So why not master it yet? What have been your “education barriers” in the past? What factors have caused you to lose motivation? What needs to change? These are all important questions to ask if you want to improve your English. Take responsibility for your progress, set concrete and realistic goals, and have confidence in your ability to succeed.
First, we understand, then we talk
As children, we have a good understanding of our parents’ language before we can speak or produce grammatical sentences ourselves. This is the same for adults as English as a foreign language. Your understanding will always exceed your practical ability to speak and use language. Understanding is the basis of speech mastery that follows.
It is normal to make mistakes, but learn from them
The only way to master a language is trial and error. Therefore, it is both natural and necessary to make mistakes. Everyone expects you to be wrong so you do not have to worry too much about it. The main thing is that you will learn from these mistakes to improve next time. If you are not confident when speaking, think of it this way: Most Britons and Americans are not fluent in any foreign language because they expect others to use English. You are ahead of them now and they should thank you for your effort to learn their language! Thank you.
Be your best critic
Always be 100% honest with yourself about your progress in English. It is easy to blame your previous experiences in the classroom or teachers, family commitments and busy work life due to your current lack of mastery. However, making excuses does not help your progress. You have to control your progress and take responsibility for it – no one can learn English for you. Be your best critic, but be constructive with criticism.
Keep track of your mistakes over a long period of time. You can then see how often these are repeated, search for the correct forms, and work to eliminate these errors. You may want to study with a native English teacher as you make a list of your common mistakes, as this is difficult to do on your own.
Reward yourself for improving your mastery
Whenever you reach a milestone, achieve a personal goal or just have a good day in English by rewarding that effort (for example, a meal at your favorite restaurant, a trip to the cinema, or a new case of a pair of shoes). This positive development strengthens you. You deserve it.
English is not the final destination!
Think of English as a “tool” that you can use to get what you want or need in life. Whether your goals are career-oriented, study-oriented, or purely social, fluent English is not an end in itself. Instead, it’s the bridge that helps you cross the river. Your task is to build this bridge brick by brick and day by day. Let’s start building!
