Learning any language takes time. And that includes English as well.
Many people working in the corporate sector want to learn English words and phrases that are directly related to their work.
They often do not have the time or inclination to strengthen their foundations (grammar, vocabulary, writing skills, reading skills, listening skills, and speaking skills).
Learn with your child
How can you strengthen the foundations of your language?
If you have a child at home, consider yourself lucky. You can learn with her. Together, practise reading from her textbook.
Use the content in the textbook as a launchpad for further learning.
For example, if there is a lesson on food, watch YouTube videos on the topic.
Make a mental note of new vocabulary, grammar structures, and pronunciation. See if you can identify any of the words / grammar that you and your child have come across in the textbook.
After you finish the activity, you could have a conversation about it.
Did you like the YouTube video? Why? Why not? What were the main points? Was there any new information? Were there any words that you want learn more about? Was it easy to understand the accent of the speaker?
Immersion is key
If you want to learn any language– the secret is immersion. The language needs to be around you all the time.
With your child, set aside some time when both of you speak only in English. For instance, at the dinner table, you could revise the words / grammar that you have together looked at.
Don’t worry if mistakes are made. Making mistakes is a good sign. That means you are engaging with the language. After all, when learning a new language, it is normal to make mistakes.
Practise, practise, practise. Over time, you and your child will become fluent speakers.
Be consistent
It is said that the child is the father of man.
I believe that the child is an excellent English teacher for a man or woman. Learning with your child is a fun, natural way to learn anything.
If you choose to learn with your child, make sure that it is a long-term project. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t see immediate results.
Many Indians in the corporate sector find it challenging to communicate effectively in English.
They find it difficult to write emails that are clear, concise, and grammatically accurate.
And when they speak, there are many Indianisms and pronunciation errors. This would not be much of a problem if we were communicating amongst ourselves. If someone in the Gurgaon office is on a video call with someone in the Chennai office, the two people will, by and large, understand each other.
The issue arises when we communicate with someone from outside the country. An American colleague may not be used to our Indianisms (for example: do the needful). Or a foreign client may find it difficult to understand certain words that an Indian speaker pronounces.
But why do Indians find it so hard to improve their English language skills?
After all, whether you live in Mumbai or Bangalore, your world is saturated with English. Newspapers are in English. Shop signs are in English. Billboards are in English. At work, practically all formal communication is done in this language. At home, we have easy access to American/British serials, movies, and songs.
And yet, even after all of this exposure, communicating in the language is a struggle for many.
There are many reasons why Indian adults find English difficult. We’ll consider two of them.
Two reasons why Indians find it difficult
Overestimation of language skills
Many times, people think that their English skills are quite good. They are unable to critically assess their own language competency. This is more common than you think.
To make matters worse, everyone around them may be making the same grammatical and pronunciation errors. This makes it even more difficult to evaluate oneself!
Let’s face it, as adult Indians, we are not the best of learners.
At school and college we memorised facts and figures. The only time I studied at university, was one month before the final exam. That is not learning!
True learning is all about being genuinely curious. It’s about self-reflection. It’s about recognizing one’s own interests, strengths, and weaknesses.
It has been my experience that adult Indians are reluctant independent learners. They want everything given to them. They want the trainer to ask the question and provide the answer. In short, they don’t want to mull over things. They do not want to discover the language for themselves.
This impatient attitude makes it difficult to learn something as varied and dynamic as a language.
What can be done? (I hear you ask.)
I am sorry, but there is no magic pill.
My advice on language learning
Be an active learner
Pay attention to words and expressions that are used, both spoken and written. The other day, I heard a person on a business channel use the idiom–on the anvil. I wasn’t 100% sure of its meaning, so I googled it.
If you ever come across an unfamiliar word or expression, do not ignore it. Jot it down, or immediately find out what it means.
I have been conducting workshops on communication skills for many years. One recurrent theme that keeps coming up is that participants say that they do not have enough vocabulary to express themselves. I understand, but there is no easy way out. I’ve read that one has to come across a word up to twenty-one times, before one can use it appropriately and naturally.
The only way to improve your vocabulary is to expose yourself to diverse language.
Read articles on politics, culture, climate change, and more. Watch different kinds of documentaries. By doing this, you will come across a variety of new words, collocations, and idioms.
When you come across new vocabulary, make a mental note. If you are not sure of its meaning, try to guess it from its context. Pay attention to how it is pronounced.
Make sure that you truly know the meaning of the word or expression you use.
Words are used in specific contexts. There can be nuances in meaning and connotation. If you are not 100% sure of the meaning of the last word in the previous sentence, please look it up 🙂
Do think that just because you have read a book such as Word Power Made Easy, your range of vocabulary has dramatically improved. I’m not against that particular book. I enjoyed reading it. However, it can only introduce you to new words. It cannot immediately improve your vocabulary. That will take time.
Remember, you need to encounter a word twenty-one times before you can use it effectively.
Beware: if you use words straight from a list, you may be using them incorrectly.
This is going to take time
Be realistic. You are not going to see a dramatic improvement in your language skills in two weeks’ time. It is a process.
Keep your eyes and ears open to language.
When you receive an email, spend a minute or two analyzing it. Is the message clear? Are there any words that are unfamiliar? Is the tone appropriate? Has the person used some grammar which you are unfamiliar with?
Is there anything you can learn from the email?
If you want to improve your speaking skills, compare your pronunciation with that of a news anchor. Watch NDTV and WION. You can also watch international channels such as CNN, BBC, and Aljazeera. Compare. Self-reflect.
Start observing yourself: what you say and how you say it. Some of your errors may be fossilized, so you will have to pay extra attention to them.
Become your own language coach. If you are unsure of the meaning or pronunciation of a word, find out at Cambridge Dictionary.
Before making a presentation, practise at least three times. Record yourself on your mobile phone. When listening to yourself, be critical. For example, are you speaking too fast? (Many Indians have a bullet-train rate of speech.)
When working on your language skills, take it slow. You do not have to immediately use an expression you have come across in the company newsletter. Take your time. Let it sink in.
Have fun
You learn better when you are having fun.
Watch Hollywood movies. Read comics. Listen to music while travelling to work. The more you immerse yourself in the language, the more comfortable you’ll be in it. It’s as simple as that.
I have noticed that people speak Hinglish with colleagues and switch to English with the boss. That’s okay.
I’m not asking you to speak in English all the time. I believe that it’s an asset that there are so many languages in India. But, I do urge you to get closer to the English language.
If you can, try karaoke, especially the old songs from the 50s and 60s. They tend to be slower, and the lyrics are often grammatically correct! Here is a song I discovered the other day:
Don’t be shy. You may not be able to sing outside, but you can always sing at home 🙂
I’m really serious about the fun part. It makes a big difference.
Make a plan
Are you serious about improving your English?
Don’t take it casually. Act strategically by setting precise, realistic goals. Think about what you want to achieve in the next four weeks. In the next four months. In the next year.
For example, to improve your vocabulary, learn three new words or phrases a week. Try to use them in your everyday conversation. Make them your own.
Be consistent. Be systematic. And you will notice a difference in your English skills.
For some reason, I’m a fan of punctuation marks. And to my dismay, I find that they are misused many a times in business writing.
Misused punctuation marks
1. Semicolon
The semicolon is used to divide two sentences that are in some way related to each other. The key word is ‘sentence’. There has to be a sentence on both sides of a semicolon. Here are two examples:
I enjoy punctuation; the semicolon is my favourite mark. (correct usage)
I enjoy punctuation; the semicolon. (incorrect usage)
When you use a semicolon, think about whether it divides two sentences or not. What is a sentence? I hear you ask. A sentence is a group of words that:
a. has a subject and a verb;
b. makes complete sense on its own.
2. Exclamation marks!
Note that I used just one exclamation mark for the sub-heading. One exclamation mark is more than enough.
Do not write: !!!
Of course, in informal communication, you can use a series of exclamation marks. On WhatsApp, you can type: I passed the test!!! But, even here, the value of your exclamation marks starts to fall if you use too many of them.
Using too many exclamation marks dilutes the impact of your message. From now on, be mindful when using these marks.
Photo taken at the Maharaja Ranjit Singh War Museum in Ludhiana, Punjab
At times, it may seem that there is more war than peace at work.
Here are four idioms that may reflect what is happening at your office. See if you can use them.
Four idioms derived from war
to cross the Rubicon
During Roman times, the modest river Rubicon marked the boundary from where Gaul (France) ended and Italy began. As a rule, Roman generals returning to Italy disbanded their armies before crossing the Rubicon to enter Italian soil.
Of course, the victorious and ambitious Julius Caesar thought otherwise. He crossed the Rubicon with his battle-hardened army and thus started a civil war.
To cross the Rubicon is take a decision from which there is no turning back.
An example sentence: By agreeing to consider the proposed changes, the Minister has crossed the Rubicon.
to look daggers at somebody
Quite simply, this means to look sharply or furiously at someone.
“At the meeting, the production manager looked daggers at me. What did I do?”
a loose cannon
In sixteenth-century English warships, cannons were mounted on carriages. When the ships swayed back and forth, some of these huge guns would roll about dangerously, endangering the crew.
In today’s world, a loose cannon is a person who behaves in an unpredictable way–often causing some form of disorder. I’m sure you’ve come across at least one loose cannon this year.
“Careful, he is known to be a loose cannon.”
on the warpath
The warpath was the route North American Indians would take to meet their adversary.
Nowadays, the term has come to mean being in an aggressive mood and looking for a fight.
“Avoid Prashant. He’s on the warpath today!”
I used Dictionary of Idioms and their origins by Linda + Roger Flavell as a reference for this post. If you would like to learn more about idioms and their origins, do pick this book up.
I’m sure you have heard this idiom before. He has a chip on his shoulder. But, do you really know what it means?
Many people find it difficult to write effective business emails. I see two reasons for this. The first is that they are not approaching the act of writing in a methodical manner. To put it bluntly, they do not give much thought to writing an email. They write it and then press the send button. The second reason is that they do not have the language to convey what they want to say.
In this post, we’ll be tackling the first reason: that is how to approach the act of writing an email. Here are my suggestions:
1. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Who are you writing this email to? Do you need to be formal or informal? How much background information should you include? Do you need to CC anyone else?
To answer all these questions. Think of a pair of shoes, that are not yours. And then, put your feet into them. Warning: it may hurt you!
If the email is for close colleagues, then you can be informal or semi-formal. If it is destined for the CEO, then perhaps you should be more towards the formal side of the scale.
If you are writing an email to colleagues who are working on the same project, then you may not need to give too much background information. However, if you are sending an email to a vendor, then you may need to give lots of background information.
2. Write short sentences
After delivering email writing workshops for many years, this has been my number one learning. Write short sentences. Write short sentences. Write short sentences. Yes, I really cannot emphasize it enough! If you are not confident of your grammar, this piece of advice really helps. I have seen long sentences winding their way through an email. And the longer they wind, the greater the chance that they will contain grammatical errors.
Try counting the words in your sentences. You should be able to manage with seven to twelve words per sentence. Try it. You’ll thank me later 🙂
3. Think before you hit that send button
Once it’s gone, it’s gone. There have been many embarrassing situations. For instance, a message CCed to everyone, when that was not the plan. Or, someone sent a message in a fit of anger to her boss. And then minutes later, the sender regrets the language she used. Or… Well, there are so many scenarios. You may have your own example.
I know that many people cannot resist pressing that send button. After pressing it, the email has left your screen. Thank god… But, remember, it will soon show up on someone else’s screen. So ask yourself these questions. Have I edited the message? Are there any grammatical errors? Have I explained myself clearly? Is the message polite? (For polite language, you can read my post on 7 tips to soften your language . )
Keep these 3 points in mind, and your email writing skills will improve. I promise it will. (See how effective a four-word sentence is.)
amalfabian 