— By Liu Jun, a professor of English at the University of Arizona, USA
Chinese students of English are sometimes known for their ability to start a conversation in English—for the first few minutes—with accurate pronunciation and intonation.
Then they get tongue-tied when the conversation moves beyond the surface. The reason for the difficulties in carrying on a longer talk in English could be the way English is taught in China: an overemphasis on what is known as “formulaic” English (标准英语).
That includes vocabulary out of context and set phrases, pattern drills, and situation dialogues memorized through excessive practice in the classroom.
Although communicative ability has been the goal of English teaching in China for more than two decades（十年）, the local reality does not reflect the official rhetoric（言谈）.
Many English learners have asked me how they could improve their English so that they could feel comfortable enough to communicate with a native English speaker. While there is no simple recipe（诀窍）, my advice is simple: To learn English well, you have to be a user. That is, an effective way to learn English well is to use it as much as possible.
The difference between learning and using English is in the context（语境）. No matter how much English you learn in the classroom, you are still learning it in an artificial way, which is different from, say, using it at a supermarket for shopping.
Since, in Chinese society, English is seldom used for real action or problem solving, it is difficult for learners to be users.
But, opportunities can be created on and off campus（校园内外）. English corner, reading groups, discussion groups, email, and problem-solving groups can be formed where topics and themes are decided or negotiated.
Whenever possible, native English speakers or proficient non-native English speakers can be invited to join in the discussion.
To make the activities more effective, a recorded news report from CNN or BBC can be used as a focal point, or an editorial form, say, Times magazine or Newsweek for a discussion point. The focus of communication is on the meaning you build around a topic rather than on sentence patterns or grammar.
There is an old saying: Learn to swim by swimming. So, learn to speak English by speaking whenever possible. Only by getting into conversation can we move beyond formulaic English and become language users.
While teachers could help their students create a communication environment for English outside the classroom, it is ultimately the students who should take control of their own learning experience and create the chances.
Question for thinking:
What is the author's advice for English learners to improve their English?
