The User's Guide

If you can not see the information in "".

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How to Use the Dialogue Page

Get to know page. 

Little man on top right hand corner tells you when the sound files have finished loading.  The paragraph above the dialog, explains the dialogue situation.  Click the word “Dialogue” and you will hear the whole dialog.  Click either ‘Mrs. Di’ or ‘Bartender’ to hear one line of the role. Move your cursor (pointer) over the little ® to get a translation, a literal translation (lit.) or an explanation (exp.).  Click one line of a dialogue to practice the line in detail.  Use the way you like best  or follow these steps.  Always click to hear if you said something acceptably and repeat what you hear. Keep your mouth moving.  Don’t try to make it perfect line by line.  Perfect the whole dialog in ‘waves.’  Once you are comfortable with the dialogue, go on to practices or vocabulary pages relevant to the dialog in the lesson. Review the dialogs often while doing the lesson.

Suggested Steps

Read the situation.
Listen to the whole dialog a couple of times listening for the words you already know.

Listen to each role. Compare what you hear with information in ""*.

Practice each line in detail.

Practice first being the Bartender and then Mrs. Di.  (To make it more challenging cover the words with a small piece of paper or your hand.)

Listen to the whole dialog until you can follow it easily. 

Always click to hear if you said something acceptably and repeat what you hear. Keep your mouth moving.  Don’t try to make it perfect line by line.  Perfect the whole dialog in ‘waves.’ 

Once you are comfortable with the dialogue, go on to practices or vocabulary pages relevant to the dialog in the lesson. Review the dialogs often while doing the lesson.

*Note: If you can not see the information in "". Please download and install the "JAVA script"

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How to Use the Vocabulary Lesson

The vocabulary lessons have four columns:

• Target words  or phrases with sound files. Under is the simplified Chinese character and the traditional Chinese character.The meaning or meanings.

 

• Example sentences with sound files for you to practice in detail. The sentences are there for you see and hear the words in context, not for you to memorize.  Just get a general idea of how they are used. 

 

• Explanatory material (translations, literal translations and explanations). They are references. Not for you to memorize.  Use them as you wish.  There are flashcards that you can print off, cut up, fold and paste if you want to use them in your free time to become more familiar with the words.

Suggested Steps

Use before or after you practice the dialogues. 

Review while you are doing the practices.  Review at the end of the lessons.

How to Use the Practices

Over-learning is the key.

Do them all again and again until you can do about 80% to 90% at a fairly quick pace.  The practices  vary:  repeat, backward build-up, sentence manipulation, dialog practice, dialog memorization, and how to you say something in Chinese.  Always  study the model to understand what you are going to do before you begin.  Always practice again and again until you can do it 80% to 90% at a quick pace. Then, move on.

Repeat

just introduces new words.  Just click and repeat.

Backward build-up. 

Hear a whole sentence.  Repeat from end to beginning.   Strange, yes, but it keeps you focused on the goal, getting to the end of a sentence. 

Sentence manipulation activities. 

You may be asked to substitute words in a sentence, you may change the sentence from one kind of sentence to another kind of sentence, or you may answer the questions.  There will always be a cue and a response.  The correct responses are usually indicated or , sometime both.  Always listen to find out if you performed the exercise correctly and always repeat the items to reinforce  your learning.  Just listening is not enough. 

Dialogue practice (Conversation).

You will get conversational situations and information to substitute into the lines of a dialogue.  The and are the correct responses.  Sometimes you can practice one part and sometimes two parts.  Just do the separately.  For example, take the part of A and respond to B, or take the part of B and respond to A.  Don’t do both parts at the same time. It’s a little unnatural.

Dialogue memorization (Disappearing Dialogue), starting in lesson 3. 

You will get a whole dialogue (A) just repeat it.  Go onto B where some of it will be missing. Practice it again until you do it by memorization.  Go onto C where more of it will be missing. Practice it again and again until you do it by memorization. Go onto D, E, and sometime F, where most of the dialog is missing and you are doing almost all of it by memorization.  Always click the roles and repeat what you hear whether you get the answer right or wrong.  Good reinforcement.

Can you say these words, phrases, or sentences in Chinese. 

You will see English words, phrases, or sentences. Try to say them in Chinese.  Click the to hear if you can. There may be more than one answer, so remain relaxed if it says something different than you.  However, use this exercise as a gauge to how well you mastered the material in the lesson.  If you really mess it up, go back and re-practice the lesson.

Review your dialogues, vocabulary, and pronunciation guide frequently while doing the practice. 

You can keep up your interest if you keep up the variety.  When you are tired of doing exercises that make you think too much, go back and do a few “brainless” ones to give yourself a break.
Finally, make some Chinese friends and be with them and their friends.  Just keep listening for the things you know.  Sooner or later the language will just start popping out of your mouth with much thinking at all.  Keep reviewing and using until you get in the situation. Once you are in the situation, you will start slowly  (out of anxiety) but very quickly and you will getting around in Chinese.