How to become a Self-taught in English?
- Ondy Ho
- Feb 3, 2019
- 3 min read
You have this friend from a "foreign country" so just learn from him/her.
You have tried/are trying "language exchange"(0 tuition).
You listen to English songs and watch English movies.
You found a YouTube channel that is about English.
You think there are many other ways to learn.
You want to learn English for free.
Which one are you?
No judging here, this is very common. To be honest, 9 out of 10 of the people who came to me about learning English appears to fit the description above. Just last month alone, there were more than 5. Therefore, as one who considers worthy of answering "yes" to the title, I'm here to tell you how you can learn English by yourself.
This actually goes back to my childhood where I found English classes to be somewhat useless, partly due to the level of classmates and teachers but to reflect on it again, it seemed that I was wrong about the objective of learning. Were the teachers wrong to teach according to the level of the majority of students? Were those really the students who want to learn English? Okay, to be fair to my confusion, they were English majors who don't know English. However, it shouldn't have been an excuse to advance my own ability.
How did Andy become Andy? A Taiwanese born and raised who "don't" speak Chinese and confuse both foreigners as well as locals, I admit that it has been fun so far. Here's how. It turns out that all we need is the English level equivalent to what's taught in middle school. People have heard me saying "we don't need English in elementary schools because they teach the same thing in junior high". As it turned out, they do the same thing in high school as what was previously taught. Note this: the language is growing but the basics are limited. After you have learned how to make a sentence with a subject, verb and object (S+V+O), time tenses(present, past, future...etc.) and perhaps some more difficult clauses, you're all set to go on to the real world.
From there, you need real practices. Seek opportunities to (in an orderly fashion) read, write, listen, speak, converse and reflect. You may certainly switch things up as you wish or after the first try of it. I'll break it down to you here.
read: Facebook, Instagram... read small things first, such as titles, famous quotes and understand them.
write: mimic writing, anything from a small phrase to an idea, before we achieve, we must perceive.
listen: find a speech from your favorite celebrity. If he/she doesn't, don't learn from him/her. Try "motivational speech" on YouTube.
speak: mimic writing, anything from a small phrase to an idea... (yeah it's repeated) choose an accent or style from someone you admire. Don't worry if this is unoriginal. You won't be the same as that person.
converse: now you need a real partner, someone who either has similar abilities as you so you feel more confident or is good enough to teach you what's right or wrong with your English.
reflect: to have insight, to become a person, now that you have learned from enough people, you need to find who you are and what you believe in.
[FAQ]
Does watching dramas, movies work?
Definitely, maybe. Understand that if you have an adequate level, you obviously could benefit from a higher level of learning style. In fact, if you still have this question after reading the above mentioned, you didn't read it. Personally speaking, I can watch the same movies over and over and remember clearly the story, lines even accents from the actors/actresses. If you could do it, it'd work. Otherwise, be prepared to waste a lot of time.
Does learning from YouTube channels work?
Definitely, maybe. Understand that if your "Youtuber" is an "entertainer", it doesn't work, of course not! Would watching Fast & Furious 1~10 improve your driving skills? You truly have to respect professional teachers.
Does having a language exchange partner work?
Definitely maybe. They (ex-pt) certainly help you break the first barrier and become able to "start speaking". Nonetheless, your speaking pals aren't teachers. You'll be stuck in the rut, never get over that same level you both have, i.e. always breaking ice, talking about hobbies, routines, weekends...
In conclusion, surely you can self-teach to become fluent in the English language. You'd have to do it as English is everything you ever wanted, SERIOUSLY because learning English the right way by yourself is simple and boring. If you don't want it that much but still want it enough or need it for any reasons, find a good teacher. The punchline is... it's a language and you're destined to need someone who is intelligent enough to interact with, unless you have an exceptional motivation. Last but not least, respect your teachers' professional skills and experience... by giving they what they deserve.
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