Adam TP # 5

Today I met with my other tutee, Daehyup. He is a basketball player from South Korea, though he says he no longer plays professionally. He is currently taking classes at CIES in order to learn English. He seemed very eager and enthusiastic to learn, although his attitude was also kind of somewhat self-deprecating (for example, on his introduction he told me "I can't speak English.") I asked him a few questions in order to measure his level of English comprehension, including his knowledge of English grammar (he did have some difficulty with grammar, as he confused a verb with a noun: I made sure to walk him through the difference between the two by discussing simple subject-verb-object sentences, which he said he had already learned). He said that his main problems were with listening comprehension as well as with speaking. I let him know that he had a decent grasp on vocabulary but I also told him I would like to help him with listening comprehension and speaking. He said that these were the two most difficult parts of English for him. I offered to help him with grammar in use during conversation, as he understood written grammar rules but often had difficulty with correct word order while attempting to form spoken sentences (He seemed confused by this and asked if English grammar was different in writing than in speech). I told him that we could hold practice conversations in order to practice listening and speaking. I let him know that we could possibly watch a short film clip and I could pause and explain new words to him any time there was something that he didn't understand.
I asked him to come back to me with specific questions about grammar as well as about new vocabulary he had discovered on his own time. I told him I mostly wanted to help coach him in listening and speaking, since he said that those are his two weakest points. I am very glad to be of help him in his quest to master English. We agreed to meet again on Saturday afternoon.