Getting started with readbangkokpost.com
Improving your English to the point you can really use it
I think it is safe to say that most people who learn their English here in Thailand never reach the level where they can really use the language effectively in their work, in their studies or in their daily lives. They may be able to communicate to some extent and they may be able to read with the aid of a dictionary, but using English still seems like very hard work.Fortunately this is slowly changing for the better. There are certainly many more good English-language speakers than when I first came to Thailand in 1968. Still the vast majority of English-language learners continue to struggle whenever they need to use the language.
This website is intended to help change that. It is intended to help take you from your present level to the point where you can comfortably read and understand our newspaper, the Bangkok Post. Once you can do that, you can be confident your English is very good indeed. Why? Because the Bangkok Post is written for people whose English is at or very near the native-speaker level.
Obviously, this is going to take time. Fortunately, time is something that most of you have, assuming you know how to use it wisely. Suppose, for example, you are a M3 student. You have at least two or three years before you need to take your university entrance examination or an international examination like the TOEFL or IELTS. That is plenty of time to get really good in English. And since learning a language is a life-time process, it is never too late to get started.
Developing a learning strategy
This website is designed to help you improve your English bit by bit each day. It is updated six times a week, so there is always fresh material for you to read. Best of all, since all the readings come from the Bangkok Post, the content is fresh too – the same topics that people around you are talking about. There is also plenty of variety so you should have no difficulty finding something of interest.Plan on spending 15 minutes or more at least five times a week. Get in the habit of downloading the material to your own computer, so you can organise it in the way you think best. You’ll find dozens of new vocabulary items explained each day, so you might want to start collecting them into your own personal glossary.
Many of the news stories also come with mp3 sound-files that you can download to your computer or even your mp3 players. You’ll find that listening to stories several times dramatically increases your understanding and your ability to remember what you have read.
The subscribers’ site
If you are a subscriber to either the Bangkok Post or Post Today, you have access to one of the biggest language learning resources available here in Thailand. You may also be able to access it through your company or school, so check this out, perhaps from your training department or your English teacher.There you will find hundreds of lessons at all levels of difficulty and covering a wide range of topics. There is also a very big vocabulary section and there is even an introductory course on reading the Bangkok Post. If you are an English teacher, there is a special section for you as well.
For a full explanation, look at the “Getting started” section of the subscriber’s site.