English is considered the most popular language for learning, since it is international and is able to unite people from all over the world. Each language has its own rules - it is not enough just to memorize words and stable expressions (of course, this is also important), special attention needs to be paid to grammar, syntactic rules, speech turns, etc.
For beginners and those who are already familiar with the basics of effectively learning English, the rules are different, but we tried to combine them together. We hope the article will be useful for both the first and second categories of people.
Rule number 1: Learn the alphabet and memorize individual phrases
It is hard to imagine learning English without knowing the alphabet. To begin with, remember how the letters sound: for example, A is ei, it looks like a Russian “hey”, and B is bi, read like “bi”. Also remember how small and large letters look. After that, you can already proceed to the next stage.
In English, there are stable expressions, for example, come home, which means being at home. Remember phrases, not single words, so much more efficiently, words are remembered faster in context. According to the writings of some researchers, learning English through memorizing phrases increases the speed of mastering it by 5 times!
Rule number 2: learn grammar
You cannot learn English without grammar rules. To do this, you need to pick up good tutorials designed for beginners.
We recommend the following books:
- Grammar. Collection of exercises edited by Golitsinsky Yu. B.
- Practical English grammar with exercises and keys edited by K. N. Kachalova
These books, according to teachers, will help students lay a solid foundation, which will later help in learning English. The publications contain theoretical and practical aspects - after studying the rules, you will reinforce them by doing light exercises. Regular classes will help you learn the grammatical constructions of a foreign language over time.
At first, it may not be clear to you why the English phrases translate “wrong.” In fact, everything is so for the British, but we translate the words as we prefer. The British think the same thing with the "strange" translation of English words into Russian. You can read about this, as well as about other important grammatical points in textbooks for beginners.
Rule number 3: Listen and remember
Schools and institutes focus on memorizing words and mastering grammar, but if you only read English words and don’t hear how they are pronounced, you will never master English. You simply cannot catch most of the foreigner's words. Therefore, our advice - instead of reading the text, listen to audio. And even better - both together!
Top YouTube channels for learning English:
- English Show - channel videos are beautifully designed and voiced, so watching them causes a lot of positive emotions;
- Learn English With Misterduncan - English subtitles simplify the process of learning a language, one video lasts about 7 minutes;
- English for films - on this channel you can read subtitles, listen to how they sound, and remember the translation;
- English. Double subtitles. - on this channel you will know how phrases sound in English and look in written form, as well as remember the translation of words.
Tip: To make the process of learning English easier and more fun, choose a YouTube channel with interesting topics for you. Maybe you are interested in cooking or movies? Great, then look for such channels.
Rule number 4: Put off in the subconscious
Many people make one mistake - they write out words in a column, and then they are repeated for memorization. This is the wrong approach - how to remember the multiplication table, but not know why 5 × 5 = 25. Learning words is not enough; it is important to know how to use them. Most phrases have a different meaning than the individual words of which they can be composed.
The secret of easy and free mastery of spoken English is to deeply memorize words in phrases. They must be embedded in your subconscious. Multiple repetition of lessons, texts, audio will allow you to speak English fluently and easily in the future. Focus not on speed of study, but on quality.
Tip: returning to rule No. 6, I want to add - watch one video on YouTube several times until you have a clear understanding of why the phrase is translated in this way and not otherwise. Grammar books from point 7 will help you in understanding.
Rule number 5: Master the times in the language
Start with present simple - real simple time. We know about 3 times: present, past, future, but in English there are 12. There will be no questions from time to time when you master the basic rules for constructing temporary forms and learn to automatically determine which group the situation belongs to.
Examples of present simple:
- he works at the factory - he works at the factory;
- it snows a lot in winter - it snows a lot in winter;
- Julia is an artist. She paints beautiful paintings - Julia is an artist. She draws very beautiful pictures.
First of all, master the present simple time, when something is affirmed: “he does”, “the drink is invigorating”, “it snows the second day”, etc. Remember - interrogative and negative sentences are constructed differently - pay special attention to this. Having examined all these nuances, you can proceed to the next stage.
Rule # 6: Listen and Answer
Most of the video and audio lessons are designed in such a way that students listen and remember - this is good at the initial stage, but we need to move forward. If you do not have a live foreign interlocutor - it does not matter, a newscaster from the video material may well replace him. Just pause the video and reply to it in the same time phrase.
For example, the question was: “Do you speak English?” (do you speak English?) pause and answer: “Yes, I do. I speak English ”(yes, it is. I speak English.) All teachers advise:“ Have more practice, ”and they do it right. Only by practicing, speaking, memorizing, you can advance in mastering English.
Tip: be sure to use this rule - it almost completely compensates for the real practice with a living interlocutor. Use it in your every lesson.
Rule number 7: use an integrated approach
It is not enough just to memorize words or read them in English. If you have seriously decided to master the language, you need an integrated approach to learning.
An integrated approach includes:
- Listening - exercises, video and audio materials;
- Reading - exercises and texts;
- Grammar - memorizing rules;
- Speaking - independent exercises;
- Writing is an independent exercise.
Do not try to memorize complex words like “superficial”, “falsification”, etc., remember how the basic phrases on which the initial communication is based are translated. These words include: “How are you?” (how are you?) “It's’s cold today” (today’s cold), etc. It is recommended to remember persistent expressions.
If you find yourself in a strange country and you have to ask someone: “Where is the hotel?” you will not look for how each word is translated - a sentence may thus be built incorrectly. It is better to remember phrases that may be useful to you in everyday life. By the way, “Where is the hotel located?” translated "Where is the hotel located?". Here you have one stable phrase!
Rule number 8: Exercise regularly
This item could not finish the list of rules. Perhaps you think that the rule is not so important, but as practice shows, the more often a person engages, speaks English, performs exercises, the more effective his training is and, of course, he quickly shows good results.
Remember how we learned to speak in childhood. At first we heard incomprehensible words, gradually repeated them, remembered, learned to build phrases and communicate. Now we speak and understand each other so well only through regular practice. If you want to learn a language for years, then you can study English when you want.
But if you want to achieve good results, accustom yourself to regular English classes at least 30-40 minutes a day. Over time, you will praise yourself for your efforts.
Tip: psychologists advise rewarding yourself for work - in this way, you will increase the motivation to do something. After English classes, do what pleases you: watch a TV show, draw or simply surf the Internet. When you skip classes - scold yourself and do not indulge. So you accustom yourself to discipline, and it is very important when you want to achieve something.
