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According to a research, 20% of Earth’s total population uses English as a medium of conversation. What is even more fascinating? India is a major English-speaking nation after the United States of America. With such enormous numbers, it goes without saying that the significance of English as a language should not be taken lightly.
Every working professional is required to use English at some point in their career. With increased business reach comes the opportunity to communicate with people outside your circle. Keep reading to decode how you can improve grammar, vocabulary, and fluency.
1. Read–A lot!
Your first milestone should be to read as much as you can. Dedicate at least half an hour daily to reading. Do not limit the kinds of things you read. You can read small nuggets of information, short stories, magazines, and newspapers. Explore Quora, Reddit, and Medium. They are great platforms to improve your understanding of how English is used by people in their daily life.
If you want to jump straight into books, do not pick up those with complex sentences. Begin with something easy to understand and high on readability.
Start with these if you are a novice:
The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond
Wuthering Heights (PocketBook) by Emily Bronte
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Letcher
The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho
Reading not only improves English vocabulary and grammar but also helps you develop creative writing skills. Always keep a dictionary handy. Whenever you come across a new word, lookup for it and note it down somewhere. At the end of the day, you can revise the list and make some sentences with the words you learned.
2. Love the Synonyms
One of the best vocabulary activities is checking up for synonyms or similar words. A thesaurus should be your best friend. Start learning synonyms of some common words.
In the middle of–Amidst
Neighbourhood–Vicinity
Rarely–Seldom
Calm–Pacify
Very angry–Infuriated
Excitement - Exuberance
These are just to give you a clearer idea of what to learn. Find synonyms to some frequently used words like those mentioned above and try to slip those into the conversations.
3. Vocabulary Improving Apps
Why not try some vocabulary-improving apps? The internet has opened up a vast range of opportunities to explore. Make the best use of it and try using a few vocabulary-learning apps. If you find the task of looking up a new word in the dictionary tedious, then these apps are here to your rescue. With a bit of dedication, you can easily build up a habit of learning a new word every single day.
Vocabulary Builder –Test Prep by Magoosh
Improve English: Vocabulary, Grammar, Flashcards by Knudge me
Mnemonic Dictionary–Faster Vocabulary Builder by Sharifur Rahman
WordUp Vocabulary by Geeks Ltd.
4. Online English Trainings & Courses
In the times of COVID-19, online learning has picked up pace. As a safer alternative, a lot of people are turning to online courses to improve their skills and personality.
Making use of this opportunity, you can also opt for English courses to improve your vocabulary and grammar.
English For India has a dedicated English Pro+ course for upgrading your skills. With comprehensive modules, an expert mentor, and pre & post-assessments, it includes everything you need to build up your English language skill.
5. Use English as a Medium of Conversation
The key to developing good spoken English is conversing in English. Come out of your comfort zone and try to build up a network of people with similar goals.
For beginners, we understand it is difficult to speak with fluency. The first best practice is to speak short sentences. Do not readily shift to extended runny sentences. Make a slow but steady transition. Start with basic greetings and small quick conversations with colleagues. Once you build this habit, try to express your thoughts in English.
Let us drop some amazing hacks for all of you!
To speak English, try to think in English! A lot of people weave their thoughts in their native language and then translate it into English. This practice restricts you from getting hold of the language. Instead of translating, frame your thoughts in English.
Just before going to bed, summarise all the activities of the day, but again in English. Do not pen down those anywhere but speak them. Stand in front of the mirror, ease up and start speaking about your day. Bring out different expressions and speak casually, as if you are talking in your native language.
Record yourself! Speaking and hearing are two different facets. Hearing yourself helps you to analyse drawbacks better. Moreover, it is easy to catch grammatical mistakes and incorrect sentence formation.
Once you are comfortable in doing these, check out some open mics and interactive events around you. You can perform on stage if you have a knack for storytelling or you can simply get together with people for discussions, debates, and extempore. All these activities will help you boost your confidence.
In addition to what we have mentioned above, it is always great to have a dedicated coach to guide you through each step. English Pro+, which is specially designed for professionals, helps to connect you with subject-matter experts who can share constructive ways to improve and regular feedback on your progress.
English has never been a medium to determine your worth or capability, but it surely determines your success in the corporate domain. In this fast-paced world, effective communication skills are one of the core expertise you should have, irrespective of your field. Thus, as a widely used medium of conversation, it is necessary to catch up with trends and mould yourself accordingly. Having said that, it is also important to note that the process takes time. You cannot attain proficiency in a day or a week. Do not be hard on yourself if things do not go as per your expectations. Give yourself some time, understand yourself, and you are good to go.
We hope you found this helpful! Watch this space for more insightful content!