1. Why learn English?

1.1 Is it really necessary to learn English?

For students, English is a compulsory course and must be learned. For office workers, some people learn English because of work needs, such as employees of foreign companies, foreign tour guides, and foreign trade practitioners; some people learn English out of hobbies, such as watching original British and American movies, listening to English songs, and even reading English novels.

However, the vast majority of people, after studying English for more than ten years, have never really mastered this language. Why? I think the lack of intrinsic motivation for learning is a very important reason.

Try to ask yourself, why should you learn English? Is it really necessary to spend time learning English? Maybe, you really don’t have to waste your time learning English.

1.2 Talk about the benefits that English has brought to me

  1. Leisure: Traveling abroad does not require a tour guide and is self-guided;

  2. Entertainment: Watch the latest British dramas, American dramas or English movies without having to wait for the subtitle team to translate the subtitles, and without fear of being spoiled;

  3. Work: Check technical documents and go directly to the official website without looking at other people’s poor translations;

  4. Study: Study courses that interest you on Coursera, Khan Academy, and FutureLearn.

2. How to learn English well?

2.1 Practice deliberately

How do we learn and master a skill? Does it require us to have a high IQ or strong perseverance?

If you know how to drive, then you can try to review the process of learning and mastering the skill of driving a car. All you need is a period of deliberate practice under the guidance of a coach.

English, like driving, is a skill that almost everyone can become perfect at, it just requires you to practice it deliberately for a period of time. There is no need to struggle with vocabulary or memorize various grammatical rules and exceptions to various rules.

2.2 Vocabulary

Many students once said to me, “Teacher, I take a word book to memorize words every day, but I forget them all the next day. What should I do?”

If a student preparing for TOEFL or SAT said this to me, I would ask him, are you a normal person? Those who remember it the first time are not normal people! You have to memorize the words over and over again. At the same time, don’t be lazy when practicing TOP or SAT real questions. When you encounter these vocabulary words during the questions, you will know them.

If you are a student in a practical speaking class, I usually say rudely: Memorize a woolen vocabulary book! It’s enough to practice common sentence patterns and watch more American TV series when you have time.

2.3 Grammar

Does grammar matter? Nonsense, of course it’s important, but not as important as you think. You still need to understand the most basic grammar, especially syntax.

You still need to know subject, predicate, object, definite adverbial complement, and the three major clauses, otherwise you will be confused when you see complex sentences. You can recognize the words just by looking at them, but you can’t understand them when put together. Most of the time, you don’t understand the three major clauses and don’t know how to segment them.

If you are not an English major and want to specialize in grammar, don’t read any grammar books by Bo Bing or Zhang Daozhen. I recommend two good grammar books: “Grammar Club” by Xuan Yuanyou and “New Thinking on English Grammar” by Zhang Mansheng.

2.4 Always studying, never practicing

Since everyone can learn English as a skill, why are so many people spending a lot of time and money still unable to use English proficiently? Because I have been studying and have never actually used English!

in the country, I have no foreign friends and cannot use English at work. How can I use it?

Watch American TV series, listen to English songs, read English novels, watch BBC documentaries, listen to VOA news, watch TED videos, and make foreign friends or netizens. If you are intentional, you can always create opportunities to use English.