For a lot of people, English grammar is difficult, even for those whose first language is English. Grammar has a lot of complex rules that are difficult to keep track of, such that some eventually just don’t mind grammar rules and speak the language without any regard for them.
Learning a language is a continuous process, and this includes the English language! The English language is one that has gone through hundreds of years of growth, and still keeps on growing. With so many words, idioms and rules, there really is still room for learning and improving your knowledge of it. For tips on how to improve your English, read on below.
Read English newspapers, books, and magazines. Reading is an active process that requires your brain to work. When learning a language, much is achieved by speaking, listening and writing. But reading is also a great help. When you read, you encounter new words and will be able to use them.
Keep a news diary. After reading the daily papers, write down your thoughts about the days’ headlines. Choose one or two that stood out among all those that you read, and write down your reactions to it. Read what you wrote afterwards, and check if you made any grammatical errors or would like to improve how you phrased your sentences.
Take note of the lyrics to a song. Listening to songs can help you improve your English, but more than this, taking the time to read the lyrics of the song will help your brain work more towards mastering the English language.
Read the book version of a movie that you have already seen. If you are not a serious book reader, reading a story that you are already familiar with will help you move along page by page. Reading the book version means you will find it easier to understand and guess vocabulary, and you can remember it easily since the story is already familiar to you.
Teach English to children or friends. The best way to improve something is by teaching it to others. This also holds true for the English language. When you share and teach English to others, you are able to practice by explaining, fixing your knowledge in your brain, and getting more experience. At the same time, you become more aware of your weak areas and have to work hard at improving them.
Use English every day. Whatever you are doing, from washing the dishes or taking out the trash to going to work or to the gym, use English. Take out those new words that you learned and use them. Bring out those new idioms you came across and use them. If this new stuff stays inside your head and in your notebooks, it won’t come to life. Learn how to use them in your daily life.
English is both easy and difficult. There are rules and words and idioms that are complicated. But as you try to improve your English day by day, you will surely see improvements that are going to “make your day.”
