How to learn English effectively?
What is the difference between effective and efficient?
Let's say you had to travel from Rome to Paris; what means of transportation would
you use? You could walk, run, ride a bike, drive a car, use a motorcycle, take
a train, or fly (by plane). All of these methods of transportation are
effective, they work; you will get there. But, which methods require the least
amount of energy and accomplish the job in the shortest period of time? These
methods are the most efficient. I am sure you would agree that traveling by
plane is more efficient than riding a bike although Lance Armstrong might not
agree.
Learning English can be broken down into two areas: input
and output. Input consists of reading and listening while output consists of
writing and speaking. Clearly, in order to have good quality output, you must
have a lot of good quality input. Think of how long a child listens before
beginning to speak. As adults, we are not going to wait two years before
attempting to speak, but the more input we get, the more output we can produce.
The same applies for reading and writing. The more you read, the better you
write. I can even say that the more you read, write and listen, the better you
speak.
My advice to all serious English learners is to approach
your goal with a sense of urgency. That means you need to work effectively, but
more importantly, you need to work efficiently. Based on my years of teaching
and studying foreign languages, I have put together what I consider to be the
most effective and efficient ways to develop each area of language.
Input
Reading
Learn at least five new vocabulary words every day. My
suggestion is to use index cards with the word on one side and the definition
on the other. Keep the cards in a box and review them frequently by saying the
word and trying to give the definition. Keep the definitions as short and
concise as possible. Five to seven words is best. If you learn five words a
day, that’s 1,825 words per year. Considering that the average high school
student probably has a vocabulary of 5,000 to 6,000 words, in a few years your
vocabulary should be sufficient enough to understand nearly everything written
in English.
Time commitment: 30 minutes.
Listening
Listen to talk radio. The objective of listening to English
is to hear as many words as possible in as short a period as possible. The more
times you hear a word, the better you will be able to use that word. There is
no more efficient way to do this than talk radio. The vocabulary is very
diverse and there are no periods of silence because unlike television, visuals
cannot be used to keep an audiences attention. The key is to listen as often as
possible. Maximize your time by listening to talk radio when doing other
activities such as driving, walking, cooking, eating, getting dressed. If you
can, try keeping the radio on while you go to sleep so it's the last thing you
hear while falling asleep and the first thing you hear as you wake up.
Time commitment: 0.
Output
Writing
Keep a journal and write at least 500 words per day. By
writing every day you will be reinforcing everything you have learned. It will
also force you to question the accuracy of what you are writing. This process
of intense concentration will help organize the vast array of information you
have in your subconscious mind. Write about whatever you want, but be sure to
challenge yourself with new vocabulary and various grammar structures.
Time commitment: 30 minutes.
Speaking
Read aloud. Reading aloud allows you to practice perfectly.
Remember that it is perfect practice that makes perfect. By reading aloud you
are speaking grammatically perfect English. If you have a typical conversation,
errors will be made. Not just for English learners, but for native speakers as
well. If errors are repeated
continually, it becomes increasingly more difficult to correct those errors.
Also, you will be using vocabulary words that you would not normally use. In a
typical one hour conversation, you might speak for 30 minutes with a number of
errors, but if you read aloud, you can speak for one hour without any grammar
mistakes using new vocabulary words.
Time commitment: 1-2 hours minimum.
Do these four things each day for one month and I promise
you that you will be amazed at your improvement. There are no secrets to
language acquisition, just a lot of hard work to accomplish something that will
enhance your life forever.
Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people are
unwilling to do!
I wish you all the best on your journey!
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