Mastering American English involves tackling differences in spoken vs. written English, understanding slang, and adapting to fast-paced conversations through immersion and exposure to native speakers.
There's no doubt that English is the language of the modern world. Even if you don't need it for daily communication, its frequent use online and in professional applications makes having an understanding of English immensely helpful for most people today.
Like every other language, English has its own set of hurdles and language barriers that can frustrate students and slow down the learning process. While reputable Los Angeles language schools have ways of minimizing these problems, students still need to do their own part in order to deal with them as painlessly as possible.
We previously wrote about the most common mistakes in English that frequently make life more difficult for ELL students. Now we'll take a look at the 3 problems people face when trying to master American English. Read on.
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First off, you need to organize your learning materials into categories (eg., grammar, writing, vocabulary, etc.) in a way that makes it easy to review individual lessons. Second, you need to be ready to get out of your comfort zone.
You can do this by reading english-language books even if you don't fully understand them, doing your best to communicate, and putting yourself in situations where you have to use the language. Everyone has to start somewhere, so don't feel ashamed if your English is bad.
Here are the top 3 challenges English learners struggle with:
Spoken English sounds very different from written English. This can be a problem for non-native English speakers. The only real way to overcome this issue is by speaking the language as much as possible.
This can be done by spending time around native or near-native English speakers, playing online video games that emphasize teamwork and communication, or using online and offline software that's designed to teach you to speak in small sentences.
Language classes typically teach students the correct and formal forms of English. While this is an excellent foundation for getting a firm grasp of the language, it can make encountering slang, colloquialisms, and other forms of casual language confusing for a non-native speaker.
A great way to solve this problem is by reading well-written novels. Grab a quality book from the Lincoln Heights Branch Library that depicts people in casual settings, and pay attention to the way the dialogue is written.
A lot of it will seem blatantly illogical and contrary to the grammar rules you've learned so far, but after a while you'll start to get used to it and will be able to understand it in everyday speech.
Even students who are doing well in their English courses tend to be taken aback when they find themselves in a conversation with native English speakers. The native speakers just seem to be talking too fast.
The best way to solve this problem is through familiarity. Talk to English speakers as often, listen to English-language audio books, watch English-language movies and TV shows without dubs or subtitles, and so on. This will gradually build up your understanding and make spoken English easier to follow.
As the leader among Los Angeles language schools, the College of English Language offers its students the ideal learning environment that includes lessons by experienced and licensed teachers, cutting-edge classrooms at beautiful locations, and various extracurricular activities that promote learning and socializing.
Give us a call today if you'd like to enroll in a class or learn more about what we do.
