How can 'To' be To and 'Go' not be Gu?
Why do noses run and feet smell?
Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Is it Except or Accept?
Is it A Lot or Allot?
Is it I or Me?
Is it Tell or Say?
*English is a very funny language*
And I've hated it, because...
a) It is not my mother tongue and
b) I was scared of it.
So today, I am going to tell you how a Kid
who was scared of speaking in English even infront of her friends
went on to representing India at America,
in an 'English' Public Speaking Competition.
Trust me, it is not that difficult.
Now, there are 4 ways to learn English.
One, is by listening.
And fourth, is by speaking.
Today I am going to tell you how these 4 methods have helped me learn English.
1. Reading
Now, the first book that I started reading, 'voluntarily'
was called, 'Tinkle'.
Just look at these colorful comic characters.
Reading it is so much fun.
Thank God for Tinkle, otherwise I would not have
started reading at all!
After Tinkle, I picked up a couple of simple books that are easy to read.
like Goosebumps, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys.
They use simple english, plus they are mystery novels.
So you cannot put them down, because you want to know what happens in the end.
This is a great way to learn English, because
this ensures that you do not put a full-stop to your reading journey.
Now, if you don't want to read books, then just
pick up a newspaper and start reading it everyday.
Start with the headlines and then move on to reading the entire article.
The second way to learn English, is by listening
and this is the best part.
In my college, everybody started watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
And I started watching it too because
I wanted to feel included in the conversations.
There was just one problem.
I could not understand, what they were saying.
But thanks to technology,
we have subtitles.
See, it just makes it easier.
Now that you are listening, you are learning how to form sentences
and you are learning their pronunciations as well.
If you want to start watching TV series, I would recommend the classics, which is
F.R.I.E.N.D.S,
How I Met Your Mother,
Big Bang Theory.
You can also watch movies with subtitles. I would recommend
Finding nemo,
Wall-E, Shawshank Redemption
Pursuit of Happyness,
Harry Potter Series,
Star Wars,
Jungle Book!
Basically, pick a movie that is
a) Not boring and
b) Is according to your current English Level.
Don't pick up Romeo and Juliet right away because
that Shakespearian English is difficult to
understand even for experts.
3. Write
Writing is an excellent way to learn English.
Here are a few things that you can do to begin writing.
1) After watching those movies that we have just discussed
go to Youtube, find that movie's trailer
and comment and tell them in 2-3 sentences
how and why you have liked that movie
or disliked it.
2) You use WhatsApp, right?
So whenever you send a message,
please use full sentences.
For example,
'Whr u?' can be 'Where are you?'
'Wknd Plans' can be 'What are your plans this weekend?'
'IDK. U tell me.' can be 'I don't know yet. What about you?'
4) Speak
Now speaking in English is the scariest thing to do.
But we have to do it.
So here are 3 things that you can do to speak in English confidently.
1) While you are watching those series,
try repeating those dialogues infront of a mirror whenever you are alone.
I used to repeat dialogues from F.R.I.E.N.D.S all the time.
For example, 'You had rambled on, for 18 pages'
2. Hang out with people who do not have the same mother tongue as you.
Because, if I hang out with my Hyderabadi friends,
I will only speak in Hyderabadi.
But if my group has someone from UP, Karnataka, Chennai
then all of us have to speak in English.
And that is how we will learn together.
3) Join a Public Speaking Club (Try Toastmasters)
I know it is shit scary to speak in English first,
forget 'Public' Speaking in English.
But trust me, once you speak in English on a stage
even if it's infront of 4-8 people
then you will get over your fear of speaking in English once and for all.
And that's all it takes to learn English.
I did not join any Spoken English classes
because I truly believe that nobody can teach you how to speak in English in 30 days.
Only you can teach yourself how to speak in English
by practising it everyday.
I will make more videos on Communication and Interpersonal skills.
So make sure you Subscribe to my channel and hit that Bell Icon.
But before you go, here is your first English Assignment.
Comment below and let me know in 2-3 sentences,
which method will you start using first and why?
Don't worry about grammar,
Don't worry about punctuation.
Just write.
Because that is how we will start learning.
I will be waiting to read your comments.
I am going to see you again next week, until then,
Keep fighting, The Urban Fight to be Fit.