Chinese people learning English

Author: Lü Shuxiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: English has been taught in Chinese schools for decades, yet the proportion of students who truly master it is not very high. The differences between Chinese and English are quite significant, making it particularly challenging for Chinese learners (or learners of other European languages, who often find it more difficult). If one has good learning conditions—such as a good teacher, suitable textbooks, starting at a young age, and a small class size, etc.—though it may be hard, it is still possible to learn well. However, such conditions are not always available, and as a result, many people cannot complete their learning tasks smoothly. Often after several years of study, they find themselves in an awkward situation: seemingly proficient yet not truly so, having learned many words and memorized some rules, but unable to read books, speak fluently, or even write. Most people, after struggling for a period, become discouraged and give up. Not only is the time spent wasted, which is a great pity, but they also often regret not being able to use it later. The author, who also went through many difficulties when learning English, has some understanding of the challenges involved. Writing this book was not for any other purpose but to provide some assistance to those struggling in a stalemate or those who have abandoned it for years and wish to pick it up again. I believe the most useful help for Chinese students is to make them aware of the differences between English and Chinese. In every specific issue—morphology, semantics, grammatical categories, sentence structure—they should be compared as much as possible with Chinese to gain a deeper understanding. The first half of this book covers topics that are often not discussed in general grammar books, while the second half deals with grammatical issues, but the way it is presented differs from that of typical grammar books. Therefore, this book is merely a supplement to general grammar books and is not intended to replace them. Of course, it cannot replace the practice of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The preliminary draft of this book was originally published in Zhongxue (Middle School Students) and Yingwen Yuekan (English Monthly), and was compiled into a book in 1947 with some revisions. This reprint has undergone another round of revisions, mainly in terms of terminology and examples. In this regard, I am greatly indebted to Ye Xiaozhong of Commercial Press for his significant help, and I would like to express my gratitude here.