教你正确用(二十七)

It is that time again to check the mailbox and share with you some of the letters. Today I’m going to share two letters from our readers. One reader asks about the meaning of “A Cup of English” and wonders how English can be put in a cupH. The second letter is from a mother who is worried about her son’s studies, including his study of English. I hope their questions are relevant to you in some way.

“A Cup of English”――“一杯英文”

A Letter from Nanshui

How are you, Xiao Ge? Please say hello for me to DD.

I like reading your columns very much. I read each column carefully. I’m interested in studying English, and I think the knowledge from your English column is very useful. Thank you for teaching our readers this knowledge. But I have a question. The title of your column is “A Cup of English.” What does it mean? Is it “一杯英语” in Chinese? Maybe my interpretation is wrong. So can you tell me the meaning of “A Cup of English”?

I thought of writing to you in Chinese, but I wanted to improve my English, so I wrote this letter in English in the end. Best wishes to you!

Reply from Xiao Ge

Good to hear from you, Nanshui.

Yes, I think the meaning of the title of my column is exactly as you have translated. “A Cup of English” is just like a cup of tea: People enjoy sipping a cup of tea because it is tasty and relaxing, and learning English can be as enjoyable and fun as we enjoy a cup of tea.

As a matter of fact, you are right in that we can’t physically put English in a cup. But, imagine that each time when we relax and chat about a small but interesting topic on English, it’s rather like we are enjoying a cup of tea, only that the content is not tea but is English! So, I named this column “A Cup of English.” Sometimes, an expression that is not logical or grammatically correct may make sense as long as we have a good explanation for itH.

Thanks for your very nice interpretation and translation and thanks for your regards to DD. Keep in touch and take good care of yourself.

XG

Mother, Kids, and English ――可怜天下父母心

A Letter from Jennifer

Hello Xiao Ge,

It was nice to know you from the magazine “Overseas English.” This is my first time writing to someone who doesn’t know me, but I do want to make some friends like you. I will be grateful if I could get your reply.

I live in a city in southern China, and I am a mother of a 15-year-old son. I always worry about his studies, especially his English subject. He never makes any effort on his learning and even refuses to finish his English homework. I tried my best to force him, but every time it ended in vain. He is in his third junior year now, and I am afraid if he continues to have this attitude toward his studies, he won’t be able to get into a high school, let alone a university. Do you have any good method to deal with my problem? Thanks a lot.

Reply from Xiao Ge

Hello Jennifer,

Thanks for your letter, and I’m glad to be your friend too.

I pondered on your question the past couple of days, and I must say that there doesn’t seem to be an easy answer to your question. Kids today live in an entirely different environment compared to 20 some years ago when we were growing up. My friends would often chide their children: “when your father was growing up, things were so difficult, so you need to work harder.” I guess the world is moving forward and will never go back to what it was 20 years ago; otherwise, we will have a problem, won’t we? Today’s kids will enjoy an even better life 10 or 20 years down the road. But, for sure, they have different worries and are under different types of pressure than the kinds we had when we were their age. We have given a name to such differences between parents and children―“generation gap,” where parents and their children don’t understand one another and don’t get along because of their different experiences, opinions, habits, and behavior. Nowadays, people in the US also talk about “cultural competence,” which is a new term indicating the need of people of one culture to understand, communicate, and work with people of a different culture. Probably we adults need to be more “culturally competent” while dealing with our kids.

After having said so much above, I guess what I’m really trying to say is that I’m not quite sure how to answer your question. There is no single golden method in a case like yours. Perhaps you can try to observe what your son’s interests are―what he likes to do and what he is good at doing―and help him to develop and build on his interests. One of my nephews, who is about your son’s age, wants to be a cartoonist, and we are very happy for him. I feel that no matter how simple a kid’s interest is, if it gets developed early, the kid has a better chance to be successful in the future.

Kids now study with an immediate purpose―to pass that exam. When studying is not fun, kids naturally resist it.Perhaps, your son’s study of English (or any subject) can be made more interesting by his teacher or by you. Give him something fun to read or let him use the language to resolve a problem in his play. When something is fun to learn and practical to use, he may spend more time on it.

I hope the above helps. I realize it is the New Year’s in China now. Very good luck to you in the New Year!

XG

Thanks to our readers for all the letters you have been sending me, and I have enjoyed reading and answering them. I look forward to chatting with you at “一杯英文” again next month. Until then, drop me a line at if you have a question.