Why is important to learn English?

There are many, many reasons why learning a new language is a good idea. It allows you to communicate with new people. It helps you to see things from a different perspective, or get a deeper understanding of another culture.

Appart from that, here are five big reasons that learning English can improve your life.

1. It’s the Official Language of 53 Countries.- 400 million people around the world speak English as their first language

2. It’s the Most Widely Spoken Language in the World.- While Chinese Mandarin and Spanish are the mother tongues of more people overall, most people in the world choose to learn some English after their native language. In fact, one in five people on the planet speak or understand at least a little bit of English.

3. It Can Help You Get a Better Job.- Companies are becoming more international, and English is listed as an essential skill for more and more jobs.

4. It Makes It Easier to Travel.- English is the world’s second language. This means that learning English makes it much easier to travel anywhere you want

5. It’s the Language of the Media.- Most of the content on the internet is written in English. Many of the world’s biggest news outlets, including TV, newspapers, magazines and radio, are produced in English. Some of your favourite films, TV shows and pop music are probably English-language. Go to any international film festival in the world and you will see that all films are either in English or have English subtitles. 

English is the international language of media and arts and so, if you want to access as much as possible for yourself, without relying on translations, it’s the most powerful language you can learn today!

Here you have some tips to develop your 4 principal English skills:

Listening Skill 👂

1. Choose Comprehensible Input.

The most important thing you must do when looking to improve your listening skills is listen to material that you already mostly understand.

2. Listen to What You Enjoy.

Understanding most of what you listen to is the fundamental step to improving your skills. Once you have that in place, you then need to decide exactly what kinds of comprehensible content you will practice with. f you enjoy what you listen to, you will have more motivation to continue listening, and be more resistant to stopping, or losing focus.

3. Focus on the Big Picture, Not Small Details.

Of all the major skills of language, listening skills require the most focus. This is because if you don't focus on what you're listening to, you may miss the core "message" that is being communicated.

4. Listen and Re-listen at Different Speeds.

To be able to listen to native speakers at normal speed, you can't just dive in head first and listen at full speed right away. Speed, like vocabulary, plays a factor in comprehensible input.

5. Learn Actively by Taking Notes.

To get the maximal value from your listening activities, you need to turn passive listening into active listening, which will greatly increase your comprehension and retention rates. One of the best ways to do this is through taking notes while listening.

When working on your listening skills, take out a notebook or piece of paper, and do the following:

* Write down the topic of the audio
* If there are multiple speakers, write down their names, or come up with labels for each
* Write down the gist of what each speaker says, including any main points they try to communicate
* If you frequently hear a word you do not understand, try to write it down so you can look it up later
* If there's a word or sentence you find interesting, write it down so that you can practice using it in your own conversations.

6. Vary Your Listening Routine.

Your listening routine, which is a vital part of your overall daily learning routine, should be frequently changed, mixed-up, and varied in much the same way.

Even if you like playing back language audio while sitting at your desk, don't do that all the time. Try to listen to your target language at other places and times as well.

7. Be Patient.

If you can be consistent, and maintain such a routine for months, and years, you will find soon enough that your listening comprehension has grown exponentially. If you're not patient, and can't do that, your listening will grow at a much slower pace, if at all.

 

✍️ Listening activities 🖋️

Here you have a link to practice your listening.
In this link you can choose any topic you want to practice.

https://agendaweb.org/listening/comprehension-exercises.html

Speaking Skill 🗣️

You have the following recomendations to improve your Speaking Skill:

1. Find An English-Speaking Conversation Partner.

It’s important to find native speakers to practice with. Students who are living around many English speakers may be able to find informal opportunities to chat with neighbors and local business people.

2. Make Sure To Listen As Well As Speak.

When practicing with a native speaker, try to balance your listening and speaking. It’s a good idea to prepare questions in advance so that the conversation will flow back and forth.

3. Record Your Conversation Practice.

Recording is a great way to get the maximum benefit from a conversation with a native speaker. When you listen again, you can evaluate your own pronunciation and notice areas where you need to improve.

4. Practice With Music and Movies.

Listen to music in English and sing along. Music is one of the best tools for learning intonation pronunciation. Listening to and singing songs might also help you remember vocabulary and phrases, and it will help you learn to pronounce English rhythm in a more natural way.

5. Read Aloud.

Reading out loud is a great way to practice speaking when there are no conversation partners available. Reading aloud gives you a chance to focus on pronunciation and pacing without worrying about coming up with words.

6. Talk To Yourself.

Saying your thoughts out loud or narrating your actions (“I am drinking coffee, and now I’m going to open my book”) can be a very effective way to practice spoken English. By talking to yourself, you can become more fluent in translating your thoughts into spoken words. Practicing alone is also a low-pressure way to practice, since no one will hear your mistakes.