What is the best way to learn English?

Two of my students have written articles about the best way to learn English. I hope these tips are useful for you!

Sarka

What is the best way to learn English?

Have you ever been a false beginner?

When I heard this compound noun “false beginner” for the first time, I thought it describes people, who are pretending to be beginners to avoid learning, but actually they are not .

I looked up the definition which states, that “ false beginners understand the meaning of a great deal of language and are able to engage in controlled, form-based  activities, but their skills are very limited when they get into meaning-focused situations”

According to this description I am a false beginner myself. So what to do? There are some recommendations how to become fluent and accurate in English.

Firstly you should be focused on the area of receptive fluency. It means listening and reading with a concentration on a content and understanding. My advice is to listen in English what you find interesting. You can watch gripping films (movies) in an original English version or listen to BBC radio broadcasting with its wide range of topics. How to support your ability to read?  You could read regularly the BBC news or borrow a haunting English book in original or in a simplified version.

In addition to that, you have to actively learn new useful words, especially the ones, which are used more often. Look up their definition in a dictionary and memorize them. The best way how to remember new word is to say it out loudly many times and imagine the situation in which you use this word. Practice every few days until you can remember it clearly (=spaced repetition). If you want to be able to use the new vocabulary actively it is necessary to learn it off by heart.

Secondly, you have to practice speaking and writing. My advice how to achieve this purpose is to make friends with people from foreign country. Spending time with them will be the best opportunity, how to communicate in English. Consequently, when they leave, you can keep in touch by e-mails or letters and practice your writing.

Finally, the most important thing is to keep using English every day at least for a short time. Support your motivation as much as possible.

However the best way to learn English is to go to England and live there.

 

Pavel

What is the best way to learn English?

It’s hard to find an easy answer for the usual question of how to learn English best, as we can’t comprehend English as one skill.

We must consider that English is a set of knowledge, which students need to know to be all-round fluent in this language. By the set of knowledge I mean different skills like knowing vocabulary and correct grammar rules, and more importantly the ability to listen and speak in English, or read a book written in English.

So, after knowing some basics in vocabulary and grammar rules I would start with reading some easier books for students to improve these two skills. Then, I would recommend finding some audio podcasts made by English teachers, as listening to a native speaker is very important. There are plenty of them on the Internet. After that, I found it quite useful to watch English movies with my native language’s subtitles to improve listening. Afterwards, I’ve switched to English subtitles as it constantly makes me think in English.

Many people find speaking in English the most difficult skill and it’s no surprise that this is only because of their own fear. My advice would be to not avoid speaking, in spite of the fact that you will speak with mistakes. Just do it, as practice makes perfect! I know that it will sound like a cliché, but what helped me a lot was speaking after a few beers in English and Irish pubs, as it always gave me a bit of confidence and I didn’t think about mistakes too much.

So, as there is no single best way for learning English, from my point of view all students should focus on all skills and if they’re really determined, they will gradually become a masters of English language.