Mastering the language
Learning English language is more than necessary

By Shradha Kaul
The essentials
On your journey to learning the English language, you will need a few things. The dictionary, a good one is a must, has to be your best friend for the coming months. Keep a separate diary for all your jottings related to this mission you’ve undertaken to accomplish. Make a list of books you have always wanted to read but postponed and keep at least one handy. Armed with these basics, try to set some goals. Say, you can decide to learn five new words everyday, along with the usage and pronunciation. Jot these words in the diary.

Pick up a book and read at least 2-3 pages everyday. There is no optimum goal; the objective will be achieved in accordance to the base level and the level of aspiration.

Reading
There is no substitute for reading. As a learner, you need to realise that reading the language you are going to master is the first step towards the fulfillment of your aim. Newspapers are a good source of words, so try and read a few articles every day. Start this exercise by reading on topics that interest you. The strategy is to get used to reading, it could be just about everything. Books fall in next; you must try and read a book.

Listening
It’s very important to take in as much as you can of the new language you want to master. Children pick up their mother tongue or the language which is spoken to them constantly by the sheer dint of hearing. Since you are on a mission, try and watch as many English programmes on the television as is possible. Pay attention to how words are pronounced and used. The news is a good source of simple English. Learn how words are articulated.

Start Speaking
It’s important to include English in whatever you are doing. Say or think what you are doing in English as you go about your daily schedule. While doing your tasks, try creating sentences describing what you are doing, eg 'I am having my breakfast’. This simple exercise gets you used to thinking in English without translating and practicing short and simple sentences. When you get to your workplace, tell everybody about your mission. Make people around you to speak to you in English only and you try and frame your questions only in English. Find a like minded person at your work place or institution and even at home and get to practice speaking in English all the time.

Writing
As a teacher, I make my students write on varied topics everyday. The topics range from something very basic like 'My Family’ or 'My favourite Movie’. The difficulty level picks up as the course progresses. You could slowly graduate to more challenging topics as per your field of interest. You could write at least ten sentences on a topic everyday and read them aloud.

Vocabulary
Enhancing your vocabulary is the key to a good language. Go through your vocabulary list everyday. Keep building it and revising it. Improvise on ways to remember words. Write words on pieces of stick on paper and paste them all around your study table and your work place. Keep changing the words. Make up ways of remembering words through associations (mnemonic), for example, take the word 'aegis’ which means kindly endorsement and guidance. You can split the word into two parts 'age’ and 'is’, this will help you in remembering the word.

Get a feedback
Try to evaluate your progress from time to time. You could find a coworker or a friend to help you in evaluating your progress. This will help you in monitoring your progress.

— Shradha Kaul, an English language expert and an academic, has been associated with Career Launcher India Ltd

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