Over the years, one of the main hurdles that many students need to pass apart from getting good grades is having a good command of English. No matter what we think of the language, being fluent in English now becomes a necessity as it is the universal language for business communication. Students need to be able to converse in English and understand English. For that, they are required to acquire not just the skills of communicating, but also listening. Learning English can be fun if we know how. It is just a matter of sharpening your embedded skills. It is not that you haven’t known the language at all. You have been learning it since you are in the Kindergarten. If you must know, I was once like you. At the age of 13, I went to a boarding school only to discover that almost half of my classmates speak the language so fluently that it was so difficult for a village girl like me to fit in. But then I discover the joy of reading, and from reading, I discover the courage to speak. And I wish the same on you too. I have listed here some of the things that I do to improve my English. Hopefully you will find one that will suit you.
1. Own: One of the first thing that you need to have before you learn English is to own a good English dictionary. During my student’s time, I prefer Longman because it is easy to read and it provides a lot of examples in the form of sentences. I remembered when I was in the university, every time I went to study in the library; my favourite place is always to be nearby the row of dictionaries. Until now, I have a set of dictionaries in my office and at home.
2. Read: Try to read anything in English. You can read story books, newspapers, magazines, comics, blogs, or even advertisements found by the side of the road. And try to start reading a simple and interesting book. Do not be too ambitious. Remember what you learn about setting a goal? One of the criteria is that a goal must be achievable.
3. Watch movies: There are two ways that you can watch a movie. One, if you are watching the movie in a cinema, try NOT to look at the subtitles. (The subtitles are wrong most of the time – ‘sweetie pie’ should not be translated as ‘kuih manis.’). Try to LISTEN to the words and how they are pronounced. The practice of listening will enable you to understand what others are saying better (You don’t want to keep saying to your boss, ‘Excuse me, can you repeat that’ over and over again simply because you are not able to capture the spoken words.)This is a proven method at least for me. On the other hand, if you are watching a movie from a DVD where the English subtitles are provided, you can turn that on. This way you can listen to the conversation and also read the exact statements of the conversation. (Note: Turning on the Malay or Chinese subtitles is not advisable).
4. Write: There are many ways to start writing in English. If you are an introvert, you might just want to start a journal or a diary. If you are an extrovert, then writing a blog may be a better choice. But you can also start writing to a pen pal from a different country. I had a number of pen pals during my student time.
5. Speak: You must speak the language whenever you can. Once you feel at ease with the language, confidence will start to replace fear. And soon you realize that you can speak after all. If your friends laugh at you, the easiest way is to laugh with them. Sometimes when we learn new things we may also do something funny along the way. So, try to take criticisms as a challenge to improve yourself. Don’t be humiliated by criticisms. Instead, embrace them.
Remember, we are what we say. Our words define who we are.
