The Importance of Learning English
The Importance of Learning English
The Importance of Learning English
International Language
o English is the fourth most widely spoken native language in the world, and in
terms of sheer number of speakers, it is the most spoken official language in the
world. It is the primary language used in international affairs. The English
language has official status even in nations where it is not the primary spoken
language. English is indisputably the primary language of global trade and
commerce. In many countries, most tourism authorities and other officials in
contact with the public speak English to interact and engage with tourists and
immigrants.
Digital Age
Higher Learning
o In universities and colleges in Great Britain, the Unites States, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and Singapore, which attract the most number of international
students, the primary language of instruction is English. Most of the top business
schools, medical centers and advanced-study institutes are located in North
America and Great Britain, and English is the language used in every activity at
these institutions of higher learning. Most peer-to-peer journals and technical
periodicals that give international acclaim to scientists, engineers, technologists,
and technocrats are printed in English.
Anglo-Saxon Influence
o The influence of the United States and Great Britain on political affairs and
international relations for the past 100 years has ensured the proliferation and
acceptance of English as the primary spoken language in many countries. The
widespread acceptance of American pop culture also has contributed to the
primacy of the English language. A working knowledge of English is important
for diplomats and high-ranking officials in such major countries as Germany,
Japan, France, South Korea, Brazil, Italy, and Russia so they can better
understand the nuance and craft of global affairs and international diplomacy.
Job Opportunities
o Knowing English opens job and employment opportunities in many countries and
markets. Multilateral institutions and agencies in the four United Nation cities of
New York, Vienna, The Hague and Geneva recruit professionals with
multilingual skills but also expect the candidates to have good English-speaking
skills. The Commonwealth of Nations, made up of 50-plus countries that were
former British colonies or dependencies, also offers numerous employment
opportunities to those who understand and communicate in English.
Do you want to know how to learn English effectively? If so, you are not alone. In fact, there are
many people out there today who are working to learn English as a second language. No matter
what the reason is that you are learning English, you want to make sure that you can learn it
quickly and effectively as well. Whether you are learning English in a class, on your own, or with
language teaching software, there are certain things that you can do to make sure that you learn
the language effectively. So, here are a few tips to keep in mind that will help you on your
journey towards learning the English language.
One of the first tips that can help you out if you want to know how to learn English
effectively is to make sure that you really want to learn this language. If you really don’t
want to learn, there is no book, no class, and no tips that are going to make it simpler for
you. Make sure that you ask yourself whether you really want to learn English. If not,
then it’s not for you. However, a real desire to learn the language can go a long way.
• it has no genders. Apart from people, all objects are 'neuter', not 'masculine' or 'feminine'.
So you say 'it' for such things, and do not need to learn any genders.
• it usually has easy verb endings. Apart from a few 'irregular' verbs, verb endings are easy,
and hardly change.
• adjectives remain the same for all words - there are no different endings to learn.
• the singular and plural pronoun 'you' is the same. There is no need to decide whether to
use a polite form, or an intimate form, when speaking to someone as in French or
German. (English used to have the singular form 'thou', which was often used in the
intimate way like 'tu' or 'du'. In fact, in dialects in parts of England, this is still sometimes
used. And in the Republic of Ireland, they have a very sensible plural form of 'you', when
speaking to several people: 'yous'.)
• the spelling of a word may not show what the pronunciation (way of saying) the word is.
This is because English words came from many different sources. It is not a 'pure'
language.
• because English came from two main sources - old French, and old Anglo-Saxon, there is
a very large vocabulary of words. Words with similar meanings may have come from
both sources. For example, START (from Anglo-Saxon) and COMMENCE (from old
French). The meaning is similar, but not precisely the same.
• native English speakers use a lot of idioms, that is - words used in a way which is not
their obvious meaning. An English speaker may say,
This does not mean he doesn't often think about apples. It means that he does not like
apples very much!
What this really means is that he actually likes doing this, and that it is no problem to
him!
But don't worry. You will find that you can understand and communicate even when you
have not been learning English for long!
To assess how easily you will learn, go through our Self-Test on Learning English.
Do you want to know how to learn English effectively? If so, you are not alone. In fact, there are
many people out there today who are working to learn English as a second language. No matter
what the reason is that you are learning English, you want to make sure that you can learn it
quickly and effectively as well. Whether you are learning English in a class, on your own, or with
language teaching software, there are certain things that you can do to make sure that you learn
the language effectively. So, here are a few tips to keep in mind that will help you on your
journey towards learning the English language.
Tip #1- Make Sure You WANT to Learn
One of the first tips that can help you out if you want to know how to learn English effectively is
to make sure that you really want to learn this language. If you really don’t want to learn, there is
no book, no class, and no tips that are going to make it simpler for you. Make sure that you ask
yourself whether you really want to learn English. If not, then it’s not for you. However, a real
desire to learn the language can go a long way.
• Have desire –Want to learn a new language. Learning English requires a lot of study and
dedication. Only true desire will keep you motivated.
• Know your motive –Why do you want to learn English? Is it to help you in school, your
business or something else? Identify your reason and remember it when you are having a
hard time.
• Set goals –Set goals for yourself whether it be learning twenty words a week or giving a
presentation in English at work next month. Goals will keep you motivated.
• Study a little each day –Studying formally for at least 30–60 minutes a day will help
you retain what you learn. At the beginning of each study session, review what you
learned in the lesson before.
• Make a set study schedule –Set aside a specific time for study each day. That way you
are less likely to skip your lessons.
• Study out loud –Pronounce the words out loud to yourself as you study. You will
remember them more easily and you will be able to practice your pronunciation at the
same time.
• Use different learning methods –Language can be learned through different activities
such as speaking, reading, writing, and associating pictures with words. Find out which
method works best for you and use a variety of other methods for practice.
• Practice speaking –Practice the language you have learned as much as possible.
• Don't be afraid –Never be afraid to try speaking to other people even if you don’t know
everything. They will appreciate your efforts.
• Surround Yourself –Surround yourself with English. Read it, listen to it, watch it and
speak it with others.
• Listen to native speakers –Pay careful attention to native speakers using English.
Observe the way they pronounce the words and how they use them.
• Pronunciation is key –Imitate native English sounds as closely as you can. The more
closely you pronounce words like native speakers, the better you will be understood.
• Use good resources –Use dictionaries, workbooks, software and any other resource that
will allow you to practice and expand your language.
• Use what you know –Even if you know relatively little English, you should use what
you know. You will be surprised at how much you can communicate with a few words or
phrases.
• Speed it up –Get used to listening to the language at normal speed. It will seem fast at
first, but the more you know, the more it will sound normal.
• Don't get stuck –If you don’t know a certain word, work your way around it. Use
different words and actions to explain it, but don’t give up.
• Have fun! –Learning a new language is fun and exciting. Recognize your progress and
use your language for ultimate enjoyment.
These tips will help you on your way to English fluency. Enjoy your study and remember to use
the language you have learned in as many circumstances as possible. Full immersion in the
language is the fastest way to learn and learn well.
Here are some tips which may help you to master the English Language!
Speak without Fear The biggest problem most people face in learning a new language is their
own fear. They worry that they won’t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they
don’t talk at all. Don’t do this. The fastest way to learn anything is to do it – again and again
until you get it right. Like anything, learning English requires practice. Don’t let a little fear
stop you from getting what you want.
Use all of your Resources Even if you study English at a language school it doesn’t mean you
can’t learn outside of class. Using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible, will
allow you to learn faster. There are many different ways you can improve your English, so don’t
limit yourself to only one or two. The internet is a fantastic resource for virtually anything, but
for the language learner it's perfect.
Surround Yourself with English The absolute best way to learn English is to surround yourself
with it. Take notes in English, put English books around your room, listen to English language
radio broadcasts, watch English news, movies and television. Speak English with your friends
whenever you can. The more English material that you have around you, the faster you will learn
and the more likely it is that you will begin “thinking in English.” .
Listen to Native Speakers as Much as Possible There are some good English teachers that have
had to learn English as a second language before they could teach it. However, there are several
reasons why many of the best schools prefer to hire native English speakers. One of the reasons is
that native speakers have a natural flow to their speech that students of English should try to
imitate. The closer ESL / EFL students can get to this rhythm or flow, the more convincing and
comfortable they will become.
Watch English Films and Television This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very
effective. By watching English films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand
your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors. If you listen to the news you can
also hear different accents.
Listen to English Music Music can be a very effective method of learning English. In fact, it is
often used as a way of improving comprehension. The best way to learn though, is to get the
lyrics (words) to the songs you are listening to and try to read them as the artist sings. There are
several good internet sites where one can find the words for most songs. This way you can
practice your listening and reading at the same time. And if you like to sing, fine.
Study As Often As Possible! Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing
exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language.
Do Exercises and Take Tests Many people think that exercises and tests aren't much fun.
However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English. One of
the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare
your future results with. Often, it is by comparing your score on a test you took yesterday with
one you took a month or six months ago that you realize just how much you have learned. If you
never test yourself, you will never know how much you are progressing. Start now by doing
some of the many exercises and tests on this site, and return in a few days to see what you've
learned. Keep doing this and you really will make some progress with English.
Record Yourself Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape but like tests, it is good to
compare your tapes from time to time. You may be so impressed with the progress you are
making that you may not mind the sound of your voice as much.
Listen to English By this, we mean, speak on the phone or listen to radio broadcasts, audiobooks
or CDs in English. This is different than watching the television or films because you can’t see
the person that is speaking to you. Many learners of English say that speaking on the phone is
one of the most difficult things that they do and the only way to improve is to practice.
Learning is difficult to implement, both easy to learn lessons the hard lessons, especially if it is a
lesson we do not like such as English lessons, because it is a lesson that uses language that is
rarely used by people who exist in Indonesia.
Here I will try to share tips that I think is effective enough to try on all subjects, especially
English language lessons
Sign up for a regular English tip. Some websites offer a weekly or even daily short English
lesson sent to your email account. If your mobile phone has an e-mail address, it is also possible
to have the tips sent to your phone to read on the way to work or school. Please note, however,
that such services are not usually graded very well to the levels of different students, and they
should be used as a little added extra or revision in your English studies rather than as a
replacement for something you or your teacher have chosen more carefully as what you need to
learn.
Listen to English music. Even listening to music while doing something else can help a little for
things like getting used to the natural rhythm and tone of English speech, although the more time
and attention you give to a song the more you will learn from listening to it again in the future.
Read a translation into English. Another way of making sure books are easier to understand is
to choose a book that was originally translated into English, preferably from your own language.
Even if you haven't read the book in your own language, you will find the English is written in a
slightly simplified way that is more similar to how your own language is written than a book
originally written in English would be. Read a book with lots of dialogue. Opening up books
before you buy one and flicking through them to find one with lots of direct dialogue in it has
several advantages. If there is less text on the page due to all the speech marks etc, this can make
it easier to read and easier to write translations on. Dialogue is also much easier to understand
than descriptive parts of a book, and is much more like the language you will want to learn in
order to be able to speak English. Ask your company to start English lessons. Even if you don't
need to speak English at work, English lessons can be a fun and reasonably priced way for your
company to spend their training budget in a popular way. Watch English language films with
English subtitles. For people who can't understand a film without subtitles but find themselves
not listening at all when reading subtitles in their own language, this should be the way of
watching a film that you should aim for. If it is too difficult to watch the whole film this way, try
watching the (usually important) first 10 or 15 minutes of the film with subtitles in your own
language, switch to English subtitles after that, and only switch back to subtitles in your own
language if you get totally lost following the story of the film. Read the whole thing with no
help. Although using a dictionary has been shown to help with both short term and long term
learning of vocabulary, the fact that using it slows reading down can stop some people reading in
English at all. Reading a whole book quickly through just for pleasure from time to time will help
you remember how fun reading in another language can be. Keep a list of language to learn, e.g.
a vocab list. Even if you don't often find time to go though your vocab list and it keeps on
building up, just the act of choosing which words you need to learn and writing them down on a
special list can help you learn them. Online chat. The closest thing to speaking for people who
don't have the chance to speak English is online chat, as you have to think and respond quickly,
and the language is short and informal just like speech. Record your own voice. For people who
don't have much or any correction of pronunciation from a teacher, recording yourself and
listening back makes it easier to hear whether you are really making the English sounds that you
are trying to or not.