ACADEMICS
LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Practice Writing • Start writing your papers now.
Don’t wait until they are due. Ask your professors if you can write short papers to prepare for writing the larger assignments.
• Keep copies of your writing as well as a diary of mistakes and corrections so that you learn from them. • Use an all-English dictionary. Avoid pocket bilingual dictionaries. They often offer incomplete or misleading translations.
• Use A Writer’s Reference by Diane Hacker, St. Martin’s Press. It is an excellent reference book to help you write in line with conventional style. It is available at most academic bookstores.
• Correspond via email with friends.
This is a nice low-pressure way to get comfortable with writing. Get help with grammar, proof-reading and sources at the Writing Center (see page 28).
• Keep a record of new vocabulary. Carry a small notebook all the time. Write new words and expressions, including how to pronounce them, a definition, and a sample sentence. For example: To turn down (/t^rndaun/) to deny, not accept an offer:
She was offered a job in Spain but turned it down to stay with him in New York.
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Think About Grammar • Learn from your mistakes. Avoid making the same mistakes over and over by keeping a list of the mistakes and corrections. For example: WRONG: I very much like New York. RIGHT: I like New York very much. WRONG: Did you went to Peru? RIGHT: Did you go to Peru?
• Study grammar on your own.
The New School’s English Language Studies Program recommends that you use Basic Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy, Cambridge University Press. It is available at most academic bookstores. Remember to get the answer key so that you can correct yourself and ask someone questions you might have.