Have you read my comments?

I have been writing comments on each of your posts. Some of you have responded to my comments (either with comments of your own or in your next post). However, I suspect that many of you have not even read the comments I have written. You are required to read my comments and, from now on, I will also require that you write some kind of response to each of my comments.

I posted about where to find the comments and how to post your own comments in my message called "Comments." By sure to read that.

You are also required to read everything I have written on my blog. I often have to tell students to read about how to post on my blog because it seems they have not yet done so and, therefore, do not understand how I want them to post. To be honest, I'm beginning to get a little tired of this.

If you like, you can write on your own blog about what you have read on my blog. Of course, if you find words on my blog that you do not know, you can look them up and write a little about them on your blog, just as you would do when you read something else. And, I would be very happy if you would write comments directly on my blog by clicking the "comments" button.

Context

I believe that students of language must learn words in context. I wrote about this in an essay called "How to Learn English." In particular, please read what I wrote in that essay under the following headings: "When you do look up a word think about the context," "Remember the context, not the dictionary definition," and "Words are like friends."

I also explained why just trying to memorize a Japanese translation for an English word is not a good idea. This explanation appears under the heading "Why memorizing Japanese equivalents does not work." I think my use of the word "equivalent" was confusing to many of you. I used the word "equivalent" to mean "a word that is thought to have the same meaning." For example, "inu" is thought to be the Japanese equivalent of "dog." But, as I explained in my essay, the usage and nuances of "dog" and "inu" are not the same. The best way to learn about the usages and nuances of the word "dog" (or any word, for that matter) is to pay attention to how it is actually used.

For these reasons, I am requiring you to always include the sentence you found a word in when you write about that word in your blog. I explained this requirement in my first post to this blog (look for the heading "What should you write in your blog?") and have repeated it since.

Finally, please place each word, that word's definition, and the sentence in which you found it close together. Here are two examples of good ways to show the context of the words you studied: Example 1, Example 2. On the other hand, I don't think it is a good idea to separate a long list of words and definitions from the text of a passage. Here are two examples of this problem: Example 1, Example 2. Notice that it is difficult to find the sentence in which each word was used in these examples. I want you to try to learn words in context so I think it is important to make the context in which you found each word clear. This will make it easier for me to read your blogs and I think it will help you review the words you have studied. When you review, always review each word in the context of a phrase or sentence.

Checklist for posts

Before you post something to your blog in this class, check the following list:

1. What is necessary?
   
   
   1. Information about your source
      When you post about something you have read, you must provide detailed information about what you read. (For more information, click here.)
   2. Context for any words you list
      If you write about or show the definition of a word you came across in your reading, you must include the sentence in which you found the word. (For more information, click here.)


2. What is desirable?
   
   
   1. Questions
      Asking questions, is a great way to learn. However, you need to make your questions specific. (For more information, click here.)
   2. Comments about what you read
      Writing comments in English about something you have just read is a very good way to improve your English. (For a good example of how to do this, click here.)
      
   3. English-English definitions
      I strongly encourage you to look up words that you do not know in a good English-English dictionary. I think that the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English is particularly good. You may also include definitions from English-Japanese dictionaries. However, do not include definitions that do not fit the context.


3. What is not necessary?


1. Translations
   It is not necessary to include translations of the sentences you studied. (For more information, click here.)
2. Unrelated definitions
   Several definitions are listed for most of the words you will look up in a dictionary. Include only those definitions that fit the context of the sentence in which you found the word. Do not clutter your blogs with unrelated definitions.
   

What were you reading?

Several of the participants in this class have forgotten to indicate what they read. If you read something on the internet, it is not enough to merely write the title of what you were reading; you also need to include a link. I have explained how to do this in a previous message that I posted on this blog: How to add a link. Be sure to read that message.

If you read something that is not on the internet, you need to include enough information about what you read so that whoever reads your blog can find the same material. For example, if you are reading a book, you should include the title, author, publisher, and date of publication.