Improving Essential Language Skills
Now you know the four essential English skills to focus on as you study, and many more to help you do just that. You can also check out these 6 helpful tips for learning English. You’ll improve your language skills and learn about the intricacies of English culture that you won’t find in grammar books. You probably already know many useful phrases but want to improve your listening and pronunciation skills.
Practice Speaking at Every Opportunity
By memorizing the question and answer format, you will improve your grammar skills and help you become more confident in your English. It’s a good idea to ask questions and listen to other people who speak the language. Look for any opportunity to practice speaking, such as talking to people at parties, approaching a stranger who seems lost, or simply raising your hand when the teacher asks a question.
If you are serious about being a good English speaker, you need to meet people who can speak English. There are apps like HelloTalk or Tandem where you can find native speakers and other English speakers and practice talking to them. You can also quickly search for English study groups and classmates on Facebook or Instagram.
Learn How to Pronounce Accents Correctly
English is spoken by many more people as a second language than as a first language, and the ability to understand different accents is very important. If you’re not a native speaker, learning how to pronounce British or American English correctly may not come naturally to you. The hardest part about learning a first foreign language is that you don’t know which method you prefer.
Know Why You Want to Learn a New Language
The most important thing about learning a first language is to know that it is simple, but not easy. When you know why you want to learn a new language, you’ll be more motivated to keep going when you get stuck. If you like the language you’re learning, believe you can learn it, and get as much listening and reading information as possible, you’ll have learned enough to communicate in 6 months or a year.
Having the Right Expectations and Goals
The most important thing you need to do when starting to learn a language is to correctly set your expectations and goals for the language. There are general qualities, such as hard work and a positive attitude, that can help you study any subject, but when you’re learning a language, there are more specific tips that can help you achieve your goals. Unfortunately, there aren’t many good resources on these topics, but if you keep your ears open, become an active learner, use real life experience to learn, and most importantly, pay attention to how native speakers actually use English, you will start to learn naturally.
False Assumptions about Education and Learning
Speaking English not only improves your job prospects, it also opens up a whole new way of thinking and connects you to over two billion people who speak the same language. I think, especially in the English speaking world, we have this idea that learning a language is some kind of magic or something that you have to be really talented at. Those who think they need formal language training are making the false assumption that learning and education are the same thing.
Most language learners who feel like they are walking on water are actually talking about their speaking and writing skills. Even as a native English speaker, if I’m not careful, they seem to speak English.
The fact is that many rules of English grammar surprise only those who know them very closely. Some of the most essential English grammar rules are things that native speakers know but don’t know they know, even if they use them every day. Study English grammar in a non-English speaking country, however, and such “secrets” are carefully taught.
The English Fluency Program
I can sincerely recommend this LearnLaughSpeak program to anyone who is serious about learning a language, especially those who claim to be completely convinced that they are not gifted with the people they are talking about. Worth buying because this program opened my eyes to many different aspects of language learning that I had previously overlooked.
Focus on the Music in English
This is how we actually speak, and the purpose of this lesson is to help you discover the fact that speech inversion is ubiquitous in spoken English. People focus too much on specific words when you should focus on the music in English, the rhythm and flow of our communication, and speaking in chunks (or units of sound). Instead of focusing on a specific way of writing, let alone spelling, focus on listening to the music behind the English language.
Music is a great way to improve your speaking skills, practice the rhythm of the language, and learn some useful expressions. Just as reading aloud does not improve your pronunciation or reading skills, oral exercises do little to improve your fluency.
Do Something You Enjoy in Your Foreign Language
If you feel like your language isn’t making much progress, try taking a break and doing something else. It’s hard to guarantee that many of us are learning and improving a new language on a regular basis. It used to be said that it takes years to learn a language and you need to invest heavily in courses, private lessons and books. Or, if you love cooking, you can watch foreign cooking shows and not only practice listening to the language, but also learn how to cook new dishes.
Despite entrance exams and multiple grade levels, it can be very difficult to correctly group students based on their actual language skills. Seven years later, only a handful of my friends are native English speakers, which would not have been possible without me learning another language.