Language is a skill. Just like say learning to sing. Anyone can learn to sing a song. But that just won't do for a proper singer. But, think of a singer, say a Carnatic musician. It would take years of practice to learn the various ragas and tunes. It is only then, that the singer can learn to properly play and even improvise.
Just like that, English is not just a couple of words and rules (grammar) strung together. It is this interconnected mesh of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Language learning seems to be difficult, since people forget that this a skill. It is not just knowledge of some words and phrases. It is bringing that knowledge into practice. That requires skill.
Do you know that you have to see a word 10 times in different contexts, just to become familiar with it. It takes another 10 more times to be able to use the word with some level of confidence. Multiply this with say, 20,000 words which is the average vocabulary of a normal English speaker and you get the picture. And you forgot another 20,000 words which an average user of the English language knows but does not use. You will learn to appreciate the scale of this, when you realise that one word can have more than one meaning. And each meaning can have different subsets of meaning too. Then there are different forms of the same word. So, i think you can now appreciate the sheer size of vocab that all of us need.
Vocabulary enrichment is the key to developing your English. But, it is a slow process. Many people try to learn, say around 10, words per day. That is the wrong way to go. If you have learn to use English fluently, then you have to see the words in action. You have to know where to use them, and where a word should not be used. And even seeing the words used in a sentence won't do. You need to see them in whole passages to say the least. You need to know the tone of the article that you are reading. How can you do that with a mere sentence?
It doesn't end with just words. How about collocations and phrases? What about idioms? How about usages and proverbs. Each word will have on an average 10 collocates. Each collocate can have completely different meanings and usages. Let us take a simple example. 'Man'. We all know the definition of the word 'man'. Sounds simple right? Let us know look at the different usages of 'man'.
He mans the railway gate. (meaning: watches, be a guard)
You can even use the word 'man' without even having a single 'human being'. Look at this sentence: The road was manned by the Public Works Department. Now there are phrases using the word 'man'. The army turned the boy into a man. Had you thought of all these possibilities of the word 'man' before?
But, should learning English be difficult? It need not be so. All you need is work day in a and day out. Don't be frustrated by your inability to learn English. Just stick with a plan, keep learning little by little. Daily. Don't fall for short term courses. It won't do you any good. What you require is a long term plan, where you spend at least half -an hour daily.
To know more visit the appropriate webpages for a program that will suit you.
English Quest PiLLaR and Yes English (a programme for school students of participating schools)
English Quest IELTS training (for adults who require IELTS 7 and above in academic and general
English Quest for Working Professionals
English Quest Youtube channel.
Just like that, English is not just a couple of words and rules (grammar) strung together. It is this interconnected mesh of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Language learning seems to be difficult, since people forget that this a skill. It is not just knowledge of some words and phrases. It is bringing that knowledge into practice. That requires skill.
Do you know that you have to see a word 10 times in different contexts, just to become familiar with it. It takes another 10 more times to be able to use the word with some level of confidence. Multiply this with say, 20,000 words which is the average vocabulary of a normal English speaker and you get the picture. And you forgot another 20,000 words which an average user of the English language knows but does not use. You will learn to appreciate the scale of this, when you realise that one word can have more than one meaning. And each meaning can have different subsets of meaning too. Then there are different forms of the same word. So, i think you can now appreciate the sheer size of vocab that all of us need.
Vocabulary enrichment is the key to developing your English. But, it is a slow process. Many people try to learn, say around 10, words per day. That is the wrong way to go. If you have learn to use English fluently, then you have to see the words in action. You have to know where to use them, and where a word should not be used. And even seeing the words used in a sentence won't do. You need to see them in whole passages to say the least. You need to know the tone of the article that you are reading. How can you do that with a mere sentence?
It doesn't end with just words. How about collocations and phrases? What about idioms? How about usages and proverbs. Each word will have on an average 10 collocates. Each collocate can have completely different meanings and usages. Let us take a simple example. 'Man'. We all know the definition of the word 'man'. Sounds simple right? Let us know look at the different usages of 'man'.
He mans the railway gate. (meaning: watches, be a guard)
You can even use the word 'man' without even having a single 'human being'. Look at this sentence: The road was manned by the Public Works Department. Now there are phrases using the word 'man'. The army turned the boy into a man. Had you thought of all these possibilities of the word 'man' before?
But, should learning English be difficult? It need not be so. All you need is work day in a and day out. Don't be frustrated by your inability to learn English. Just stick with a plan, keep learning little by little. Daily. Don't fall for short term courses. It won't do you any good. What you require is a long term plan, where you spend at least half -an hour daily.
To know more visit the appropriate webpages for a program that will suit you.
English Quest PiLLaR and Yes English (a programme for school students of participating schools)
English Quest IELTS training (for adults who require IELTS 7 and above in academic and general
English Quest for Working Professionals
English Quest Youtube channel.