How to Learn English Fast in 2020

Learning English can be tough with about 750,000 words to learn and spell. Using them in your written and spoken conversations is another thing. But fret not – learning English can be fun if you know how to do it right. Students, especially those with F1 visa, try to learn English as part of their English degree course or maybe in an English as a Second Language or ESL program.  There are a number of options to go as language schools are scattered in the US. A language school that’s maybe near you in Los Angeles, Irvine or Rowland Heights is LASC.

Are you ready to learn English?

Below are our tips for you to move forward and learn English quickly:

• Read as much as you can and take note of new vocabulary. 

Try to read everything you can get hold of – newspapers, magazines, books, websites, e-mails, social media posts and perhaps, food packs and boxes.  Read it aloud if it’s in English. Why do you need to do this? The content will be laid out with new and unfamiliar vocabulary and a few words you already know.  Improvement on your part is faster as learning again the words you’ve encountered can put everything in perspective. You get their meanings in a contextual basis. While becoming familiar with new words is like adding them up to your built-up list, as it is useful with the English language having a thousand words in its vocabulary.

When studying new words, here’s a tip: Jot down in a notebook  all the new words or phrases that you learn everyday so you would not forget. That way, you can always go back to them since not everything sticks to your mind the first time. Just absorb the meaning of the words and do it in context for you to get the meaning. Clearly, this is helpful as it saves time, too, without you going back to the word and asking: “What is the meaning of this word or expression again?”

• Talk to people and ask friends to help you out. 

Language is for communication. Undoubtedly, as human beings when we speak English – it is much better than just reading or writing it. It surely sticks better in your head. Some people would even say they understand but they can’t speak English. Better to find the native English speakers and have informal chats or exchanges with them face-to-face. Or perhaps, you can enroll in a course or program, or take online classes. Do you have friends who regularly post online?  Take a closer look at their news feeds and explore one or two posts each day. Are these readings from certain news articles, book reviews, blogs or videos? If these posts or shares are in English and look interesting – then, you will get it. It will be so helpful to you as you try to test your English after once you’ve read and understood them.  

• Check out helpful tools online like podcasts, You Tube videos and celebrity interviews. 

Which subjects or topics do you like? Do you want reading blogs on politics, cooking, food, movies or gardening? With almost all topics that you can think of, there’s certain there are You tube videos or English podcasts available. You may want to subscribe to a few channels that you like and listen to them while doing things like driving, cooking or taking the commute.  You might find the accents a little bit tough to comprehend at first but just go on and in time, you will soon understand what you hear plus there will be new vocabulary added to your stock knowledge.

You may want to combine learnings by watching online interviews of your favorite English-speaking actors, singers or sports idols. Take note of their peculiar expressions and words. The slang, the accent, the stories and anecdotes will have a place on these interviews so watch out and work with them later on. You can include these expressions in your own personal conversations as needed later on.  

•  Travel to other countries. 

English is truly a universal language. You can choose any of these countries depending on what your perfect learning environment is, with its timezone and climate  - could be Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada, South Africa or UK as good options.  There’s no better way than immersing yourself in the culture and the locals’ way of life in any of the chosen locations you made. 

As a parting shot, if you start feeling you’re not making any progress, never say – “I will never learn English.”  Instead just say, “I’m learning this language everyday and making some improvements.” “It’s not easy, but it will be worth all the efforts.” Or “I am much better now than it was 3 months ago.” Those last 3 phrases will let you see the big scene and would motivate you further to focus on your ultimate dream of speaking good English in the future.