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English is the global language with around 1.3 billion speakers. We go anywhere around the world, and we will find someone who speaks English. This will make communication easier. Knowing and learning the English language not only broadens your world but also opens up various opportunities around the world. English is not just a common language; it is the most important one to learn for various reasons. The language is a liberating force that enables the learner to become competitive in the job markets, get good access to overseas varsities, enhance their ability to access information, travel around the world, and meet people online.
If English is your second or third language then it can a bit challenging task to learn. But once you get a hang of it, English learning can become fun and every learning would be worth it. Everyone has different reasons to learn but it cannot be denied that English is a global language of communication.
Countries like the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Caribbean countries have about 400 million native English speakers. But some statistics reveal that more than a quarter of the world’s population speaks, understands, and relates to the English language. In fact, most people watch and learn things from movies. Hollywood is the largest film industry which produces movies in English. Also, many international trade meetings and agreements are concluded in English as it is the most used international language, especially for business meetings.
So those who are thinking to learn English or have started their journey, get to know some tips and tricks on how to learn English efficiently.
PLAN YOUR LEARNING
Learning English as a second language can be a big task. So the first thing one needs to do is plan ahead before jumping into something. Prepare some notes and write down why do you want to learn English. Jot down the negative thoughts you have towards learning the English language and end your notes by writing your goals after learning the language. Make a short-term plan, for example studying English for at least 30 or 60 minutes. Search for platforms where you can learn English, like ReDefiners World Languages.
Schedule your learning time slot and get started with it. Making a plan ahead of time will help you get clear thoughts and energy to learn.
Check Your English Proficiency Level
Before signing up for any plan or course or entering any school, find out how much English you know. What is your English proficiency level? Once you know this, it will help you determine what kind of English learning program you would require.
Find a Good Medium to Learn English
Learning English can be a task, and many learners end up downloading various apps or purchasing lots of books. Such acts can confuse you. For example, this happens a lot with video streaming as we end up looking for something and we end up watching something else. In short, with so many options people lose focus. Therefore pick just one resource on day one to start with and then stick with it for few months. If it seems that doesn’t work for you then change the resource.
Also, how do you choose a good resource to learn the English language? Learners must focus on comprehensible resources which are also enjoyable. As it is said the more you enjoy learning English the more you will want to do it. This means that you will have more energy to focus on learning English when your planned learning time arrives.
Finally, the resource should be useful for beginners as one does not want long literature texts just at the start of their learning. Many websites provide various topics with audio, video, and texts which are made for all English learners at every level.
Such as ReDefiners where you will be able to find something useful and interesting. With these, you will always be able to find something useful and interesting. Always take a day or two to search for you resource which fits your need.
Learn from English Phrases
While studying English or any other language, do not focus on memorizing the words, rather try to understand the whole phrase. When you learn words and phrases, you need to make sure that you find content that uses them. What you already understand will help you to understand the 10 percent to 30 percent that you do not. Just memorizing the meaning of the words is easier if you know what they mean and how they are used in a sentence.
Learn From the Audio
When you read English, you are mostly enhancing your grammar and vocabulary. Therefore you must not solely depend on textbooks. When you learn English by listening, you learn how to converse with someone, which cannot be done by reading. Listening to audio helps in learning conversational vocabulary and grammar without even realizing or memorizing. And once you get a hang of the audio learning, move on to other tools like printed text or subtitles. These sources will make you understand the content through the context and will make your learning more enjoyable and faster. Audio learning helps you connect with sounds, words, and their pronunciation.
If you do this enough in the beginner stage, then it will help you to get to higher levels faster.
Focus on Grammar with "A Point of View"
What adults make mistake is most of them become conscious of speaking English with correct grammar. As they think grammar is the most important thing to focus on to make proper sentences. Every new learner must learn from children how they pick up any language without being aware of the usage of grammar or any technicality. They just listen and learn from their surroundings and grasp the language.
The best way to learn grammar is to listen to the conversation of native speakers or watch movies to focus on how conversations are done. One can also keep grammar books and keep making notes but use them when you understand things clearly.
Also if one wants to learn grammar, they can listen to short stories told in various tenses. This will naturally improve their English grammar automatically.
So try to focus less on the grammar and emphasize more towards the point of view in the English language. You should not spend more than 25 percent of your time learning grammar. Grammar can be boring, and boring things can make us slower learners.
Focus on Prioritizing Vocabulary
To grab a hold on grammar through the language itself, one needs to focus on the vocabulary. And to enhance the vocabulary in the English language, the best way is to repeat the usage of the words. Repetition is the key but not too much. You need to make dynamic repetitions to learn vocabulary and use them in different ways.
Dynamic repetition means that you have to use the words that you have learned in new ways. You can use the word in writing or speaking in three-four different ways. You can also use applications to hear the words in a different sentence and then translate them into your language. Also picking the meaning of the words from multiple choice, or just repeating the words while reading the definition. To make it more simple and easier one can practice vocal by writing it down as many times as they want to and then read it twice or thrice.
While learning English one must also remember to focus on quality over quantity. People try to learn as many words as they can and overwhelm themselves with too much vocabulary. This will not help them. They should rather focus on learning a few new words and repeating those dozens of times. This will prevent the learner from overloading themselves and also allows one to place the meaning of words and phrases deeper into their brains. As a result, they will not forget the words easily and will keep their brain focused as they learn in new and interesting ways.
Also, many word have multiple meaning, known as homonyms. The learner must learn that the meaning of the word changes in different sentence contexts.
For example, the word date could be the fruit, or it can be a date to tell someone’s birthday, or it could mean to explain an event where a couple spends time together alone. So search for such words learn their meaning and try making your own sentences.
Another thing that can be done is focus on the word which interests you and ignore the ones that are not interesting or important to you.
Do Not Parrot Mindlessly
If you are listening to English learning audio, always try and listen to the speaker and do not repeat. This strategy of “repeat after the speaker” does not work all the time. Do not parrot the sentences and phrases mindlessly, instead pause your audio after every 20-30 seconds and summarize in your mind what had been said in the audio.
Focus on Four English Skills
While learning English try and focus on all four skills - writing, reading, listening, and speaking. It is very important to know all four skills to master the English language.
Focusing on only one skill will not be useful in learning English. Let's say you are good at writing and reading, but not able to converse well in English. This happens when people focus more on one or two skills and do not equally prioritize the other skills or practice them equally. It depends on the choices you have made while choosing to learn English and focusing on a particular skill which later creates problems. Try and focus on all four skills and practice them one by one. Give time or split your time for each skill into four different parts. By practicing all of them will help you improve your English more. Moreover, you will be able to use these skills to try new and interesting methods when you change your learning style.
Choose the Method that You Find Interesting
Learning English should be fun and easier and not boring and a burden to one. So always choose the medium which interests you to learn English. Try finding things that you enjoy doing, finding topics and activities that you like, and using them learn English. There is no fast, best, and cheapest learning method. Rather focus on what interests you, fits your learning style and schedule. If you find the method dull, boring, and stressful then that is not meant for you. This means you won’t care about learning English and you will learn less.
Also if you have previously learnt any language, then do not follow the same pattern you used in learning that language. Because every language has different methods of learning.
Focus on Pronunciation from the Beginning
Pronunciation is an important thing that needs good practice. One must focus on the sounds of the word, the movement of jaws and muscles, and the position of the tongue and throat, which can take a long time to become perfect. So do not stress at the beginning to perfect all pronunciation, but focus on practicing. One might pronounce wrongly at the beginning till the intermediate level, but with good and continuous training he/she can become an expert at an advance level.
The main focus should be on phonetics, intonation, and physical movements while practicing pronunciation. So start practicing the pronunciation from the start, because if you pronounce a word incorrectly from the beginning, then it will difficult fix later.
Practice with People
Learning English will be futile if you do not practice speaking with another person. The main reason people lose interest in English speaking is a lack of human contact to speak it with.
English is not just about reading, writing, and listening. It is also about conversing and getting involved socially and culturally. The language also helps you out in finding new things and getting new experiences. One more way to practice speaking English is to find only portals which can connect you with alike people and help you from more.
Always Take Notes
Taking notes will be a big reward for you as whatever you write remains in your mind for a long time, while words that are listened to will be remembered for less time. Remember, always date your notes in order. You can use pen-paper or any technology to draft your notes.
If you like to learn more about languages and related topics, keep following the ReDefiners World Language blog. ReDefiners World Language is an online platform for kids and adults where they can learn languages like English, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin. Students get the opportunity to learn the languages and learn about the language’s cultures and influences. For more information about the classes, please visit www.redefinerswl.com or email us at info@redefinerswl.org.