“The Matrix” is a great movie. Have you seen it?
Your memory probably recalls the scene where the main character, Neo, is being trained.
The other character simply implants a program directly into Neo’s brain instead of showing a montage (collection of scenes) of him running on the beach and slowly getting stronger.
He then says, “I know Kung Fu.” seconds later.
Because you’re studying a foreign language, your understanding of this is probably not too difficult.
I thought to myself, “Wow, if I could only speak German or Spanish I could do that.”.I assumed you were thinking about learning English too if you were reading this blog.
There is no magic, magic brain pill or computer program like “The Matrix” that can help you learn English instantly.
Working hard and dedicating yourself to the task will be necessary.
By reading this article, you have already taken the first step to improving: You are motivated enough to want to do better.
Whether you already know a lot or a little English, we’ll look at 15 tips to help you improve your English. There will be links in each tip that will be useful to you as you learn a foreign language.
Contents
- Great Tips to Learn English Quickly and Easily
- 1. Practice, practice, practice
- 3. Find your motivation
- 4. Work hard and play hard
- 5. For better future output, get lots of input now
- 6. Focus on communication first
- 7. Don’t forget structure
- 8. Recognize that learning English isn’t a straight line
- 9. Don’t translate everything
- 10. Keep a language log or journal
Great Tips to Learn English Quickly and Easily
1. Practice, practice, practice
We have seen that learning English doesn’t happen by magic. Your efforts will be greatly rewarded.
Attending class and completing homework are necessities in class. They provide accountability and encourage you to learn. In any case, you can still practice in your free time even if you’re not in a class.
Fortunately, the internet makes practicing easier than ever.
Consider studying alone. There are plenty of tips and resources available if that is the case. A number of free online English courses are available as either supplemental courses or as a main course, if you prefer more structure.
On the internet, you can find a large number of fun, educational, entertaining and affordable websites. Take comprehension quizzes, learn vocabulary, and watch videos to improve your English skills.
2. The more you practice, the better and quicker you’ll learn
Putting in 10,000 hours practicing at something is what Malcolm Gladwell proposes is the key to becoming an expert in it.
Those are a lot of hours, and they are! Start working as soon as you can.
Take a look at some tips for general grammar learning or review some common mistakes if you want to work on grammar.
For those who struggle with listening skills, audiobooks and podcasts are available online. For greater aid in listening comprehension, consider watching movies and TV shows.
In addition, you can practice reading skills by choosing easy books or visiting websites that offer movies based on books. Right now, you are reading this blog.
Even though it’s more difficult to practice pronunciation and speaking without a native speaker, you can still improve them. Then learn more about websites that offer online speaking opportunities. You can begin with general speaking practice strategies. Learn how to improve your pronunciation by reading some posts.
Finally, vocabulary should not be overlooked. Idioms and proverbs might be more interesting to you. You want to know more slang words in English, but you don’t want to sound like a robot. Find out which words are appropriate to use but are not!
Additionally, try to add vocabulary related to particular topics, such as colors, sports (specific sports such as soccer/football), health and fitness, or food. That’s only the beginning!
3. Find your motivation
Whenever you are motivated to accomplish a goal, learning a language is easier and more enjoyable. Keep this reason in mind to help you through the times when learning seems difficult.
Are you trying to obtain a job and would like to learn English? Would you like to travel? You want to impress the girls or guys in your class, right? Does it appeal to you solely because it is difficult, because it is a challenge? Be sure to keep your motivation in mind whenever you start the project.
As you learn English, consider that your motivations may change as you progress.
4. Work hard and play hard
It was hinted at in the tips above, but it’s crucial to stress it: learning English is so much more enjoyable if you make it fun. Making learning English fun can be as simple as playing board games or as complex as gamification.
While this might seem like a strange example, the protagonist, Billy Madison, studies with his girlfriend Veronica (don’t worry, this clip can be shown in the office). Her clothing is taken off if it is a correct answer. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the method of “strip studying”, I applaud Billy for finding a means for making studying interesting.
5. For better future output, get lots of input now
Throughout your language classes, there’s always a period when you do more listening than reading. A period of time that precedes oral and written communication usually occurs. Learning something new is a natural process. Understanding how these things are done is necessary before you can start doing them yourself.
Another important consideration is doing things in the right order. There is an idiom that says, “Don’t put the cart before the horse.” This means gathering as much input as possible before you worry about output (speaking and writing).
You can learn from native speakers online, or listen to them online to see how they do it. When you realize that some of what you studied in English class might not be as widely used as you thought, this approach saves you heaps of time down the road. You can see examples of how English users respond to a thank you by mixing up their vocabulary in the video below.
If you’re not as welcome as you thought, you might not be. Get started with the FluentU English channel to get lots of native (and helpful) input on your English journey!
6. Focus on communication first
The English language has a huge vocabulary, difficult pronunciation, and confusing spelling. Moreover, when you’re learning English you’re going to make mistakes because you’re not perfect. You should accept this as soon as possibleIs this something that you have accepted?is? That’s great!
Getting your point across to others and communicating will now be much easier. Perfecting things can be done later in the process of learning.
SIs there a way to communicate with people who speak another language?If you have classmates, talk to them or try to find them using the resources listed in tips 1 and 2.
On Facebook and other social sites, you can find other learners or speakers of English, or you can use an online service to meet new people in person while you travel!
7. Don’t forget structure
Don’t forget that there is an accepted “correct” way of speaking English, despite everything I said in tip 6. If you are just starting out your language learning process, you shouldn’t worry too much about mistakes, but as you gain experience, you will find things like grammar, spelling, and word choice are more important.
You can think of language as a structure and grammar as its foundation. If your building is not built well, it will eventually fall down.
8. Recognize that learning English isn’t a straight line
These resources likely present topics and grammar points in order if you’re following a course, following a textbook, or following any curriculum.
Most of the time, things get harder as time progresses, but that doesn’t mean you have to always follow the book.
There will be times when you will be bored and want to find information that isn’t in the book. There will also be times when you’ll have to review some material that didn’t make much sense during the first reading. This is normal and good.
Similarly, you should understand that some days will make you feel like a superhuman English speaker, whereas other days you will feel helpless. It’s normal to experience ups and downs. You will surely improve if you continue to work hard and are patient.
9. Don’t translate everything
It seems that many of my students have this problem when I am their teacher.
In the past, it was difficult to find simple translations, but with Google Translate and the internet, these days it is much easier to find such translations.
Those who are tempted should not succumb to it.
It will likely sound terrible to someone who isn’t a native speaker if each and every word are translated literally. All languages are like that. As a result, students are almost always able to tell when they’re translating every single word when they’re translating word-for-word.
It’s much easier to translate a text into your native language if you’re reading an English text. You will probably lose a bit of time and get confused, but at least you won’t get confused by the other person.
10. Keep a language log or journal
Your English learning experience can be contained in a notebook or a file on your computer or cell phone. Add a definition and an example to your log whenever you learn a new, important word. If you want more practice writing in English, you can also write about other experiences.
In addition to learning some writing skills, a log like this is an excellent way to reinforce new vocabulary. According to a common belief, a vocabulary word must be used in context three times in order to be understood and retained. Keeping a log can be helpful.
In addition, by reviewing your older entries, you can see how far you’ve come and will be amazed by how much you know today in comparison to how much you knew then!
