The English language is the most widely spoken in the world. It is also considered to be a difficult one to learn. However, if you’re looking for ways to improve your English, there are many resources available on the internet.
How I can Improve My English?
Errors are important
Sometimes, the biggest challenge to language learning is overcoming our fears: fear of making a mistake, of saying the wrong thing, sounding silly, or even looking stupid. In the English language that can be especially tough to do! But with practice and encouragement from others, you will improve.
So, get comfortable with making errors. However, you should also look for ways to get low-stakes practice: create situations in which you feel more comfortable trying out your new language and making those inevitable mistakes.
Learner speaking is an important tactic in learning a language, and mistakes are part of the process. To avoid making these kinds of errors in English, it can be useful to create something from scratch where you only have to memorize grammar as written rather than trying them out with your phrasing.
Bump up your memory
There’s a considerable amount of research on how memory works, as well as a wide range of strategies for improving memory. For example, scientific experiments show that our short-term memory can only hold about 7 pieces of new information at once. So if you’re working on a long list of new vocabulary words, you will not retain them all.
It’s important to set goals and have a plan for how you’re going to learn so that you can study yourself in small amounts of time as needed throughout the day without getting discouraged. It’s preferable to decrease your fluency in a language as you advance, rather than to make your learning goal an ever-increasing level of fluency.
Spread it out
Studying a new language involves learning a LOT of material, so you’ll want to use your study time as effectively as possible. According to research in educational and cognitive psychology, people are most likely to remember what they study in the morning and then again at night (people even find that their memory is better when before bed), so if you’re trying to learn a new word or phrase, consider committing it to memory with some flashcards.
Consider finding a study partner who is at your level of language skills. This is often more comfortable than practicing with an advanced student or a native speaker, as there is less pressure and you can use the language together. This also gives you plenty of time for practicing new words or parts of each other’s sentences,
Become a collector
Since expanding your vocabulary is so important, identifying new words is a big priority. This is especially true when you’re in an immersion environment (studying abroad, etc), but it’s also something that you can do regularly even when you’re at home.
If you’re using a digital flashcard app, the best way is to consider creating different card “sets” to help you organize them.
Podcasts and audiobooks
Consider tweaking some of your media settings to “bump up” your casual language exposure. For example, changing your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn location and language preferences will force you to interact with the language you’re learning, even when you’re (mostly) wasting time.
Consider adding a language “study playlist” to your smart speaker or mp3 player, so you can jump in during convenient moments.
TV shows and movies
Try watching them without subtitles the first time, starting in ~15 minute segments. It helps you improve pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary, plus you get to see some of the contexts.
You can even try watching with subtitles in foreign languages on Netflix or YouTube! Get started by clicking a series title from an English-language list on FluentU for any language. After it plays without sound, play it again and watch a few episodes with sound. Repeat these steps while listening to the show, checking signs as you go along (e.g., “Act 1 Ch 5”).
Listening skills can be improved These are my rules for watching TV shows that have more than one language:
- When a scene is shot in English, Spanish or French, keep the subtitles on most of the time.
- When scenes alternate between English and another language (e.g., one of my favorite shows has different languages every episode), I usually only watch it with subs at first; then switch to no-subs and repeat where I can passably follow the story.
Hold shadow conversations
The great way of learning a new language involves training your ear. Unlike written language, spoken language doesn’t have the same context clues that help you decipher and separate words. Experienced language learners do a lot of shadowing, or practicing what they already know with new material. Shadow conversations are another way to practice comprehension and action words in the target language. Asking questions about things you hear and discuss them publicly.
Spelling skills: First of all, you need to know how the alphabet is used in your target language. Once you’ve memorized or committed it thematically and phonetically, we can talk about spelling skills. To be able to pronounce correctly everything that comes out of our mouths, learning new vocabulary takes more time than learning the alphabet.
The first step is to learn how to spell, and if managed in the right way (ex.: get internet and audiobooks that have simple sentences) it will help you memorize words easier.
For grammar: To be able to handle both written and spoken language well you need to know the basics, and that means learning grammar from a combination of printed text as well as audio or video lessons. Once you have a grasp on these skills then it’s time for reading large amounts of written material and hearing spoken language, which will help with understanding texts.
In conclusion, it is important to note that although the language learning process is not linear, it does have some general rules. The more time you put into a language, the better you will be at it. If you are in a hurry and need to learn quickly, this may not be the best way for you.
FAQ
How can I improve my language skills?
Feed the brain: Eat well Sleep enough
For a language course, you must choose one which suits your needs. Here are ways in which you could ensure this happens best for yourself.
How can I improve my English as a foreign language?
There are many ways to improve your English as a foreign language.
The first step is to find a tutor or private native language teacher who can help you with the grammar and vocabulary of the language.
Another option is to join an online course that will provide you with all the necessary tools, materials, and assignments for self-study.
What is the most effective way to learn a language?
The most effective way to learn a language is by immersion. Immersion means that you are in the country where the language is spoken and you speak it for about three months or more.
You can also find resources online like websites, books, or apps that will help you learn the language on your own without any cost involved.