Speaking English - 5 rules to go by - English lessons

There is a lot of controversy about learning a new language.  Most Elementary schools teach a lot of grammar at the beginning. This is because conceptually, learning grammar is the basics of a language, and the theory goes that if you know grammar you can speak.  This works for some languages, that have a straightforward system of verbs, like Hebrew, where there are only a few exceptions. But as English has many exceptions in all sorts of ways, learning grammar can be less useful.  

Read this article and be ready to discuss it with your English teacher 
http://www.talkenglish.com/ExtraLessons/SpeakingRules.aspx

Key Terms:
 fluent
small fraction
communicate effectively
causative verb
 automatic
requirement
 listening portion
submerge 
environment
constantly


Questions
What is your native language?
Do you know the grammar of your native language? 
Did you study grammar of your native language at school?
How well do you write in your native language?
When did you start learning English? 
What was the focus of your English classes? 
What differences are there between your native language and English. 
After reading this text, how do you feel about learning English grammar?
Which of these "rules" did you know about before? 
Which of them will you start to apply right now? 
Who do you speak English most of the time? 
Does it help you to speak English with non-native speakers? 
How many times a week do you need to speak English? 
Which subjects do you like to talk about in English?  
Are these different subjects than what you talk about in your mother tongue?