14 easy tips on how to learn English quickly
Humans have always been surprisingly optimistic. They want
to live forever, eat a lot and never gain weight, never work and earn much
money, they wonder how to learn English quickly and travel without visas. It
would be unfair to criticize a man for wishing all that, yet we need to
understand that some of these wishes are unrealistic. Every major
accomplishment in our life takes effort and dedication. If you want to be in a
good shape, work out and eat less junk food. If you want to have a successful
relationship, be a better person yourself. If you want a better job, study
foreign languages and get skills that will make you an indispensable employee.
Despite all the promises that we hear in advertisements, it
is impossible to learn a foreign language overnight or in a week. Don’t be sad,
though – there are tips that, together with your diligence and strong
willpower, will help you know how to learn English quickly and easily.
Understand that learning English is no rocket science.
Educational process is a part of our life and, if we try
hard enough, we are capable of a lot more than studying another sign system. Do
not let your age, gender, profession or mind type be excuses for not joining a
500-million community of people who speak English as their second language
worldwide. The opportunities English opens for you outweigh all the fears
you may have. So, keep calm and study hard.
Do not let the grammar scare you away.
Many people claim that they have stopped their studies
because they found it hard to cope with 12 tenses or because concepts of
gerunds and infinitives are over their heads. However terrifying complex
grammar structures may seem to you, they are nothing but tools that can make
your speech richer, better and more appealing. You don’t wonder how a chainsaw
works, do you? You simply use it to cut down trees. Grammar works in the same
way. You don’t need to understand it perfectly and remember names for all
structures to use them and speak fluently.
Remember that you can learn English quickly for free.
Of course, services of a teacher or a tutor are a good
thing, but if you happen to be short of money, you can still find ways to
continue your education. Reading a free e-book or checking out some online
lessons can do you as much good as attending group classes. The best part is,
the free language learning tools are easily accessible and can help you figure
out how to learn English quickly at home.
Have a plan.
Treat your studies as seriously, as you would any of your
business projects. Schedule at least 30 minutes every day to read, listen or to
study words. Set reading goals, e.g. 300 pages of unabridged text a month.
Increase this number step by step. Read at least two news articles a week.
Services like Words in the News from BBC help you work with new vocabulary on
the spot. Make sure you keep track of your progress and revise the material
every once in a while. Make use of online self-check tests.
Do not stick to one book.
There are many magnificent course books out there in the
market, however not a single one of them is perfect. Look through different
texts and topics. Browse the web for topical lists of phrasal verbs. Select the
material that you are interested in. If you find a topic boring in one
book, look for a better explanation, better examples or a different
perspective, but never give up on your studies. Your future career may
well depend on the educational choices you make today.
Use flashcards.
This simple tool – a two-sided card with a word or a word
combination on one side and the translation or explanation on the other side –
will help you memorize the words fast. It’s an easy, yet effective way of
studying, because you can use them anywhere. If you are not happy with heaps of
papers in your pockets, you may use one of many flashcard applications that are
available for iOS and Android devices. Some of them even offer word games and
crossword puzzles to carve the vocabulary into your memory. When you make the
cards, don’t forget the prepositions – without them a verb can mean a
completely different thing.
Write your own examples.
Words are a great thing to remember, but they are not very
helpful, if you don’t use them in your speech. Do not wait until you get a
chance to use legal vocabulary terms during small talk with a stranger. Take
some time and write sentences with the words that you learn. Not only will it
help you to remember the spelling better, it will also make it easier for you
to produce finished thoughts and eventually to speak English quickly and
fluently.
Watch movies.
Books will teach you the standard vocabulary. Most of them,
nonetheless, will not show you the ‘popular’ side of the language, i.e. the
slang words and idioms used by simple people. If you do not want to sound
strange when talking to English speakers from around the world, you need to
know more about their culture and everyday life. Nothing can provide this
knowledge to you better than English movies with subtitles or without them.
Watch films that you already love or discover some brand new works of art, then
pause them every time you hear an unknown word or a phrase and look it up.Speechyard is a social network where
you can do all that and even share the words you learn with other people.
Remember that your computer, tablet and mobile phone are
very helpful when it comes to studying.
These gadgets help you to study ‘on the go’ and use up the
time you considered to be completely useless. Listen to audiobooks on long
trips, check the flashcards in the underground or read a couple of pages of a
good novel while you’re waiting in line. Have video chats with fellow learners
or text your foreign friends. Make good use of technology that the 21st
century has to offer.
Get help.
Every challenge is easier when you try to tackle it together
with someone. Find a companion, a study buddy if you wish. It may be one of
your relatives, your partner, a friend or a colleague who shares your passion
(or your need) to find out how to learn English quickly. Cheer each other up,
control each other and don’t let your buddy slack off. You may even make
dialogues and act out short plays together. Make English a part of your
leisure time, speak it in places and circumstances where you would normally use
your native language. You will see the result of such cooperation.
Besides, it may be a beginning of great friendship.
Connect with other language learners around the world.
You may be surprised to find out that there are English
speakers who are just as interested in learning your native language as you are
in learning theirs. Meet them, add them on any instant messenger or video chat
program and help each other. If you are into old-fashioned styles of
communication, exchange letters or e-mails. If you have enough space in your
house, you may even post an advertisement on CouchSurfing and offer a bed to
tourists who come to your city in return for some face-to-face communication
and good company. You may even discover some wonders of foreign cuisine if your
guest is a good cook.
Speak.
Speak whenever it’s appropriate. Make use of the words that
you’ve learned. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes
are a normal, even necessary part of study process, without them it is highly
unlikely to learn English quickly. Do not let the so-called ‘perfectionist’s
paralysis’ – inability to do something because you know you won’t be able to do
it perfectly- silence you. Remember that your English may be way better
than you think it is and that it is way easier to explain what you need by
speaking than by keeping silence and staring helplessly at someone.
Attend the free speaking clubs.
In many big cities there are groups of people who come
together few times a month to practice their speaking skills or to discuss a book
they all chose to read. Such clubs may not be very helpful in the early stages
of study process, but starting from Pre-Intermediate level it is a very good
idea to attend such meetings, especially if you have no other ways to talk to
other English speakers. If your town doesn’t have such a club, you may try and
start one – it will be both fun and useful.
Experiment.
There is no magical recipe for education, nor there is a
secret spell that tells you how to learn English quickly. You need to try
different methods and eventually find the one which suits you the most. The
only thing that works regardless of the chosen way is this: make English a part
of your life. Weave it into your daily routine. Celebrate your progress
and inspire others to join you in your quest. Use all the available materials
and soon enough you will see that it works. Remember, that there are many people
who can and who are willing to help you. Good luck!
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