- English is a universal language. It is spoken in almost every corner of the world. But not everyone can speak like a native speaker. India has the second-largest English speaking population in the world but still, many English speaking people in India have a bad grammar and spelling. There could be many reasons behind it. First and foremost, India has a lingually-diverse population. Apart from speaking Hindi, the majority of Indians speak in their mother tongue. There are around twenty-two officially recognized languages in India and two thousand dialects. Hence, it is natural for people to select their mother tongue over English for regular communication. They use English only when it’s necessary.
The schools in small towns and cities do not teach English appropriately. The students never get their basics clear. Also, the lack of communication in English hinders their confidence and they fail to speak properly. However, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Indians are good when it comes to writing English. But, as far as speaking is concerned, the major issue is lack of confidence and shyness.
All in all, the lack of good English schools and teachers, the reluctance of students, and the innate discomfort in speaking any other language apart from Hindi and mother tongue, can be blamed for Indians’ poor understanding of grammar and spellings. But, Indians should not dwell over this age-old practice of neglecting the importance of English. Today, it is quite important to learn English speaking and writing.
Why should you learn English?
Speaking the native language is good but we should also focus on English. There are many reasons which could compel you to learn English. Here are a few:
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- English is undoubtedly the most commonly used language as far as the business world is concerned. So when two countries are involved in any business, they select English as their language of communication. If you are looking forward to getting into a business deal with any foreign country, you cannot do it unless you are fluent in English.
- English is the most widely spoken in every corner of the world. It is the official languages of several countries. It is used at almost every official gathering which makes it an important language to learn.
- Looking for a job? You can only get it if you can speak fluent English. Given the global corporate scenario, every company tries hard to get a global recognition which requires dealing with clients from every corner of the world. You should know how to communicate with global clients. The companies are making sure to hire employees who could speak fluent English.
- If you like socializing, English helps you blur the boundaries and make new friends from every corner of the world. You can communicate with anyone in English.
- English is an international language of science and art too. If you wish to make it big in any of these fields, you need to hone your English speaking skills.
- English helps in opening many opportunities in front of you. Apart from business, science, and arts, you can achieve big in any field you wish to, only if you know English. For instance, the tourism sector is growing by leaps and bounds. You can earn a good spot in this field if you have good English communication skills. If you want to work in the film industry, you should know English. This language literally opens many career opportunities in front of you.
- Speaking in front of people requires confidence and English gives confidence. Looking at the world’s affinity towards English, the lack of English speaking skills can shake anyone’s confidence.
- Being bilingual definitely brings credit to your resume but if you add English to your resume, it is going to add a lot of credibility to your profile.
- Knowing English will help you to get an admission in the most prestigious universities in the world. Every leading university ensures that their students could speak, write, and understand English. To get an admission into the leading universities like Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, and Harvard, you should be able to understand and speak English.
- English helps you to get a greater access to knowledge. Around 55 percent of web pages on the Internet are in English. If the internet is your go-to source for any information, it is important for you to learn English.
How can you learn English?
Learning English is not a rocket science. If you put a little effort, you can learn English easily. Here is how you can learn English:
‣Be a regular
The first and the foremost thing that you should do is to swear by being a regular. Even if it’s just spending 15 to 20 minutes, you should make it a point to do it every day. Whatever learning practices you adopt, make sure you give your hundred percent.
‣Begin from the basics
The foundation determines the strength of a building. If your foundations are weak, you would never be able to maintain a good grip on it.
Get your concepts clear. You can take help from online tutorials to learn the basics of English.
‣Read
Reading is a great tool to learn English. Read novels, self-help books, and newspaper to learn English. Note down all the new words that you come across and remember them.
‣Listen
Listening to English is another way of learning English. Watch English movies, TV shows, News channels, podcasts, radio channels, and music.
The best English movies to learn English are Toy Story, Jurassic Park, 10 Things I Hate About You, Harry Potter Series, The Hunger Games, The Hangover, Forrest Gump, The Social Network, Cast Away, The Break-up, 500 Days of Summer, and many more.
Coming to TV shows, Friends is one of the best shows to watch in order to learn English. With Friends, you will not only learn new slang but also, many new polished words. You will also learn pronunciation. This English TV sitcom uses a very simple and friendly language. If you are a beginner, you should start with Friends and then, graduate to more complicated shows (in terms of language too) like Game of Thrones.
Other English TV shows to learn English include The Simpsons, Sex and the City, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Sherlock, Shortland Street, etc. Every single show is not just interesting but helps you to learn new words and accents.
‣Think
To get a good grip on English, it is important to think in English. It is natural for anyone to think in his or her mother language. But, to learn English, you should have to stop thinking in any other language except English.
It will not happen overnight. It is a gradual process. To stop thinking in your native language, you will have to surround yourself with English. Speak, read, and listen English and let it seep inside your mind. Whenever a thought pops up in your mind, immediately turn your English thought process on. Gradually, English will begin influencing your thought process. This will help to accelerate your English learning speed.
‣Play Games
Games and puzzles like Scrabble and Crossword help in learning new English words.
‣Use Online Sources
The online world has a solution to every problem. If English is your problem, you can meet many new solutions on the internet. There are many websites and applications that are designed to teach English to the beginners, as well as speakers, who want to graduate to the next level. These online sources work on desktops, laptops, tablets, i Pads, as well as mobile phones.
The best apps to learn English are Hello English, Duolingo, Lingbe, busuu, Memrise, EngVarta, etc.
EngVarta is one of the best and highest rated app to improve your spoken English. This is a go-to app for most of the speakers who know English but lack confidence. If you face the same issue, you should take help from this app. At EngVarta, you will meet live English experts who will help you to master your speaking skills. You can communicate with the experts and get a grip at your speaking skills. With regular communication sessions, you will see an improvement in yourself. You will be able to speak with confidence.
How can you improve your English writing skills?
Here are some easy ways to improve English writing skills:
‣Vocabulary
To improve your writing skills, you need to improve your vocabulary. Writing good words gives a good impression. This is also important to express yourself in a better way. Start your English improving spree with learning new words.
‣Spellings
Spelling mistakes would be the last thing that you would want to see on your piece of writing and so to avoid it, you should learn spellings too.
In English, there are several words that sound the same but have different spellings. Using the wrong spellings can change the meaning of the entire sentence.
‣Read More
Read more to get acquainted with new writing styles and new words. Read rich literature to improve your writing skill.
‣Work on your grammar
You should work on improving grammar to enhance the quality of writing. Using proper verb forms, punctuations, and tenses is a must.
How can you improve your email writing skills?
For a professional, writing is not just limited to filing documents with words. A professional should also know how to write an email. E-mail is the most used communication tool in the corporate world and hence, you should make it more readable and understandable.
Here are a few ways to improve your email writing skills:
‣Use a professional tone
While writing an email, you need to come across as a professional and hence, do not use slangs and exclamation marks. Be polite and use words like thank you and please wherever required. Use an easy-to-understand vocabulary.
‣Put your words wisely
Email and story writing are two different things and hence, you should take a different approach while writing each one of them. While writing an email, you should know how to write the information precisely. Use short sentences. Try to give your message in less than 150 words. Avoid using acronyms.
Keep all the above-mentioned tips in mind to improve your English speaking, writing, and email writing skills.
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