On learning English

I read with interest a letter written by a Malay lady about how she managed to master English even though she came from the kampung (village). The letter was published in one of the local English dailies. Her teacher stressed pronunciation, spelling, dictation, poem recital and acting. Although she spoke no English at home, her teacher spoke to her in English. So did her friends.

You need a lot of practice in English to be able to master the language. Her case just shows that learning a language involves knowing how to pronounce each word correctly, spell it correctly and speak the language as often as possible.