Why We Learn English Essay, English Composition Writing on

Why We Learn English,

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Essay 1: An Essay About Why We Learn English

Learning English is much more than a fad; it is really a must! Let's take a look around
us: the latest information around the world is written in or translated into English. To
keep up with the ever-changing world, we must be equipped with a good command of
English. From a more practical point of view, armed English is one of the most important
required subjects for the university and high school entrance exam. To do well on the
exam, we must, again, study hard to score high in the subject.

Frankly, my English is not good. But I have been doing my best to improve my English in
order to pass the college entrance examination .In my case, I force myself to memorize
at least a few new words every day because a large vocabulary is essential in learning
English well. Second, I review some grammar rules every week, which helps me make
fewer mistakes in writing English. Third, I read short articles and then write an English
composition every other day. I hope to get high marks in both reading and writing. Now
my English is improving day by day, and I hope I can do well in the English test for the
coming college examination.

English has always been my headache. Whenever I have an English class, I feel bored,
sleepy and frustrated. All those meaningless drills, repetitions and are meaningless
drills, repetitions and pattern practices confuse me and are more likely to lull me to sleep
than to acquaint me with basic language skills. They always make me uneasy and
uncomfortable. And with those repetitive, perplexing and monotonous noises, I cannot
but feel as if left alone and helpless in an exotic land. My poor pronunciation and broken
knowledge about grammar have become a great subject of joke in class. Whenever it is
my turn to read a paragraph or two, the classroom is sure to ring with loud laughter,
which makes me embarrassed. For all these reasons, it is not surprising that I hate
English.

Essay 2: How to Learn English

Learning a language is mainly based upon self-struggle. Maybe the only thing to be
done by the teachers on this subject is to advise a method. Because, in a sense,
language cannot be taught but learned. So, it’s suitable that the students are shown
ways to increase their capabilities and advised methods that give path to discoveries,
instead of being obliged to memorize piles of information.

In language learning process, a target should be made clear at first. What can be
expected from a student who cannot answer the question “Why are you learning this
language?”. This point should not be forgotten: Language itself is used to reach some
certain aims, to make some certain plans real in the real world. Therefore, one should
have a target while s/he study a language.

Under the light of these facts, what must your target be? The decision seems to depend
on you.
Success in learning a foreign language is closely related to the student’s knowledge of
his/her native language (But, unfortunately, because of the variety of materials in ELT,
English is taught in better ways than the native language). A student adds the
information s/he knows about his/her native language to the language s/he’s learning at
present. Sometimes just the opposite is also possible. A foreign language can make
understanding of the native language easy. The student realizes that his/her native
language is another language among the others and becomes much more aware about
the activities s/he carries out about his/her native language. As Goethe says “One
cannot know his/her native language if s/he does not know his/her native language.”

Repetitions and using the language are vital in language learning. It’s very easy to learn
something if you really need it. Therefore, “motivation,” which has a main role in
learning, should not be ignored.

A language seems to be a pile of infinite rules, but you do not have to know all of them.
Once you learn the basic rules, you start to analyze and realize the other rules with
ease. The important thing is to understand where these rules are applied, not to
memorize them, anyway. Using a language sufficiently is more important than knowing a
lot about it.

Learning a language requires talent as well as knowledge; and talent is gained only
through practice. You may know how to drive a car, but you have to have much practice
to be a good driver.

Practicing with simple examples is not a good idea. Everybody should try to use the
language in complexity to gain the ability to think and express him/herself fast.

Memory

Repititio est mater studiorum. (Repetition is the basis of learning.)

The things you remember are the ones to which you pay attention to. It’s vital to repeat
in order not to forget. The secret in not being able to forget the things of great
importance to us is repeating them.

The more you know about something, the easier it is to remember it. The more you know
about somebody you have met recently (i.e., his/her country, father’s name, occupation,
school, etc.), the easier it is to remember his/her name, for instance. Addressing him
with his name several times, establishing connections between his attributes and the
others you have known already makes remembering his name easy. Because, if newly
learned information is based upon the old ones, they will not be forgotten with ease.

To learn a new word is similar to meeting a new person. To have information about this
new word in detail (it’s written form, pronunciation, word type, base, affixes, etc.), using it
orally and in written form several times, establishing links between our past and present
knowledge can make remembering easy. This fact must always be on your mind: To
remember something, you must recall a clue about that invoke your feelings.

Systematic information may easily be acquired. The opportunity to make a comparison

among the arranged sections gives strength to the message and meaning of the text.
Only the meaningful things can be remembered.
Another obstacle waiting for the students is to digest the unfamiliar information getting
familiar with them in time. It’s the teacher’s duty to arrange this unfamiliar information
and present it to the students.

• Knowledge about language can be divided into three main groups:

1. Knowledge of Vocabulary

Words in target language may be divided into two:

a. Words we recognize: They are the ones we understand passively as if we work out
their codes while reading or listening.

b. Words we use: They are the ones we produce actively as if we write a code for them.

(A warning: Communication mustn’t be understood that simple. The network of concepts

in the brain is in a very complex relationship.)

In understanding process, we follow a way that is from sounds and images to meanings.
In oral or written forms, this way is from meanings to sounds and images. Perception is
based upon analysis, recall and memorization. Usage is related to synthesis and
reproduction. In language learning, perception must precede using the language. If the
studies are directed to writing in the target language, learning should take place from a
word in the source language to its equivalent in the target language; if directed to
reading, this should happen from a word in the target language to its equivalent in the
source language.

Researches about memory have shown that words are memorized by connotations.
There is also a close relationship between recognizing a word in different texts and using
it sufficiently. Therefore, to comprehend the word, it should be put in the middle of a firm
network of connotations knitted by preliminary knowledge.

Words in our memory are in a relationship with each other not only in the viewpoint of
sound, part of speech and meaning but also in the viewpoint of “shape”. We link the
words alike in our memory. This link also exists among the words in a text. Coherence,
that is the relationship between the concepts, reinforces the connection of meaning. For
that reason, reading on a specific subject systematically, that is to say directed to a
specific aim, increases the knowledge of vocabulary.

Fries, a linguist, divides knowledge of vocabulary into four:

1. Fundamental words necessary for recognition the structure of the language.

2. Words necessary for forming new words.

3. Words necessary for recognition while reading or listening.

4. Words necessary for special.

Essential points that must be focused on in choosing words for memorizing can be
summarized as:

1. Frequency

2. Extensivity

3. Usability

4. Suitability for learning

Continuous listening and reading are the best ways to increase the knowledge of
vocabulary. In more contexts you meet a new word the more it is easy to digest it.
However, it is possible to make use of some methods before proceeding into this
condense reading phase.

You can find the most appropriate method for you trying the ones about memorizing
words below:

a. Try to use the newly learned word not only in one sentence but also in a context
formed by several sentences. You may use some new words together and even write a
short story with them. So, the number of links in your “network of connotations” will be
increased. This network of connotations is very important in improving the talent of
communication.

People think with the help of frames of concepts. For instance, there is a mental frame of
Lincoln in an American’s mind, and inside the frame are full of information piles. As an
example, pronoun “he” is used when he’s mentioned for that he’s male, he was the
sixteenth president, he was assassinated and killed, etc. These piles of information differ
accordingly with experiences. The frames in a new student’s mind are not full at the
beginning. Then, as the experiences increase, the frames get filled. These frames are
not in an order as one after the other, but they are in a complex network. This complex
network, formed by the frames of concepts in relationships, plays a great role in
comprehending the multi-directional and delicate meanings in texts.

b. Record the words and their meanings on a cassette and listen to them.

c. Write the difficult words in another color so that it draws your attention.

d. One of the biggest problems of vocabulary is memorizing the abstract words.

Therefore, start with the concrete ones.

e. Make use of the words borrowed from the target language. (e.g. system, method,
information etc.). But be careful with the change of meaning on some words.

f. Try to remember the words with the resemblance of the sounds with your native
language.

g. Memorize the words dividing them into classes. (e. g. colors, fruits, vegetables, etc.)

h. The connotations increase if you memorize the words that are similar in written forms
together. (e.g. stationary - stationery)
i. You can use some mnemonics while memorizing words. E.g. in the above-mentioned
example, “stationary” is an adjective. The only difference between the two words is on
the last third letter. The one with this last third letter “a” is the adjective. (That is
“stationary”)

j. Words starting with the same letters (or sounds) can be memorized together (e.g.
when, which, who, where, what, etc.)

k. Remembering becomes easy if a relationship is established between the word and its
physical attributes such as color, sound, smell, etc. (E.g. fruits)

l. Some other relationships such as the words and their functions are also useful. (E.g.
furniture that is used for sitting, sleeping, etc.)

m. Memorizing the words with their pronunciation makes remembering easy.

n. Words with the same roots can be memorized together. (E.g. white, whiten, whitish)

o. Connections between the words and the texts can be established.

p. Practicing on texts with some words excluded, guessing the words not written or
written partly are also good study for learning the words in context.

The elements causing connotations between words can be ordered as:

a. Synonyms (e.g. flower = blossom)

b. Antonyms (e.g. wet X dry)

c. Classifying as sub-groups (plant > rose)

d. Classifying as upper-groups (spinach < vegetable)

Or: Some other links may be organized between a word against two words.

giving X receiving = taking

old X new = young

good X bad = poor

Elements helpful for guessing the meanings from the context are:

a. Title: Calls up the words related to the subject since it determines the subject

b. Repetition: It is easy to guess the meaning of the word that is repeated in different
sentences.

c. Logical correlation: To guess the meaning of a word you can look for logical
correlations such as the cause and result relations of the word with the other words.
d. Definitions

e. Examples

f. Similarities

g. Synonym and antonyms

h. Summary: The summary of a text may have clues about meanings of words since it’s
a repetition in a sense.

2. Pronunciation

a. Repeat a word carefully after hearing it.

b. Record your own voice on a cassette and compare it with a native speaker.

c. Try to say a sound first on its own, then in words or even in tongue twisters.

d. Make a list of “difficult” words for you and study them more carefully.

e. Choose a dictionary and try to get familiar with its transcription system.

3. Grammar

a. Decide on which areas are you successful at, such as changing the tenses of
sentences, filling in the blanks, translations, answering the questions, writing a
composition etc.

b. Use the tenses not in different sentences but in the same one.

c. Make sure if you are good at oral or written exercises.

d. Decide if an exercise is more useful with rules given beforehand or after.

e. You can notice the exceptions if you put every new grammar rule into an empty
grammar table in an orderly fashion. Do not forget to add extra information for unclear
points while repeating.

Basic Skills

1. Listening

One learns to understand and speak the target language imitating and listening to a
native speaker. Listening to the target language not only improves your reasoning but
also helps your pronunciation and speaking.

Choose the listening material according to your aim. If you have started recently you
may improve your memory by listening to the cassettes of a text and your pronunciation
by repeating what you listen to. Further on, you may increase your perception, grammar
and vocabulary by listening to cassettes of conferences, stories and interviews.

The obstacles while listening to something in the target language are:

a. Not being able to remember the long texts

b. Fast speaking of native speakers

c. Unknown vocabulary

The biggest mistake of a student while listening is that s/he tries to understand each and
every word. On the other hand, as it is the same in our own language, we usually
understand someone not according to what s/he says but according to his/her intention.
(That’s why we listen to him/her as nothing happened when s/he says something wrong
not on purpose). Once we understand his/her intention we do not pay much attention to
every word s/he says. Hence, we hear what we hope to hear in a sense. Because, we
face with familiar structures and expressions continuously. (Even the ones we are
surprised at are within a limit of familiarity, but when this limit is exceeded we react. For
instance, we laugh when we hear a child talking like an adult, or an adult talking like a
child.) Perception requires choosing the “important”; but if we try to concentrate on every
word we hear we cannot talk about perception because of the weight-load of the mind.
We need time to get used not to pay attention to the extra information.

A successful communication depends on understanding the person you are speaking to

by reasoning with the help of his/her sayings. Besides, talent of communication improves
not only with being expertized in language but also with the increase of experiences in
society. It is hard to keep the sentences in mind in a foreign language. So, it is suitable
to classify them briefly in order to remember them.

Repeating what you listen both reinforces the memory and helps you comprehend the
logic of that language listening to something to talk about it later helps you concentrate
on that subject. Gestures and mimes also make understanding easy. Body movements,
facial expressions, instant changes in breathing, stress and duration of pauses are
“beyond language” clues of that kind.

2. Speaking

Speaking about a subject requires some conditions.

a. Meaning

b. A correct grammar

c. Correct pronunciation

d. Suitable words

Mistakes in speaking tend to increase since you have to express yourself faster than in
writing. Other conditions are not usually so distinct because meaning is important. Few
mistakes of the speaker are accepted because examining each sentence of his/her is
too hard for the one s/he is speaking to. The important thing is to notice the repeated
mistakes. There is a “tolerance of mistakes” in each language. Knowing the limit of this
assures you speak in a more comfortable way.

Social English (How do you do, see you around, etc.) is also necessary for a fluent and
sufficient speaking.

Memory plays a great role in dialogs. Responding the one you are speaking to depends
on using the memory adequately. Answering a question of someone relies on
comprehending the intention of him/her and guessing his/her allusions.

The importance of knowledge of vocabulary is unquestionable in fluent speaking. But, it

is wiser to reach the level of talking about what you mean briefly instead of trying to
memorize every word you meet. Because language is for communication. A parrot
repeats words but it cannot speak.

3. Reading

Do not look up each word you meet in a text, so be careful while choosing the texts you
will read. Look up the words you do not understand after reading the text several times.
Do not lose time with the ones you are able to guess. Increase the number of pages and
the level of texts as days pass. Choose texts on your favorite subjects. Do not forget to
study the magazines and newspapers as well as books. Pictured materials are more
comprehensive with the clues they contain. “Who,” “where,” “how,” questions are very
useful to perceive the flow of the events and the gist of the text. If you do not understand
some words do not give up. Go on reading. Some ambiguity prevails in our native
language as well, but we do not give up reading hoping the text will be clearer after a
while. This is the same for a foreign language.

Dialogs are easy to remember since they contain real communication among people and
are social units. Therefore, they are more important than written texts; and the best way
is to stay in the country in which the target language is spoken.

4. Writing

Writing helps us make established to expressions we learn In the target language more
lively and remember them. Keeping a diary, writing a short story, summarizing the daily
news can contribute to us in acquiring a writing habit. Writing about your ideas of a book
you have read, extracting some passages, taking notes on some aphorisms may be
beneficial.

5. Translation.

Though it seems as an outdated method, translation is a helpful element that helps

students improve their basic skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking). Especially,
students can acquire conscience about language through the knowledge of Text-
linguistics which studies the elements of a text. Besides, students will have a general
information about the subjects they translate. While making a literal translation a method
mentioned below may be used. First you read the text several times. You can talk about
the ambiguous points in consultation with others. The unknown words are looked up in a
dictionary. Then, with the help of a Thesaurus you find these words in the target
language that draws the border of the semantic field of the one in the source language.
After learning this frame of concept of the word you can find the exact word in an
English to English dictionary (if you are making a translation into English). Using a
dictionary that gives details about the conceptual fields of a word and its usage is very
helpful. (e.g. Collins Cobuild Dictionary.) You choose the best word with the aid of your
intuition. Then, you may check which verbs, objects, adverbs, etc. to use with the word
in a dictionary such as BBI Combinatory dictionary of English.

Translating on technical fields is also attractive for students; and in that way they can
memorize the terminology of a specific field.

Practice is essential

Language should not be a pile of rules but a skill. The points mentioned below may be
some of the exercises in the target language.

a. Grammar exercises

Students generally accept a rule as it is and do not try to use it in a different way. The
rules should be used as flexible as possible.

b. Vocabulary exercises

When you hear a word try to use it with different objects (E.g. to finish, to finish a school,
to finish a work, etc.)

c. Exercises on suffixes, affixes and prefixes

If you know the suffixes, affixes and prefixes in forming words you may memorize words
very easily (E.g. reader, rider, teacher, etc.)

d. Speaking exercises

The easiest way to practice is to make repetitions silently, because there is no need for a
specific place, time and book. For instance, you can try to say the names of things
around, or translate the dialogs during shopping, etc.

e. You can make use of word games, puzzles, etc.

Conclusion

The ability of understanding and using a language is improved not only by learning the
meanings of words but also with social experiences, different relations initiated with
several people and with continuous studying. As your ability is improved you start to
think in the target language. Meanwhile, understanding the jokes and dreaming in the
target language are proofs of your progress.

While learning a foreign language a successful student does not claim that he does not
know anything about that language. On the contrary, s/he tries to save time finding the
similarities and differences between the two languages in the fields of vocabulary,
pronunciation and grammar. With constant practice he tries to acquire a firm thinking
and an effective communication ability.
Do not forget: “PractIce makes perfect”