Spotlight - 13.2019

16 Spotlight 13/2019 LANGUAGE

brush up [brVS (Vp]

, auffrischen

dry up [draI (Vp]

, versiegen

dull: all work and no play

makes Jack a ~ boy [dVl]

, Arbeit allein macht

auch nicht glücklich

gist [dZIst]

, Hauptinhalt, das

We s e n t l i c h e

hesitant: be ~ to do sth.

[(hezItEnt]

, zögern, etw. zu tun

pie: as easy as ~

[paI]

, kinderleicht

prompt: ~ sb. to do sth.

[prQmpt]

, jmdn. veranlassen,

etw. zu tun

reinforce [)ri:In(fO:s]

, stärken, festigen

spot: a ~ of [spQt]

UK ifml.

, ein bisschen

tune into [tju:n (IntE]

, einstellen, einschalten

tutorial [tju(tO:riEl]

, Lernprogramm

watch: ~ out for sth.

[wɒtʃ (aʊt fə]

, hier: nach etw. Aus-

schau halten

6. Out with the old, in with the new
   Think back to your schooldays. Do you
   remember the very first book you used
   to learn English? How did you learn and
   how were you taught English? For most
   of us, our learning experience consisted of
   a book, a teacher, what seemed like lots of
   homework and, if we were lucky, a holiday
   in an English-speaking country.
   Within a relatively short time, there
   have been amazing technological ad-
   vances and there’s so much offered on
   the internet nowadays to assist language
   learners.
   You can...
   ⋅ access lessons on English-learning
   websites
   ⋅ watch short English tutorials on
   Yo u T u b e
   ⋅ use online games and puzzles
   ⋅ play board games for language
   learners
   ⋅ read texts and newspapers
   ⋅ read up on holiday locations
   ⋅ read or write blogs
   ⋅ join in forums or chat rooms
   ⋅ listen to podcasts
   ⋅ watch video clips or films
   ⋅ watch the news in English
   ⋅ Skype with other English speakers
   Read through that list and mark the
   ones you have already tried. Consider the
   other possibilities. Do make full use of the
   options that are available.

Watch out for — and look forward to — the

English-learning app that Spotlight is developing

right now.

7. It’s as easy as pie
   If you find articles on the internet too
   difficult, you can look up information on
   Simple English Wikipedia. And don’t be
   hesitant about using children’s sites —
   the language is generally less complex,
   and the way of presenting information is
   designed to help you remember it.

The BBC has a children’s channel: CBeebies.

Why don’t you google “CBeebies William

Shakespeare” right now? You’re guaranteed to

learn something new.

8. Many hands make light work
   Most learners find it fun to interact with
   other people. Having conversations is a
   good way to practise and reinforce your
   English and become more fluent. Have
   you got friends or family you can Skype
   with in English? Or how about organizing
   your own English-speaking Stammtisch?
   If you’re hesitant because you think the
   conversation might dry up, you’ll find
   some ideas on things to talk about on
   page 18.

Most towns have an Irish pub. It’s usually easy

to get chatting with native speakers over a pint

of Guinness.

9. All work and no play makes Jack a
   dull boy
   You’ll be more successful if you enjoy the
   learning process. Go to films shown in
   English — if you find this too challeng-
   ing, watch the film in German first or go
   to a film with German subtitles. Be happy
   to get the gist of what you hear and what
   you read without worrying about every
   unknown word. Find English vocabulary
   games and crosswords on the internet
   to brush up your English during a coffee
   break. You could also try the new Spotlight
   game Duo, a fun vocabulary-based card
   game.

Join Anglo-German societies and attend their

events.

10. There’s no time like the present
    “I just don’t have time” is the excuse
    many learners use for not making the
    most of their English. But you can maxi-
    mize your time — have Spotlight Audio
    playing in your car while driving to work,
    or tune into an English-speaking radio
    programme. You can do a spot of English
    when you’re on a bus or train, or when
    you’re in a queue or a waiting room:
    ⋅ Play the “top ten” game by mentally
    listing ten things you can see — for
    example ten kinds of buildings,
    ten items of clothing, ten activities
    people are doing or ten jobs people
    have.

Yo u c a n a l s o p l a y a s p e c u l a t i o n g a m e :

⋅ Look at a person near you and make

up a biography about him/her in your

head.

⋅ Mentally speculate about the

contents of someone’s bag.

⋅ Think about how a nearby stranger is

going to spend the rest of the day.

The possibilities of silently and effortless-

ly practising your English are practically

endless.

Hopefully, you’ve been able to find a strategy

or activity that has prompted you to say: “From

now on, I’ll...”