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such people； but they’re extremely helpful and easier to locate than you might think； and
getting easier all the time as America becomes an international mixture of peoples。 Your
informants will usually love being asked to help you learn their language。
Let’s suppose you’ve stubbed your venturesome toe on paragraph one or two or
three or whichever； and no comprehension clicks on。 At this point you must consciously
overturn the rules of misdirected American language teaching and do something radical。
You must wave goodbye to your unsolved puzzle and keep moving ahead。
If you don’t understand it； skip it for the time being。 Chances are excellent your
confusion will clear itself up as you progress through more and more concepts that you
do understand。 You will have the pleasure of looking back on earlier lesssons in the
grammar； seeing your wavy pencil lines beside a now clear paragraph； and saying to
yourself； “How could I have ever been derailed by this？” It’s fun erasing those wavy
lines！
Continue through five lessons of the grammar before you so much as glance at any
of your other tools。 Leave the cassettes wrapped in their packaging。 Don’t be tempted to
look at the newspaper or magazine in your target language。 The more of a language lover
you are； the tougher it will be。 Plodding through grammar while friendly cassettes and
real life newspapers await will make you feel like a child who has to finish his homework
before he runs out and plays baseball。 And that’s exactly the point。 You are a child in
that new language； and like all children； you have to learn to put first things first。
Grammar comes first。 Build a little character by slogging through five chapters of it。 You
will build up a head of steam that will send you charging headlong into more pleasant
terrain。
Cassettes； newspapers； flash cards； and phrase books will cut the boredom out of
waiting for buses and replace it with growth in another language； these will be your
reward after you make an honest beginning in the grammar。 Sustain your spirit during the
grammar study by reminding yourself how soon you’re going to be allowed to go out and
“play。”
Into the Real World
When you’ve served out your sentence of five lessons of grammar； spread out all your
other tools （you should regard them as “toys”） and prepare to use them all
simultaneously。
Take the newspaper or magazine。 Go to the upper left hand corner of page one。 （In
languages like Arabic and Hebrew； that will be the upper right hand corner of the “back”
page； which is their front。） That article is your assignment。 It will easily be the toughest
newspaper article you’ve ever read。 And it will just as certainly do you more good than
any other。
Take your highlighter and highlight all the words you don’t know in the first
paragraph。 You may very well end up with a coloured line through every single word in
that paragraph。 After all； this is no schoolhouse text that dips to your beginner’s level。
This is as real life and real world as an exercise can get。 And all you’ve had so far is five
lessons of elementary grammar。 Never mind。 Play the game and dutifully mark through
every word you don’t know； even if it be every last word in that first paragraph！
Then reach for your dictionary and your blank flash cards。 Go to the first word and
look it up。 One of four things will happen： （1） You’ll find the word exactly as it appears
in the newspaper。 （2） You’ll find a word that starts out the same but seems to go haywire
halfway through or at the end。 （3） The word will not be in your dictionary （even though
you gave that dictionary a “sophistication” test before you bought it。） （4） You will think
that word is not in the dictionary because the word has done crazy things with itself。 It’s
altogether possible； owing to rules of that language you haven’t learned yet； that the role
of the word as it appears in the newspaper demands it be written differently from the base
form； which is the one listed in the dictionary。 （The word vaya in Spanish； for example；
won’t be in the dictionary。 It’s the singular imperative form of the verb ir meaning “to
go。”）
In case 1； the word is in the dictionary spelled exactly the way it is in your
newspaper （from now on we’ll say “text” – it could be a magazine or even a book）。 Take
a blank flash card and write the English on one side； then flip it over and write the
foreign word on the other。 Write in block letters so your flash cards will always be easy
to read。 I hesitate to labour the procedure for making your own flash cards。 There is a
preferred procedure； however； and I herewith present it in case you don’t already know it。
Single words and entire phrases are best handled differently。 When you write
individual words on your flash card； you only need a “short runway；” so treat the card in
its “tall” （vertical） form rather than its “fat” （horizontal） form and enter your words one
under the other down the length of the card。 Write the English word across the
“forehead” of the card； then flip it； not sideways； but head over heels； and write the
foreign word across the opposite forehead。
Then turn the card back over to the English side and write your next word directly
underneath； turn it over and write in the foreign word； and keep repeating until the card is
filled。 That head over heels lengthwise flip makes the card easier to manipulate in a
crowded bus or elevator and less likely to fall out of your hand。
When you graduate to writing entire phrases on your blank flash cards； it’s
obviously better to treat the card in its fat form。 Continue to flip head over heels。
Now； case 2： You find a word in the dictionary that seems as though it’s trying to
be the word in your text but it falls off track： the ending changes spelling。 You’ve
probably found your base word； all right； but the word in the text； for reasons you don’t
yet comprehend； has taken another form。 Is it a verb？ Then the dictionary will give you
the infinitive form （to be； to do； etc。）； whereas the form in your text could be one of many
variations； depending on person； number； tense； or； in some languages； aspect。
If that riff of grammatical terms makes you feel like I felt on my fifth day of Latin
class； fear not。 Language teachers would prefer to assume that such grammatical jargon is
familiar to every graduate of an American high school English class。 Alas； that
assumption is grossly misguided。 But help is here。 The “Back to Basics” chapter later in
this book will explain all necessary grammatical terms in friendly； nonthreatening
language that requires no prior understanding of grammar。
Write the base form – the dictionary form； that is – on your flash card and try to
decipher the meaning of the text with that base form as a clue。
If the meaning is clear； don’t worry yet about why the word in the text differs from
the base form。 Part of the fun of this process is having that knowledge surrender itself to
you as you proceed through your grammar book。 If the meaning is not clear； make a
“question card；” spelling the confusing word the way it appears in the text。 Keep your
Sturdikleer with question cards with you at all times。 When you meet your informant； or
anybody who can explain your confusion away； pull out the question card and your
miasma of confusion will become windshield wiper clear。
List no more than six unknown words per flash card。 Don’t clutter the card。 It’s a
good idea to draw a line under both the English and the foreign word； giving each entry
its own “cubicle” on the card。 Also； check carefully to make sure you don’t omit either
the English or the foreign word； giving you a situation in which English word number
three on the card fails to correspond to foreign word number three。 （I once went around
for almost a year thinking the Russian word for “prince” meant “raspberry jam”！）
In cases 3 and 4； either the word’s not in the dictionary or it’s not there in any form
recognisable to you。 Enter the word on a question card。
You may have four or five complete cards； eighteen or twenty words defined and
ready to be learned； from the first paragraph in your text alone。 Put those cards in clear
plastic and carry them with you at all times。 Don’t mix them up with the question cards。
Keep them separate。 The cards with the dictionary forms of the foreign words from the
text you didn’t know； with their English equivalents on the reverse side； are the
beginning of your collection of linguistic growth protein。
Advance！
Now you’re ready for paragraph two。 Between paragraphs one and two； you’ve been
glancing at those flash cards during your hidden moments – waiting in line； on elevators；
etc。 With highlighter poised like a sword； you now sally forth into the second paragraph。
The going will probably be noticeably easier； because paragraph two will likely be
dealin