Top 10 Posts of 2013

As we head out into the New Year, here’s a quick look back at our Top 10 Most Popular Posts of 2013.

1. FULL Beginner Class Vocabulary List

Here is the complete collection of vocabulary papers from the Beginner Class (including the first 200 words in the True Beginner class). Supplementary vocabulary is not included here, so the total amount of vocabulary contained here is 900 words.

There are 50 words per week (10 per day) over the course of 18 weeks.

2. ALL Low Intermediate Vocabulary and Grammar Sheets

Including two books (Korean Grammar in Use: Beginning + Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic), this list contains a total of 1260 words (at 72 words per week/12 per day) and 117 Grammar Rules (broken up into about 12 per week for 10 weeks).

3. Learn Hangul Touch Typing (Part 1): Installing the FREE Program

Likely you’ve already studied “touch typing” in English, but if you’re studying Korean, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have the same kind of computer dexterity in Hangul that you already enjoy with the English keyboard? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to keep a typed journal of what you’re learning in Korean? Or just impress friends and family back home with your blog posts or status updates that include Korean?

Hands down, this is THE BEST thing I learned in 2013. I can now easily type in Korean as well as English without looking at the keyboard to find the characters.

4. Vocabulary Guide for Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic – Week 1

This is the first 108 words from Part 1 of the Complete Guide to the TOPIK: Basic. Many of these words have to do with the TOPIK question instructions. (If you can’t understand the questions, it’ll be harder to get through them quickly and efficiently.)

5. Grammar Points Covered in High Intermediate Classes

This is just a LIST of the 150 Grammar rules covered in TOPIK 150 Essential Grammar (Intermediate Level – TOPIK 3-4). This year, we hope to flesh out the list and include links to a Post about EACH Grammar rule – complete with explanation, usage, and examples. Stay tuned!

6. Grammar Points Covered in Intermediate Classes

This is also just a LIST of the 93 Grammar rules covered in Korean Grammar in Use: Intermediate. Again, this year (in the first half of the year), we hope to flesh out the list with full descriptions and examples of each Grammar rule.

7. Beginner Class Resources

This Post contains ALL of our Beginner Class Resources for a 16-week class that can take you from a very minor knowledge of Korean to a functional understanding and use of it. The Resources include:

1. A list of all Grammar points covered (30)
2. Grammar videos (4)
3. All Vocab and Quiz sheets (14 weeks)
4. Vocabulary Learning YouTube videos (70)

8. 30-Day Challenge #8: Sam Hammington’s Language Learning Confidence

Sam Hammington (샘 해밍텬) is the first (and currently only) expat in Korea who is doing comedy on Korean TV in Korean. Sam is a rising star in Korea and has appeared on a long list of TV programs (over 30 according to Wikipedia). In this excerpt from a Wall Street English Korea podcast, Sam talks about how he learned to speak Korean so fluently and how others can effectively study second languages.

9. How I Scored 91 on TOPIK 초급 (100 in Vocab/Grammar)

This is how I achieved a very high Beginner TOPIK score. In this Post, I talk about the various tips I used to study Korean more effectively. It includes:

1. Choice of Correct Materials (from Beginner to Low Intermediate classes)
2. Individual Skill Practice (Vocab/Grammar, Writing, Listening, Reading tips)
3. Time (One of our lower-level students passed with a Level 2 because of the time he put in)

10. FULL Low Intermediate Vocabulary List

Here is the complete collection of vocabulary papers from the Low Intermediate Class (currently excluding the final few hundred words in the Complete TOPIK Guide book). The total amount of vocabulary contained here is (currently) 720 words. So, including the additional 900 wordscontained in the Beginner class vocabulary list, you’ll be well on your way to passing the TOPIK test with 1620 words total.

There are 72 words per week (12 per day for 6 days) over the course of 10 weeks.

I mentioned above that learning Korean touch-typing was hands down the BEST SKILL I acquired in 2013. I also passed the TOPIK Level 2 test with a high score.

This year, I have 3 main goals:

1. Pass TOPIK Level 4 (I’ll take the test in July AND December if I don’t pass the first time).
2. Speak freely 30 minutes/day (I’m good on paper, but not in person).
3. Put together our Korean-Speaking Challenge eBook.

What about you? What are your 2014 Korean Language goals?

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