How to build the process of learning English - from zero to intermediate level
Despite the fact that English is studied in most schools and universities as the first foreign language, few are fluent in it after graduation. And then, the number of young people who have just graduated from school and university is still less than the number of adults who found the Soviet school, learned German at school, and faced with the need to learn English only at a conscious age.
Modern technologies are trying to make the process of studying any new subject easier and more fun. But at the same time, there are so many new features, applications, videos, podcasts, online schools, learning communities in social networks, and the like, and the process of learning English has no structure. How to achieve tangible results and master the language at a decent level?
Secrets, in fact, no. But there is a mass of excuses by which students justify their unwillingness to strain and learn. Let's first create a list of rules that we will follow, for example, within a month. After this month, the rules can be revised and set a longer term.
If you decide to learn the language yourself, without the help of a qualified teacher or with minimal assistance, you will have to show independence and perseverance. Many people think that the language will be learned by itself, and no effort is needed. More precisely, at first everything is good. Every day you regularly learn the words and watch the video. And then it begins: “Well, well, a couple of exercises per week is maximum. Errors? Why should they be checked or analyzed, we are not on the exam. To read? No, it's too hard. So many unfamiliar words. Listen? That's when I will know the language normally, then I will listen. ”
Any such thoughts? Ask yourself again the question why you are learning English. Do you still need to continue? If so, then think about Russian: you generally taught him a dozen years every day. And they were wrong, and they did not want to read, and they did the lessons indefinitely. English is no different: you need to study every day, at least a little.
Once again answer the question, why do you need English. For work? Then, as you study grammar, you need to connect professional vocabulary and listen to podcasts or broadcasts related to your activity. For traveling? Then you need to subscribe to English travel blogs, read posts and watch videos, and write about your travels. What you teach should be interesting to you personally.
You will not find a quick result. Take a look at rule 1 one more time: yes, Russian didn’t immediately come to you either. All courses that promise you to speak perfect English in three months is nothing more than a marketing ploy. If you learn a language from scratch, then you will need at least two to three years of constant daily work to speak at an acceptable, but not the highest, level without blunders. To make it easier to understand the situation: Imagine that you turned to Juan from Mexico. Juan speaks only Spanish and some English, but he needs to learn Russian to work. Will Juan, in three months, be able to realize the scale of the tragedy with spelling and stress, cases, three kinds of nouns, alternating vowels in the root of words, verb conjugations and conjunctions, participles, consistency in the sentence and other pleasures of the Russian language, which even sometimes are difficult for the speaker?
However, this does not mean that we should give up. We make the rules for the month, right? Set yourself realistic goals. You learn the language from scratch. What can you learn in a month? Quite a lot, if you follow the same rule 1. Here's a small list for you to start:
- the alphabet;
- The basic rules of pronunciation and spelling (in the framework of the topics studied: at the beginner level, you do not need to learn words like throughout and nevertheless );
- verb to be and its functions
- Present Simple time: affirmations with the verb to be and with the other verbs, denials, questions.
- The topic “About myself” : what is your name, where are you from, where do you study or work, what do you do in your free time.
- the topic “Likes and dislikes” : the very first rule of using a verb with a particle to (infinitive) and a verb with the ending –ing (gerund) to tell about your preferences.
And if you do practice often, you can cover the topic “Daily routines” and learn how to talk about what you do during the day. The first phrasal verbs ( get up, come back ) and the first fixed expressions ( take a shower, go to bed ) will be included in this topic. At the end of the first month you can tell a little about yourself. And believe me, this is already quite a lot.
That's all for the beginning is simple. It is necessary to understand why you are learning English, to work out systematically and so that you personally would be interested, and go ahead with small steps.
The question is really important. The Internet is replete with materials, any textbook can be downloaded, there are so many online solutions and applications - it is not clear what to start with first. Many therefore cling to the old benefits: they say, a classic, time-tested! But the language is a living thing, it changes every day. Soviet classic textbooks do not really teach you anything. In the modern sphere of education, a decade-old textbook is already considered old and irrelevant. Moreover, you may not be able to choose the right textbook for your needs. Such a task is within the power of an experienced teacher or methodologist, and you decided to study on your own.
However, if you really want to work on a book, then look in your own city for a store that sells foreign textbooks. If this store represents a publisher - even better. As a rule, Methodists work in such places who can help you with your choice.
When studying independently, do not forget about four main aspects that are studied in any language. Each of them must be given time. Of course, some will be made easier, some will be easier, but none of them can be excluded from the process. So, imagine that you just started and go according to the plan we made above.
This is the pronunciation. Decide which language option you need. Most often choose between British and American. After that, devote the first classes to work by ear. The British Air Force company has a British pronunciation course : listen and repeat the words. Watch how the speech apparatus of the media works and try to imitate. American pronunciation is well- informed in Rachel's English . The actions are the same: repeat, try to imitate the sound as close as possible. Record yourself on the recorder and listen. If some sound is not given, practice it more often.
Also pay attention to the minimal pairs, this exercise will also teach you to read and write without mistakes. The minimum pair is a pair of words that differ in one sound. For example, time is tame .
From sounds and words, proceed to sentences. Simulate intonation, repeat the dialogue. Again, record yourself on the recorder and listen. Make sure you clearly pronounce the words and your sentence is intonationally similar to what the carrier is reading.
And, of course, do not forget about the songs. Translate your favorite song, sing it with the artist. After all, it is much more pleasant to listen and understand what they sing about.
This is the grammar. At high levels, the “letter” aspect implies the ability to write connected texts, for example, letters or essays. At your level, the main task is to write words and short sentences without errors. On the Internet you will find a lot of interactive exercises with missing letters: paste them into a word and check your spelling. You will also be helped by scrambled sentences (“mixed” sentences), where you need to restore the word order - there are such words, for example, in our Video Puzzles .
A grammar can and should be studied not only in writing, but also in video. In writing, you will be helped by signs or reminder stickers. For example, at the initial stage, many students forget about the ending –s for the third person singular in time Present Simple ( he walks, she speaks, it shines ). Place in front of your eyes a big reminder with the letter 'S' , so that it is always before your eyes when you pronounce or write sentences. The video explanations will show you how the rule being studied is applied in context.
Of course, nowhere to go from grammatical exercises. As in Russian, in English, some things “achieve” only due to automatism. In order to find exercises on the Internet, you need to enter a topic and the word exercises . For example, “present simple exercises” . If you want to work on the book, then the classic red textbook of Raymond Murphy, Essential Grammar in Use , which has a Russified version, will do. You can consider textbooks and other publishers: English Grammar in Context by Macmillan , Next Generation Grammar by Pearson or Oxford Practice Grammar . The main thing is to choose the very first level - A1.
Here we also put the vocabulary. Many people underestimate reading, considering that it is more important to speak when learning a language. But in fact, reading not only expands your horizons, but helps to pump all the skills in English. So, you can see the entire grammar in context. You see phrasal verbs, interesting expressions and words. Memorizing them, you increase vocabulary. Audio books, read by carriers, help to learn to perceive speech by ear. And if you repeat after recording, you can speed up your speech. In general, reading - from all sides a pleasant experience!
Usually, students think that reading is something serious. But you didn’t grab Crime and Punishment at four, right? The ideal option to start is plain text, written only in the present tense. And finding it is not so difficult. You need to find the so-called "readers" - thin adapted books to read. Depending on the publisher, they leave the Starter or Beginner level. You need a level of A1.1 or with a minimum number of words studied. Look at the cover: there will either be the word Starter / Beginner , or the level will be written, or the number of words will be ranked, you need the minimum. Ideally, your book should be with a disc (or audio track if you are downloading a book from the Internet). In addition to the short and accessible for your understanding of the texts in such books there are necessarily tasks for understanding. There can also meet and grammar exercises. And since we are talking about adapted literature, you will not encounter difficult sentences and cumbersome grammatical structures.
Learn the words you can in the applications. True, there is one drawback: it is useless to learn vocabulary using the word-translation model. You need to immediately apply the word at least in the phrase, and ideally in the sentence, otherwise you will simply know a bunch of words, but you will not be able to use them in the right context. Use stickers. Stick them around the house and immediately come up with the phrase. For example, stick a sticker with the word 'mirror' on the mirror and learn the phrase “big / small mirror” . Such trivial at first glance things help you better memorize words.
The most difficult aspect that includes all the others. Here one must be able to listen, be able to use vocabulary and grammar, and react quickly. When self-studying this aspect suffers most, because you have no one to talk to. There is an exit. You can find a newbie who just started learning a language and communicate with it. Read dialogs together, play them, practice asking and answering questions.
For a single speaking exercise, you can also read dialogs, watch training videos where the announcer says something, and you need to answer by reading the subtitle, and do exercises in which you need to choose the correct answer to a phrase or question. It is very useful to work out the dialogue with the substitution of words. For example, your answer says “that's good,” but you can replace the word good with other words: fantastic, amazing, awesome , etc. Try rewriting known conversations with new words and read them out loud.
All aspects described above do not disappear anywhere after you complete the first stages of learning English. In the same way, you will continue to work, just the level will become higher, and the tasks will be more difficult. In the next article we will look at ways to improve English proficiency and maintain the results achieved.
Readers of the blog give a coupon for 500 rubles for the purchase of a subscription, which includes 8 types of training and weekly mailings about English grammar and vocabulary - "Vitaminki" and "Buns".
And for unlimited and perpetual access to all features of the site there is an “All Inclusive” tariff (the discount does not apply).
Modern technologies are trying to make the process of studying any new subject easier and more fun. But at the same time, there are so many new features, applications, videos, podcasts, online schools, learning communities in social networks, and the like, and the process of learning English has no structure. How to achieve tangible results and master the language at a decent level?
Secrets, in fact, no. But there is a mass of excuses by which students justify their unwillingness to strain and learn. Let's first create a list of rules that we will follow, for example, within a month. After this month, the rules can be revised and set a longer term.
Rule 1: learn systematically
If you decide to learn the language yourself, without the help of a qualified teacher or with minimal assistance, you will have to show independence and perseverance. Many people think that the language will be learned by itself, and no effort is needed. More precisely, at first everything is good. Every day you regularly learn the words and watch the video. And then it begins: “Well, well, a couple of exercises per week is maximum. Errors? Why should they be checked or analyzed, we are not on the exam. To read? No, it's too hard. So many unfamiliar words. Listen? That's when I will know the language normally, then I will listen. ”
Any such thoughts? Ask yourself again the question why you are learning English. Do you still need to continue? If so, then think about Russian: you generally taught him a dozen years every day. And they were wrong, and they did not want to read, and they did the lessons indefinitely. English is no different: you need to study every day, at least a little.
Rule 2: make the process fascinating
Once again answer the question, why do you need English. For work? Then, as you study grammar, you need to connect professional vocabulary and listen to podcasts or broadcasts related to your activity. For traveling? Then you need to subscribe to English travel blogs, read posts and watch videos, and write about your travels. What you teach should be interesting to you personally.
Rule 3: Set Attainable Goals
You will not find a quick result. Take a look at rule 1 one more time: yes, Russian didn’t immediately come to you either. All courses that promise you to speak perfect English in three months is nothing more than a marketing ploy. If you learn a language from scratch, then you will need at least two to three years of constant daily work to speak at an acceptable, but not the highest, level without blunders. To make it easier to understand the situation: Imagine that you turned to Juan from Mexico. Juan speaks only Spanish and some English, but he needs to learn Russian to work. Will Juan, in three months, be able to realize the scale of the tragedy with spelling and stress, cases, three kinds of nouns, alternating vowels in the root of words, verb conjugations and conjunctions, participles, consistency in the sentence and other pleasures of the Russian language, which even sometimes are difficult for the speaker?
However, this does not mean that we should give up. We make the rules for the month, right? Set yourself realistic goals. You learn the language from scratch. What can you learn in a month? Quite a lot, if you follow the same rule 1. Here's a small list for you to start:
- the alphabet;
- The basic rules of pronunciation and spelling (in the framework of the topics studied: at the beginner level, you do not need to learn words like throughout and nevertheless );
- verb to be and its functions
- Present Simple time: affirmations with the verb to be and with the other verbs, denials, questions.
- The topic “About myself” : what is your name, where are you from, where do you study or work, what do you do in your free time.
- the topic “Likes and dislikes” : the very first rule of using a verb with a particle to (infinitive) and a verb with the ending –ing (gerund) to tell about your preferences.
And if you do practice often, you can cover the topic “Daily routines” and learn how to talk about what you do during the day. The first phrasal verbs ( get up, come back ) and the first fixed expressions ( take a shower, go to bed ) will be included in this topic. At the end of the first month you can tell a little about yourself. And believe me, this is already quite a lot.
That's all for the beginning is simple. It is necessary to understand why you are learning English, to work out systematically and so that you personally would be interested, and go ahead with small steps.
Where to begin?
The question is really important. The Internet is replete with materials, any textbook can be downloaded, there are so many online solutions and applications - it is not clear what to start with first. Many therefore cling to the old benefits: they say, a classic, time-tested! But the language is a living thing, it changes every day. Soviet classic textbooks do not really teach you anything. In the modern sphere of education, a decade-old textbook is already considered old and irrelevant. Moreover, you may not be able to choose the right textbook for your needs. Such a task is within the power of an experienced teacher or methodologist, and you decided to study on your own.
However, if you really want to work on a book, then look in your own city for a store that sells foreign textbooks. If this store represents a publisher - even better. As a rule, Methodists work in such places who can help you with your choice.
When studying independently, do not forget about four main aspects that are studied in any language. Each of them must be given time. Of course, some will be made easier, some will be easier, but none of them can be excluded from the process. So, imagine that you just started and go according to the plan we made above.
Listening
This is the pronunciation. Decide which language option you need. Most often choose between British and American. After that, devote the first classes to work by ear. The British Air Force company has a British pronunciation course : listen and repeat the words. Watch how the speech apparatus of the media works and try to imitate. American pronunciation is well- informed in Rachel's English . The actions are the same: repeat, try to imitate the sound as close as possible. Record yourself on the recorder and listen. If some sound is not given, practice it more often.
Also pay attention to the minimal pairs, this exercise will also teach you to read and write without mistakes. The minimum pair is a pair of words that differ in one sound. For example, time is tame .
From sounds and words, proceed to sentences. Simulate intonation, repeat the dialogue. Again, record yourself on the recorder and listen. Make sure you clearly pronounce the words and your sentence is intonationally similar to what the carrier is reading.
And, of course, do not forget about the songs. Translate your favorite song, sing it with the artist. After all, it is much more pleasant to listen and understand what they sing about.
Letter
This is the grammar. At high levels, the “letter” aspect implies the ability to write connected texts, for example, letters or essays. At your level, the main task is to write words and short sentences without errors. On the Internet you will find a lot of interactive exercises with missing letters: paste them into a word and check your spelling. You will also be helped by scrambled sentences (“mixed” sentences), where you need to restore the word order - there are such words, for example, in our Video Puzzles .
A grammar can and should be studied not only in writing, but also in video. In writing, you will be helped by signs or reminder stickers. For example, at the initial stage, many students forget about the ending –s for the third person singular in time Present Simple ( he walks, she speaks, it shines ). Place in front of your eyes a big reminder with the letter 'S' , so that it is always before your eyes when you pronounce or write sentences. The video explanations will show you how the rule being studied is applied in context.
Of course, nowhere to go from grammatical exercises. As in Russian, in English, some things “achieve” only due to automatism. In order to find exercises on the Internet, you need to enter a topic and the word exercises . For example, “present simple exercises” . If you want to work on the book, then the classic red textbook of Raymond Murphy, Essential Grammar in Use , which has a Russified version, will do. You can consider textbooks and other publishers: English Grammar in Context by Macmillan , Next Generation Grammar by Pearson or Oxford Practice Grammar . The main thing is to choose the very first level - A1.
Reading
Here we also put the vocabulary. Many people underestimate reading, considering that it is more important to speak when learning a language. But in fact, reading not only expands your horizons, but helps to pump all the skills in English. So, you can see the entire grammar in context. You see phrasal verbs, interesting expressions and words. Memorizing them, you increase vocabulary. Audio books, read by carriers, help to learn to perceive speech by ear. And if you repeat after recording, you can speed up your speech. In general, reading - from all sides a pleasant experience!
Usually, students think that reading is something serious. But you didn’t grab Crime and Punishment at four, right? The ideal option to start is plain text, written only in the present tense. And finding it is not so difficult. You need to find the so-called "readers" - thin adapted books to read. Depending on the publisher, they leave the Starter or Beginner level. You need a level of A1.1 or with a minimum number of words studied. Look at the cover: there will either be the word Starter / Beginner , or the level will be written, or the number of words will be ranked, you need the minimum. Ideally, your book should be with a disc (or audio track if you are downloading a book from the Internet). In addition to the short and accessible for your understanding of the texts in such books there are necessarily tasks for understanding. There can also meet and grammar exercises. And since we are talking about adapted literature, you will not encounter difficult sentences and cumbersome grammatical structures.
Learn the words you can in the applications. True, there is one drawback: it is useless to learn vocabulary using the word-translation model. You need to immediately apply the word at least in the phrase, and ideally in the sentence, otherwise you will simply know a bunch of words, but you will not be able to use them in the right context. Use stickers. Stick them around the house and immediately come up with the phrase. For example, stick a sticker with the word 'mirror' on the mirror and learn the phrase “big / small mirror” . Such trivial at first glance things help you better memorize words.
Speaking
The most difficult aspect that includes all the others. Here one must be able to listen, be able to use vocabulary and grammar, and react quickly. When self-studying this aspect suffers most, because you have no one to talk to. There is an exit. You can find a newbie who just started learning a language and communicate with it. Read dialogs together, play them, practice asking and answering questions.
For a single speaking exercise, you can also read dialogs, watch training videos where the announcer says something, and you need to answer by reading the subtitle, and do exercises in which you need to choose the correct answer to a phrase or question. It is very useful to work out the dialogue with the substitution of words. For example, your answer says “that's good,” but you can replace the word good with other words: fantastic, amazing, awesome , etc. Try rewriting known conversations with new words and read them out loud.
What's next?
All aspects described above do not disappear anywhere after you complete the first stages of learning English. In the same way, you will continue to work, just the level will become higher, and the tasks will be more difficult. In the next article we will look at ways to improve English proficiency and maintain the results achieved.
For those who want to pump English
Readers of the blog give a coupon for 500 rubles for the purchase of a subscription, which includes 8 types of training and weekly mailings about English grammar and vocabulary - "Vitaminki" and "Buns".
And for unlimited and perpetual access to all features of the site there is an “All Inclusive” tariff (the discount does not apply).
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/409995/