Studying English

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I have been an English teacher for a long time. I usually teach English to Korean nationals. Few people in the world are more disturbed than Koreans over English. Most Koreans readily admit that knowing how to communicate in English is one of the most important professional qualifications. And many of them give up their free time and their hard-earned cash to improve their skill. But few of them know how to go about it effectively. On the one hand, the linguistic structures of Koreans and English are very different, and so a keen understanding of grammar is thought necessary in acquiring the other language. On the other hand, native speakers do not often speak well in grammatical sense, but they certainly can communicate their ideas and feelings very adequately. In fact, the grammar-oriented study that most Koreans undergo at school does not much help them to talk and listen in real life. It is even the sad truth that, despite a large vocabulary and deep grammatical knowledge, most Koreans do not write in English very well, either. The lack of English skill is often cited as an impediment to the Korean economic advance, since most of the world does its business in that language. Some people have suggested that there is only one way to solve the problem: make English proficiency the most important part of university entrance exams. After all, Korean students and their parents will do whatever it takes to get a degree from a top-class school. But other people (perhaps in jest) insist that the best way to learn English is to marry an American and move to the States. Korean mylotters are very welcome to comment on this. By the way, I am now an on-line English teacher for Korean nationals.