine; I just wrote out a more laidback way of wording.)

I still do shadowing often, but I suffer from phonological fossilization regardless.

I'm pessimistically certain that my English will never reach the C1 level unless I live in an English-speaking country for an extended period.

I'm pessimistically certain that my English will never reach the C1 level unless I live in an English-speaking country for an extended period.

I still do shadowing and practice pronouncing individual sounds, syllables, and words frequently, but I suffer from phonological fossilization regardless.

It is through my textbooks, along with some additional instructional videos and audio lessons on YouTube, that I learned some of the most fundamental grammar rules in English, such as the basic twelve tenses, conditionals, subject-verb agreement, relative clauses, articles, and conjunctions.

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