How can i improve my english language?

Question

i'm a brazilian and i have been studying english for two years i think i am quit good at it , to try to improve my skills faster i bought an english dictionary and i always write down all the words that i dont know the meaning, however i have about four hundred words written down my note book i always find new words it's been driving me crazy because when i think i have learnt everything then i found other great amount of words that i dont know their meaning. To help me with that i have got alot of friends who study english with me and i also have native english-speakers friends who are from the Uk but when i'm talking to them they always tell me some slang words which i assimilate and practice them with my american friends but sometimes my american friends dont understand the words i'm speaking so i sit back on my chair open the internet and research my vocabulary all again. Could you help me and Advise me which english pronounciation i should follow the british or the american??

i also wonder if it would be worth to kind of adopt the way of speaking of any country which their citizens speak english like just use their slang words and their pronounciation.

Answer 1

The reason English is so hard to learn is that it is a hodge podge of several languages. British English is different from American English. West coast English is different from East coast, and southern is different also. Black English (Ebonics) is different still. Often, we who were born and raised in America can't understand each other.
TV news is the most typically American English in vocabulary and accent.
It depends on where you are going to live to determine the most appropriate. Americans often consider British English as snooty and dismissive. Brits consider Americans as vulgar. Slang is another whole thing. People make up words because their vocabulary is too small to express what they mean. The Internet has spawned a whole new set of words also. Each year the Old English Dictionary (OED) publishes a list of new words that will go in the book. An example is Google. Google is a proper noun describing an internet search engine. However google has made its way into the language as a verb. Got a question? Let me google it.
I don't know what you intend as your life's work, but it sounds as if you have a good grasp of the basics. As long as you can understand and have others understand you, you are are a success. In other words--if you are going to do your life's work in Britain (not Australia which is different still), speak as your Brit friends do. If you are going to spend you life in America, learn the American version(s).
I'll bet no American uses all the 400 words on your word list. And don't ever be afraid to ask What does that mean?" You'll never learn everything because English is dynamic and changes all the time. How many of your friends can speak more than one language?
Good luck, and relax.You can't possibly know everything there is to know about everything. If your friends don't understand you, try to find another way to say it. This will help build your vocabulary.

Answer 2

Wow. Use some punctuation. Like periods. Please.
Try learning sets of vocabulary like "foods" or "places" and not just random words all the time (there's nothing wrong with that, but of you have 400 something words that you have no idea what they mean, it's obviously not working.) I'm American, but I don't know what's better pronounciation. Americans really screw up English, so I'd suggest sticking to British. I've been studying English since I was two and I still take classes and learn new vocabulary and learn grammar.

Answer 3

If you speak as well as you write you have no problems at all.

Dont worry about slang,it is a bad habit of ours anyway,you wont need it. Jusk ask what it means when it comes up in conversation. Slang is different all over the country also and no one could ever or need to learn it all. It is different in every little area of the UK. When you live in a part of the UK you will learn the slang in that area, but its not a really important issue. Dont stress over it.

Answer 4

It seems you have a good grasp of English already, but you should learn the rules of capitalisation in written English - they are not difficult.
The differences between British English and American English are not great obviously the spelling of some words is very different. As for slang then Brits and Americans do not always understand each other anyway, and they sometimes use the same word for very different things, for example *** in British English is a cigarette and in US English it refers to a homosexual. Pants in UK English are underpants, and in the US they are trousers.
Pronunciation is sometimes different as well.
Try to talk to your English speaking friends as often as you can and do not be afraid or embarrassed to make mistakes as we all make mistakes.
And being British myself but living in Thailand I would suggest you try to use the British English system as it is used in many more countries and by many more people than the American version of English.

Answer 5

Don't stress out. Even people who were raised on the English language don't know every word in the dictionary. It depends on where you live concerning what type on English you should be focused on. Just continue to speak the language everyday and you will pick up on how it is spoken.

Answer 6

Try using a number of different chat rooms and familiarise yourself with the slang. Pay particular interest to where in the UK the person is from as there is different slang in different areas.

Also try and practise speaking by swapping Skype details with someone in the UK.

Answer 7

I think you are doing well. Your English writing is excellent.

Friends can help you more then books. Keep working with them

Follow the American pronunciation. It is most widely used.

I wish I had a Spanish speaking friend to help me. I have been working on Spanish pero mi espanol es muy pobre.

Answer 8

I would suggest talking with English speakers at every opportunity. When I am in a country whose language I am just learning, I often ask people for directions, just to have a conversation in their language.

Shop for groceries in stores where they don't speak Portugese. Have lots of conversations.

Answer 9

If you want to speak like Native English speaker you have to live in England a long period of time.

Answer 10

As most people have commented " It´s practise that makes perfect". Whenever, whereever and whoever.
As to the pronunciation I wouldn´t worry to much about which one to learn. Try and learn and distinguish both of them.