Seven Common Mistakes While Learning English
Seven common mistakes when learning English ❌.
Seven common English-learning mistakes to avoid and the best English-learning
method to start making progress!
Have you spent years studying English without making much progress? Are you looking for the best method for continuous English learning that will allow you to improve quickly?
Almost every English-learning method makes the same promise, that "you
will learn English quickly and for free, without effort, easily, like children
do!". These are promises they cannot keep. Don't forget that fake promises
only work on those who hear them, something any politician knows all too well.
Now, let's cut to the chase, in this article we will debunk the bad English-learning methods so that you don't waste your time.
Disorganized Learning:
Do you ever learn random vocabulary and grammar? By knowing cat one day and
hypercholesterolemia another, you are not following a logical pattern. Learning
the difference between who and whom though you haven't yet mastered the Present
Perfect won't be of much use to you.
Have you focused on reading without knowing enough about pronunciation?
Learning a language without reading, just by speaking, is a recipe for
disaster. Because English is a living language you have to immerse yourself in
it! Focusing on spoken language is not only relevant, it can be liberating.
Every good English-learning method should have a structure that you can follow
to get to your goals quickly. There is a natural order that we must respect.
Consider how a child acquires fluency in his or her own native tongue. She
learns spoken sounds first. After that, she'll focus on written composition. We
learn spoken language first, and only then focus on writing. When it comes to
vocabulary, we need to prioritize the most commonly used English words and
then, the rarer vocabulary that we don't necessarily use on a daily basis. For
grammar, you must first master the basic structures and only then move on to
more advanced ones.
Text, text, and more text! In school, you may have tried to learn by stuffing your mind with terms and language that proved useless for communication. If that sounds familiar, don't make the same mistake when learning English on your own.
If you only imagine how words are pronounced instead of actually knowing it,
you risk ending up with an understandable accent in English. And if you develop
bad pronunciation habits from the get-go, you'll have a much harder time
getting rid of them later.
This point is related to the previous one. The English language is not
phonetic, words are not pronounced the way they are written. That is why you
should not focus too much on the written version.
OK, let's leave the text aside for a moment. Add audio to your studies! With
the internet, it's super easy to find the correct pronunciation of words and
you can even choose if you prefer the American or British standard. Here are
some useful resources:
dictionary.com
Wiktionary
On these websites, you have access to phonetic flashcards, which will allow you
to learn exactly how words are pronounced. The most popular system, the one we
use at Click and Speak and on this blog, is IPA (International Phonetic
Alphabet). If you still can't read it or need some help, you can check out our
interactive infographic!
The way to learn to pronounce correctly is very simple. When you learn a new
sentence, think of it like music. Pay attention to timbre, rhythm, stressed
parts, and articulation. Don't neglect these aspects, because by working on the
sounds in English, you are also working on your pronunciation. This is the only
way to learn to speak clearly, and also eventually achieve a near-native pronunciation.
Practicing English only once per day:
Human memory is not perfect, it deteriorates. Our brains are not designed to
remember everything, they are designed to understand what seems unimportant to
them. This is why we can sometimes find it hard to remember things we learned
hours, minutes, or even seconds ago!
How can you avoid forgetting? By regularly reviewing new information, we reinforce it. If we keep seeing a word over and over again, we're going to remember it better than if we see it once. That is why it is better to practice English several times a day as opposed to only once. With multiple study sessions each day, the information stays in our brains.
You might be thinking - "But an hour a day learning vocabulary is better than nothing, right?" Sure, but it's not an effective English-learning method. , whereas if you use a full-day training program with regulated intervals between sessions or a distanced repetition system
Attention, you no longer wasted your time learning vocabulary to review it
again, simply because you waited too long.
I stress the importance of revision and revision. Even a few minutes a day is better than nothing! Review vocabulary on the subway, on the bus, and even in the bathroom... Dedicate time throughout the day. It will be more effective and lasting.
Getting bored:
Boredom is the enemy of concentration. It is hard to learn things without focus. If you feel bored while studying English, you can be sure that your method is not well adapted and will not bring you the desired results.
Most of the time, especially in school, the curriculum focuses mostly on
grammar - Past perfect, Present Perfect Continuous, and Future Perfect ... These
subjects aren't exactly exciting, are they? When people try to learn through
self-study methods, it can be really challenging to find appropriate material
that suits their current level.
How do you avoid boredom and keep language learning fun?
Thankfully, English is all around us! Enjoy one of your passions in English.
There are lots of resources available and this will allow you to make studying
an enjoyable experience. Tailor your search to your interests. To improve your
reading comprehension, choose internet articles or books that you are curious
about. Depending on your listening comprehension, movies, TV series and
podcasts are rich in vocabulary and will allow you to practice English
everyday.
Do what you love to do, but do it in English.
passive learning
Although I just said that watching movies or TV shows is a good way to improve
your English, you absolutely shouldn't say to yourself - "Well, I spent 3
hours watching Netflix, it's going to improve my English." enough to
make". No, this method is very passive. If you do this on your own, it
will not bring you effective results, because you will do nothing but listen to
the information, which often happens very quickly. You are not directly
involved in the learning process, which explains why you don't memorize much.
To avoid this, focus on more active methods of learning. Engage yourself in the
learning process through activities such as discovering, analyzing,
communicating, creating, thinking about, or using new information.
While watching movies, podcasts, and TV series are good for improving listening
skills, they are not enough by themselves if you want to speak English
fluently. To learn to speak English in real life, you need to learn specific
tasks such as writing, speaking, thinking. In short, you need to prepare
yourself for real life scenarios that require the use of English. Don't
hesitate to fully engage your brain in the learning process!
learning words without context
Do you learn individual words without context? Have you ever wondered why you
can't use them in daily communication? Do you ever try to remember book and to
run one after the other? You are really wasting your time.
Memory works powerfully through associations. If you study words out of
context, meaning it's impossible to make connections between them, it's
ineffective for your memory and makes learning English even more difficult. The
worst thing you can do is study them in alphabetical order... you'll just
confuse everything!
On the other hand, having words that are related to semantics plays an important role in a good English-teaching method.
Know the words that go together, that you can use together, jointly... and they
will reappear together, ready to serve you whenever you need them. For example,
learn the words rabbit , hunter , rifle at the same time with the sentence The
hunter aimed his rifle at the rabbit. Your English-teaching method should teach
you vocabulary in context.
no inspiration
If you try to learn fifty words every day and are torturing yourself with grammar that isn't even relevant to your level, take a step back to think about your approach to learning English. Are you sure you don't dislike English yourself? Be careful, because it will destroy your motivation.
As a polygamist myself, I know what a devastating effect a lack of motivation can have. It, along with boredom, is the worst enemy of concentration.
Learning a language works much better when it's fun! In that case, it is a wonderful adventure that opens new doors and gives you new opportunities. Without motivation, you won't remember what you're studying, and you won't want to start again. So, you are wasting your time.
On the other hand, if you prefer the "extreme" method we just mentioned, great! everyone is different. Of course, there are going to be some things that work for you but not for others.
For those of you sinking deeper and deeper in the throes of demotivation, don't panic! your method
Try changing or adapting your language and remember the reason you decided to learn English in the first place. Never forget what your ambitions are and never give up on your studies. You've already come this far! It would be a shame to stop improving now.
Summary
In short, what are the bad ways to learn English?
If you are...
disorganized learning
learning through text only
Practicing English only once per day
feel bored while studying
passive learning
study words out of context
not feeling motivated
... then you definitely will not have quick and effective results.
Thankfully, the solution to these problems is presented to you in this article!
:) These methods are not revolutionary, you just need to work smart and be
patient. There are certainly others on the Internet, such as the famous method
of learning English in your sleep, but I'll leave the English-learning scams
for another blog post!
Stops working, so, go go! Read more: the best way to learn to speak English fluently
0 Comments