Word Power

Starting next week, students in my beginning-level composition class will take a rigorous, systematic approach to learning vocabulary, memorizing lists of twenty-five words each week, along with any random new words that come up in class. These words will come from a list I've compiled of the 500 most frequent words and the 100 most frequent verbs in English (such lists are easily available on the Internet). For each new word, students will make a flash card that includes the definition, part of speech, an example sentence, and a synonym. Including synonyms doubles the number of new words learned each week – what Colin Powell called a “force multiplier." In addition to writing assignments, each week there will be a quiz, allowing me to find out how much new word learning has occurred to date.  Vocabulary assessments will have these beginners writing complete sentences using target words accurately (verbs can take any tense). Here two assessments can take place -- how well does the student understand senetence structure and how well he or she understand the mneaning and definition of the target word.

I have successfully used this technique with three different intermediate classes, with the difference that they wrote cohesive paragraphs using ten out of fifteen target words. Students embraced these homework assignments with enthusiasm, many coming up with surprising and ingenious content (see one example below). I’ve found that real learning takes place when students are compelled to use target words -- they become more engaged with the language, parsing meaning and discovering relationships; they also (in my experience) find the activity to be both fun and intellectually challenging. As vocabulary expands, so does self-confidence – students are willing to take risks and experiment. In one of my high school English classes, we used a book called “Word Power.” Although the intent was to beef up vocabulary skills for the SATs, there was, of course, a larger outcome – new words opened up new worlds. As ESL students struggle to master a new language, they deserve robust instruction and exposure to new words at every opportunity; a systematic, aggressive approach to introducing new vocabulary should be part of any instructional plan for the four skills. It’ll be fascinating to see what happens with these beginners starting next week – I’ll be reporting on their progress as the session unfolds.

 In the meantime, here’s an example of a homework assignment I gave last year in which intermediate composition students were tasked with writing a coherent narrative using ten out of fifteen target words. The text below the word bank was written by a Korean student. Note how she uncovers logical relationships among the target words to create a coherent paragraph.    

   

Use ten of the fifteen words listed below to write a coherent paragraph. You can use the selected words in any form you choose as long as sentences are grammatically accurate.

Underline the selected words and write your paragraph in the space below.

 

ample                            arid                                avoid                  defy                               enact feign                              fertile                            freshly             function (n)           fundamental       indiscriminate             selective                        spacious            withstand              even (adj.)

 (Here's what the student wrote):

A musical actor who enacts a play for the first time came to a theater which had been built freshly and has a spacious place. When he appeared on the stage, he felt nervous and wished to avoid this moment.  Also, he could not remember ample words. However he did not want to do indiscriminate acting and decided to defy the situation. So, he started to feign that he was confident. As a result, his voice became even.  He could withstand the time well, and he succeeded in the musical field taking this opportunity.

 

English is a Stress-Timed Language

As opposed to syllable-timed languages like French, Spanish, Italian or Hindi, syllables in an English sentence are stressed at approximately equal intervals. In sentence stress, the accent, or stress, is on certain types of words within the sentence, giving English its unique rythym. A sentence in spoken English is composed of two types of words: content words and structure words. Look at the examples below:

 

Content Words                                      

Main Verbs: go, eat, sit, speak               

Nouns: restaurant, sofa                  

Adjectives: big, Italian                       

Adverbs: softly               

Negative AuxiliaryVerbs: can’t, don’t, aren’t          

Demonstratives: this, that, those                 

Question Words: who, which, where, what, when, why, how 

Structure Words

Pronouns: I, you, he, she, we, they         

Prepositions: on, under, with, near, in

Articles: the, a, some

Conjunctions: for, but, and, so, yet, nor, or

Auxiliary Verbs: can, should, must

Verb "to be" : is, was, am

 

 

Here are some examples:

 

I'm going to eat at the Italian restaurant.

 

You’re sitting on the sofa, but you aren’t listening to me.

 

She’s speaking softly, so it’s difficult for me to hear her.

 

Notice how, in the first sentence, only the content words (verbs, adjective, noun) are stressed. The same is true for the other examples (verbs, noun, adverb, adjective). When you say the unstressed words in between, they sound like they're almost swallowed, don't they?

 

As the key words in a sentence, content words provide the meaning, while structure words provide the form. If you spoke just the content words aloud, you could still derive some meaning, even if the sentence is incompletely formed. Check out this graphic:

 

 

 

Although only the nouns are stressed, this is a nice illustration of an English stress pattern. Because English is a stress-timed language, there is a beat, or rythym, to spoken English. Think of content words as beats and structure words as fillers between the beats. Unlike Chinese, English is a non-tonal language. In tone languages, the meaning of words is distinguished by pitch (an absolute frequency assigned to a specific note). A spoken word's meaning can change according to its pitch.  In English, on the other hand, changes in pitch may emphasize or express emotion, rather than impart meaning. (Thanks to Paul Shoebottom at the Frankfurt International School for that explanation).

 

Say this sentence out loud:

 

We're speaking English and watching the World Cup in the student lounge.

 

Spoken language and music have much in common. Listen to the music. Catch the rhythm. And try not to stress out.

Summer Solstice

Did anybody notice that today is the first day of summer? Today is the longest day of the year, with the sun at its zenith above the Tropic of Cancer. The farther north you go, the later the sun goes down. I'm not sure how many hours of daylight that translates into here in this southern college town. Four years ago on this date my wife and I were on a cruise in the Baltic Sea. The shipped docked at St. Petersburg (Russia) for the night, and the sun was visible until slightly after 11:00 pm --not quite far enough north to be a "midnight sun," but close. The word solstice , which has its root in the Latin sol (sun), has been celebrated all over the planet for thousands of years, from Stonehenge to Machu Pichu, and beyond. Check out these pictures of Summer Solstice 2010 at National Geographic.

The World Cup has gripped us here at the school for ten days now. Today a student dutifully informed me that he would be late tomorrow, or possibly even absent, because his team match and our class had a scheduling conflict.Now, I'm not a soccer (futbol) fanatic the way my students are, but, hey, I get it! (see Sox, Red). Nevertheless, attendance at class should be your top priority. Although the rules may vary, my World Cup attendance policy is that if you choose to watch a match instead of attending class, and you miss a speaking assignment or quiz, you will receive a zero. As long as students understand the possible consequences of being absent, they have my blessing. After all, the World Cup happens only once every four years, right? Go Team USA!

Taking Note of Note Taking

This week during Listening, by way of practicing for the pratice TOEFL, we examined a note-taking technique that involves assigning a column for each speaker (or, in the case of a lecturer, using the entire page). However, as one student observed after today's practice test, there wasn't any time to look at the notes before answering the questions. So why bother taking notes? Because the act of note taking reinforces the knowledge you acquire while listening. That is why active listening requires taking notes. You see, it's not really about the notes, it's about the process. Taking notes requires that you think about what you're writing, as you're writing it. That's where the reinforcement part comes in. Here's a PowerPoint presentation from Virgina Western Community College on effective note taking that includes a  summary of the Cornell Method.    

Presentations

Here is an excellent resource on how to give an effective presentation that completely covers every aspect of this very important skill, which you can master even if your vocabulary is limited. Having a large vocabulary is ideal, of course, but good pace, presence, and pronunciation are equally important. By pace, I mean the speed and rhythm --  words spoken not too fast, not too slow, with stressses in the right places.  Presence means your personality and how you  connect with your audience, and how they respond to you. And, of course, clear pronunciation is critical if you want to be understood. Your grammar may be first-rate, but it's ultimately meaningless if there are pronunciation issues. Developing a large vocabulary is easy by comparison. The ability to deliver an effective presentation is a highly-prized  skill, and speaking competently and confidently takes practice. But the results are well worth the effort. People with excellent public speaking skills are a valuable asset to any organization, whether in business, science, government, technology, or academia.

I'm Sorry For Bothering You, But Would You Mind Reading This Post?

This week we've been focused on two important speech acts: apologies and requests. As with all other forms of social speech, how you apologize or request depends on several variables: social context, the relative status of the speaker and hearer, the closeness of the relationship, the sex and age of both persons, and the seriousness of the situation. Whatever the language or culture, speakers modify their speech according to these social and contextual factors.  As social animals we learn to develop an awareness of our environment, to size up the listener, and to modify our speech accordingly. Making a proper apology requires these six steps:

1. An expression of regret (I'm sorry, I apologize, Forgive me, Excuse me)

2. An acknowledgement of responsibility (It was my fault, I'm so stupid!)

3. An explanation (I was careless, I wasn't paying attention, I missed the bus, The dog ate my homework)

4. An offer of repair (I'll pay for the drycleaning, I'll buy you another one)

5. A promise of non-recurrence (It will never happen again, I promise!) 

6. Asking for forgiveness (Will you forgive me?)

The sixth step, asking for forgiveness, can effectively be combined with any of the other five steps. For example: I'm so sorry for forgetting to mail the check. I promise it won't happen again. Please forgive me for being so careless.

When you take responsibility for your action, you also acknowledge the hurt that was caused to the other person. By asking for forgiveness at the end of the apology and submitting yourself to the other person's mercy, you have demonstrated your remorse and sincerity. Now it's up to the other person to make the next move. The ball is in their court.

We also learned that applying an intensifier in front of sorry (I'm so sorry, really sorry, very sorry) is most appropriate when the speaker has a close or important relationship with the hearer. Thus friends, family, teachers, and employers should hear an intensifier. The seriousness of the situation will also dictate the need for an intensifier. For example, bumping into someone on a crowded train merits a simple "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me." However, if you bumped a stranger and caused him to spill his drink, an intensifier would be appropriate. Other intensifiers include terribly (I'm terribly sorry to bother you), which is more common to British English than to American, and frightfully, another Britishism. I'm frightfully sorry for dragging you to that awful faculty party last night.


A simple way of acknowledging responsibility for your careless or thoughtless behavior is to apologize by using the word for along with an explanation. I'm sorry for eating the last slice of pizza. If it's something for which you are not directly responsible, use about. For example: I'm sorry about last night -- I didn't know that my parents would behave so badly. 

Making requests is another form of speech dictated by social context. Using the conditional tense (would, could) is more polite than using can. For example, Would you pass me the salt is more polite than Could you pass me the salt, which is more polite than Can you pass me the salt. Sometimes a request is preceded by the phrase Do you mind or Would you mind. For example, Do you mind is always followed by if, and the verb is always expressed in the present tense.  Do you mind if I borrow your car? When would you mind is followed by if, the verb is expressed in the past tense. Would you mind if I borrowed the car?  But when if is removed, the verb that follows would you mind is always in the progressive form (-ing ending). Would you mind moving your chair? Of course, always add please to these requests. You can never go wrong saying please. To fail to say please when making a request is to risk being perceived as arrogant or  uncouth.  Politeness, after all, is the mark of a civilized person.  However, social discourse is also culturally-driven.  Here in the South, children are taught to say, "yes sir" and "no ma'am." Northerners, often in a hurry to get to the point, are often perceived by southerners as rude or brusque, while to a New Englander like me, some southerners can come across as phony, or insincere. Unfamilair with the code, outsiders often misinterpret culture-bound behavior. On the other hand, you'll never go wrong saying please and thank you.

Twelve Angry Men

In support of this week's unit on the American justice system, we watched Twelve Angry Men, the classic 1957 courtroom drama that mostly  takes place inside a jury room. Having received their instructions from a bored, monotone-speaking judge, eleven men are ready to convict and send to his death a teenager charged with murdering his father. However, one lone juror holds out for acquittal because he believes there is a reasonable doubt about the youth's guilt. Tempers reach the boiling point as these jurors struggle to reach a decision in an atmosphere of tension and racial bias. At the same time, the film is a paean to the ideals of democracy and fairness embedded in the Constitution. It also follows a common theme in American culture -- the righteous lone individual standing up against the System, or the State, or the Corporation, or against any number of other evils and badness. The jurors are neither good nor bad, but ordinary citizens guided by a complex set of emotions, values, and agendas.  Juror #8 is an extraordinary individual who uses reason and logic to overcome emotion and prejudice. There was a comment in class today about the fact that we never learn the jurors' names, except at the end, when the old man and #8 introduce themselves to each other. That the jurors are nameless reinforces a notion of universality. The jurors are Everyman. Hence, the jury of 12 "angry men" is meant to be a microcosm of society at large.  The class had previously debated the pros and cons of the death penalty, and deliberated as a mock, activities that I hope helped students gain a better appreciation for the awesome responsibility of juries. Today's discussion of the film,which barely scratched the surface before we ran out of time, left me hungry for answers: Can we ever really know the truth about something? Can we ever truly understand other people's motives? What kinds of pressure do jurors face to vote one way or another? Does a set of facts always point to the truth? In a world where nothing is simply black or white, but shades of gray, can we ever be certain about why people do the things they do, or say the things they say? One thing's for certain: prejudice obscures the truth, as this scene so powerfully shows.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

I was intrigued by Steve Jobs' quotation from the Whole Earth Catalogue: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” (See previous post for the link to his Stanford University commencement speech). What did he mean?

Here's my take.

Stay Hungry means                                                

Stay curious.
Stay motivated.
Stay adventurous.
Don’t be satisfied.
Don’t lose your appetite for new things.
Stay intellectually hungry – keep learning.
Stay hungry for experience.
Stay spiritually hungry. Seek truth.
Ask questions.
Stay hungry for knowledge.
Stay hungry for enlightenment.

Stay Foolish means

Take risks.
Be yourself.
Don’t worry about what other people think.
Be open to new ideas.
Be willing to fall on your face.
Accept failure, then overcome it.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Laugh, and make others laugh.
Don’t be self-conscious.

I wonder if The Most Interesting Man in the World (and Dos Equis pitchman) took a cue from this quote with his signature tagline, "Stay Thirsty, My Friends."

Ah, to be that guy......

Weeks 1-3 Recap

In Week 1 we heard Bill Moyers' interview with Mark Johnson on his documentary, "Playing for Change." (Did you notice the pun, or play on words, on the word change? Street musicians often play for change -- that is, for coins or small amounts of money.) In Week 2 Richard St. John summarized his 8 Secrets of Success in a 3 1/2 minute talk at TED, followed by his sobering reminder that success is a continuous process of change, renewal, and adaptation. That same week we listened to Steve Jobs give his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, where he told the newly-minted graduates to "Stay hungry. Stay foolish," a quote from the last page of the last Whole Earth Catalog (Jobs called this bible of alternative culture "Google in paperback form"). He talked about his close brush with death after receiving a diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer that later proved curable. This life-changing experience led to an epiphany: "Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new." Although it made the Internet rounds, I had never heard of Jobs' speech until Ken Auletta mentioned it in his April 23, 2010 interview with Charlie Rose, which we listened to on April 30. As you recall, the interview was a fascinating analysis of the emerging ebook market, of which Amazon currently controls 80% with its Kindle reader. The publishing and bookstore business has been turned upside down as a result. Apple, led by Steve Jobs, recently launched the Ipad as an ebook reading device that not only stands on Kindle's shoulders, but goes further in advancing functionality. Along with competing ebook reading devices from Sony and others,  Apple is going toe-to-toe with Amazon for a bigger share of the ebook market. In Week 2 we also listened to Wilma Mankiller, in an interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air, explain why she lost her fear of death after surviving a near-fatal automobile accident that killed a close friend. (Mankiller, the first woman elected Chief of the Cherokee Nation, died of cancer in early April at the age of 64.)  In Week 3 we learned about how Kiva works in Uganda from the FrontlineWorld report, and got a lesson in microfinance from Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunis.  The classic 1971 recording "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye was a window into the social and political upheaval of that year. "Picket signs and picket lines. Don't punish me with brutality. Come on talk to me. So you can see. What's going on."  I think you'll agree that the three-minute video on how stock markets work was to-the-point. And now you know what a wiki is so you and your friends can create and maintain one. Yaaay!

I've enjoyed listening to the students' short presentations on This Day in History and, from what some have told me, students are finding value in this exercise, as it allows them to practice a short talk in front of the class. Plus, they're learning some historical trivia (which will come in handy if anyone ever becomes a contestant on Jeopardy!) There was the debate on social networking, the discussion on "success" and how you define it, the TED talks, and the timed TOEFL speaking. All of these activities contribute to the goal of giving students practice and getting feedback on their speaking and presentation skills.

The Call of the Wild

Here is a link to the original, full-length novel, which was first published in 1903 as a magazine serial over a two-month period. Many famous novels (notably several by Charles Dickens) first appeared in magazine serial format. It was an effective way of getting an audience "hooked" on the story and boost magazine sales while giving the author time to write the rest of the book. If the story was good enough, readers were sure to buy the next issue to see what would happen next. I'm not sure that this was true in Jack London's case, but it's said that Dickens often did not know how his stories would end before they became serialized. Stephen King is the most recent practioner of this method of publishing fiction. His novel "The Green Mile" was printed in six parts, one month at a time.

This photograph of Jack London was taken three years before "The Call of the Wild" was published.

VOA Special English

Voice of America (VOA) is an unparalleled resource for improving your reading, listening, and pronunciation skills. Listening to what you read, as you read it, will accelerate your comprehension. Click here for a direct link. Check out the American History Series and deepen your understanding of how America became what it is today, with all of its complexities and contradictions.

Context and Culture

The dictionary defines context as the verbal or written environment in which a word or group of words occurs, or as the circumstances (setting, situation) in which an event occurs. This environment (surrounding text) helps determine meaning.

We use context to guess (figure out) the meaning of an unknown word according to what we understand the surrounding text (words and sentences) to mean. However, contextual meaning has many different dimensions attached to it.

In an article about Ray Charles, readers will experience many layers of meaning, depending on their background knowledge of the following: Ray Charles; blues and gospel music; race relations in America in 1930, when Ray was born; the way blind people learn how to read with their fingers; the Grammy awards.

If you have zero background knowledge about any of these topics, it is almost impossible to appreciate the many dimensions associated with Ray Charles. Unless you have been steeped (see def. 2) in American history and popular culture, you won't fully understand the meaning of the article, beyond the fact that it's about a guy who was orphaned and blind by the age of 15, who was credited with inventing a new type of music, and who won numerous awards.

Linguistic context draws its meaning from culture, and culture is the sum total of history, art, traditions, customs, religious beliefs, ways of speaking, kinds of food, and the shared experiences of a tribe, community, or nation whose members assign meaning to all of these things, and whose meaning is shared by all members. It is the thing we indentify with, and how we identify each other -- our way of thinking, talking, eating, and interacting with one another.

Language and culture are two interdependent strands, woven together and storing information like the double helix of a DNA molecule. The genetic code of language and culture, like DNA, is carried in these interwoven strands. 

If I could convey one small piece of advice, it is this: immerse yourself in American culture for as long as you are studying in the USA. I'm not saying that you should lose your native cultural identity. I'm suggesting that you learn to think like an American and learn the cultural ways of Americans. As you absorb American culture, I guarantee that you will learn English much faster.That means watching TV, reading American magazines and newspapers, and interacting and speaking with Americans as much as possible. Your experience studying in the USA will be the richer for it. Don't sacrifice your cultural identity, but don't be afraid to wear a new one either, even temporarily. To understand another person (or culture, in this case) sometimes requires you to walk in their shoes.

Neither language nor culture exists in isolation, which is why an understanding of American culture will accelerate your progress in learning English. To understand the environment in which something exists is to understand the thing itself.

Ray Charles

On page 25 of Book A we read a short passage about the late Ray Charles, a giant of American music. Take a listen and watch him perform one of his signature songs, "Georgia On My Mind."

Here is another one of his classic hits, "Hit the Road, Jack."

Fact or Opinion?

You can expect the last paragraph (the conclusion) of a typical academic text to include a summary of the main idea. Sometimes the author will also add his or her opinion to the conclusion. Learn to understand the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are supported by evidence. Facts have a basis in reality and are difficult to argue or dispute. On the other hand, an opinion is a belief or judgment not supported by proof (evidence). Learn to be skeptical of opinions. Which is not to say that you shouldn't respect them. Most of the time, opinions can be reliable, based on the author's experience. Depending on how much you trust the author, his or her opinion could make sense. Just be careful to keep an open mind when an opinion is offered. It could indeed be based on sound judgment based on experience and facts. Or it could simply be hot air. If you trust the source, you can generally trust the opinion. You decide.

Fact: If you take the TOEFL, you'll be expected to understand the difference between fact and opinion.

Opinion: To accelerate your progress, you should read in English for at least 30 minutes a day outside the classroom.

Synonyms and Flash Cards

Synonyms are an important part of the vocabulary-building process. They allow you to say the same thing using different words that mean the same. Synonyms add variety to your speech and writing, allowing nuance, or shades of meaning. Synonyms also help you figure out the meaning of a reading passage, should you run across an unknown word and you don't have time to look it up in the dictionary. Finally, learning the synonym for each new word added to your English vocabulary allows you to double the number of new words that you learn.

The root of synonym is syn, which comes from Greek, meaning the same or together. Other words in English that use the syn root are synchronize, syndrome, synthesize, and synopsis.

When keeping a word list or making flash cards, be sure to include the synonym. Looking up the word in any dictionary should yield a synonym or two. A better source, as I discussedr in class today, is a thesauraus, which is available wherever dictionaries are sold. Owning a thesaurus is highly recommended.

When making flash cards, write everything in English, but include a translation in your native language if necessary. Study your flash cards any time you have a free moment. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how rapidly your vocabulary will increase. Index cards can be purchased at any store that sells stationery (CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Publix, Staples). Or simply cut a sheet of regular size paper into small units.

Vocabulary -- What is it Good For?

Absolutely everything.

(On a side note, check out this hilarious clip from the movie "Rush Hour," starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, in which the classic 70's urban protest song "War" is playing in the background. And while you're on YouTube, take a look at the music video of the song, from 1970, to understand the historical and cultural context.)

Unlike war, vocabulary is good for absolutely everything. Perhaps your most important task as an English learner is to build up your vocabulary. A limited vocabulary will hold you back, and prevent you from understanding and speaking English effectively.

Developing your vocabulary is time-consuming, but, unfortunately, there is no shortcut.
Although it's true that you will acquire new words just by hanging out with native English speakers, or even by watching TV, you must continuously learn and use new words until you reach a level of fluency. Using new words (speaking, writing) is the surest path to total acquisition.

Did you click on the link just above, on the word shortcut? It's linked to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/. I recommend bookmarking this site, the best online English dictionary I have found. Not only does it provide excellent definitions, but it also allows you to hear how the word is pronounced. You will also find translations in your native language.

Now I have two words for you when it comes to learning vocabulary: flash cards. There is no better method. Word lists are also good, but flash cards are better.  After making a flash card, start learning the word. Keep at it until you've learned it. When you've learned a word, put the flash card away --you won't need it anymore. Try your new words on friends and teachers -- they will be suitably impressed! Use new words in conversation whenever you can. Practice saying them out loud to yourself and others. And if you forget the correct pronunciation, ask a native speaker, or find the word on http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ and play the audio.

Technology -- you gotta love it. Wish I had the Internet when I was a student. But sometimes low-tech is the way to go. And you can't get more low-tech than a 3'' x 5" index card and a pencil.

Pre-Reading

By pre-reading we mean the activity that takes place before you begin to read a new passage (the prefix pre means before). Pre-reading includes previewing, scanning, and predicting. Your background knowledge will determine how much you already know about the subject of your reading. Looking at the pictures and reading the photo captions and subtitles (all part of previewing) will give you an idea of what the article is about. Scanning or skimming over the paragraphs and focusing on the first few words of each paragraph is also very useful.

VOCABULARY

preview (v.) to look at something in advance
scan (v.) to look over quickly
predict (v.) to offer an opinion on what might happen in the future
caption (n.) the title beneath a picture or photo in a text
boldface (v.) to highlight a word in a document by making it darker
background (n.) the environment or setting against which something is displayed
knowledge (n.) learning; understanding gained through study

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

A tourist stops a man on the street in New York City and asks, "Excuse me, sir. How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The man's reply: "Practice, practice, practice."

This is a classic joke. Carnegie Hall is among the world's most famous concert venues; only the best musicians perform there.

The joke, of course, is that the tourist is merely asking for directions, while the man being asked the question interprets it differently. To him, the question "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" means "How do I get good enough to be able to perform at Carnegie Hall?" or "How do I develop the necessary skills?" The punchline (that is, the part of the joke that makes it funny) is "practice, practice, practice" rather than "go two blocks south, turn right on 53rd St., walk two more blocks, and you're there."

So how do you "get to," or arrive at, becoming a better reader in English? By practicing. Read in English for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. It doesn't matter what: a newspaper, a magazine, a book, an Internet Website, or the back of a breakfast cereal box. Get into the habit of reading in English, and don't worry if you don't understand what you're reading -- do it anyway. Your comprehension will gradually improve as your vocabulary expands.

Reading is a skill. As with any learned skill, performance improves with time, practice, and repetition. The more you read, the better you'll read. So tell me: how do you get to Carnegie Hall again?