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Dear diary ...
In many of our book/audio and online courses we encourage learners to keep a Language Journal, because this can really be a great tool, at any level. The best thing about a journal is that it allows you to do so many things at once. First, you can practice vocabulary and structures that you already know, in order to keep them fresh and active in your memory. Second, you can put new vocabulary and structures to use immediately, so they go right into your active memory. Third, you can add new vocabulary that's not in your course but that's especially useful or interesting to you and your lifestyle. All you need is a good dictionary and a little creativity. And finally, if you keep a Language Journal over the course of your studies, you can go back and see just how much progress you've made. Don't let the name "journal" scare you. You can start one even on the very first day that you begin learning a new language. You don't have to be able to express anything deep. If you're a beginner, just write words and phrases about your home or family or what you happen to be looking at when you're writing: house, car, husband, daughter ... As you learn more, put those words and phrases into simple sentences: We have a white house. I have a small car .. When you tackle more verbs, you can start talking about your typical daily routine: I work in an office. My daughter goes to school ... And when you've learned things like the past or future tense, you can write about your day, or your plans for the weekend. As you learn more vocabulary, you can challenge yourself to be more creative and expressive, and you can use your journal entries as opportunities to add new vocabulary. Did you see a ridiculous movie or meet a fascinating stranger or buy a new wireless router? Look it up and write it down! The more often you can use your Language Journal, the better. If you can spare ten or twenty minutes a day to jot down a few sentences, that's great. (Don't worry about being perfect - nobody's grading you, and it'll be a good learning exercise to go back later and recognize your earlier mistakes.) But even if you can only fit in a few days a week, you'll see that keeping a Language Journal can really help you with your new language. Tags: language journal, newsletter, tips
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