Learning English - Guide to Grammar, Writing Rules, Speaking English skills

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Speak English Clearly and Grammatically, and Boost your Success!

By: Heather Hansen

Of course you speak English - who doesn't? But how well do you speak this international language? Are you clear, concise and grammatically correct? Do people talk about you and the things you say? And are they talking for the right reasons?

It used to be that just speaking English (at any level) was enough to open the doors of opportunity, but times are quickly changing. Most recent estimates place speakers of English as a fluent second language or additional foreign language at over one billion.

It is no longer an advantage to speak English, but a requirement! Just speaking English isn't so impressive anymore - unless you speak it really well.

Many talented and competent professionals who are doing their best to speak good English are left behind. Many don't even realize why. How many times have you heard a colleague make the same mistake over and over again and never corrected him?

Perfecting the way you speak is challenging, but by applying these tips and tricks, you will ease communication, speed up your work flow and become a more effective business leader.

Speak Clearly

Since English is being used as a lingua franca by more and more non-native speakers, clarity should always be your first priority (whether English happens to be your native language or not). There are a number of things you can do to improve the clarity of your speech.

Slow down

We all speak too fast. It's a terrible habit! And the faster we speak, the more mumbled our speech becomes.

Slowing down the pace of your speech is vital in situations where visual communication is lacking, for example an international conference call. It is just as important however, while running a meeting or delivering a presentation.

Make sure everyone can follow what you are saying at all times. Otherwise, what's the point of saying it?

Enunciate

Colloquial speech is littered with signs of laziness. We drop word endings, run our words together and create sentences that never seem to end.

Sometimes it is too easy to take this style of speech into the boardroom.

Be sure to enunciate your words. Put a special focus on word endings such as 'ed' and 's' that act as grammatical markers.

If you leave the 'ed' off of a past tense verb (Our profits increase last year instead of 'increased') it sounds as though you are making a very basic mistake in English.

Your education, aptitude and credibility could be questioned.

Practice vowels & consonants

An additional challenge in English is that we have so many words that are identical except for the vowel.

Take this string of words for example: mat, met, mitt, mutt, mate, might and moot. Do they all sound different when you say them? They should!

Read the words in random order and have someone write down what they hear. Did they hear what you said? Create other lists of words like this to identify your problem sounds and practice, practice, practice!

Consonant sounds can be just as tricky. Be sure you differentiate between voiced and unvoiced sounds, for example, 'd' and 't.' The words 'said' and 'set' should sound different. You should be using your voice to make the 'd' sound, whereas the 't' sound only uses air.

You can create word pairs similar to the vowels above to practice these sounds and others like 'v' and 'f,' 'z' and 's,' 'b' and 'p,' and 'g' and 'k.'

Speak grammatically

For most, grammar lessons are thankfully a thing of the distance past. Although lessons usually weren't fun or interesting, there was a reason why we were drilled in English grammar.

Have you ever thought about what your grammar says about you?

Proper grammar signals a higher level of education, professionalism and, in many cases, success.

Breaking grammar rules can signal a lack of attention to detail, laziness and can be a general irritant and distraction for those who do observe grammar rules.

Not to mention the miscommunication that can happen in written correspondence like email. Think how much time is wasted clarifying the meaning of mails where the structure is so mangled that the message is lost.

If you feel like you never really learned grammar properly or think you might be making mistakes, but don't really understand why, seek out answers to your questions.

1. Ask a colleague whose language skills you admire to proof-read some of your written work. Ask them to be honest with you about your mistakes. If you're making the mistakes in your writing, you can assume that you are making the same mistakes (and then some) in your speech.

2. Have a grammar reference on hand at all times - right next to your English dictionary. Local book stores have plenty of references in the language and linguistics sections.

3. Enroll in a refresher course in English. The right teacher can make the subject interesting and enlightening. And speaking better English is definitely worth the investment! Your colleagues and clients will thank you!

Benefits of Children Learning English as a Second Language

By: Andrew Abrahamson

There is a preponderance of evidence that points to the benefits of children learning English as a second language. However, choosing to raise a bilingual child is something that requires a great deal of thought, preparation, and time. As a result, it is a decision that is very personal and will affect the child's life for years to come. The following paragraphs will explain the benefits of children learning English as a second language and how online English courses provide what other programs may lack.

According to "The Sociopolitics of English Language Teaching" by Joan Kelly Hall and William G. Eggington, "Individuals who speak English gain a concrete economic advantage. English provides increased educational and employment opportunities.

By encouraging children to learn English as a second language early on, we are setting them up for a number of advantages that will carry out through the rest of their lives. The 2002 U.S. Census indicates that approximately 14% (more than 7.5 million) children between the ages of 5 and 17 are fluent in more than one language, and this number is expected to increase in the coming years.

However, the benefits of learning English reach beyond economic, educational, and employment advantages. It also increases a child's linguistic abilities because bilingual children are better able to comprehend the complexities associated with a particular language's meaning and grammar. Since some words across various languages share a similar pronunciation and vocabulary, the connection is made for children early on and makes learning a new language more attainable. In addition, children who learn English as a second language are able to expand their vocabulary across both languages at a faster rate than their mono-linguistic peers.

Due to the expanded vocabulary and thorough understanding of multiple language structures, it is believed that these children are also able to function on a more creative level, experience increased attention levels with the ability to block out distractions, exhibit superior reaction time, and prevent the decline of cognitive reasoning later in life. It is believed that the areas of the brain that are involved in understanding and communicating in two languages on a consistent basis are the same areas of the brain that are affected in most forms of cognitive reasoning. As this area of the brain is strengthened, the bilingual child is able to develop at a faster and improved rate as compared to mono-linguistic individuals.

Bilingual children also develop enhanced social skills. Social interaction is a critical part of our lives and affects the quality of life within society, educationally, and professionally. As a child learns another language and culture they become more deeply integrated into the community, and as they progress through life they are able to communicate at a higher level on all levels. As the child looks back and remembers the challenges that they faced while learning English, they are able to relate to the sensitive issues and struggles that other people who speak less well encounter. This commonality gives the bilingual individual a sense of compassion for others. In addition, bilingual individuals are generally more balanced and comfortable in a multi-cultural environment.

Online English courses have benefits that traditional classroom methods don't offer. For instance, with an online English class the parent and child are able to use this as a time to strengthen and expand the learning process. This way the child truly experiences a bilingual lifestyle as the parent and child are both able to communicate in English as well as their native tongue on a consistent basis.

Additionally, Online English classes enable the parent to encourage the child to pursue their areas of interest pertaining to the English language and culture. Some Online English courses enable the child to watch movies, play games, and learn about geography or food that is common in English speaking countries. Being able to decide upon the curriculum that they will find most beneficial is rewarding, enjoyable, and less stressful than a traditional classroom method.

Another benefit of learning English through an online class is that the child is able to experience the freedom associated with learning another language and culture within their own home. Being thrown into another culture or a classroom full of new faces can be intimidating for many children. On the other hand, being able to learn at their own pace enables them to gain the confidence necessary before entering the community or traveling to the United States.

There are numerous benefits of raising a bilingual child. Some of these include: economic, educational, and employment advantages as well as increased linguistic and creative abilities, improved attention levels with the ability to block out distractions, better reaction time, enhanced social skills, and prevention of the declination of cognitive reasoning later in life. By encouraging bilingualism with online English courses, the following benefits can be experience: strengthened parent-child relationships as they learn together, less stress, a positive and rewarding learning environment, as well as increased freedom to structure the curriculum around his/her own interests.