[dthien0511]

Originally Posted by tmh_0412

You're basically talking about stuff that anyone with a band score 9 can easily do any day of the week. And it seems like your concept of fluency relies a bit too much on 'formality', rather than the accuracy of the response. It doesn't hurt being polite to other people right? Look like you're having some kind of Japanese PTSD or something. Why have 3 ways of using the language (formal, semi-formal, and informal) when you can be nice and polite in stead? The differences are not that big anyway

Your thinking is somewhat naive.

I have been living in the US for 10+ years. In fact, there are actually 3 ways of using English, and it depends on the one you are talking to. This applies to every languages in the world. You can communicate casually to your friends in daily life, but you must not do that at all when talking/writing to your coworkers, your direct supervisor (these cases you can do it semi-formally a.k.a less casual). When talking to CEO, CIO, or anyone who are much higher than you in ranking, formality is a must. This is an important thing to take into consideration; because if you learn more about the American/European culture and how they communicate in their daily life, it will bring you more benefit in improving your English.


Regarding IELTS, I find it very easy in so many levels. It's nothing compared to TOEFL, and if you are eyeing for pursuing Master Degree where GRE/GMAT needs to be taken, IELTS looks like a 2nd-grade Math test compared to a University Entrance Exam.

I have taken IELTS a long time ago and realized that there are a couple of big bars:

• 6.5 bar: People can get 6.0 easily, but reaching 6.5 band score requires more practice.
• 8:0 bar: This requires the candidates to know more advance vocabulary and they also have to pay attention more to their pronunciation. In my opinion, these two are the most important factors whether the graders decide to give candidates another 0.5 points or not.

To improve Listening skill, watching sitcom shows on Netflix would be your best bet. Grey's Anatomy, Friends, The Office, etc. are some of good TV series to invest your time in (and without turning on subtitle of course).

[tmh_0412]

Originally Posted by dthien0511

Your thinking is somewhat naive.

I have been living in the US for 10+ years. In fact, there are actually 3 ways of using English, and it depends on the one you are talking to. This applies to every languages in the world. You can communicate casually to your friends in daily life, but you must not do that at all when talking/writing to your coworkers, your direct supervisor (these cases you can do it semi-formally a.k.a less casual). When talking to CEO, CIO, or anyone who are much higher than you in ranking, formality is a must. This is an important thing to take into consideration; because if you learn more about the American/European culture and how they communicate in their daily life, it will bring you more benefit in improving your English.


Regarding IELTS, I find it very easy in so many levels. It's nothing compared to TOEFL, and if you are eyeing for pursuing Master Degree where GRE/GMAT needs to be taken, IELTS looks like a 2nd-grade Math test compared to a University Entrance Exam.

I have taken IELTS a long time ago and realized that there are a couple of big bars:

• 6.5 bar: People can get 6.0 easily, but reaching 6.5 band score requires more practice.
• 8:0 bar: This requires the candidates to know more advance vocabulary and they also have to pay attention more to their pronunciation. In my opinion, these two are the most important factors whether the graders decide to give candidates another 0.5 points or not.

To improve Listening skill, watching sitcom shows on Netflix would be your best bet. Grey's Anatomy, Friends, The Office, etc. are some of good TV series to invest your time in (and without turning on subtitle of course).

Lol, I tried so hard to make it clear that my comment was a troll.

Still, I think getting 8 or 9 in IELTS is still a pretty impressive feat, unlike what a016488 said. It's not like you wake up one day and be fluent in English right? There will certainly be some point in your life that you say 'It would be so cool if I could score an 8', and it could be anything really. Just think of it as a milestone that everyone will eventually have to pass at some point. Maybe I'm just being a bit too much of an IELTS fanboy, but for most people it can be their ticket to a better future, here in Vietnam or somewhere else.

Srsly tho, I'm sick of hearing people say IELTS means absolute nothing to native speakers. It's so useless bringing that point up since anyone can figure that out themselves.

[dthien0511]

Originally Posted by tmh_0412

Lol, I tried so hard to make it clear that my comment was a troll. Still, I think getting 8 or 9 is still a pretty impressive feat, unlike what he said. Maybe I'm being a bit too much of an IELTS fanboy, but for most people it can be their ticket to a better future here in Vietnam or somewhere else.

I get what he is trying to say. It is a feat, but it's not important. If you are working in any industry that requires fluent English communication, then maybe it's nice to have an 8.0 IELTS. It's better to just stop at 6.5 band score and spend time in honing your other skill sets.

6.5 band score already proves that you have an English level that satisfies the requirement to work in normal business environment, or you can follow University lectures without getting lost.
8.0 band score proves that your English proficiency is decent enough for higher education (Master, PhD).

It's not coincident that universities in the US only requires 6.5 band score to get admitted, or 8.0 for grad school.

The same thing applies to TOEFL anyway, with 80 for undergrad and 100 for grad school. Even if you get max 120/120 and apply for undergrad, the admission committee doesn't really care.

GRE/GMAT, on the other hand, is harder to get max score; thus, it's more important. Getting max score in Verbal section means that your vocabulary is on the same level as an graduated Master/PhD student. This is more important because grad students have to do research and write papers all days and they need a very wide range of vocabulary for their field. I studied for 2 years after finishing my first attempt in GRE (170 in Math, 160 in Verbal) and can only get an extra 3 points in my second try.

Originally Posted by tmh_0412

Srsly tho, I'm sick of hearing people say IELTS means absolute nothing to native speakers. It's so useless bringing that point up.

It's wrong to say it means nothing; but also, it's not everything. People needs to know the actual goal of learning English in general, or IELTS in particular.

If you need to get admitted to a nice university, stop at 6.5, and spend time doing volunteer and build up your resume.
If you need to get admitted to a nice grad school, stop at 8.0, and spend time doing professional work that relates to your skills.
If you need to work in industries that require high level of English communication, then focus on higher IELTS score.

I hope you understand what I am trying to say. No offense.

[tmh_0412]

Originally Posted by dthien0511

I get what he is trying to say. It is a feat, but it's not important. If you are working in any industry that requires fluent English communication, then maybe it's nice to have an 8.0 IELTS. It's better to just stop at 6.5 band score and spend time in honing your other skill sets.

6.5 band score already proves that you have an English level that satisfies the requirement to work in normal business environment, or you can follow University lectures without getting lost.
8.0 band score proves that your English proficiency is decent enough for higher education (Master, PhD).

It's not coincident that universities in the US only requires 6.5 band score to get admitted, or 8.0 for grad school.

The same thing applies to TOEFL anyway, with 80 for undergrad and 100 for grad school. Even if you get max 120/120 and apply for undergrad, the admission committee doesn't really care.

GRE/GMAT, on the other hand, is harder to get max score; thus, it's more important. Getting max score in Verbal section means that your vocabulary is on the same level as an graduated Master/PhD student. This is more important because grad students have to do research and write papers all days and they need a very wide range of vocabulary for their field. I studied for 2 years after finishing my first attempt in GRE (170 in Math, 160 in Verbal) and can only get an extra 3 points in my second try.

Yeah, in those circumstances, it's not everything.

I just find his reply a bit too edgy for the situation. It's been a while so I can't remember exactly why I put my reply that way. For me personally, IELTS is still a good place to start with, not like start as in start from the beginning, but like start to get serious about learning English.

[huygo24]

Wow, The thread 's old is 11 years. Tuổi của thread này đã là 11 năm, nói vậy có đúng k hay có cách nào nói hay hơn không các bác?

[dthien0511]

Originally Posted by huygo24

Wow, The thread 's old is 11 years. Tuổi của thread này đã là 11 năm, nói vậy có đúng k hay có cách nào nói hay hơn không các bác?

Possessive form is only used for human, animal, and country. You cannot use it for an object.

"This thread is 11 years old."

Simple is the best.

[wildworld]

Well, I am just dying for people to talk to these days, not really only practising English.

I plan to switch my job by mid-2021, and although I use English in my daily communication with my clients and foreign colleagues, I think I will consider taking IELTS again to make up for my CV during recruiters’ screening.
I am currently working as a customer service team leader in a niche B2B market. Beside English and interpersonal skills, I am capable of managing individual working agenda, sales activities, data analysis at basic level, and also pursuing Chinese with a target at upper-intermediate level at the end of this year. In addition, I have a background on economics and finance, but not very excellent though.

Anyone has any idea on what fields or positions that may be related to my skillset? I am thinking of being a personal assistant but still have little information on the requirements and expectations.

via vozForums for iPhone

[shi2510]

it's okay to mock our forum on this thread?

[KhachTru3]

i learning English by myself.
Is it correct?

[saynolove]

This is a story I wrote about my dating experience in the US. I have dated quite a few, Asians, Whites, Vietnamese, Americans, etc. But this girl Abby was the most impressive.

If you guys like it, I'll keep posting

Chapter 1

That Friday, I was doing my routine with afternoon gym time. 3pm usually was the time I finished up my work and prepared for my workout, and as I was just doing that the phone vibrated with a dating app notification. Someone swiped right on me and what’s left for me to do was to find her and swipe right (thanks to dating technology, especially in letting users know about people who interacted with them).

Found the profile, Abby, white (can’t go other ways with that name), blond, blue eyes, came from the state of K. The profile said she was a student at W College and was interning at M University Press. W College is within biking distance from where I live, and is an all girls college (surprisingly, in this 21th century in the US these schools do exist). The school is well-known for being (almost) exclusively for rich white people. The M University she was interning at is out of the question when it comes to reputation. I swiped right, it was a match.



Not even a minute later, she started the conversation:
What’s your favorite drink?
Margarita, blended with ice. What’s yours?
Bourbon, although I’m trying to switch to something sweeter/lower AC

Had no idea what Bourbon was so I googled. It’s a Whiskey brand from the state of K. Understandable, I carried on.
Why? It’s classic and cool! I’m actually jealous, whiskey makes me red pretty fast usually
Ah, are you allergic? Or just blushing?
Just blushing, I guess it’s an Asian thing. (sweating and smiling emoji)
That’s cute

I had no idea what to say next, can’t just be a thankyou. If I couldn’t come up with something else the conversation would go nowhere. I thought about how she might be commuting to work on the Commuter Rail that I was very familiar with (because we were on the same rail track), so I asked about her favorite stations. The topic quickly turned to how confusing the stations are designed and how hard it was to gain access to them, especially at night. I finished the topic up:

Commuting and drinking were really my equation to solve during my MBA years.
Junior year my research question was “what will I do for a line of coke?” and then after the school put me in rehab, this year I decided to research how many bottles of wine I could drink in a weekend, which is my current undertaking.

Okay, hold up a minute, what the fuck? Did she just say she was doing coke. Okay I gotta calm down, maybe she was joking? However, I knew the fact that white rich Americans students do hardcore drugs was nothing new.
Wait you went through rehab? I’m sorry it’s hard to tell if it’s a joke over text (smiling and sweating)

Oh it’s a joke, it happened but I find it quite hilarious

I chose to ignore the whole cocaine thing.
Okay I’m more than willing to test your research this year, I could be your Research Assistant, which is my current job title.
I’m definitely interested. I mean I suppose as a digital marketing intern I could definitely volunteer to document the research process (which ironically I’m working on an application for Makerspace documentation)

I had no fucking clue what Markespace documentation was. No time for inquiries, I wrote a long message to set up a date:
Ok why am I a good fit? I have experience in *serious research*, could open wine bottles given some time, could be your drinking companion, also could count your drinks before I pass out first (if I do). Please pass me
Ah it appears you’re qualified for an interview
What should be the interview schedule for your convenience? Does any time this week work?
Fortunately I’m free all weekend and I’m not sure about during the week yet.

It could not have gone better, I was pretty smooth (I hypothetically high fived myself). Finally we agreed to meet at a place that she chose at 7pm that night. I went to the gym in a flying mood, wishing time could go faster while I was lifting (which was true for any other exercise day too). Leaving the gym at 5, I got a new message:
Hey T, is it cool if we reschedule? I didn’t realize how drunk I was until I stood up and I don’t wanna embarrass myself (sweaty smile). I’m so so so sorry but tomorrow I swear
You’re drunk at 6? Hahaha
Yea (3 sweaty smiles). I started drinking at 3 and it got me

I had plans to hang out with Lenna tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a late call for me, around 8pm maybe?
Sounds good just lmk. My phone number is _____, if you want to text.

I supposed today’s date was a failure, my mood just went from flying high to hitting the ground hard, another boring night. I texted her
Hi Abby, it’s T
Hi T, so so sorry about tonight.

I just wanted to try one more time
Hey it’s okay, don’t worry, hear me out. 1 I can take 4 shots of vodka or whiskey then see you. We’re gonna have a drunk date so we’ll be both embarrassing. 2 if not and if somehow you sober up before 10pm we could go for a walk around your area. But if it's a no then tomorrow. I’m just bored, no worries.
Let’s do it tomorrow. Wine drunk me is about to go from super happy to listening to weird music and feeling sad or getting overly political, I’d rather meet you in a moderately sober state and then get gradually more silly.
I’d love that. Also curious to see how political you can be
Last time I got drunk I gave someone a copy of the communist manifesto

This was just meant to be. She wanted to talk about communism to someone from a communist country? This white chick is absolutely no match for me when it comes to cummunist scheme and ideology. I gleefully sent her a meme about communism with a text:
I can talk to you about communism for 2 days. I long for our drunk conversation haha. I can show you my huge collection of Soviet union jokes.

She sent me a meme and confirmed the date tomorrow. It wasn’t too bad. I would have Saturday hanging out with Lenna but I was more excited for the date with Abby. I told myself that I would text Abby at noon that day to confirm for the night date because who knew if she might be drunk again.

Saturday afternoon, I was doing my chores when I got Abby’s text:
Hey I’m dealing with a lot of family stuff today, is it cool if we do next week instead?

*Sigh* I knew something would come up:
Sure! Just take your time. Let me know when you know which day you are avail
Thank you so much, I should be free on Monday or Tuesday
Drinking on Monday must feel good, I’m down

No reply, then later I saw a missed call from her. I called back but she rejected. She texted:
Accidentally called
Opps, okay

No reply again, I wasn’t sure whether Monday was confirmed, but never mind, I needed to think about hanging out with Lenna, this Abby girl is confusing as hell, this probably was going nowhere.

Saturday was a fun day with Lenna but it was a different story. Sunday is usually my late morning day. I was sleeping until early morning when I got a call from Abby, at 7am. I was barely awake and did not know what was going on. I grabbed my phone and before I could answer, the call was off. Annoyed, I threw the phone away and got back to sleep.

But who the hell would accidentally call someone at 7am? She wasn’t chatting with me to be accidental, or maybe something was up? Sometimes a small act can change a whole story, in this case it was what I did. If I had carried on with my sleep maybe everything could have been so much different. However I - because of my big curiosity - texted her back:
Did you accidentally call again or did you try to be my alarm clock? Haha

No reply, fuck this thing. I was going back to sleep. The phone rang.

Abby.
Hello
Sorry for calling you this early, is it okay?
Not a problem, what’s up?

Now I have to stop here to describe her accent. It was definitely not American, in fact it sounded very European, like Swedish, Germany and Russia mixed together. It’s like she swallowed Melanie Trump but did not get the look, just the accent. That was strange considering her American name and her home state that was famous for being white with little immigration. I assumed she came to the US when she was young or maybe she lived in a European community.
Do you want to talk about communism?

I had to ask her 3 times until I understood what she said. That was a nice surprise, after that I got used to the accent.
You mean now?
Yes. I was talking to my friends in Bangladesh. These motherfuckers are messed up. He showed me that his house was in a military compound, I went on Google Map to check whether it was true. What’s with being in a military compound, these motherfuckers? That got nothing on me, they don’t know where I’m from. So, do you want to meet and talk politics?

My confused brain at 7am did not have the core processor to process this information. I had no idea what I had just heard, not even sure if I wrote it right here. I was 80% sure she was drunk though.

Okay, text me the place, I’ll be there, give me 45 mins for preparation
Okay, I’m getting my stuff and putting on my headphones and leaving now. I’ll see you.

I rushed to finish my morning routine with a quick breakfast. I was getting ready to go when she called again:
Hey what’s up?
What do you drink? I can order
Ahh no need, thank you, just order for yourself, take a seat and wait for me
Okay, what’s your ETA?
8:15

I took my uber and arrived at 8:15 sharp, and was pretty impressed with myself. The cafe place she chose was in the middle of the town W, which is her school’s town - rich and for the whites. I rushed inside, looked around and spotted only old men and women (what kind of young adults would have a coffee at 8am on a Sunday anyway ). Remembering the outside benches, I got out again and saw a girl on the bench, blond, blue eyes, around 5’3-5’4, wearing a checkered shirt and sweatpants, big headphones covering the head and ears, bag on shoulders and was reading a book. That was definitely Abby.