Is it possible to learn English yourself?

To learn English on your own - this is at the same time a complex and interesting task, especially for those people who are accustomed to achieving and setting goals. If you organize your classes correctly, choose the appropriate methodology and purchase the necessary dictionaries and textbooks, the training will not be easy to be effective, but can also turn into pleasant entertainment. This is the very case when the target justifies the funds because together with the knowledge of the language, a person becomes even quite a few bonuses: expanding the circle of communication, the ability to read classics in the original and navigate in an English-speaking country without the help of a translator, as well as many other advantages.

Things that prevent you from language learning

Most people are convinced that learning English independently or at least a little to advance in his knowledge is impossible. And the reason for this is stereotypes. Yes Yes! It is someone else's beliefs forcing us to abandon our dreams and they sound like this:

  • Learning English yourself is an unbearable task.

  • The learning process to a certain level of knowledge (for example, Advanced) is delayed for years.

  • Everyone who is engaged in learning at home does not reach the desired result.

  • To learn English, immersion in the linguistic environment is a must.

Sometimes the problem is that you don’t have an access to all needed materials. Of course we live in the 21 century and thanks to the internet there are a lot of websites, tutorials and videos, but some of them may be blocked in your country or area. In some cases, you even need to use DoubleVPN and make sure you get everything what you need. Use only trustworthy services and VeePN is among them. You can ask for a trial period and have unlimited access to all courses, books and films for your language learning. 

All these statements are not deprived of the grounds and they indicate only one thing: learning English independently is a rather complicated and thorny path. And as far as it is long, directly depends on what goals and funds are used in the learning process.

What is needed for those who study English independently?

English tutorials have an important function; they provide information in a structured form with its consistent presentation from simple material to more complex. A good tutorial is a training guide, which pays attention to each aspect of the language studied: grammar, reading, pronunciation, listening, writing. An equally important point when choosing an English tutorial should be the convenience of its use and availability of presentation, the presence of practical exercises, a phonetic course, and additional audio materials. Independent English learning will give results if the classes are interesting to you, and the teaching benefits cause positive emotions.

A dictionary is simply necessary for classes. It is best to have this option in which the meaning of new words is explained by the simplest English words. The most popular of them are Longman, Cambridge , Oxford, as well as Webster, Collins, and Macmillan, but they are all very similar to each other. Longman has more comparison articles, it is easier and more convenient, Oxford is bright and memorable, and Cambridge has simple and understandable explanations. Which one you choose for yourself to solve you.

The grammar tutorial is another aspect, without which independent English learning will be simply defective. It refers to the unsalted classic, and therefore it is impossible to replace it at the moment. Many experts believe that for many years they have proven its consistent textbook on the grammar of Raymond Murphy. It is functional enough and easy to understand and still has a leading position among educational materials. The Murphy textbook is presented in the form of a grammatical reference book with exercises. 

Is there anything you cannot learn a language without?

Interest is an important driving force of human activity, and it is almost impossible to overestimate its importance in learning English. It is from this aspect that the concentration of attention, the richness of associations, and the perception of the new material depends because everything that gives pleasure is easy and natural. A person who is engaged in internal motivation can achieve much greater results than the one to whom it was applied to the duty.

Desire is a second powerful factor that motivates training. If it goes in tandem with interest in language or with a professional necessity, then gives very good results.

For the desire to turn into action, it will be necessary to have a formulated goal. First of all, answer a question for yourself, why you need English and on what level you need to know it, and also determine for yourself the time during which you will achieve a definite result.

How to determine the goal?

Put the goal by asking yourself the leading questions:

  • Why do I need English?

  • Do I want to read classics in the original?

  • Do I want to participate in international conferences?

  • Maybe I need to conduct correspondence with business partners in English?

  • Do I want to communicate on Skype with foreign friends?

  • Or maybe I am going to work abroad?

Determine for yourself the most important principles of learning English:

Motivation (for this you need to want to learn a language strongly).

The learning process (depends on what purpose knowledge is needed).

The proper technique (you need to select the optimal option suitable for your temperament).

Positive attitude .

What do you need to have independent English learning to be successful?

Reading is Mother of Teaching

Reading allows you to create a picture in your imagination, it activates brain activity and helps better absorb learning material. Founding the read, you will have to analyze and understand the point of view of the author, it will better absorb the field material.

Read only those texts that you understand, otherwise, you will lose interest in reading very quickly.

Pay attention to new words in the text. A large number of unfamiliar expressions in the text suggests that the level of material feed is too high and perhaps you should choose something easier.

Try to write out all new words that are found in the text. Take them during reading, try to guess their meaning, and at the end of the process put them in your dictionary.

It is reading that becomes a reference letter. Each text contains the correct structure of expressions and the construction of proposals, this will allow you to subsequently use them in a letter.

Read regularly. Try to read little by little, but every day. It is better to read 15 minutes a day than two hours on Sunday.

Watching movies in English - a successful combination of pleasant with useful.

Everyone knows what watching movies are a real pleasure. To explore English, try to choose the films you know. Better if they are with subtitles. For each of them, make your dictionary and in the course of viewing, put strangers and expressions into it.

Talk, talk and talk!

First of all, you need to learn to speak the language. The biggest problem that hits the person learning English is fear. Fear of ignorance, and fear look silly when the pronunciation of certain English words. Therefore, many students paying a lot of time on grammar and reading, preferring not to speak English at all. Any training is useless without practicing, which is why you need to work on your pronunciation every day.

Proper pronunciation - the key to success!

Pronunciation is the main component of any foreign language, it depends on the correctness of the perception of foreign language sounds. Any defects in pronunciation make a human speech difficult to understand. To learn how to correctly pronounce English sounds, constant training is needed during the first months of training. Special attention requires the pronunciation of the most difficult sounds, but do not forget about small rules. In English, emphasis and intonation have an important meaning, and therefore do not forget to pay attention to these aspects.

Do not forget about grammar

The grammar of the English language is a whole system, without the knowledge of which it is impossible to fully master the language simply. For this, it is most important to know its foundations, rather than superficially get acquainted with a lot of secondary phenomena. Try to understand how and why the proposal uses this or that grammatical rule, as well as to memorize the examples of its use.

What difficulties are expected when studying English?

Almost every one of us dreamed of learning English independently, however, only few have success. Why is it going on? The first and most important problem of independent learning is the lack of control. You can distract from classes, anything - a call by phone, an interesting movie, or an invitation for a walk. That this does not happen, you will have to make a clear schedule and strictly follow it using common sense and the power of will.

Another problem of learning English independently is mistakes that will subsequently become your habits. To learn a language correctly, you need to be very stringent and attentive to yourself. Doing it with the teacher, you will not be afraid of mistakes, because they will fix you promptly. If you stay with a language one on one, the defective error turns into an incorrect design, which gradually takes on your speech and writing. Remember to redeem is much more complicated than learning from scratch!

Everything is in your hands

So, you firmly decided to master English independently and are ready to start studying it. One of the best techniques for successful learning is the environment of an English-speaking environment. Read books in the original, make entries in English, listen to the English-language radio, watch movies and news in English. The larger the material will be around you, the faster and will naturally flow the learning process. An equally important aspect is speaking; it is most often behind those who are engaged in English independently. Communication with native speakers and with those who study him, today is not a problem. Just register only on sites where participants are practiced in pronunciation and find their interlocutors. Remember that it all depends on you.

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