How I Improve my English
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I don’t know how to learn a new language. But I can explain how one can improve the language if he is already familiar with the language. I had studied in English Medium school and like every other school, they teach us how to read and memorize English sentences to pass the exams. However, when I grew up I realized that if I want to improve my English language then I should practice a lot. When I was in school, It was my dream to learn and understand English but I hate grammar and vocabulary.
So how do I improve my English? There are four communication skills and if anyone is good in these four skills, then he/she will have been able to speak and understand English. These skills include listening, reading, writing and speaking.
At the end of the school days, I started reading books and it changed my life. I used to read a lot. Because I don’t have a smartphone at the time so I spend most of my time reading great books. It includes history, fiction and productivity books. As I continue to read, my English is improving and I feel that I should read more as reading itself has many benefits. So after reading a lot I have more words and more ideas than I have ever before.
Then one day I decided that I should start writing my ideas and taking notes. I struggle a lot when I start writing. All the time I was trying to make English sentences so that I’ll be able to write them on paper. I realize that writing improves my thinking ability as well. As it is said that those who don’t know how to think don’t know how to write. I struggle a lot in the beginning but over time I become familiar with writing. Now I have more words and ideas to write than I have time. Then I started writing online and I learned many more things while writing online.
When I got a smartphone and my English had improved a bit, I started listening to lectures and podcasts on YouTube. Through podcasts, I am learning so many new things. In this way, my English is improving and I’ve been familiar with many different kinds of people all over the world. So when I get tired and don’t want to open a book to read or open a laptop to write, I start listening to any podcast on YouTube. And it’s the best way to spend your free time when you do not want to do anything productive.
Finally comes Speaking. Being good at writing does not mean that one must be good at speaking as well. I thought I should start speaking in English and it is as difficult as writing. But I continue to speak and my speaking skills are also improving. If you don’t find anyone to speak in English or any language that you want to learn it’s Ok. You can record your voice on mobile and improve by listening to it. Or if you are already better at speaking you can share your ideas on YouTube as well. This is how I improve my English by practicing a lot.
So I have explained my journey of improving English. My point is not that everyone should learn English. If you don’t want to learn it then it’s OK. The things that I write are all according to my personal experience. I just write what I have learned. I know people may have different experiences in their life’s.
Quote of the week
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.―Albert Einstein
Originally published at https://salmanakhtar.substack.com.
