{"id":1366,"date":"2012-06-08T09:00:39","date_gmt":"2012-06-08T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=1366"},"modified":"2012-06-05T17:31:52","modified_gmt":"2012-06-05T21:31:52","slug":"how-to-be-the-perfect-language-learner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/how-to-be-the-perfect-language-learner\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Be Perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we are going to look at the lines of an English poem and discuss ‘perfection.’\u00a0 The lines of this poem come from the poet Ron Padgett.\u00a0 Mr. Padgett is a modern American poet born in the state of Oklahoma in 1942.\u00a0 He has been publishing volumes of poetry since the 1960’s and has published works as recently as 2011.\u00a0 I find his poetry both fun and thoughtful.\u00a0 Today I would like to share a few lines of a famous poem of Mr. Padgett’s entitled “How to be perfect.”\u00a0 The topic of perfection seems relevant as so many language learners worry about speaking “perfectly.”\u00a0 If after reading a few lines of this poem you are interested in reading more you can find this entire poem in the book entitled How to be perfect<\/em> which was published in 2007.\u00a0 Before looking at some of the lines from this poem about how to be perfect, let me first define the word perfect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Perfect can be both an adjective and a verb.\u00a0 The pronunciation of the adjective and verb forms of this word are different.\u00a0 You should be able to click on each of the words below and be connected to a link where you can hear the pronunciation of each.<\/p>\n

Perfect<\/a> (adjective): having all the necessary elements or characteristics; to be as good as it is possible to be.<\/p>\n

Perfect<\/a> (verb): to make something completely free from faults or defects as possible.<\/p>\n

Many of us strive to be perfect in different aspects of our lives, not just in our language learning.\u00a0 In his poem “How to be perfect”\u00a0 Mr. Padgett gives advice on how a person can be more perfect in general.\u00a0 Some of this advice is practical while other bits of advice are just funny.\u00a0 Here are some lines from this poem:<\/p>\n

Lines from “How to be perfect” by Ron Padgett.<\/p>\n

“Eat an orange every morning.<\/em><\/p>\n

Be friendly. It will help make you happy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hope for everything. Expect nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Take care of things close to home first. Straighten up your room<\/em>
\nbefore you save the world. Then save the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

Be nice to people before they have a chance to behave badly.<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t stay angry about anything for more than a week, but don’t<\/em>
\nforget what made you angry. Hold your anger out at arm’s length<\/em>
\nand look at it, as if it were a glass ball. Then add it to your glass <\/em>
\nball collection.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wear comfortable shoes.<\/em><\/p>\n

Do not spend too much time with large groups of people.<\/em><\/p>\n

Plan your day so you never have to rush.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

What do you think?\u00a0 Will doing any of these things make you a more perfect person?\u00a0 What does it mean to be a “perfect person” to you?\u00a0 Do you think it is possible to be perfect?\u00a0 One thing for language learners to remember is that it is important to not worry too much about speaking perfectly in a new language.\u00a0 Learning to speak a new language means making mistakes.\u00a0 In my opinion a perfect language learner is not one who speaks perfectly all the time, but one who learns from his\/her mistakes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today we are going to look at the lines of an English poem and discuss ‘perfection.’\u00a0 The lines of this poem come from the poet Ron Padgett.\u00a0 Mr. Padgett is a modern American poet born in the state of Oklahoma in 1942.\u00a0 He has been publishing volumes of poetry since the 1960’s and has published…<\/p>\n

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