Mr. Vig is traveling this week.
So I’m going to send you lessons from the archive.
Next week, he’ll be back with fresh, new lessons.
Enjoy,
Ivana
Assistant to Mr. Vig
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CASTELTON, VIRGINIA (30 April 2020)
I feel like a genius!
I just learned five new Italian words before breakfast this morning!
Guess what the Italian word for police is…
It’s polizia!
Guess what the Italian word for rice is…
It’s riso!
And guess what the Italian word for “feedback” is…
It’s feedback!
Before Italian, I was struggling with the Czech language.
Guess what the Czech word for “feedback” is…
Zpětná vazba!
So, I like Italian.
Great way to start the day!
Already, I’m thinking about my first conversation.
But I know I must wait.
I’ll tell you why in a sec…
ON THE FARM
While the world panics, I’m living a peaceful life on my family farm in Northern Virginia.
Here’s the plan: As soon as Italy opens up, I will hop on an airplane and fly to Rome.
Why Rome?
Well, I’ve always wanted to see it.
However, I’m not keen on crowds (and Rome is famous for its crowds of tourists).
But if I’m the first tourist to return, then I’ll have the city to myself!
Sound like a good plan?
THE CORRECT ORDER
How do most people learn a new skill?
Everything all at once.
Then they feel overwhelmed — it’s too much — and they quit.
A better approach is to break down the skill into small pieces.
If you were learning tennis, you might first learn the rules, then how to hold the racket, how to stand, how to hit the ball, etc.
Those are the pieces of tennis.
So what are the pieces of English?
And what order should you learn them in?
English textbooks give you a mix of everything in each chapter.
A little bit of vocabulary, a little bit of listening, a little bit of speaking…
But the polyglots — the guys and gals who learn lots of languages — they think that’s a bad idea.
Better: focus on one thing at a time.
But what’s the correct order?
Cheers,
Mr. Vig