amalfabian

Be a couch potato and learn English

Couch Potato

The best way to a learn a language is to immerse yourself in it.

Be surrounded by it, every waking hour. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to stay in a foreign country. The next best thing could be watching TV.

Television (and now Youtube, Amazon, Netflix) gives us a window into other language worlds and cultures. Surprisingly in India, people do not seem to be taking advantage of this medium as much as they should.

Specifically, when it comes to learning English, learners see it as a distinct subject which is utilized in specific situations (e.g. while taking an exam, or making a presentation at work). This way of thinking limits the way one learns the language. Learning English is understood as learning grammatical rules and lists of words. This creates a narrow (and often fragile) language base.

Being a couch potato could be a part of the solution. (Ah… I see that smile on your face!) There are stories from around the world which highlight the link between TV watching and language learning. Two sisters in Isreal learned Spanish by watching an Argentinian telenovela with Hebrew subtitles. Read about them on CNN. In the short article, the sisters say that they learned English the same way.

And, you can learn English (or any other language) that way too.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Choose a series that you enjoy. If you like the theme, chances are that you will be more willing to sit through it.
Where possible, have subtitles. Even if the subtitles are in the same language, that is okay. In this way you are using two language learning skills – listening and reading. The two skills reinforce each other.
Watch the programme again and again. A baseball player from Venezuela watched each episode of the serial Friends at least five times. And his level of English has improved dramatically.
If there is some vocabulary you do not understand, reach out to your cellphone. Google the word and find out its meaning. Go ahead and do it. Don’t postpone it, as you may forget the word. This is a natural way to build your vocabulary, because you are encountering the word in its natural context.
If there is a grammatical structure which is unfamiliar, try and find out more about it. Google. Don’t be lazy.
You can have a varied diet as well. Watch a cartoon channel, a news channel, and a nature documentary channel. In this way, you expose yourself to different kinds of vocabulary. This will help you when you have to converse on different themes.
Be consistent. (Remember point 3 in this list.)

Be an active, curious couch potato. Although your body may be immobile, your mind is all action!

For more on learning English, you can visit these 3 free websites.

Are you afraid of a Grammar Nazi?

What’s your answer? Yes or no?

My answer is: don’t be.

Grammar Nazis give grammar a bad name

These self-appointed guardians of the English language do more harm than good. They intimidate learners of the language by rudely pointing out grammatical errors. Thereby diminishing the joy of learning.

Let’s talk about grammar

Grammar is fluid and alive.

It is derived from the use of language. People use language to convey information, conduct business, share stories, gossip, and do much more. Over time, customs and patterns of usage have taken form. And of course, grammarians have codified these patterns. In short, it is a commonly agreed upon set of rules of language.

Grammar defines the relationships between words.

With a sound knowledge of grammar, you express yourself clearly and precisely. You place key words at the beginning or end of a sentence, depending on the effect you wish to create. You use a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences to bring variety and pace in your writing. If you are writing poetry, you could happily violate the rules of grammar with impunity.

Grammar is a tool to help you become a more effective communicator.

Grammar has a bad reputation

Unfortunately, grammar has a really, really, really bad reputation.

Many people get defensive when the topic comes up. Even proficient speakers of English say: “Well, my grammar isn’t that good”.

On the bright side, if you are a proficient speaker of the language, then grammar may come naturally to you. You have an implicit understanding of how words are to be arranged in a sentence. You don’t have to refer to a grammar book. If something is amiss, your spider senses tingle. Although you many not be able to explain why the grammar is wrong, you just know that something is not right.

The rules of grammar are hardwired inside your brain. Lucky you!

The problem is when you are not a proficient user of the language, and you are learning it. You may be at the pre-intermediate, intermediate, or upper-intermediate level. In this case, grammar may seem like a never-ending series of arbitrary rules and exceptions.

Learning the subject becomes daunting and boring.

Making errors could be a good thing

Cartoon dinosaur fossils — Image credit: Freepik.com

When you are learning a language, you will commit errors.

It is important that you learn from these errors. Making errors means that you are trying to understand the mechanics of the language. It is not negative. It’s a good thing!

There is something you must know about your errors. They may be fossilized. What does that mean? It means that these errors are deeply embedded in your mind.

Here’s an example.

Learner: I didn’t went to the office yesterday.

Teacher: Didn’t went?

Learner: Mmm… I mean… Didn’t go.

Two days later the learner says: I didn’t went to the airport.

Although the student is aware that the grammar is wrong, when speaking, they would still make that error. The error is fossilized.

How can you overcome your fossilized errors?

By being aware. Find out what errors you usually make. Then monitor yourself when you speak. You may still be making them. But, they will decrease in frequency.

And then one fine day, they will disappear. Just like the dinosaurs did.

Don’t be impatient when learning grammar

Do you want to learn the present perfect continuous, the past perfect, and the future perfect all in one day? Please don’t. Don’t try to gobble up all of grammar in one go. It won’t work. Trust me. Your mind will not be able to digest all of it.

Learn a grammar point. Practice it. Then move on to the next point. Slow and steady. Just like the turtle in the race.

Here comes the Grammar Nazi

Enter the Grammar Nazi. This person relishes the opportunity to pounce on a misplaced semicolon, or some other grammatical error.

Grammatical rules are stated with finality and authority. (Beware, sometimes these confidently stated rules may be incorrect as well!)

Such a high-handed attitude is unnecessary and counter-productive.

After a Grammar Nazi lesson, the learner may feel even more inhibited to speak. The language becomes a minefield patiently waiting to explode the moment the learner opens their mouth.

Open letter to a Grammar Nazi

Dear Grammar Nazi:

While teaching an aspect of the language, you need to supportive.

Identify the error. Patiently explain why it is incorrect.

Be empathetic. You would make errors too, when learning a new language. It is natural.

In fact, you may be making errors in English that you are unaware of.

Regards,

A concerned teacher

Next steps

The next time you encounter a Grammar Nazi, tell them to explain politely or not to explain at all.

Remind him that all grammar rules are make believe!

To improve your grammar, you could read these posts on articles, prepositions, and the future time.

Image credit: Know Your Meme

Why do you make the same language errors, again and again?

Fossil

Why do people keep repeating the same grammatical and vocabulary errors, even after they have been corrected?

For example, language learners learn that one should say ‘equipment’ and not ‘equipments’. The reason behind it is that ‘equipment’ is an uncountable noun, and so one shouldn’t add an ‘s’ to it. The phrase three equipments is grammatically incorrect. When I say this in a session, people nod their heads in complete agreement. But, when they leave the room, and have a conversation, they are more likely to ask: Where are the equipments?

Why are they repeating this error? The clue is in the photo of this post. The photo is of a fossil. The language errors that we make are fossilized in our minds. This means that even if the trainer corrects you in a session, afterwards, when you speak with friends or colleagues, you are likely to return to making the same error.

Can you de-fossilize your language? Yes, you can. But you have to work at it.

Pay attention to how you speak and write. And mentally take note of the errors which you know you are making. (I monitor my speech, almost all the time.) Over time, you will use the grammar point or word accurately and effortlessly.

The ignored skill of listening

Listen to the sound of the river, if you want to catch fish. – an Irish proverb.

In language learning there are four skills: speaking, listening, writing, and reading.

Of these, the productive skills are speaking and writing. And the receptive skills are listening and reading. When learning a language, the emphasis is on the productive skills. We usually ask, can you speak Japanese. And not, can you read Japanese.

In India, English language learners are keen to speak and write the language. Unfortunately, they are less keen to engage with the receptive skills of listening and reading.

In this post, let’s focus on listening.

4 ways listening skill can help you

As you may have noticed, Indians are terrible listeners. Often, we start speaking while the other person is still speaking. (I am guilty of this too: I confess!) This could be because we are so absorbed in what we feel about the topic, that we cannot wait to express our opinion. Or this could be because we believe we know exactly what the other person thinks on a particular subject. This often happens between husbands and wives.

It is good etiquette to let the person complete what he or she is saying. No matter where one is–at work or at home.

Listening can help you to improve your communication skills.

Here is how:

Listen for pronunciation

Listen how people pronounce words. Are they emphasizing a particular syllable? If so, on which one?

For example, in India, some people pronounce the word sentence as: senTENCE.

Actually, in international English, it is: SENtence.

Listen attentively when you are watching your favourite Netflix series. Notice which syllable is stressed in a word.

Listen to the flow of speech

How is the person using intonation? Is the tone flat? Or is there a rise and fall in pitch to convey nuances in meaning and emotion?

Pay special attention to intonation. How does a stand-up comic use intonation? How is it different from a journalist reporting a story?

Listen for cohesion

When you listen to a speech or watch a documentary, ask yourself why a particular idea or thought has been introduced. Does the next idea follow naturally from that first one? Many times a speaker begins by setting the context. And then she may make an assertion. And then follow it up with supporting statements.

Can you critically analyse the flow of ideas? Do they make sense, when placed next to each other? Could they be ordered in another way? Are all ideas equally important? Analyzing in such a manner will help you to make more effective presentations at work.

Listen with empathy

When listening to someone, try to imagine their lived experience. Where are they coming from? What are the challenges they face? This will help you to better understand them. People will feel that you are giving them your undivided attention. Consequently, they may open up to you even more. When you listen with empathy, you are more likely to recall what was said. Your conversations will be more meaningful. And yes, your communication skills will improve.

As I said before, we live in a world which does not value listening. If we start listening better, we’ll start communicating better.

Don’t forget to listen to yourself

Listen to yourself when you make a complaint, when you make a request, when you give an order, when you plead for understanding, and when you make a presentation.

How wide is your range of vocabulary? Are you repeating words and phrases? Are you learning new words / phrases on a regular basis? At times, do you find it difficult to express a complex idea?

Are you using grammar correctly? Are you using a variety of grammatical structures? Does your grammar crumble when you are angry?

Do you use different types of intonation when speaking to different people? What is your rate of speech? Are you speaking as fast as a bullet train travels?

Phew… That’s a long list of questions, I know. But it will be worth your while to start looking for answers for some, if not all, of these questions.

Focus on listening

When you truly listen, there is so much you can learn.

Listen to others when they speak. Listen to yourself when you speak.

If you will listen intensely and with purpose, you may be surprised as to what you discover.

Listen to the sound of the river…

Image credit: Freepik

Email writing 5 : vocabulary

Email writing 4 : vocabulary

Email writing 3 : vocabulary

How good is my English ?

A stick figure with a questions mark over his head.

We are not particularly good at critically evaluating ourselves.

Often, we are under the impression that we are more competent than we actually are. Alas! This misconception is present in language skills as well.

It has been my experience that English language skills in companies are in need of drastic improvement. Many engineers, managers, associates, executives, lawyers, accountants, and software programmers are unable to express themselves clearly, concisely, and politely. At times, they find it challenging to communicate complex ideas. Their range of vocabulary does not permit them to express nuances–the same words/phrases get repeated in many different conversational settings.

And yet, when people are questioned about their English language abilities, after a few seconds of introspection, they reply that their English is quite good.

Why is this happening?

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There may be a few reasons for this wide gap between perceived and actual language skills.

Lack of exposure

The first reason could be that people are just not exposed to good language.

They do not read books that are rich in idiomatic expressions and that have a variety of sentence structures. They do not have people around them who are proficient speakers of the language. They do not watch documentaries and movies which transport them out of their comfort zone and introduce them to words and grammatical structures that they would not usually encounter in their everyday lives.

And even when they are exposed to good language, they rarely pay attention. They are not active listeners and readers. They are not able to recognize and appreciate new grammar structures or new vocabulary.

Hence, people are not aware of the richness of the language.

They don’t know that they don’t know.

Fluency does not mean accuracy

Fluency is often confused with accuracy. There are speakers who speak with confidence and fluency.

When you hear them, they seem perfectly at ease with the language. They have a good rate of speech and pronounce words reasonably well. However, when you listen carefully, you start to notice things.

They make basic grammatical errors (such as I didn’t went there). And they use vocabulary incorrectly. For instance, using the word improvise when they mean improve. These errors may be fossilized, meaning that they are deeply embedded in the mind.

In an environment where the overall language level is at the pre-intermediate or intermediate level, these fluent, but inaccurate speakers, can be mistaken to have strong language skills. This leads them to believe that everything is okay, language wise.

Feeling of possessing superior language skills

At office, most people have roughly similar language levels. In general, it’s a mix of pre-intermediate and intermediate level speakers.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. This is true when someone with an intermediate level of English starts giving lessons to someone who is at the pre-intermediate level. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against one human being teaching another human being. But, this is not always the best way to learn.

First, the person may be providing incorrect advice, leading to the spread of incorrect grammar and vocabulary. Poor grammar is especially contagious.

Second, the person doling out the advice may consider himself to be a language guru. He may consider himself to be somewhat of an authority on the English language. Now, that is a worrying thought. Will he ever question his own level of competence?

So, is it varying combinations of ignorance and arrogance that leads a good person to overestimate his language level? Possibly. In all fairness, I would say that it is more ignorance than arrogance.

Do you want to better understand your language level?

1. Start by second guessing yourself.

How effective are your emails? Does your reader or listener understand your message? Are you using words that precisely convey what you want to say? Are you using the same words in email after email after email? If the answer is yes for the last question, then you need to widen the range of your vocabulary.

2. Benchmark your communication skills with that of others.

What words and phrases does your CEO use when she makes a presentation? Is she using simple sentences or complex sentences? Is there anything you can learn from her? Watch Youtube videos of people you admire, especially on TEDx. How do you compare?

3. Test your English.

In my opinion, the best assessment happens face-to- face. Do visit a language school that provides credible assessment, such as the British Council.

If doing that is not possible for the time being, you could test yourself online.

Access these online tests to get an idea of your language level:

Cambridge English Language Assessment

BBC Learning English

You may not be as good as you think you are.

When it comes to assessing your language level, approach it with humility. And be open to learning.

I repeat: you may not be as good as you think you are.

A harsh statement, I admit. But, if you take it to heart, your future-self will thank you.

Author: amalfabian