Leia Mais:http://economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,inflacao--indexacao-e-feijao-com-arroz,10000018676
Assine o Estadão All Digital + Impresso todos os dias
Siga @Estadao no TwitterLeia Mais:http://economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,inflacao--indexacao-e-feijao-com-arroz,10000018676
Assine o Estadão All Digital + Impresso todos os dias
Siga @Estadao no TwitterLeia Mais:http://economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,inflacao--indexacao-e-feijao-com-arroz,10000018676
Assine o Estadão All Digital + Impresso todos os dias
Siga @Estadao no Twitter

Inflação, indexação e ‘feijão com arroz’

Gustavo H. B. Franco

28 Fevereiro 2016 | 07h 38

Toda vez que ouço que a inflação é causada pela indexação eu sinto um frio na barriga. Sobretudo quando há um desastre fiscal em andamento, as autoridades não acham grave e muita gente pensa em elevar o gasto público.
Mas foi isso o que disse o ex-ministro Bresser-Pereira, outro dia, no Roda Viva, diante do semblante cordato, e invariavelmente debochado, do professor Belluzzo.
Bresser dizia também que vinha conversando com um parlamentar que tencionava propor uma lei vedando a indexação em relações econômicas onde o poder público fosse parte. Pelo que entendi, isso seria uma nova e poderosa ideia para prevenir ou combater a inflação.
Lembrei que os dois professores tinham sido figuras proeminentes em dois congelamentos de preços fracassados no Brasil, em 1986 e 1987, 30 anos passados. Nada a estranhar.
A ideia de que a indexação causa a inflação é um exemplo admirável de uma frase célebre do jornalista americano Henry Mencken, uma das favoritas do ex-ministro Pedro Malan, segunda a qual “para cada problema complexo, há sempre uma solução que é simples, elegante e errada”.
Afinal se a ideia fizesse algum sentido esses dois congelamentos teriam funcionado, assim como os outros três, em 1988, 1990 e 1991.
Na mente desse povo alternativo há algo que Mario Henrique Simonsen definiu certa vez como “um princípio de contra-indução”, pelo qual uma experiência que dá errado, em vez de atestar a morte de uma hipótese, resulta em nova tentativa, até que a coisa funcione.
Pois bem, é importante ter claras as razões pelas quais é um erro dizer que a indexação causa a inflação, pois esta é uma crença e muito perigosa nesse momento em particular.
Primeiro, vamos a uma definição mais precisa de indexação: trata-se de comportamento pelo qual uma pessoa, física ou jurídica, fixa seus preços e salários desejados, ou simplesmente manuseia grandezas monetárias, tendo em mente o poder de compra da moeda. Não há muito mistério aqui. As pessoas, como regra, não confundem valores nominais com valores reais, ou seja, não estão sujeitas a uma doença que os economistas designam como “ilusão monetária”.
Nos cursos de introdução a economia, quando os professores explicam esse conceito, os alunos sempre reagem como se já soubessem disso desde sempre. Podem mesmo ter aprendido antes do ensino médio, quando ganharam a primeira mesada. É este o momento onde terão de descobrir por conta própria quantos picolés se compra com aquele dinheirinho. Ninguém esquece dessa descoberta, sobretudo se, no segundo mês, o mesmo dinheiro não for suficiente para o picolé.
Portanto, a indexação é o comportamento pelo qual as pessoas demonstram que não possuem “ilusão monetária”, e pelo qual elas sempre relacionarão as grandezas nominais a algum índice que tenha a ver com o custo de vida, picolés ou dólares, pois o dinheiro é apenas um pedaço de papel, seu valor é sempre relativo a alguma coisa.
Como imaginar que um comportamento tão inocente e natural possa ser a causa da inflação? Não seria um despautério uma lei que nos obrigasse à ilusão monetária?
É claro que a indexação não causa a perda do poder de compra da moeda, esteja a indexação escrita num contrato ou apenas intuitivamente na mente das pessoas.
Proibir a indexação é como congelar preços, é como proibir o cálculo da inflação ou tentar impedir qualquer efeito que o conhecimento do índice de inflação possa ter nas ações das pessoas. Desindexação, por sua vez, é quando ninguém quer praticá-la, é o que se passa nos Estados Unidos, onde as pessoas acham mais simples não pensar em cláusulas de correção monetária, ou em contas de poder compra.
Desindexação é a ausência de restrições à indexação, coisa que ocorre em países onde as pessoas confiam que o governo não vai lhes enganar.
A ideia de criar embaraços à indexação é, na verdade, uma forma insidiosa de fazer um congelamento pela metade, ou de forma seletiva. Mas, a despeito da nossa longa experiência com esse tipo de expediente, Dilma Rousseff foi capaz de nos impor um choque heterodoxo em câmera lenta ao fazer um semicongelamento (ou “desindexação parcial”) dos preços públicos a partir de 2010 e com mais vigor em 2012.
Com esse truque velho, amansou artificialmente a inflação e obteve a sua reeleição, após a qual soltou os preços. É impressionante que a velha fórmula populista, de que se valeu o governo em 1986, 30 anos atrás, ainda pudesse funcionar.
Talvez tenha sido a passagem do tempo, que fez as pessoas esquecerem como é ser enganado pelo governo dessa forma tosca e primária. No escurinho de seu gabinete, a presidente deve rir um bocado, juntamente com seus conselheiros econômicos, daqueles que diziam que as pessoas logo perceberiam a existência de “inconsistência temporal” em suas políticas.
Mas o erro está em pensar que a malandragem, esta e todas as outras, vão ficar impunes. O preço de iludir as pessoas é um dano irreparável na credibilidade, o que parece uma descrição bem amena para o fato de que nenhuma autoridade de primeiro escalão, em nossos dias, tem coragem de sair para jantar fora num restaurante comum.
Mas o fato é que a inflação está descontrolada.
A marca de 10% é muito perigosa, pois leva naturalmente a um encolhimento da “periodicidade” com que se recontrata preços, aumenta desproporcionalmente a variância das expectativas e torna as coisas muito mais instáveis. Mesmo diante da maior recessão da história do Brasil, a inflação não cede como deveria.
Fora do mundo da fantasia dos heterodoxos e alternativos, os economistas sabem que a inflação tem a ver com expectativas. As pessoas possuem uma compreensão muito sofisticada das coisas da economia, sabem fazer conta e não confiam em Dilma Rousseff.
Ao estabelecer quantias em dinheiro, para seus preços, salários, planos e desejos, as pessoas olham para trás e para os lados, mas principalmente para o futuro. E está me parecendo que o futuro voltou para o mesmo lugar em que estava no fim de 1987, depois do colapso do Plano Bresser e a ascensão da política econômica que passou a ser conhecida como o “feijão com arroz”. O novo ministro da Fazendo Mailson da Nóbrega definiu três prioridades, duas das quais eram “controlar a inflação em níveis razoáveis para a situação, de 15% ao mês (sic), e convencer a sociedade de que não haveria congelamento”.
Está me parecendo que voltamos exatamente a esse ponto, porém com um novo feijão com arroz, onde os 15% podem valer para a inflação anual e para o desemprego, a depender dos acontecimentos. Na essência, é como se a presidente tivesse outras preocupações, e não quisesse se aborrecer mais com os temas da economia. Ou como se tivesse desistido da economia.
De fato, se a presidente tem 10 chamadas telefônicas para devolver, 9 das quais associadas aos eventos de Curitiba e uma do ministro da Fazenda, quais ela vai atender primeiro?
*GUSTAVO H. B. FRANCO EX-PRESIDENTE DO BANCO CENTRAL E SÓCIO DA RIO BRAVO INVESTIMENTOS. ESCREVE NO ÚLTIMO DOMINGO DO MÊS

Viagem sem volta - Carlos Ayres Britto

Viagem sem volta

Carlos Ayres Britto*

28 Fevereiro 2016 | 03h 00

A lição vem de Einstein: “A mente que se abre para uma nova ideia não retorna ao tamanho primitivo”. A significar – penso – que um entendimento mais aberto ou arejado das coisas opera no indivíduo uma transformação. Mais que uma simples mudança de ordem subjetiva, uma conversão. O alcance de um mais elevado patamar de compostura humana ou de um superlativo modo de ser. Muito mais que eventual modificação de comportamento, o salto de uma visão de mundo para outra completamente distinta. Nova e superior cosmovisão, portanto. Algo assim como Shakespeare a dizer que “transformação é uma porta que se abre por dentro”. Uma porta que se abre para possibilitar até mesmo o visual do absoluto. Que já é o vislumbre do ponto de unidade entre o infinito e o eterno. Num grau de impactação tão forte que leva a pessoa natural a empreender uma viagem de qualidade que já não comporta retorno.
Reitero, porém, que esse clarão de consciência opera no plano individual. Por isso que passível de numerosas causas. Umas internas ao ser humano, outras externas, além do que insuscetíveis de hierarquização. Seja como for, são fontes de transmutação subjetiva que bem correspondem à ideia de salto quântico. Tal a rapidez e a radicalidade com que pode ocorrer a troca de um estado de ser para outro. Feito ondas a irromper no lugar de partículas da matéria subatômica dos prótons, elétrons e nêutrons. Eterno reino da subitaneidade, portanto. Ou do não se dar à fraqueza do pré-aviso em absolutamente nada.
Pois bem, não é assim no plano coletivo. O corpo social é muito mais pesado que o corpo individual – pondero – para experimentar saltos quânticos. Não é pelo princípio da subitaneidade que se dilata a consciência das sociedades humanas. Elas somente se abrem para o fenômeno da evolução, não da transformação. Dando-se que evolução é algo processual, gradativo, paulatino. Implica metamorfose, sim, mas daquele tipo experimentado pela rastejante lagarta, que passa pelas necessárias fases do casulo e da crisálida, antes da chegada ao estado de borboleta. Noutro dizer, evolução coletiva é sempre embate de culturas, a mais velha a oferecer todo tipo de resistência à mais nova. A velha e carcomida cultura ou ordem social antiga a não querer jamais abrir mão dos seus privilégios. Espécie de luta de boxe em que a vitória da nova e mais qualificada ordem é certa, mas sempre por pontos. Nunca por nocaute.
O bom desse meu entendimento das coisas é que, no Brasil, há quase 31 anos não cessa de reluzir no horizonte da consciência coletiva o astro rei de nome “democracia”. Uma democracia republicano-federativa que se faz, de ponta a ponta da Constituição de 1988, o princípio jurídico-político de maior hierarquia. Aquele princípio que, em todo o mundo civilizado, é sinônimo de humanismo. O único princípio capaz de conciliar centralidade individual e coesão social. Embora ciente de que não tem como triunfar num simples estalar de dedos ou num piscar de olhos. A sociedade não troca de cultura como quem troca de camisa, insisto na comparação com o indivíduo. Mas é perceptível que a nova ordem democrática brasileira mais e mais municia de informações os brasileiros e estrangeiros residentes no País. Mais e mais expande as fronteiras da cidadania para dotá-la de espírito crítico. Para fazer distinções que também habilitam o homem comum do povo a exigir de todos os agentes estatais, especialmente dos governantes, que façam o jogo da Constituição. O jogo da verdade constitucional. Por que assim?
Bem, é que fazer o jogo da verdade constitucional corresponde à abertura da coletividade para ideias que, no referido âmbito do indivíduo, promovem uma viagem de qualidade sem volta. Listo algumas, que penso rimadas com os respectivos princípios e regras:
1) A Constituição governa permanentemente quem governa transitoriamente;
2) o imperioso combate à impunidade tributária e penal propriamente dita começa com a rigorosa observância do enunciado republicano de que “todos são iguais perante a lei, sem distinção de qualquer natureza”;
3) as instituições públicas dividem-se em instituições que governam (Executivo e Legislativo) e instituições que não governam, mas impedem o desgoverno (polícia, Ministério Público, tribunais de contas, Poder Judiciário);
4) há dois tipos de legitimidade política: a legitimidade no plano da investidura (legitimidade eletiva) e legitimidade no plano do exercício, esta última a ser aferida por modo permanente;
5) permitir que empresas financiem campanha eleitoral é possibilitar a quem não possui título eleitoral eleger, de fato, os candidatos a cargo político;
6) não se pode impedir a imprensa de falar primeiro sobre as coisas nem o Poder Judiciário de falar por último;
7) os princípios constitucionais da legalidade, impessoalidade, moralidade, publicidade e eficiência são deveres estatais a que correspondem direitos da população.
Encerro. Isto para dizer que o último dos citados princípios – o da eficiência – é que também por último passou a ser internalizado como direito de todos. Mas uma internalização que, por igual, não admite retrocesso. Afinal, trata-se da ideia-força de que o povo tem todo o direito a uma administração e a um governo de qualidade. De excelência até. Governo e administração tocados por agentes tecnicamente capazes. Competentes. Preparados. Vocacionados para a condução da res... pública.
Mais ainda, um tipo de preparo ou competência ou capacidade ou vocação que passa pela criatividade como ferramenta de superação de qualquer tipo de crise. Uma especial aptidão para pensar fora da caixa, então, pois “loucura é querer resultados diferentes fazendo-se sempre a mesma coisa” (Albert Einstein, outra vez). É a comentada legitimidade pelo exercício, exigente de uma ininterrupta reinvenção que tem tudo a ver com o dito popular de que “quem não for competente não se estabeleça”.
*Ex-presidente do Supremo Tribunal Federal

a transformação do mundo (22022016)

A transformação do mundo

• Tags:
• MOISÉS NAÍM,
• PETRÓLEO,
• O ESTADO DE S. PAULO,
• Fórum Econômico Mundial

MOISÉS NAÍM*

22 Fevereiro 2016 | 02h 55

O mundo está mudando a uma velocidade difícil de processar, interpretar e digerir. Mais difícil ainda é antecipar suas consequências. Um relatório do banco Goldman Sachs oferece uma arbitrária, mas reveladora amostra quantitativa das mudanças ocorridas entre 2010 e 2015.
Neste período, a oferta mundial de petróleo aumentou 11% e seu preço caiu 60%. O preço do ferro baixou ainda mais, 77%, e o da alimentação 30%. Quais foram os preços que aumentaram? Entre outros, o do cacau, 11%, e do Lítio, 27%. Estas altas são impulsionadas pela demanda de uma nova e mais numerosa classe média que come mais chocolate e compra mais celulares com baterias de lítio. A penetração destes telefones passou de 19% da população para 75%, e os preços da telefonia celular caíram 58%. Em breve, quase toda a humanidade terá acesso à telefonia móvel, contribuindo para a digitalização já extremamente veloz da vida cotidiana.
Em 2010, o Facebook tinha 600 milhões de usuários ativos por mês. Hoje, 1,6 bilhão de pessoas o usam mensalmente. O YouTube recebia 24 horas de vídeos a cada minuto, enquanto, no ano passado, recebeu 400 horas por minuto. O número de viajantes que se alojaram em quartos ou foram morar em casas oferecidos via Airbnb saltou de 47 mil para 17 milhões. Os artigos disponíveis na Wikipédia aumentaram de 17 milhões para 37 milhões.
Nestes cinco anos, também ocorreu uma revolução energética. Não só o preço do petróleo despencou, como os Estados Unidos superaram a Arábia Saudita e a Rússia como produtores. O preço de uma lâmpada LED caiu 78%, o de uma bateria de Li-Ion 60% e o custo da energia solar em 37%. A eficiência no uso do combustível de uma caminhonete Ford F-150 aumentou 29%. Em 2010, a companhia de maior valor de mercado no mundo era a Petrochina. Em 2015, foi a Apple.
Profundas mudanças também ocorreram no mundo do trabalho. Os salários continuaram estagnados nos países mais avançados, enquanto na China aumentaram 54%. Muitos acham que o desemprego e os baixos salários se devem à automação e ao fato de os robôs estarem substituindo os trabalhadores. De fato, nos EUA, o número de robôs industriais vendidos nos últimos cinco anos cresceu 89%. Entretanto, o número total de robôs em uso é ainda muito baixo e o seu impacto sobre o emprego ainda não é significativo.
Outro relatório divulgado recentemente também lança uma luz interessante sobre as grandes transformações em curso. Nos últimos dez anos, o Fórum Econômico Mundial vem preparando seu Relatório Anual de Riscos Globais. O documento usa como base as percepções de 750 conceituados especialistas de diferentes áreas e países a respeito dos principais riscos que o mundo enfrenta. Durante muitos anos, a crise econômica mundial ocupou o primeiro lugar das preocupações dos especialistas. Agora, não mais.
Na edição deste ano, a questão das mudanças climáticas chega ao primeiro lugar como a mais grave e de maior impacto entre todos os riscos contemplados. A seguir, vêm a proliferação de armas de destruição em massa, os conflitos em razão da escassez da água, e os enormes movimentos migratórios involuntários.
Entretanto, é possível que, com o aquecimento global, a mudança mais importante dos últimos anos seja o aumento da nossa capacidade de alterar a biologia. Em 2010, o custo do sequenciamento de um genoma era US$ 47 mil. Cinco anos mais tarde, caiu para US$ 1,3 mil. E continua caindo. Será um risco ou uma oportunidade? / TRADUÇÃO DE ANNA CAPOVILLA
* MOISÉS NAÍM É ESCRITOR VENEZUELANO E MEMBRO DO CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT EM WASHINGTON

11 easy and efficient ways to buil knowledge, self teach and learn every day

11 Easy and Efficient Ways to Build Knowledge, Self Teach, and Learn Every Day

August 14, 2012 by Alex Mathers 29 Comments

I’m a firm believer in the massive benefits of ongoing self-teaching in contributing to not only increased knowledge as we progress through life, but in self confidence, creativity, improved imagination, memory and, ultimately happiness (or at least a glimpse of it!).
Some of the greatest rewards in my life have sprung out of the investments I have made into learning for myself. I’m not talking about school in this sense, though that still had some value, but in actually putting in my own time to absorb new information about things I am interested in.
The process of self-teaching and learning is entirely different to what we experience when we are taught by others because in the latter we are not responsible except to do the work and hand in assignments on time.
When we take charge on things that truly interest us, there is a force at play that I think is even more stimulating and powerful than could ever be emulated in the classroom.

“There is a force at play more powerful than could ever be emulated in the classroom.”

Those who have demonstrated tremendous success in various fields, whether sportsmen, artists, scientists and mountaineers, have been shown to have dedicated significant resources to self learning and building up knowledge and skills throughout life.
As a sidenote, self-teaching shouldn’t be thought of as selfish, because in building up our own abilities in this passionate way, we are becoming more valuable people to society as a whole.
As we get ‘busier’ and time becomes seemingly more scarce, what are some good ways to fit in some time for knowledge absorption in your day to day?
I give you eleven!
1. Read in bed before you fall asleep instead of watching films or tv.
2. Wake up a little earlier each day and put in some extra learning time.
3. Play audio-books and other audio material in the car or in your headphones when commuting to work.
4. Put up a message board where you will see it and constantly add new points to learn.
5. Play audio material when doing other things like cooking, taking a bath and running.
6. Make a deliberate decision to cut down on certain activities each week, especially procrastinating, and focusing a few hours on self teaching.
7. Dedicate your lunch break or other eating break to a time for eating and learning. If you can stomach it – at the same time!
8. Checking email is almost impossible to avoid these days (though reducing time spent reading them will help you make more time for learning), but you might consider building learning into your email-checking ritual.
Send yourself an article or something interesting to watch or read every evening (ideally focusing on things that you are working on as part of your self-teaching), to be read at some point the next day.
9. Replace TV with learning. Yes, that means turning off the tv and reading instead.
10. Use a Kindle or other handheld book storage device, or bring a book around, and read whenever you have an appropriate spare moment.
11. Teach others, perhaps even teach as a full-time career. This will make self-teaching part of what you do for a large chunk of the time.
As a closing note, you will find it easier to self-teach when you are actually passionate about what it is you are learning, and you get into the habit of learning in a certain way, each day.
And a final thought, make sure you allow yourself additional breathing space in the day, to relax or simply do nothing too. A packed day is overwhelming, so no need to over-do it, just take advantage of moments that would otherwise not be used effectively.
Enjoy!

18 top tips for improving your english

18 top tips for improving your English

Learning English doesn’t always have to mean sitting in the classroom and studying tricky grammar. In fact, English language teachers encourage you to do plenty of extra learning outside of school. There are a number of ways to improve your understanding of the language, many of which can actually be a lot of fun.
It’s also a well-known fact that different people respond to different learning methods. Sometimes simply sitting in the classroom or reading a course book is not right for you. It can be beneficial to do some additional work.
So if you’re keen to improve your English (or any other second language for that matter) then consider some of these handy tips to get you on your way. Not everything will work for you but, if you add a few of these ideas to your day-to-day language learning, you’ll certainly see some improvement.

1. Watch television and films in English

 Not only do Britain and the USA produce some of the best TV shows and films in the world, but you can learn English whilst watching them. If you’re still getting to grips with the language at any level (from beginner to upper intermediate) then it’s worth putting the English subtitles on so that you can read along and listen at the same time.
You can also listen to English radio stations and find plenty of listening sources on the internet. Another idea would be to put English subtitles on films or television programmes from your own country so that you can read along with them in English and make the translations as you go.

2. Read English books/newspapers

Reading is a great way of practising your English in your own time. You can take one word at a time at your own pace, without your teacher peering over your shoulder. If you’re studying at a beginner to intermediate level, pick up a children’s book where the language will be easier than an adult book.
Newspapers are also worth reading. Not only can you improve your English but you’ll learn about local and national goings on, which can be handy when communicating with native speakers. Free newspapers and magazines, as well as tabloid-style newspapers which use more basic language, are perhaps better for low level speakers.

3. Label things in your house

This is a quick and cheap way of improving your knowledge of the vocabulary of everyday items in your home. All you need to do is buy a pack of labels and then write the name of items in your home on them, such as phone, window, mirror etc. Every time you use these objects you’ll read the word and embed it into your memory. This is great for low level learners.

4. Make notes of new vocabulary

Whenever you learn a new word, whether in the classroom or when you’re out and about, make sure you make a note of it. Whenever you have some free time, you can practise what you’ve learned. You could even do this on your phone so you needn’t carry around a notebook with you. 
It’s also worth making a note of the translation into your own language and any unusual phonological aspects of the word.

5. Surround yourself with English speakers

If you just spend your time outside of the classroom with people from your own country, you’ll miss out on a big chance to practise English. If you try to befriend other English speakers, you’ll be forced into speaking the English language. You’ll also pick up things like slang and conversational English that you’re unlikely to learn in the classroom.
If you struggle to find English speakers, at least try and spend time with people off your course that are from countries other than your own. This way, you will still have to speak English.

6. Figure out your best time to learn

Are you a morning or afternoon person? If you can work out when your brain is at its sharpest then you should cram in your language learning at this time. Some people work best first thing in the morning and switch off after lunchtime, while for others it takes a while to get going every day.
Think about when you function best and plan your learning to suit this. For example, there’s no point taking lessons that run late into the night when you’re likely to easily lose concentration.

7. Listen to British and American music

In addition to watching films and TV, listening to music is another great and fun way of improving your grasp of a language. There’s an almost endless amount of music out there to choose from, with most tracks having lyrics easily available online.
You could listen to a song a day and read the lyrics along to it. If you come across any language that you don’t understand then research it. If you’re at a low level then perhaps go for some slower folk, country or acoustic music, which often has lyrics that are slower and easier to understand.
Once you’re feeling more confident you could go for some rap music, which is generally a lot quicker and harder to understand.

8. Language swap

In addition to learning English in class, you could find somebody who is keen to learn your own language and exchange information with them. Being able to speak a language is a gift and, whatever your mother tongue, there will be somebody out there that wants to learn it.
You can meet up and give each other work, swap knowledge and help each other progress. This is a great way of continuing your learning outside of the classroom while also saving money.

9. Practise English whenever you can

It’s incredibly important that you don’t leave your English learning inside the classroom. Make an effort to go to the library and study your notes, read and write in English, and speak to English nationals and other English speakers.
When you’re in bed at night, look over your English notes from the day and try to memorise some vocabulary as you’re falling asleep. The first thing you do in the morning while you’re eating your cereal could be to learn a couple of new words. Make sure you never escape learning.

10. Record yourself and your lesson

Make the most of the recorder on your smartphone and practise pronunciation. This is a good way of learning pronunciation because you might know it when you first hear it then forget it later.
Although your teacher might not like you to do this, and you should always get their permission, it can be useful to record lessons. As you travel home or fall asleep you can listen to it. It’s a great way to revise the information and practise listening, as well as nail down some pronunciation.

11. Get a good bilingual dictionary

A bilingual dictionary is your best friend while you’re learning English. However, beware that a lot of dictionaries out there have numerous mistakes and mistranslations. Do some research and spend a bit of extra money on the best dictionary you can find.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that a number of online translators and electronic dictionaries on smartphones can be quite poor. Teachers will find it very obvious if you simply put something through a translator – it’s normally literally translated which doesn’t always work.

12. Learn English idioms and phrasal verbs

There are a number of aspects of the English language that you’re not always going to find in an academic course book. Things like idioms and phrasal verbs are extremely common in everyday English conversations.
If you manage to learn these then you’ll find it much easier to talk and understand conversations with native speakers. Although this is not the kind of language you’re likely to use in an academic essay, it’s arguably just as important to you.

13. Write every day

Writing is a great way of using new vocabulary and getting your head around grammar. Try and write something every day using new words and grammar that you’ve learned. Even if it’s only a few sentences, it’s very important to get into the habit of doing this.
It’s also a good way of comparing your progress as you improve your knowledge of the English language. If you have access to English speaking friends or a teacher, you could ask them to look over your writing and give you some pointers.

14. Tell you teacher what you want to learn

If you’re learning English in a language school or getting private lessons, you might not always be learning what you want. However, it can be difficult for your teacher to know exactly what you want to learn unless you tell them. So if you think that they’re giving you too much writing and not enough pronunciation, for example, then you should tell them. They’ll be pleased with the feedback.

15. Remember your mistakes

You will make mistakes, there’s no denying it. Chances are that you’ll make the same mistakes over and over again. Next time that you’re corrected by a teacher, whether this is written or orally, you should make a note of your mistakes.
Perhaps you forget when to use the correct article or you get the past simple and present perfect tenses mixed up? Make a note of this and work on your mistakes.

16. Put yourself into difficult situations

If you search out situations where you must speak, read and listen that are outside of your comfort zone, you’ll be forced into using the English language. This can be one of the best ways to learn English because you really focus on what you’re saying and it gets you used to uncomfortable situations.
Try and order some food at a restaurant, speak to someone at a tourist information centre or just start chatting to a native speaker in a bar. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Getting something wrong is actually a great way of understanding why it works a certain way.

17. Change the language on your social media or smartphone

Have you ever accidentally changed the language on a device or on a website and then struggled to get it back again? We’ve all been there before. However, this can actually be a good way of learning an additional language. If you turn your Facebook, Twitter and smartphone settings to ‘English’ then you can continue to learn the language while you’re communicating with friends.

18. Be realistic

It’s extremely common for language learners to want to better their English at an unrealistic pace. Set yourself objectives but be genuine in what you can achieve. Your teacher is just there to tell you things and practise with you for a few hours a day. It’s your job to remember and correctly use what you are taught.
You cannot expect to just turn up to class for a few weeks and be able to speak the language. You must engage in lots of work outside of class and use your brain as much as possible.

 

How can I improve myEnglish vocabulary, gamma and writing skills?

How can I improve my English vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills?

100+ Answers

Say Keng Lee, Knowledge Adventurer & Technology Explorer in Strategy, Change & Future-Focus

11.4k Views • Say is a Most Viewed Writer in Vocabulary of the English Language.

I like to share some practical solutions with you.

First and foremost, you need to have the right frame of mind or mindset in order to attain English mastery.

This is a harsh reality, by virtue of the fact that English is our global lingua franca today.

As a matter of fact, it's the Language of the 21st Century!

Putting this mindset into tactical terms, this means that you have got to integrate your practising of English from multi-directional and multi-developmental angles into your everyday lifestyle.

Do  not approach your practising from the standpoint of ESL or EFL. 

[ESL=English as Second Language; EFL=English as Foreign Language].

ENGLISH IS A LIFE SKILL!

In other words, you must not confine your learning and practising of English to the spending of prescribed hours you are studying or learning in a classroom, within four walls of a school.

It is important for you to understand that English mastery also involves the acquisition of five critical skills sets:

- Reading;
- Thinking;
- Listening;
- Speaking;
- Writing;

as applied in your everyday life activities of real-world communication with real people!

Like    the five spokes of a wheel held all together by the metal rim with the rubber tyre revolving around the hub, each of these areas    need to be strong in order  for the wheel to run smoothly on the  road, where rubber meets the road, just  as you  need  the five skill sets in order for you to attain English  mastery.

Seek every opportunity in your daily activities to practising English.

- Reading an English story book regularly, or the daily English newspaper; better still, writing down what you have learned from  the    story or the news; in the case of news, expand your writing  with     your  view of their implications, say politically, economically, technologically and/or social-demographically;

- Watching an English movie without subtitles [you can always 'Pause" and/or     "Playback"  to  recap/review useful dialogues]; better still, write down    your     impressions and/or feelings about the movie, say in the form of  a  movie review;

- Listening to pod-casts in English, or the English news broadcasts, like the BBC;

- Using your smartphone, fully loaded with "Learning English" applications, so that you can apply "just-in-time" learning or "learning-on-the-go" while commuting or waiting in queue;

- Striking up casual conversations with random Caucasian folks in the queue, say at any Starbucks or in any supermarket;

- Using FaceTime or Skype to converse with international friends who speak English;

- Writing to international English-speaking pen-pals;

- Calling up customer  service of any MNC's, and pretending to put forward your complaint, in English of course;

- Dropping by a large hotel reception, and pretending to check up the    hotel  for a forthcoming party of international friends, to seek opportunities to speak English;

Sneaky, but who cares!

- Finding  one daily  news article in your native language, and translating it into  English to the best of your ability;  this is absolutely good practice  to perfect your thinking and writing in English;

[Get hold of a friend  who is a top dog in English so as to elicit candid feedback, or your  friendly English teacher, if any;]

- Listening to,  and singing in the shower with, English songs, as a means to practise your pronunciation;

- Watching YouTube video clips in English,  and pausing in between to repeat what you have just heard;  this   is   to practise your listening  skills; better still, write  down   your   impressions by consolidating and  summarising the key  ideas  and   salient  points, to  practise your writing; you can even do shadowing  practice;

-  Grabbing any postcard or photo or picture at random,  and  proceeding  to describe  in  detail, first orally (on to recorder  of your smartphone), and later  in  written form, what's in the  picture:  

- whats  the theme/
- what's in  the  foreground/what's in the background/
- what's in  the centre or   middle/
- what's on the  right/what's   on the left/
- what's at  the  top/what's  at the  bottom/
- what at the top-right/top-left/bottom-right/bottom-left/
- what's  happening/is it   inside or outside/who's there/
- how's the weather   and/or   timing; how do   you know/
- compare and contrast/
- how do you   feel/
- what do  you  like/what  do  you dislike/
- would you like to be in   the postcard or  photo  or picture; why and why not?

- Inviting, once in a while, your friendly English teacher or a buddy who is a top dog in English,  over a cuppa or a simple quick meal, under the pretext of holding  social conversations/intellectual interactions;

- Joining a local chapter of the international Toastmasters' Club in any city, if any;

I am just scratching the surface, and am sure you can think of more ideas.

Meanwhile, I like to recommend you to carry a pocket notebook with you at all times.

Whenever  you are on the streets, pay attention to the wall posters, bill-boards, window displays, bulletin boards, or even   signboards, where English is  displayed.

If you come  across  new or unknown  words, jot them  down in your pocket    notebook for reviewing at home with the aid of a dictionary. 

Then, use the famed flash card strategy to master these new words.

Make it a habit to learn at least ten new words a day. In a year, you would have learned more than 3,500 words!

Look around you.  Can you identify all the places or landmarks in English. If not, jot them down  for reviewing at home.

Likewise,  in the supermarket, ask yourself: can you identify all the items   on      display, in English? If not, you can start learning to read the   labels.

Take  note of casual conversations around you. Go home and review them.

Better     still, do a simulated conversation on your own, aloud, and in front   of   a mirror. You can record, recap and review, too, but more   importantly, to reinforce.

You can use the famed 6W1H questioning toolkit often used by journalists to spur your questions and expand your thinking.

Then,  grab a sheet of blank paper and start writing down your answers as you  think.

In reality, all these initiatives offer great opportunities - and  practices - for you to think and write in English.

Frankly, the  world out there is full of possibilities and opportunities when it comes  to learning English.

It's an invisible university!

Stay   alert. Be creatively resourceful.

Follow up and follow through,   consistently and massively, in real communication with real people, as   much as you can!

Meanwhile, you may want to read this interesting article, as I share the author's   sentiment about learning the language beyond the classroom,  and fully integrating it into one's everyday life activities:

18 top tips for improving your English

Written 12 Dec 2015 • View Upvotes

Related Questions

More Answers Below

• How can I improve my Quora writing skills?
• What are the best books for improving vocabulary and writing skills in English for university students?
• Grammar: There might be many people who were not so good in English (verbal and writing both) earlier, but now they have improved it significantly. How...
• Is there any good site for improving and practicing English writing skills?
• How I can improve my English writing skills?

Ivan Ottinger, englishthesmartway.com - English is my hobby :)

11.5k Views • Ivan is a Most Viewed Writer in Learning English with 50+ answers.

It's a really interesting question. First thought coming to my mind was - what is your goal with English? - what is the reason you are trying to make your grammar perfect - is it because of some English certificate or test? Or you just want to understand all the grammar constructions, exceptions, tenses and so on?

If this is the case, I think, the best way to learn grammar is by doing practical exercises and watching videos where grammar is explained on the examples from real life. Very good source for this is for example:

• Learn English | British Council - there you can find useful videos where grammar is explained and do many exercises which are more of like games. :)
• Exploring English: Language and Culture — British Council — FutureLearn - join this free English course which started this September - it's also focused on grammar a bit in a practical way.

But, if you want to get better in English in general - speaking, reading, listening - I don't think that extensive knowledge of grammar is necessary. Then you just need to practice English in real life without thinking about grammar. :) If this is the case, check out the following Quora threads:

• What can I do to improve my English?
• Learning English: What can I do to improve my listening and speaking skills?

Please do let me know how you like my answer by a comment or Upvote. :) Thank you very much.

Written 15 Sep 2014 • View Upvotes

Tikhon Jelvis

7k Views

For me, at least, it helped to focus on the rules as rules rather than trying to rely on intuition or what "sounds right". English grammar has its own internal structure, and learning about it explicitly will probably be more consistent than trying to reconstruct it through subconsious pattern-matching.

Common advice for this sort of question is to practice. But that won't work if you're practicing incorrectly, and you will practice incorrectly if all you have to guide you is intuition. That will not only waste your time but also cement in bad habits that will be really hard to shake later on.

Now, learning the rules does not—should not—mean blindly memorizing everything. Instead, try to understand why the rules make sense and where they come from. Learn about the basic pieces that make up English grammar (like parts of speech and different kinds of clauses) and then build up an understanding of how they work together. It's much easier to remember which pronoun to use where if you understand what it's doing in a sentence rather than trying memorize every special case. This takes advantage of the internal structure I mentioned earlier; it lets you work with the language rather than despite it.

As dated as it seems, diagramming sentences helped me pick out this internal structure. Understanding what role words can play in a sentence, how they can be replaced by phrases and how multiple clauses can be joined together made more complex sentence structures more accessible both as a reader and a writer. Drawing diagrams might have seemed a bit silly at first, but it ended up giving me a useful mental framework which still underlies my understanding of grammar today.

A couple of example diagrams (from Wikipedia), similar to the ones I learned in high school.

The diagrams themselves do not really matter too much. The core idea is to just somehow develop a systematic, structured understanding of English grammar.

For me, going from an intuitive approach to a more structured, systematic one based on my knowledge of the actual rules had an immediate, measurable effect. Since this was back in high school, I was spending a bit of time on my own preparing for the SAT exam (or maybe PSAT), which has a significant grammatical component in the writing section that was consistently causing me trouble. Just realizing that, hey, I could use all those rules I learned earlier instead of going by what sounded right was enough to resolve all my problems with that section on the practice test. (After that, I was too lazy to do any more practice tests, but it worked out fine on the actual exam too so this story has a happy ending.)

Now, I don't know if this will work for anyone else, but it worked for me. In essence, it's actually very similar to how I learn ideas in mathematics or CS—not all that different from how I approach learning programming languages, for example. In fact, the core idea behind sentence diagrams is quite similar to how we work with grammars for programming languages or even the reduction rules that characterize their operational semantics and types. So I think my advice is particularly well suited to the sort of person that naturally gravitates towards programming or mathematics.

Written 10 Nov 2014 • View Upvotes

Orly Fuhrman, PhD in cognitive Psychology and co-founder at Lingua.ly

9.4k Views

All the suggestions below are great. I would add:

1) Learn through things you really care about.
Interested in science? find a popular science online magazine in English (for some suggestions sign up to http://Lingua.ly).
2) Read one short article a day, and write down all the words you don't know. Keep your daily list short, at about 6-10 words, to keep memory load at a comfortable level. Don't look up the words yet!
3) Use google or bing image search to lookup each word and guess what it means before you look it up. This will spark your imagination and teach you about different meanings and uses of the same word. Finally, look up the word with the help of an online dictionary.
4) Review the words you learned periodically, preferably in an SRS  (spaced repetition system) that keeps track of the words you need to review at all times.

Good luck!
Orly

Written 22 May 2013 • View Upvotes

Alexandria Williams, Teaching English since 1999

2.6k Views

Vocabulary -Reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary in any language. Check out these resources for English learners that have dedicated vocabulary sections. They all have free options!

• VOA English - Voice of America - Learn American English with VOA Learning English
• Breaking News English - Breaking News English - Easier News Lessons
• ESLPod -English as a Second Language Podcast

Grammar -Try working through a grammar book or doing grammar drills.  I'd recommend Duolingo-Learn Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and English for free but you can also buy an "English Grammar Drills" workbook.

Writing - writing and receiving corrections is the best way to improve. It's helped me tremendously. In addition to using lang-8 nearly everyday, I also have a variety of international pals that I practice with. Here are a couple resources specifically for English learners

• Multi-lingual language learning and language exchange Lang-8 - my personal favorite
• Chatting Cat-Get instant correction of written English   - receive professional corrections on short and long texts in a matter of hours

Happy learning :)

Written 6 Jan • View Upvotes

Related Questions

• Book Writing: I want to become a writer. My english is pretty good but I lack the imagery skills. I fail to use my vocabulary to write beautifully and to cr...
• How can I improve my English speaking skills?
• English Grammar: In writing and speech, is it necessary to write/say "Why or why not?" or is "Why?" sufficient?
• How can I improve my English vocabulary?
• Writing: English is my second language.  How can I further improve my writing skills in order to become a novelist?
• What are the best books for improving vocabulary and writing skills in English for school students?
• English Grammar: What are some good ways to make my qualifiers more noticeable if I'm qualifying a statement?
• How can I improve my writing skills?
• Writing Advice: How can I improve my writing skills in English for answering questions asked in UPSC exams?
• English Grammar: What is grammatically correct: "write smart" or "write smartly"?
• Which app can improve my English ability?
• Is there any good website for improving various English skills (reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, sentence formation)?
• English Grammar: Is it 'Can you explain me?' or 'Could you explain me?'
• What is the best Android app for advanced English learners to improve their vocabulary and grammar?
• English Grammar: What is the proper way to ask "how about you?"

Related Questions

• How can I improve my Quora writing skills?
• What are the best books for improving vocabulary and writing skills in English for university students?
• Grammar: There might be many people who were not so good in English (verbal and writing both) earlier, but now they have improved it significantly. How...
• Is there any good site for improving and practicing English writing skills?
• How I can improve my English writing skills?
• Book Writing: I want to become a writer. My english is pretty good but I lack the imagery skills. I fail to use my vocabulary to write beautifully and to cr...
• How can I improve my English speaking skills?
• English Grammar: In writing and speech, is it necessary to write/say "Why or why not?" or is "Why?" sufficient?
• How can I improve my English vocabulary?
• Writing: English is my second language.  How can I further improve my writing skills in order to become a novelist?

Top Stories

Sitemap

#

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

About - Careers - Privacy - Terms

12 Ways to improve yout second language wit popular culture

12 Ways to Improve Your Second Language with Popular Culture

by contributor · 6 comments

By Melissa Dedina
Photo credit: Ed Yourdon

Language classes are fantastic.  I know I could never have learned my second language without a textbook and a teacher to go through it with me, because that’s just how my brain works.
However, I did eventually get to the point where the classroom setting couldn’t teach me much more, and more importantly, if I had to memorize another list of words (and make example sentences from them!) I was going to poke my eyes out.
I have known people who were disciplined enough to literally sit down with the dictionary and memorize vocabulary from it, but along my language journey I made an essential discovery: I am a slacker.
What follows is a list of some of the things I did next, all of which I found more entertaining than sitting down with my arch-enemy, the dictionary.  They helped me leave the entry-hall of “intermediate” and actually join the (in my case) Czech-speaking world.
Many of these suggestions aim to increase cultural competency as well as language competency.  It’s hard to fully appreciate one without having the other – no matter how well you know the words and structures of the language, if all your cultural references are to your home culture, people will still have trouble understanding you!  Plus, no matter how much you know about the culture, if you don’t speak the language well, you won’t understand its heart.
This series of articles will appear on Multilingual Living every other week in conjunction with Language Refresh 101, which is all about how to strengthen a faltering language.
Below is the second in this series of posts on how to improve a second language, this time using popular culture.

1.       Read books. Novels are entertaining, plus you get a massive sense of accomplishment from finishing one.  Not literature for the ages, not at first.  Find the equivalent of John Grisham or J.K. Rowling and read that. In fact, at first you might want to read the actual John Grisham or J.K. Rowling (or whatever interests you) in translation, since you already know the story going in.
This was essential for me as a very beginning reader, but eventually I found it helpful to limit translations and try to concentrate on books originally written in the language (though I still indulge in the occasional translation).

2.       I would note that children’s books, which seem like they should be easy, can actually be pretty difficult because they contain lots of very specific vocabulary that you often don’t run across in adult life.  For instance, motion words like wiggle, wobble, writhe, hop, crawl, skip, slither, sneak, trot, gallop, and scoot, not to mention nonsense words like heebie jeebies.
As an intermediate speaker I was happy to know your basic walk, run and jump.  I was able to discuss complex points of politics and religion long before I could have a proper conversation about children’s topics!  I’m not saying it’s not worth the effort; just don’t fall into a depression when you can’t understand “even” a book for kids!

3.       If you can handle it, join a book club!  If not, find reviews or criticism of the book to read through.
If you are very ambitious and less of a slacker than me, write your own book review or refutation of a review you read. Just mentioning that was a bit too much like homework for me, though.

4.       If you don’t have the stamina for whole novels, read newspaper articles. There is a wide range of vocabulary, not too difficult, plus you learn what’s going on in the world.
I didn’t get much mileage out of newspapers myself because at first it would have taken me a week or more to get much use out of a single newspaper, and it’s really only socially acceptable to read a newspaper in public the day it’s published!  Online newspapers can be a gold mine, though.

5.       Listen to music. Listen to what’s popular today, but just as importantly, listen to OLD music.  Find out what was popular in the 1960’s to 1980’s, for example, because those are the songs everybody remembers from their childhood.
If you’re lucky you can raid your in-laws’ music collection to find some treasures.  Otherwise, ask around or just turn on a classics radio station (if not available in your area, find some streaming stations online – you might be surprised what is available).

6.       Multilingual Mania wrote a piece on the benefits and pitfalls of learning a language through music.  She listened to songs over and over and kept a notebook with words she learned from them.  And check out this post by Susanna Zaraysky on how music can make you multilingual.
I did the same with songs and also with my Harry Potter book that was my constant companion for the five months it took me to read through!  If you are diligent like Melanie, or like me the first year or two, you will write the words down and look them up in the dictionary (a much more tolerable method for me than straight up vocabulary lists).
If you can’t quite be bothered, like me since I embraced my inner slacker, you will get excellent practice learning to infer from context.

7.       Watch movies: same as with music, focus on classics.  Also TV shows, new and old.  Find out what people watched in childhood and watch that.  (It’s useful even just to know titles and summaries.)

8.       Like with books, if movies are too difficult or time-consuming, start with the evening news, or, even better, commercials!  Commercials are actually great because they repeat often enough for you to catch what you missed the first time and they have catchy, easy-to-remember slogans and simple stories.

9.       Quote from movies, TV shows, commercials. Again, figure out what other people quote from and watch that (i.e. in an English context it is more useful to quote from The Godfather or The Princess Bride as popularly quoted movies, rather than movies less well remembered).

10.       While watching current or classic shows/movies, read about the actors, what else they’ve starred in, etc. Does your language have its own IMDB?
I also found the entertainment section of the newspaper, with its interviews with celebrities and articles on aspects of daily life to be a rich source of cultural information, presented in easy-to-digest segments.

11.       I slightly cringe to admit this, but reality TV is actually pretty informative.  I watched the national version of American Idol and a Big-Brother type show when they first came out, and both were full of different kinds of people in ordinary circumstances, using all the informal language and slang that that implies.  Reality TV kills your brain, but sometimes in a useful way.

12.       My husband tells about sitting in front of the television in the early 90’s, watching Dallas with the original English soundtrack turned on, repeating every line the characters said exactly as they said it.  His parents thought he was possessed, but he speaks top-notch English now!

I hope you enjoyed these 12 tips for how to improve your second language with popular culture. Stay tune for the next post in this series!

Have you implemented any of the suggestions listed in this post? How did they work for you? Do you have additional tips and suggestions for how we can improve our languages with the help of popular media? Share it in the comments section!

Melissa Dedina is an American married to a Slovak, based in Prague, Czech Republic, raising a 3.5 year old daughter with English, Slovak and Czech. Melissa speaks English and Czech and understands Slovak, her husband speaks Slovak and English (and Czech, French, Hungarian and some Russian), and their daughter K speaks English and Slovak-Czech. You can follow their language learning and language mixing experiences at Where Going Havo?

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Nathalie Tolchard April 13, 2011 at 2:42 am

I agree 100% with those tips!
I’ve been using most of them to improve my spoken English (I’m French). I’ve only recently discovered tip N.12 when I felt the need of speaking more fluently and faster. I was driving along listening to an English programme on the BBC and started reapeating everything I heard as fast as possible – like an interpreter would do. It does actually work and has become a nice way to spend time when I’m stuck in a traffic jam! It’s also a very good exercise for the brain and I sometimes do it when listening to programme in my own language.

Reply