There are close to two billion people who speak English in the world. This includes native speakers and a huge chunk who speak English as a second language. It is no wonder that English is the most preferred lingua franca today. If you wish to brush up on your English proficiency, we’ve prepared 6 quick tips that will help you master the language.
1. Register for English Classes
Without a doubt, the most effective way to learn a new skill is to have an expert English tutor to guide you. Not only will they be able to introduce the language as well as its rules and syntax, but they’d also be able to point out your mistakes and ways best to rectify them. Furthermore, having a human connection is guaranteed to make the learning process an enjoyable one.
The ideal case is to sign up for a physical class, but due to COVID-19, an online English class will be just as great. Not only is it a safer option, but these online classes will also have more flexible timings that can cater to your own schedule.
2. Practise Daily
Even if you did sign up for an English class, your time and effort spent learning will be all for nought if you don’t practise what you’ve learnt. Language is a skill and like most skills, you’d need to engage in daily practise lest it rots and becomes unfamiliar. Work with your tutor on the sort of practices that you should be doing and remember to jot down your achievements!
3. Watch An English Movie More Than Once
One way you can practice some skills such as listening, pronunciation and sentence construction is by watching a movie that’s in English. Not only will you be entertained, but it also poses a great learning opportunity! You can start with your favourite movie and immerse yourself in the language. You can jot down expressions and idioms that you think are interesting, and take note of new words and syntax whilst you’re at it. Watching the movie more than once will not only make you comfortable with the language, but will also make it easier to spot its idiosyncrasies. You can then discuss the movie with your tutor or your friends!
4. Reading English Books
Reading has always been the go-to learning material and it’s no wonder why. Reading engages more than a few brain functions, mainly memory, phonemic awareness, comprehension, visual and auditory processes and more. On that same line, reading an English book will naturally increase these effects, leading to a better mastery of the language. Take it up a notch by engaging in discussions about the book once you’ve finished it, similar to the movie discussions. This will improve your speaking and if you write book reviews regarding these books, your writing skills too will increase.
5. Use Flash Cards
Out of the 200,000 English words that are actively used today, native speakers have mastered an average of 25,000 to 35,000 words. Vocabulary is an essential part of any language and whilst it may seem like a tall order, possessing a vast vocabulary bank is necessary if you wish to be proficient.
You may want to use flashcards to help you remember new words and it will help you remember these words based on repetition.
6. Don’t Be Afraid To Make Mistakes
Lastly, you shouldn’t be afraid to make any mistakes. Mistakes will highlight the things you’ll need improvements on and without it, you won’t be able to move ahead. This is especially important if you’re looking to attain documentation to prove your proficiency. For instance, the best time to make as many mistakes is in your IELTS preparation classes, so you’d know not to make them during the exam. Mistakes are a given when you’re learning and developing, so don’t shy away from them.
Conclusion
These are just a few tips and tricks that can help you brush your English proficiency and fluency levels. That said, nothing sets good foundation other than being under the tutelage of somebody who is knowledgeable and experienced.
With hopes to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, we have ceased physical operations. Abiding by the circuit breaker measures, we have decided to move our physical operations online. Our online English classes are up so that you can still brush up on your proficiency and fluency as you stay safe during these challenging times.
