There are many suggestions on the internet on how to learn or improve your English skills, but not all of them will help you grow your English skills fast.
If you don't want to read this article, you can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/SvB0QB2zx2U
Avoid studying grammar rules TOO much
The old traditional way of learning a new language is by studying the hundreds of grammar rules before they even learn to speak the language. This is an old and ineffective way that many schools use which doesn’t work very well. I regularly hear about students who say they studied English in school and university for years, but still can’t speak fluently. Why? Because they focused on the rules and did not practise speaking.
Studying all those rules can be really confusing and really boring, it will even slow down your growth.
Imagine for a moment that you are a baby learning to speak. You don’t know anything about grammar or sentence structure, yet somehow your parents teach you anyway. They just talk and listen and before long they can understand what the baby is saying! This process of listening without really paying attention sounds like it’s straight out of some science fiction movie – but in reality, this all happens naturally thanks to something called “language acquisition”.
Did you know that non-native speakers don’t study much grammar in school? In fact, most non-native English speakers know more grammar than native English speakers.
Learn in context: Learning phrases and not words
If we learn a new word, we write it down and maybe put our native language translation next to it. But to understand that word by itself, and knowing how to use it is hard. We need to learn the word in context, in a phrase. “For example, The word “Pour” – I pour the water into a glass. This will help you remember the word and its meaning.
Learning hundreds or even thousands of words to become fluent won’t help you if you don’t know what they mean in context.
I’ve heard of English learners writing sentences on sticky notes and pasting them all over their house to remember different words in context.
Write and don’t Type
Scientists have found that if you write words/phrases down on paper, you remember it a lot longer than if you type it. It also helps you to improve your skills in building sentences.
Shadowing a Foreign Language:
Find little Youtube videos of native speakers talking and start listening to them and then shadowing them. What does this mean? Listen a little bit to what they say, stop the video, and then repeat what they said. Remember, know the context of what they are talking about.
The one thing that will be helpful is to find a topic that you Enjoy: Cooking, Sports, Comedy. This will make the exercise more enjoyable for you.
Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes
I tell all my students this. Making mistakes is how we learn and grow faster. If you don’t start, you will never start growing. So start practising today!
Speak, Speak, Speak
Native speakers learned English as a child from hearing their parents and talking with their parents, they didn’t study all the rules before they started speaking fluently. The fastest way to learn a language is by listening to native English speakers (hearing their pronunciation) and speaking, speaking, speaking.
Many people will give advice to watch lots of English TV with subtitles on, which is excellent advice, but make sure you listen to something that is at your level. Most programs are not beginner-friendly.
Reading & Listening is Not Enough. Practice Speaking What You Hear!
You need to speak. This is why I highly suggest you start with understanding someone speaking to you at your English level. Listening to the context of what is said, understanding it and then speaking. Your confidence in speaking will skyrocket and you will become fluent really fast.
You can find some great tutors who will help you practice your speaking and listening skills on www.TellClass.com, It’s a 24/7 English practice website with 1-to-1 lessons.
A bonus tip: If language learning is fun, you will want to keep doing it. So look for ways to keep learning English in a fun way.
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