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Wednesday 16 November 2011

How and when to use ED

Macam mana nak gunakan ed dalam English?Kalau anda tanya macam tu saja, jawapan saya beri ialah untuk menunjukkan benda yang dah berlaku.

Contohnya:
I laughed so hard
She visited him in September

Tapi tak semua past tense guna ed…what about:

Eat>ate, drink>drunk?

Ed digunakan dengan regular verb…seperti:
Hire > (past simple/past participle) hired
Fire> (past simple/past participle) fired (bukan api, buang kerja)

(Irregular verb: eat>ate>eaten)
(Verb irregular dan regular: learn>learned / learnt, dream>dreamed/dreamt, burn>burned/burnt)
* British English lebih kepada learnt, dreamt


Tuesday 19 July 2011

Ask Me Anything Day

I am feeling rather generous today so....please email me any questions that you have with regards to English and I will try my best to reply you (maybe not today, perhaps tomorrow or the day after) whatever it is, mail them today!
Hari ni hantarkan email tentang apa2 saja berkenaan bahasa inggeris, insyaAllah saya akan cuba jawab semuanya...klau tak today, tomorrow etc...

Have a fun Tuesday people!

Thursday 14 July 2011

Saya suka nak belajar English...tapi tak tahu macam mana...

Hari ini saya dapat beberapa email mengenai  teringin hendak belajar BI tapi tak tahu bagaimana....macam mana pula dengan grammar. Ini pendapat saya ya. Mulakan dengan basics seperti I atau I am/I'm. Mengapa I atau I am/I'm? Kerana ini adalah antara perkataan yg paling banyak kita guna sehari.

Buatlah 20 ayat ke menggunakan I am. Contohnya:
I'm hungry.
I'm ready.
I'm going to the park.
I'm watching tv.
I'm on the phone.

Lepas tu, cuba masukkan descriptive words:
I'm super hungry.
I'm absolutely ready.
I'm going to cycle to the park.
I'm watching tv in the kitchen.
I'm on the phone while making breakfast.

Good luck!

Thursday 7 July 2011

Basic English - macam mana nak guna I am

Antara perkataan yang kita akan selalu guna ialah I am. Tapi macam mana...
I am digunakan utk describe sesuatu tentang diri kita kepada orang lain atau apa yg kita sedang lakukan.
I am twenty-three years old.
I am wearing yellow.
I am happy.
I am sad.
I am thirsty.
I am excited.

Boleh juga guna I'm (pendek utk I am) bunyinya AIM....a tu bunyikan a...macam air...Function dia sama saja, cuma slalu dlm conversation org akan pakai I'm.
I'm lost.


I'm looking for ...

Saturday 2 July 2011

Belajar pronunciation ...penting atau tidak?

Penting tak belajar pronunciation dalam bahasa Inggeris? Ini semua bergantung berapa banyak Bahasa Inggeris yang akan digunakan seharian. Even if you can speak English well, it is the biggest thing that people notice about you when you speak in English. If you have the chance to learn, why not. Don't fret, if you are using English as corresponding mode in Malaysia, it's best to concentrate on becoming fluent. Basically pada saya belajar pronunciation boleh banyak membantu utk menjadikan anda lebih bagus untuk bercakap dalam BI.
A few things to consider:
1.Bunyi bahasa Inggeris agak lain dari bahasa2 lain. Contohnya perkataan bunyi thin atau away jarang ada dalam bahasa lain.
2.Bila anda baca English, contohnya perkataan NO (no) dan DO (du) adalah berlainan walaupun belakang dia ada O saja. Confusekan? Jadi check pronunciation utk setiap perkataan baru belajar...dia takde short cut bab ni. Lagi banyak membaca atau guna BI, automatic anda boleh tau apa bunyinya.
3. Macam mana nak belajar...dengar dan imitate. Bila tengok movie, ikut bunyi dia. Make sure decide nak belajar bunyi American atau British sebab bunyinya lain2...
4. Haruskah belajar? Itu terpulanglah. Pada saya yg penting ialah neutralising the sound. Jadi tak lah bunyi English kita pekat dengan accent BM kita bila kena guna dengan English speakers sampai diorang tak faham.
5.Macam mana orang yang fluent cakap English belajar cakap English? Haa....ini banyak bergantung dengan background masing2 dan environment the person is in.
a) You grow up in a home that speaks English
b) All your friends speaks English or you are forced to speak English most of the time
c) You are surrounded by ''all things English"
d) Lifestyle - you need to blend in
e) You decide to take up English...speak English, read English, sleep English, eat English, travel English etc
f) Your new job requires you to speak English...all the time and your colleagues are from all over the world
g) You studied abroad
h) Your peers are into English speaking stuff...English music, English movies...

Kalau anda ada kawan yang fasih cakap English...dia mungkin dalam kategori di atas...cuba selidik:) Anda boleh belajar English pronunciation melalui phonetics...atau dengan banyak membaca atau...belajar dengan saya...(promote diri sendiri pulak...hehe...). Ada banyak website yang mengajar phonetics anda boleh cari dan belajar dari situ tentang bunyi2 asas BI. Selamat berjaya!

Taken from colombotech.pbworks.com

Monday 20 June 2011

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

Lately I keep on hearing this song in my head, Rolling In The Deep by Adele. Apa maksud reap what you sow?

It means that you'll live with your actions (kena hidup dengan tindakan yang kita telah buat), some people call it karma, some says what goes around comes around.

* I posted the link and put up the song on the next post. Enjoy!
Throw your soul through every open door,
Count your blessings to find what you look for,
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold,
You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you've sown

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

Monday 23 May 2011

Fahami Tenses

Ini carta tenses yang saya buat supaya senang untuk faham tenses dengan mudah. Baca berulang jika tidak dapat kali pertama atau kedua. Jangan give up!Fahami Tenses/Understanding Tenses

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Has it been a month? Difference vs different

Wow! It's been exactly a month since I last updated!
Anyway, I received a comment by Azli on different and difference - why I wrote difference and not different in my last post in April.

They mean the same thing but the usage depends on the sentence or what you are trying to express.

Difference - digunakan bila kita nak membezakan 2 benda atau lebih.
Contohnya - what is the difference between this Hugo Boss shirt and Fred Perry's?
what is the difference between this cake here and the one over there?

Different - lebih kepada individual things, walaupun membezakan.
This Hugo Boss shirt is different from Fred Perry's because...
It's definitely different. One is vanilla and one is a butter cake.
I think this is a different girl, she's not the one from last week.

Happy Wednesday!

Monday 18 April 2011

What does back up and backup means?Apa maksud back up dan backup?

Back up and backup sounds the same but has different meanings when written. Bunyinya sama tapi maksud lain2...dengar ayatnya dulu kalau tgh bercerita:D

Back up is an activity like ' back up your car' (move your car back) or 'back up your computer'.
Back up -gostan kereta, back up komputer...

1.Backup refers to something that supports each other (benda yang diperlukan antara satu sama lain, sisimpan hingga diperlukan):
-backup plan
-backup forces
-backup singer
or
2.stuck (tersekat disebabkan sesuatu)
- the sewage is backed up or  there is a long backup at the toll booth.

Friday 15 April 2011

What is the difference between begin and start?

 
There is no difference between these two, except begin is more formal than start.

When did you start working here? When did you begin working here?
It is time to start the class/begin the class.

Two situations that you cannot use the world begin :
1. To tell about a journey
-I started to walk to the beach at 8am.

2. To talk about machines
- I can not start the washing machine.
- I don’t know how to start the photocopier.

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Parts of Speech Recap

Rumusan bahagian grammar yang selalu digunakan dalam percakapan B.Inggeris:


  • Noun: names a person, place, thing, idea (Yaakob, living room, table and so on)

  • Pronoun: takes the place of a noun (he, who, I, what, and so on)

  • Verb: expresses action or being (puzzled, was, should win, and so on)

  • Adjective: describes a noun or pronoun (dirty,hag and so on)

  • Adverb: describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb (truthfully, wrongly, very, and so on)

  • Preposition: relates a noun or a pronoun to another word in the sentence (by, for, from, and so on)

  • Conjunction: ties two words or groups of words together (and, after, although, and so on)

  • Interjection: expresses strong emotion (yikes! wow! ouch! and so on)




  • Sunday 10 April 2011

    Why do we make mistakes when we talk/write?

    Mistakes made by those who learn English as a second language is probably the lack of English vocabulary,understanding grammar or word order. You will become a better speaker when you understand grammar better and develop good vocabulary but then you may make mistakes because of idioms, commonly used phrases and direct translation from Bahasa to English.
    Jadi, belajarlah vocabulary, grammar,word order, idioms and commonly used phrases :)

    Try to find the mistake and make correction.
    1.Do you know where is the rest room?
    2.I joined a meeting yesterday.
    3.We are making more money this year.
    4.The money is not enough.
    5.“Excuse me a moment. The words on this document are too small. I need to go to my office and take my glasses.”


    Correction
    1. Do you know where the rest room is?
    2.I attended a meeting yesterday.
    3. We are making more money in this year.
    4. There isn't enough money.
    5. “Excuse me a moment. The words on this document are too small. I need to go to my office and get my glasses.”

    How to use the word lose/lost

    How to use the word Lose/Lost

    Verb = I lost my bag. You can change the word bag with any other noun. Example:
    I lost my camera.
    I lost my car.
    I lost my phone.

    You can not say: I lost my weight, this is wrong.
    You should say: I lost weight.

    Adjectives = I am lost(present)/I was lost (past)
    You should not say: I lost my way, this is wrong.
    You should say: I am lost.

     Noun = loser
    Refers to a person who has not accomplish anything in life or isn't doing well.

    Monday 4 April 2011

    Tips belajar English lagi!

    It takes time to learn English. If you are good at writing in English, most likely you maybe good at speaking it too but the lack of speaking practice may hinder you from progressing.


    As you learn, do not be afraid to make mistakes. Most people avoid to talk in English because they do not want to be judge - by the grammatical mistakes they make, wrong choices of words, idioms or tenses. But it pays to be able to talk in good English.

    So, just talk the way you write it. Here are some tips to get you cracking:


    Tenses
    One of the way for you to start is by learning tenses. Remember, we do not use all the tenses when we talk.Tenses dictates the verb ( some are easier to see / hear = ending with ed > I liked the bag). However it is good for you if you to know and one of the way to do this is by memorising or by making phrases. (What is verb again? Verb is an action word, it describe a subject in a sentence).


    Kita tak guna semua tenses bila bercakap. Fahamkan sahaja supaya anda tahu bila nak guna.

    Using common pronoun I/Me, He/Him, She/Her, We/Us, They/Them
    What is common pronoun again? Pronoun is used as a substitute to noun, to avoid repetitive usage of noun in a sentence.


    I/He/She/They are subject pronoun. It is used to describe when a subject is doing an action.
    Example :They walked together.


    Me/him/her/them and us are object pronoun. These words don't do anything accept to receive an action.
    Example: I gave it to her.

    Dalam BM, tak ada semua ni sebab bahasa kita, kita gunakan 'dia, mereka' sebagai rujukan. Hafallah sikit2 sebab bab ini sangat mudah.

    Voice
    The doer is the subject in an active voice.If you swap it to a passive voice,the object and subject trade places.
    Active voice: I love Paris. I is the subject and Paris is the object.
    Passive voice:  Paris is loved by her. ( Paris now becomes the main subject in the sentence).
    Passive voice is normally used in fiction writing.

    Dalam perbualan kita akan gunakan active voice. Melainkan anda tulis blog, menceritakan sebagai orang kedua anda akan gunakan pasive voice.

    Preposition
    Using preposition is important in constructing full sentences. It links and complete sentences.  Examples of prepositions are: on, about, around, in, against, beside etc.Most of the time a noun will follow after a preposition.
    The book is on the table.
    The book is beneath the chair.
    The book is beside the phone.

    Question tags
    This is usually a statement followed by a question to affirm it.
    Basic structure of a tag question:
    Positive, negative
    Negative, positive


    She did it (+ve), didn't she (-ve)? Dia buat, bukan?
    He doesn't love you (-ve), does he (+ve)? Dia tak cintakan kamu, kan?

    Ingat, tengok berita dalam BI, movies, drama etc boleh banyak membantu anda memahami BI.

    How to use when...macam mana nak guna perkataan when

    When is used to tell or ask about time. You may ask when in past, present or future tense. It all depends on what are the subjects you are discussing about.

    When di gunakan untuk tanya atau cerita tentang masa. Ianya boleh digunakan untuk bertanya samada tentang sekarang, masa lepas atau akan datang...semuanya bergantung apa yang dibincangkan.

    When do you...? (present tense)
    Bila awak...?

    When did you...? (past tense)
    Bila awak...?

    When will you...? (future tense)
    When are you...?
    Bila awak akan...?

    Selain untuk bertanyakan tentang perkara2 berkaitan dengan masa, when boleh digunakan untuk mempersoalkan atau pertimbangkan.

    At what time : When is she due?
    At a time, just, after: I find it easier to sleep when...
    Although: She prefers to send a letter when she could just send an email.
    Considering a fact: How did you get here when you car is in the work shop?

    Tuesday 29 March 2011

    Learn and donate - let's fight hunger!

    Have you ever heard of FREERICE? You can learn English vocabulary and donate at the same time. For every word you get right, you will earn 10 grains of rice which is donated to United Nation WFP (World Food Programme). The more you answer the more grains you earn and the more you donate!The rice is paid for by the sponsors whose names you see on the bottom of your screen when you enter a correct answer. These sponsors support both learning (free education for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry).
    How does playing the vocabulary game at Freerice help you?

    Learning new vocabulary has tremendous benefits. It can help you:
    • Better formulate your ideas
    • Write more effective papers, emails and business letters
    • Speak more precisely and persuasively
    • Comprehend more of what you read
    • Read faster because you comprehension improves 

    Monday came and left

    Yup. Another day goes by...I bet most of you are relieved that Monday is gone :D

    In my bored vs boring post,  E-One, asked me if I could explain:

    1.Difference between perhaps and maybe
    Basically, they mean the same thing, possibly. But your question is probably when you should use these words?
    You can use them in the beginning of the sentence, middle, at the end or even use both in the same sentence - they are interchangeable. But perhaps is a little formal, so you may want to use it in report writing, formal replies,requests and leave may be to social stuff.
    Maksud sama saja. Boleh diganti2 tempatnya. Tapi perhaps lebih formal.

    2. Some and several
    To me this is related to numbers. How I perceive it is that some means a certain unspecified number (time, person...unspecified).

    Can you get me some coke?
    I think there are some toys in the basket. 

    Several means more than 2, but not less.
    There are several empty bottles near the door.
    Several of the kids are going to the library later.


    some>benda yang tak tentu nombornya, masa, orang
    Some man called you just now.
    several > lebih dari dua...ada yang kata 4 hari ke atas.


    Vocabulary:
    interchangeable > able to be replaced, use in the place of each other.Boleh diganti tempat

    Saturday 26 March 2011

    My dear followers...

    Thank you for following me!

    I really hope that you guys could fill up your profile page so that I that can follow you back and find out what you are all up to!

    Take care and have a super duper weekend! I know I will!

    Friday 25 March 2011

    Brit English vs American English

    Left (Brit), right (American)

    Drawer - dresser
    cutlery - silverware
    chips>>fish & chips - french fries>>
    biscuits - cookies
    crisps (krisps) -chips ...keropok
    sweets - candies
    boot - trunk
    lorry - truck
    car park - parking lot...
    pavement -sidewalk 
    dustbin - garbage bin
    candy floss - cotton candy
    petrol - gas
    round about - traffic circle
    coach - bus
    wash up - do the dishes

    Thursday 24 March 2011

    Perbezaan American English dan British English


    * Malaysian Education system uses British English. In most local working environment, British English is still widely used.

    our vs or
    Tahu tak lagu Fergie Black Eye Peas tu?Glamorous?
    Itu antara contoh spelling American English.
    American : Glamorous
    British: Glamourous
    colour - color
    favourite -favorite
    favour - favor

    Fergie



    ise vs ize
    realise - realize (american)
    computerise -computerize (american)

    dge vs dg
    judgement - judgment (american)
    ageing - aging (american

    To be continued :D

    Wednesday 23 March 2011

    Altho or tho

    Altho or tho is not accepted in formal English writing. It is better to keep to although and though. 

    Altho atau tho tidak diterima dalam formal English. Lebih baik gunakan although dan though untuk penulisan sekolah, reports, kerja pejabat dan sebagainya.

    Of course you can use it when you are babbling on tweeter, fb, everyone will understand!

    Although means something that seems to contradict, but, however.

    Tuesday 22 March 2011

    Bored vs Boring

    Bored
    ialah adjektif yang menceritakan apabila seseorang berasa penat, perasaan tidak gembira akibat penat atau tiada benda benda untuk dibuat.

    I was so bored with the movie that I fell asleep.
    We are bored walking to school everyday.
    I am bored to death! >> BM: Saya/aku boring nak mampus.

    Boring
    ialah adjektif bermaksud sesuatu/seseorang yang membosankan, tidak menarik ataupun mengujakan.

    The movie was so boring that I fell asleep.
    The tour was really boring.
    This is so boring! >> BM:Boringnya!

    Sunday 20 March 2011

    Only in Malaysia!

    I dedicate this to my fellow Malaysians (and Singaporeans)...


    Malaysian English
    Regular English
    You don’t know?
    Don’t you know?
    How come?
    Why?
    You come later.
    Come back later.
    Hello?!
    Excuse me!
    Ok what?
    This should ok.
    I got already.
    I have it.
    Got or not?
    Do you have it?
    What la you.
    How could you?
    Like that cannot lah.
    This is not acceptable.
    …is it?
    …is that true?
    Got so many people in KLCC
    There were many people in KLCC
    Got air cond or not?
    Is there air conditioner?
    Can.
    Sure
    Action – That girl is so action!
    Show off
    Terror – He is so terer!
    Amazing!
    Blur – I’m really blur right now.
    Confused.
    Chop. Do you have the office chop?
    Stamp.
    Handphone
    Mobile/cell phone
    Mc
    He’s on mc.
    Sick/fit note, medical certificate
    He’s on a sick leave.

    Photostat machine
    Can you photostat for me?
    Photocopy machine/photocopier
    Can you make me a copy?
    Bungalow
    Detach house /mansion (depends)

    Friday 18 March 2011

    TGIF! Thank God it's Friday! Yeay!

    Finally, it's Friday!

    Besides being the last day of work for the week (for some of you), it is my favourite day to go to Tesco. Why?On Fridays they have what you call ' Vege Day' (actually on Thursdays and Fridays). I don't know whether they actually advertise this but on this day they reduce the price of vegetables and they bring in more vege and fruits than any other day of the week. You can get seedless grapes at RM5.99 instead of their regular price RM9-11. You'll notice they have more fruits as well on this day. (I should get credit from Tesco for writing this!)

    So, I thought today I will share some useful grocery shopping phrases :)

    What time do you open daily?
    Pukul berapa anda buka setiap hari?

    What time do you close today?
    Pukul berapa anda tutup hari ini?

    Where can I find ...?
    Di mana saya boleh cari...?

    Why is the price here different than the ones over there? 
    (referring same item but placed in different places and has different prices)
    Kenapa harga disini lain dengan yang disana?
    (barang sama tapi diletakkan tempat berlainan dan harga berbeza)
    * this is because some items has different prices on certain days- setengah benda harganya berlainan pada hari yang lain

    When did these vegetables arrive?
    Bila sayur ni sampai?

    Where can I find the price of this item?
    Mana saya boleh cari harga untuk barang ini?

    Where is your scanner?
    Di mana scanner anda? alat pengimbas harga...

    I can't find ..... I don't see it in the usual aisle.
    Saya tak jumpa... Saya tak nampak ianya di lorong biasa.

    Where are the carts? Where are the kids cart?
    Di mana troli? Di mana troli kanak2?

    When is the expiry date for this?
    Bila tarikh luput untuk ini?

    Can I pay with credit card?
    Boleh saya bayar dengan kad kredit?

    I forgot to bring my loyalty card.
    Saya lupa bawa kad 'kesetiaan' saya

    Where can I apply your loyalty card programme?
    Di mana saya boleh mohon programme kad kesetiaan anda?

    Can you deliver this item to my house?
    Bolehkah barang ini di hantar ke rumah saya?

    Are there any extra charges for the service?
    Ada bayaran tambahan untuk servis ini?

    Do you have a refund policy?
    Anda ada polisi pemulangan?

    Have a great Friday!

    Thursday 17 March 2011

    When to use or /nor

    Ingat partner kepada nor ialah neither (tapi bukan untuk semua ayat).
    Neither boleh muncul pada awal ayat atau tengah2 ayat.
    I like neither the blue dress nor the red dress.


    Neither tak boleh digunakan dengan or.

    Tetapi nor boleh ada dalam ayat tanpa neither.
    The father nor the son likes chicken.


    Ianya menunjukkan yang pertama tidak suka, yang kedua juga tidak suka.
    Neither Ahmad nor Ali likes the soup.

    Partner kepada or ialah either.
    Ianya memberi maksud salah satu, tetapi bukan kedua-duanya.
    I might bake brownies or cheese cake later (salah satu, tapi bukan kedua-duanya).

    If your element (the words that follow neither or either) is singular, then your verb needs to be singular; if one or both of your elements is plural, then your verb need to be plural.
    Sekiranya perkataan selepas neither atau either ialah singular, verb anda juga perlu singular dan kalau plural verb anda mesti plural.


    Neither Nora nor Nina is going to the beach.( Nina ialah singular jadi kita gunakan is)


    Neither the police nor the firemen were able to do anything.( firemen ialah plural jadi kita gunakan were)


    Ianya jadi sedikit rumit bila singular bercampur dengan plural.Contohnya 2 orang lelaki dan seorang wanita. 
    Tipnya ialah mengambil noun terdekat dengan verb dan pastikan ianya bersefahaman.

    Neither the boys nor the girl is a good swimmer...atau neither the girl nor the boys are good swimmers.

    The Star - Knowing one language not enough in this age (17.3.2011)

    The Star OnlineEVERY rational-minded and forward-looking Malaysian undoubtedly shares Wong Chun Wai’s views in On The Beat that universities have to give importance to English if they want to produce employable graduates (Sunday Star, March 13).
    Many Malaysians fail to see the logic of the protest by students at the Academy of Malay studies (AMS), Universiti Malaya, over the Higher Education Ministry’s call for universities to give importance to English to enhance the graduates’ employment prospects.
    It just does not make sense for any student to create an issue out of a need to improve students’ skills in English to increase the graduate employability rate.
    It is a known fact that the problem of poor or weak command of English has affected all faculties in all our public universities. The problem is not only confined to Malay students but also Chinese and Indians and other ethnic groups from Sabah and Sarawak.
    The teaching, learning and use of the English language must not be made into an issue when it is done in the interest of our future generation and for the sake of our nation’s progress and its future well-being.
    What is even more disturbing is that there are some irrational ones who regard the teaching, learning and promotion of the English language as something unpatriotic.
    As we strive to achieve Vision 2020, it is essential for us to adopt a practical and open-minded approach towards any language which can contribute to Malaysia’s progress while remaining firm and steadfast in ensuring that Bahasa Melayu is the country’s official and national language.
    As a Malaysian, I am proud of our national language – Bahasa Melayu – a language I use daily in communicating not only with officials of government departments and agencies but also with the various ethnic groups. It is our common language understood and used by Malaysia’s multi-racial population.
    However, we must also accept the reality that knowledge of one language is insufficient in this modern and technological age. We need to have a command of other languages for progress and development, be it English, Chinese, French, etc.
    We learn and use English as it is an international language for science and technology, business and commerce.
    Malaysians should strive to be bilingual or even multi-lingual now that most Malaysians, particularly the younger generation, have mastered Bahasa Melayu.
    English is vital if Malaysians are not to be left behind. The ability to learn and use English or any other language should be seen as a progressive move to improve our knowledge and expertise.
    The fear of the English language, which some still regard as a legacy of British colonialism, is clearly misplaced and needs to be rectified.I agree!
    To overcome this, more needs to be done to convince parents and students, particularly those in the rural areas, on the importance of learning English as a tool for science, technology, business and commerce as well as progress and modernisation.
    It is an indisputable fact that the command of the English language among our young generation is poor, and is a matter of concern if we are to cope with the global march of information and communications technology.
    We must not regard the learning and mastery of the English language as a threat to our cultural or national identity. It is necessary for our economic survival.
    Mastering the English language is about rejuvenating the nation. It is about preparing ourselves individually and collectively as a nation to take our place in the global economy.
    Promoting English will not in any way jeopardise the importance and use of Bahasa Melayu as our national and official language.
    Improving the standard of English will not diminish the importance of our national language since bilingualism or even trilingual is an unwritten need for social and professional competence in this modern age.
    Certainly, learning and using the English language will not make us less nationalistic.
    TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE,
    Kuala Lumpur.

    Comments?

    A handicap we must overcome - The Star 13 March 2011

    Please comment on this. I really wish to understand why these students do not want to learn English as a second language or as an additional language? English is widely spoken throughout the world, it's just a medium of communicating. Kenapa lah tak suka sangat belajar English ni? 


    The Star Online

    On The Beat
    Wong Chun Wai


    There’s no two ways about it – universities have to give importance to English if they want to produce employable graduates.
    IT’S preposterous, really. Most Malaysians must be horrified upon reading that some Universiti Malaya students are angry with the Higher Education Ministry’s call for universities to give importance to English to enhance their graduates’ employment prospects.
    The call is timely and certainly appropriate but students at the Academy of Malay Studies (AMS) are regarding it as a move to sideline Bahasa Malaysia. The students have submitted a memorandum to the university’s vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Ghauth Jasmon, demanding an apology.
    The controversy began when Dr Ghauth told a gathering of 2,000 students that the ministry wanted all public universities to improve their students’ skills in English to increase their graduate employability rate.
    He delivered the message because the AMS students had the lowest graduate employability rate in comparison to all other faculties six months after they completed their studies.
    He made the call based on statistics provided by the ministry out of concern. But rather than accept the fact, the students have instead demanded that Dr Ghauth state his stand on the national language. Some individuals have even left nasty comments on YouTube, calling him biadap (recalcitrant) and khianat (traitor) for delivering the message.
    But the good professor is sticking to his guns: he is prepared to clarify the matter with the unhappy students but he will not apologise to them.
    Good for him. The demand is unreasonable. In fact, the students should be appreciative of the call by the ministry as it tells them what most employers already know – that the standard of English among many of our graduates is so poor it has become an alarming situation.
    Many employers have adopted a pessimistic approach, accepting the situation as beyond repair because many school leavers and graduates are unable to construct a decent sentence in English. Many have no grounding in English grammar and are unable to even tell the difference between present and past tenses.
    It is not just school leavers and graduates who are in this situation, as poor command of English can also be detected among university lecturers and teachers through their conversations and written work.
    In fact, one deputy minister’s English is so bad, his writing has been circulated on the Internet as an example to show how bad the situation is.
    He purportedly wrote a review of a play in English and posted it on his blog. With cyberspace being the open domain that it is, his weakness, unfortunately, was widely exposed. The horrifying part is that his portfolio is related to education and it does not help that he is also known for his anti-English stand.
    The pattern seems to be that those who are the most vocal against the use of English are generally weak in this language. In their attempts to cover their weakness, they try to project themselves as nationalists and defenders of the sacredness of the national language. Denial syndrome, one may say.
    There are, of course, those who speak impeccable English and would gladly trade our iconic teh tarik for English afternoon tea and scones but they project themselves in a similar fashion in the most hypocritical way for political expediency.
    Most of us are sure that the problem is not confined to graduates of AMS alone. I dare say the problem of poor command of English has affected all faculties in all public universities. And, let’s be frank, it’s in private universities too.
    It would also be most unfair to say that the poor standard of English is confined to Malay students. It is a problem among Chinese and Indians too because of our education policy, which has clearly abandoned English.
    Young Chinese seem to have become almost monolingual. Walk into a shopping mall and, if you are Chinese, you will be approached by salesmen speaking in Mandarin or Cantonese. When you reply in English, they will struggle to converse with you.
    Dr Ghauth has taken the right approach. He could have gained popularity by playing the racial card and told the AMS students how great they are and that they would be future leaders of the country. But he would be leading them down a false path.
    When they remain jobless, like the thousands who already are, they will conveniently blame the government. They will also blame the private sector, claiming that they are showing preference for certain sectors of applicants. They will hope to be employed by the public sector which is increasingly bloated.
    Many of our graduates have never been motivated to become entrepreneurs. Rather, the aspiration is to become civil servants. This is one serious area of concern if we wish to compete effectively with other countries. But this is another story.
    In China, they are putting emphasis on the teaching of English. The young are being taught to pronounce English words correctly, whether the American or English way.
    In India, English is still given priority even as nationalists there are trying to push Hindi.
    Malaysians with a poor command of English are entering universities. There they find that the academic books are in English but the medium of teaching is in Bahasa Malaysia.
    Many struggle to understand what they read and to help themselves, some turn to similar books in Bahasa Indonesia, which they again struggle to comprehend. Most of the contents in the Internet are in English and are therefore of no help to these students.
    In cases where students are required to take an English course because their command of the language is so pathetic, these students try to memorise essays, hoping that the same topics would be in their tests. That’s how low we have sunk in our standard of English.
    Unfortunately, most of our politicians are not brave enough to grab the bull by the horns to tackle the problem. Many of them, of course, would have sent their children to schools overseas to ensure they have a strong grounding in English.