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很多人常來問﹐如何學好外語 ： (with English being the most popular 外語.) 也有不少人問“如何說﹐寫﹐得地道的英文﹖“
One of the most popular questions you will find on an “English Corner” type board is: “How do I go about learning English well?” You will also find the related question:” How can I become so fluent that I can speak and write like a native-speaker?”
　　
　　
　　其實你不用問別人﹐只需問自己以下這個假設的問題﹕如有老外問你﹐”我如何學好中文, 我如何練得地道的中文。“你會怎樣答他﹖”
There is actually no need for you to ask someone else that question; you only have to ask yourself the following hypothetical question.
If a foreigner were to ask you: “ How do I go about learning Chinese well? How can I become so fluent that I can mimic the speech and writing of a Chinese?” what would you have said to him?
　　
　　
　　你一定會說﹕多聽﹐多讀﹐多練習 (寫﹐說) 。
　　你一定會說﹕要了解中國的文化﹐要懂一些歷史﹐神話﹐童謠等等。
　　你說對不對。
　　所以你不用去問別人“我如何學好英語。” 你已有答案。
　　
You probably would tell him to read a lot, listen more and practice writing and speaking as much as possible. On top of that, you would tell him that knowing a bit of Chinese tradition, culture, history, myths and legends, folklore, children’s rhymes …, will all contribute to his proficiency in the language.
　　
　　 So, there you have it. You do not need to go around asking other people how you could become proficient in English. You have the answer all along. All you need to do is to apply those same principles you would have given to this foreigner and apply them to your own situation.
　　
　　
　　 I am not here to endorse or condemn any particular method of learning. One must realize that different people would thrive under different techniques. (However, I do object to certain hypes and misleading promotional methods used by certain schools.) Just remember the old saying:” All roads lead to Rome” 條條大路通羅馬。“ All you need is to follow the principle of: 　耳濡目染 持之以恆

The following are two follow up posts in response to queries and comments from readers.

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The following are follow-up posts in another forum, in reply to other peoples comments and questions.

(I) To the people who commented, "(It is)  Easier said than done."
　　Yes, I do agree. But keep in mind that whether it can be "done"　or not depends solely on your commitment and determination.
　　
　　 Rule No. I : Don‘t make excuses.
　　 Rule No. 2: Make it happen.
　　
If you said , twenty or thirty year ago, that " It is difficult for me to get English materials to read and listen to." I would have agreed with you completely. But today, with TV, CDs, and the Internet, there is just no excuse.
　　
　　 For most people, the problem is " not enough time." Well, if　you are really determined to make a go at it, you will have
to make time. How do you make time ? You make sacrifices.
　　
When you go to work or school, do you put on a pair of earphones and listen to music. Why not put on a language tape on instead. Here is a bit of trivia for you. Do you know how the "walkman" came into being? Sony engineers noticed Japanese students were constantly listening to language tapes on poorly made tape recorder. That gave them the idea of a producing a good quality portable music system.
　　
　　 When you, ahm... go to the toilet, what do you bring? A newspaper, a magazine, playboy, playgirl ....? Why not bring an English novel? Do you read when you go to bed? Why not make it an English novel instead of a Chinese one? Go through your day and see what "time slots" you can use for reading and listening. Even if it is only half an hour a day, but if you do it day in and day out, you will find yourself making enormous progress.
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(2) I strongly believe that writing can only be improved by reading a lot and with as many different variety of books as possible. Of course, you need to practice writing too. The key is in the variety. Anything that is well written, be it the classics, novels or children‘s literature.

　　I don‘t believe in concentrating on only one set of books. No matter how good that set of books is, it is not 天書 .
　　
Reading a lot is a "brain washing process." After a while, you will be able to have an idea what is proper English and what is not. You will be able to recognize what is comprehensible English and what is not. When you reach that stage, you will be able to notice the flaws in your own writing.
　　
　　
　　 Spoken English can be improved by carrying on an imaginary conversation with the characters on a TV --live or a recorded VCD/DVD. Just make sure you do not look at the Chinese subtitles. Or you can tape conversations from TV shows and use that. Repeat after the actors. After a while, listen to person A, stop the tape, and supply the answer for person B. You don‘t have to have the exact answers. The idea is to be able to talk back intelligently to person A.