Questionnaire 6 tells you how strong your language ego is. This is what your score means:

How did you score? If you have a weak or moderate language ego, you like to be safe when you use English. You like to be certain that what you are saying is correct. But research has shown that the most successful language learners take risks. They make guesses. They try out new things. They talk with others freely. How can you become more of a risk taker? Think about some of the ideas and strategies that follow.

Weak to Moderate Language Egos

A score of 7 to 21 means that you may feel somewhat afraid to speak English. You may be afraid that other people will think you are stupid. Or perhaps you think that because you don't speak English really well, other people will not like you. You probably do some of the following things:

• Sit near the back of the classroom.
• Speak only when you have to in your English class.
• Let other students talk most of the time in small group work.
• Don't try to speak English with other people outside class.
• Use very simple language that you know is grammatically correct.

To become a higher risk taker, remember to practice what you learned in Chapter 5. Try to increase your self-confidence and lower your anxiety. Then work on these strategies.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

1. listen to English.
   The first strategy is quite easy: listen to English as often as possible. When you just listen, you don't have to speak and risk making mistakes. listen carefully in class, but also listen outside class on your own, as part of your homework. Watch English TV or go to a movie; listen to English radio programs and English songs.
2. Make opportunities to talk
   The second step in becoming a greater risk taker is to do lots of talking. It is important for you to speak English even if you make mistakes. You just have to risk saying things that aren't quite correct and be confident in yourself!

H. Douglas Brown, Strategies for Success: A Practical Guide to Learning English (White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, 2002.) Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education.