How to Pass English, Part 2: Reading, Listening and Speaking
This is the second part of our guide on how to learn and pass English. Many of the tips and techniques here can be applied to other languages as well. If you haven't already, start with the first part, how to pass English.
The first part covered reading, communication and what we called the two P's: perseverance and participation. In this part, instead of discussing the prerequisites for learning the language, we'll look at practical advice on how to go about learning English.
1. Daily schedule
Begin by making your own reading schedule. Each week, pick a different book that you want to finish within that week. In the beginning, the books might not be very thick, but that's OK. When it comes to languages, we begin from scratch and work our way up. You should be making progress with every week that passes.
A good way to keep track of your progress is to make a simple chart that tracks your development. A basic table could look something like this:
| Week | Book | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name of book | 44 |
| 2 | Name of book | 67 |
| 3 | Name of book | 95 |
| 4 | Name of book | 140 |
| 5 | Name of book | 169 |
| 6 | Name of book | 187 |
| 7 | Name of book | 210 |
2. Listening
When you're listening to someone speak English and they use a word or phrase you are not familiar with, ask them what it means. If you put it off, chances are you'll never learn it. Once you've picked up a new word, try using it yourself in conversation with someone else. Practicing new words this way makes them much easier to remember.
3. Speaking
Don't be afraid of making mistakes when you speak the language; it's entirely normal. Also, don't settle for speaking adequately if you can learn to speak fluently. Lots of people have learned English later in life and managed to master its grammar and pronounce the words correctly. Why not do the same?
If you're speaking to someone and you see them react when you say a word a certain way, ask them what, if anything, you got wrong in pronouncing it. People sometimes feel shy about correcting you or worry that it would be rude, but it is also somewhat unkind to leave you thinking you're doing something right when you're in fact doing it wrong. I'd rather be corrected (and I make plenty of mistakes, that's for sure) than be left thinking I was right when I wasn't.
For a broader approach to languages, see how to learn any language quickly.