English Exam Tips for Korean Speakers
Korean and English have very different grammar. Focus on word order, articles, plurals, some consonant sounds, and Konglish words that change meaning in English.
Common Challenges for Korean Speakers
- Word Order: Korean is Subject-Object-Verb. English is Subject-Verb-Object. Example: "I like coffee" not "I coffee like".
- Articles: Korean has no articles. Example: "I have a car" not "I have car".
- F, P, V and B: Korean has no "f" or "v" sound, so they are often said as "p" and "b". Example: Practice: coffee/copy, fan/pan, very/berry.
- R and L: Korean has one sound for both R and L. Example: Practice: rice/lice, road/load, pray/play.
- Relative Clauses: Korean puts the describing clause before the noun. English puts it after. Example: "The man who lives here" not "the here-living man".
- Konglish: Some English-looking words used in Korean are not used the same way in English. Example: "Mobile phone" not "hand phone". "Window shopping" not "eye shopping".
Grammar Tips for Korean Speakers
- Articles: Singular countable nouns need a/an or the: "I bought a phone. The phone is new."
- Plurals: Mark plurals with -s: "two dogs", "many students".
- Questions: Use auxiliaries and inversion: "Do you know him?" not "You know him?"
- Third Person -s: Add -s after he, she and it: "She studies English."
- Prepositions: Korean uses particles after nouns. Learn English prepositions before nouns: "at school", "on Monday".
- Yes and No Answers: Answer negative questions by the fact: "Didn't you go?" "No, I didn't" (if you did not go).
Vocabulary Advice
- Check Konglish words before using them in English
- Learn words with their grammar patterns: "suggest doing", "want to do"
- Practice words with f, v, z and th sounds
- Learn collocations instead of translating word by word
- Learn phrasal verbs for speaking and listening
- Build vocabulary through context, not just memorization
Exam Strategies
- Plan your sentence structure before writing
- Check articles and plurals in your final read-through
- In speaking, avoid adding a vowel after final consonants ("bus" not "buseu")
- In speaking, practice f/p, v/b and r/l
- Use varied sentence structures to show range
- In speaking tasks, extend your answers with reasons and examples
화이팅! Your dedication to study and practice will lead to exam success.