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Even if you don’t know a single word of German, you can probably read and understand the following German text. Did you know that English and German descended from the same language? (Proto-Germanic) Many words in both languages are the same or similar.

A link to this story’s translation will be provided at the end of this article.

* GERMAN STORY *

Guten Tag! Mein Name ist Monika. Ich bin Autorin. Ich habe einen Bruder namens Bob. Bob ist auch Autor. Ich bin Bobs Literaturagentin. Er schreibt interessante Artikel und Bcher. Er schreibt nun ein neues Buch. Der Titel ist: Das Telefon klingelt fr Dich. Letztes Jahr hatte er 2 Bcher auf der Bestsellerliste.

Bob lebt in Kanada – in Montreal. Er ist 30 Jahre alt, mit blondem Haar und blaue Augen. Er hat ein altes Auto. Freitags geht er mit dem Auto zum Supermarkt.

Im Supermarkt findet er Kaffee, Tee, Mineralwasser, Milch, Zucker, Butter usw. fr Mutter. Er findet auch Frucht wie Bananen, pfel, Orangen usw. Dann geht er zur Bank und wartet eine Weile fr Mutter. Er geht nchst mit Mutter zu Hause und parkt sein Auto.

Das Haus ist wei und blau. Es hat einen Garten mit wundervollen Blumen und luxurisem grnem Gras.

Im Haus sitzt Bob auf dem Sofa und trinkt oft ein Glas Bier oder Wein und hrt das Radio (laut). Mutter sagt: Bob! Das Radio ist zu laut! Bob lacht und geht in den Garten.

Im Sommer, wenn die Sonne scheint, sitzt Bob im Garten. Wenn Mutter will, mht Bob das Gras.

Im Winter schaufelt er den Schnee oder sitzt im Haus beim Feuer.

Meine Mutter hat eine Katze namens Lwe. Lwe ist braun, grau und orange. Sie miaut, wenn sie Bob sieht, springt auf Bobs Knie und schnurrt laut. Mutter hat auch einen Hund – namens Br. Br ist ein Dachshund.

Ach! es ist spt – Mitternacht. Ich muss zum Bett gehen. Gute Nacht! Ich schreibe mehr morgens.

* MORE EXAMPLES *

Winter kommt im November.

Sommer kommt im Juni.

Die Toilette ist beige.

Das Papier ist wei.

Mein Hand hat zehn Finger.

Mein Arm ist gebrochen.

Wir haben eine Party!

Bring den Salat hier!

Der Mann tanzt und singt.

Der Wind ist eisig.

Die Tomate ist reif.

Das kostet 5 Dollar.

Komm hier!

Er hat Hunger und Durst.

Der Film beginnt um 8.

Sie fotografiert die Familie.

* HOW DID IT GO? *

Maybe you didn’t understand the German text completely. Read it a second – and then a third time.

If you are observant, you will notice a few details:

*German usually uses a ‘K’ instead of a hard ‘C’: Canada=Kanada, Monica=Monika.

*The English ‘ph’ often becomes ‘f’: telephone=Telefon.

*Nouns are capitalized: fruit=Frucht, milk=Milch, butter=Butter, sugar=Zucker.

*Possessives are not formed with an apostrophe + s: brother’s=Bruders.

*The English ’sh’ becomes ’sch’: shines=scheint, shovels=schaufelt.

*Many words are exactly the same: Winter, November, Finger, Party, Wind, Hunger, Film.

Now that you have a few hints, you can probably read the German text again and understand even more. Think of the words in context, and allow your mind to fill in the blanks.

Related words, like the ones above, with common ancestral roots are called ‘cognates’. There are many, many more than those presented here.

Over the years, however, many words that used to mean the same thing in both languages have evolved and have acquired different connotations. For example, the old German word for ‘wife’ – ‘Weib’ is nowadays generally applied in a deprecating manner. It might be used in a phrase that means ‘you crazy woman!’ or in instances where an English person would say ‘broad’ or ‘dame’.

The German word ‘Gift’ does not mean ‘gift’ – it means ‘poison’.

The point that is being made here, however, is that you should actively search for similarities. Over time you will discover the exceptions. You will feel comfortable with the similarities and form a foundation on which you can build. The learning task then becomes less daunting – and even enjoyable.

Over the centuries the world has become a melting pot of cultures and languages. Many words and phrases have crossed borders. Globalization – spurred by newspapers, radio, TV, the internet, and jet travel – has accelerated the process. We often use foreign-derived words without even realizing – angst, soup du jour, cafe au lait, poltergeist, bona fide, carte blanche, nom de plume, savoir-faire . . .

Every time you come to a new text passage, scan it to find what you already know (or can guess) for a general sense of what it means. Then tackle the unknown parts.

Your learning will progress more quickly as a result.

Author’s Note:

*The German passage is presented in parallel translation at A-Language-Guide.com.

*You will also find more German-English texts and some helpful language articles.

Score HIGH on NEW English Tests

Why international students fail English tests

Students fail because they do not understand the test requirements.

Students fail because they underestimate the large volume of work necessary to pass.

Students fail because they have limited English vocabulary.

Students fail because some English skills are not practiced.

Students fail because they rely on “secret tips” rather than real skill.

Students fail because they cram for tests and become confused.

Students fail because they become upset and cannot perform.

How international students can SCORE HIGH on NEW English tests.

First step in your plan to score high on a specific English test is to understand the test requirements. Is the test a written test only? Do you have to read a text? Do you have to listen to a conversation on tape? How much speaking is required? What type of questions will be asked? What type of answers are required? Students must understand how the English information is presented, what English skills are being tested, and how answers must be submitted.

Second step is to understand the volume of advanced English skills and vocabulary required to score high on these tests. Students must have studied and practiced English for 2500 to 5000 hours counting school classes and self study.

Students require a vocabulary of between 8,000 and 15,000 words to score high on the new TOEFL, TOEIC, AP, IELTS and Cambridge tests.

To score high students require all four English skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening), technical language structure knowledge (grammar) and the application of the grammar knowledge in the active productions of speaking and writing.

The “secret tips” of using specific words that have a higher percentage of occurrence in the correct answers may give you the opportunity to raise your score from 0 to 1 %. If your vocabulary is less than 8000 words or your listening skills or writing less than advanced then you will still fail despite using all the “secret tips” or “secret vocabulary indicating correct answers”.

Everyone knows that cramming helps memorizing facts for a short time but does very little for the practice of the application skills. All new English tests are a combination of facts and the application of English skills including technical grammar knowledge. Students who only cram for tests will fail most of the new tests as answers require the application of English grammar skills. The students who cram can only help some of their factual knowledge if they can remember it perfectly. I have never met a student who can remember crammed English facts correctly.

Students become upset when they read questions they cannot answer, questions they cannot understand, words they do not know the meaning of, or “secret words” that occur in two or more answers.

Remember students that are prepared have less chance of becoming upset. Students that are rested, relaxed and arrive on time at the test site will score higher on the tests.

What English Should I study to PASS English Tests?

Diagram showing the overlap between the English concentrations

There is only one English language.
There are a variety of programs and courses that overlap each other. Many business English courses cover 90% of what students require to pass the TOEIC exam. Many advanced English courses cover 90 % of what is required to pass TOEFL, TOEIC, AP, IELTS and other English tests.

Many Toeic, toefl, IELTS courses only provide practice tests without teaching any vocabulary the four English skills and applied grammar practice. Students must create a plan to increase all applied English skills, vocabulary and become comfortable with the test requirements and answer formats.

Students can take combinations of programs and still pass tests.

For example: Advanced students could take 100 hours of business English, 200 hours of academic preparation and 10 hours of toefl and score high on the new Toefl test . The only secret is to have a balance of applied English skills and factual knowledge. The following is an example of a balanced study program.

EXAMPLE PLAN TO PASS ENGLISH TESTS

20% vocabulary
15% grammar comprehension
15% reading comprehension
15% listening comprehension
15% writing skills, short answer and essay
15% speaking skills
5% practicing test formats

Teaching Since 1974

To contact Author: Ross (at) eslincanada (dot) com
Full Article: http://www.eslincanada.ca/passtests.html

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