If you’re here reading this blog article, you’ve probably already questioned yourself about that exact thing.
Is it feasible to study English and become fluent on your own?
An emphatic “yes!” is the correct response.
The internet is a contemporary English student’s greatest ally. Before the advent of the internet, those who wanted to learn English had to either enroll in a formal class taught by a qualified instructor or purchase an English language textbook from a bookshop and study it at their own pace.
But now, everything has changed. When using the internet, the possibilities are vast. Books, apps, online courses, YouTube videos, and more are all available to you as an English language student.
There has never been a better moment in human history to learn English because of how readily available resources are.
One of the most incredible things about learning English online is that materials are available for students of different backgrounds and learning styles. Is listening one of your preferred methods of education? Why not learn to write and read? You may take your pick from various approaches to mastering the English language.
You inquire how many nations use English in their daily lives, and I respond with the answer: many. As if the internet’s accessibility weren’t enough, English’s global dominance makes it a breeze to pick up as a second language.! So, it’s possible to get as high as 70.
The fact is that there are individuals who speak English in every nation and significant city throughout the world, even if it isn’t the native tongue of the majority there.
In addition, adults and even teens may study English on their own with Slight trouble. Adults and teens, particularly those with well-defined objectives, may do very well while studying English independently, although there are advantages to learning English in school as a youngster.
Consider the question, “Why study English?”
If you plan on traveling, do you think you’ll need to learn English? Is the English language necessary for you in your new home? To what extent does work-related communication in English need to be? Why do you need to know academic English if you plan on enrolling in a college or university, and what exactly is academic English?
Whatever your motivation, studying English is something you can do on your own!
Why is it beneficial to learn English independently compared to other languages?
Although there are many drawbacks to learning English on your own, there are also many advantages.
In the first place, if you decide to educate yourself in English, you may pick and choose when and how long you want to devote to the task. What time, morning or night, do you find most conducive to your study? Are 20 minutes a day all you can study? Only on the weekends, maybe? As a result of your efforts to learn English, you will be in charge in every way: A flexible schedule and time commitment are yours to create and alter as you see fit.
Compared to enrolling in formal classes or purchasing textbooks, teaching yourself English may save you a lot of money. Seminars at a university may cost thousands of dollars, and even free or low-cost classes offered in the community can add up quickly. If you’re going to be your English teacher, you may as well save money by buying the resources you know would be helpful.
Furthermore, if you discover that anything isn’t serving you, you are free to make a change at any time. For example, if you purchase an app or self-guided online course and discover that it isn’t helping you, you can usually get your money back and try something else.
This is because learning English provides a constant source of entertainment. You may choose and choose what you want to study to achieve your objectives, and you can pick and choose what is fascinating.
Are you planning to solely visit an English-speaking nation and hence see no need to brush up on your business vocabulary?
You may safely ignore it if you’re teaching yourself English.
Setting objectives for English study
Having shown that learning English on your own is not only doable but also advantageous, we can now devise an approach.
And setting some objectives is the most excellent method to build a plan.
A good starting point is to put your objectives on paper. In doing so, your aspirations become tangible. Regular self-assessment is essential to see whether you’re making progress toward your goals, so writing them down is a good idea.
Instead of focusing on a single massive objective, I propose setting many smaller ones. That’s because it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of lofty dreams.
Instead of saying to yourself, “I will comprehend every word of the first “Harry Potter” book,” try something more manageable like, “I will understand every word I read today.” Make it your objective instead: at the end of the “Harry Potter” book, I will have mastered the language enough to be able to read it without continually referring to a dictionary.
I suggest using the SMART goal technique for English immersion at home since it helps make objectives more achievable. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely are the five components of SMART goals.
What to Think About If You Want to Master English
Here are some things to keep in mind if you want to master English
- Do not fool yourself into thinking that you are really learning anything because you are passing courses. Most schools don’t verify the students’ language skills upon graduation, so you may find both skilled and independent users and kids who are just at the beginner level.
- Don’t keep constructing your house on shifting sands. After completing their coursework, students will have a superficial understanding of various subjects, leaving significant gaps in their knowledge. Students may often pretend to comprehend the passive voice even while struggling with the simple present if they are fortunate enough to have a teacher who doesn’t care about helping or failing them.
- Quit passing the buck. Everyone knows someone who blames the failures of others for their lack of skill and competence. Remember that you only have the class for three hours a week out of 168 a week, so you’ll need to put in some independent study time if you want to succeed. Of course, we all want competent, enthusiastic instructors and experience in their teaching subjects.
- Teaching and learning are not exclusive to academic institutions like universities and language institutes. Teachers aren’t necessary for every situation. If you want to improve your English, there are plenty of tools at your fingertips; there’s no need to fire up the vehicle, travel an hour, and sit through a session. By oneself, you can get a lot done.
- Consider the consequences. You anticipate seeing improvements in your fitness after a few weeks of training; similarly, you should approach your academic endeavors, whether self-directed or classroom-based, with the expectation of seeing improvements in your knowledge after a few weeks of training. If you put in a lot of time and effort into a course but still aren’t seeing results you’re satisfied with, it’s not worth it to continue going. You must experience some fruition.
- Focus on the experiences of others; some persons have successfully learned a language; why not inquire about the methods they used? For clarity of purpose, it is great to have a friend or acquaintance who understands more than you do about a topic.
- Establish your level of expertise and your areas of ignorance. Whether you want to see if you are learning, write down what you know and what you don’t know—concerned about your grammar? Just open a grammar book and look in the index. Having determined your areas of strength and improvement, you should devise a strategy to shift some content from one column to the other.
- Have fun as you educate yourself. Focus on your motivations for learning English. When I hear a student moan too much about learning English, I know that they aren’t really interested in the language and instead attempt to push themselves to learn it.
- Learning English isn’t like learning any other language; you can’t just sit quietly in the corner while your students have all the fun. Though it’s great that you’re using your listening and reading comprehension abilities, we need to see some output; only when you’re willing to write or speak in English will we know whether the courses are paying off.
Learn English on Your Own: Suggestions
Here are some suggestions for teaching yourself English.
1. Music
Listening to music is an excellent pastime for language learners. Music is a vital tool for successful language learners since, for example, repeat exposure to English-language songs may significantly expand one’s vocabulary.
Learning new words takes time and requires repetition.
You will acclimate to hearing people speak English with various accents.
You’ll be working to improve the word’s pronunciation, intonation, and other aspects of its sound.
You only need a smartphone and the musixmatch app to comprehend what you are hearing. Music is a great companion on the daily grind, whether driving to school or the office or working out in your spare time.
It’s worth your time to listen to English-language music on YouTube since most popular songs include videos with words.
2. Important Part of Grammar
Let’s imagine you’re interested in being more precise but unsure how to get started. If you are self-motivated to learn and grow, you won’t waste money on professional help on issues you can handle independently.
If you want to make significant progress in your grammar and pronunciation, I strongly suggest purchasing or downloading the following two books:
Use of Simplified Grammar
Current Usage of English Pronunciation
Both books are free to download and provide an efficient approach to learning grammar and pronunciation.
3. Apps
The chances are high that you’re reading this on a high-end smartphone, so why waste it on idle browsing instead of making full use of the technology at your disposal?
If you want to apply for anything, you may want to try the following:
The extent of your vocabulary reflects your intelligence and success.
4. Improve your pronunciation and grammar Netflix
You probably know what Netflix is if you haven’t lived under a rock for the last ten years. If you haven’t already signed up for Netflix, you should. I will give you a taste of what you may expect to find there.
Netflix has an extensive library of films and television shows, and in most instances, you may select to view them in English or with subtitles.
If you find it difficult to understand a film or TV program in English, consider viewing it in Spanish or with Spanish subtitles first.
5. Books
The Little Prince is a good choice for your first English-language read since it has a simple storyline and straightforward characters. You can purchase books and get some for free via the Google Play Book applications; therefore, I recommend them.
Besides making it simple to get books at no cost, the most significant reading applications include handy extras and a built-in dictionary.
6. Write Now!
Start jotting down words in a notepad or note-taking program like Evernote whenever you have some free time. Start with a few phrases each day, and soon you’ll write paragraphs on all sorts of interesting subjects. If you show your work to a teacher or another student, I guarantee they will be more than pleased to provide advice and suggestions.
7. Fluidity in Expression
Consider taking a communication-focused course or finding a conversation partner if you feel that your grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary are enough for fundamental interactions and discussions.