Let's talk about English, shall we?

Now you are probably thinking, If this is about importance of English, I'm not gonna read this. Seriously Gimhani? We've heard enough of this, even our first English lecture was about this, I'm so done,... Wait a minute. Before you throw up your hands and stomp out, this is NOT about importance of English. At this point we all know English is pretty important. I'm not gonna talk about that. But despite knowing that English is really important, are you actually good at using the language? Most of you can handle English pretty well, but I'm gonna talk about how we can actually get comfortable with English by loving it rather than think of it as some kind of torture. By any means I'm not an English expert, but I'm pretty confidant that I can manage English well, so I'm gonna share how I was able to gain confidence in English. So this is not some research based article, but rather my personal experience.

I'm from a Sinhala speaking middle class family, just like most of you are. But my school takes English pretty seriously, so even if you don't like the language, you've got no choice. So I was fine with grammar and tenses, and always got good grades, but I wanted more. As in, I wanted to actually use English comfortably on a daily basis, and my usual English lessons were not helping, at all. They always bore me to death, and I was about to give up. I love to read, and I am a person who loses her mind over books. I usually read translated books, and one day I had this thought: What would happen if I switch to English, rather than reading the translated version? So I took immediate action, and start reading. At first it was not easy, there were tons of words I couldn't understand, so I always had to use a dictionary. It was pretty frustrating, to be honest, but I bite through it, because my need to read the book and understand it was way larger than that. Gradually, I got the hang of it, and little by little, the need to get the help of a dictionary subsided. I am also a huge fan of English movies and TV shows, so I started watching them without Sinhala subtitles. I switched to English subtitles, because there are various types of accents in English, and sometimes it's hard to understand what they say. I usually watch movies and TV shows of other languages too, and most of the time they only come with English subtitles so you've got no other option, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Little by little, I warmed up to English, and now I use English in my life as much as I use Sinhala, sometimes even more. 

So what is the secret? What is the method? It's pretty simple. Learn it in a way you actually enjoy. Don't try to learn only through lectures and lessons. English is all about practice and being familiar with it. Make it enjoyable, and the best way to do it is to merge English with your hobbies, your passion, your likenesses. I love reading, love to watch movies, so I simply changed the medium to English. Love baking? Start reading recipes in English. A travelling soul? Start to record your travelling experiences, in English. A huge fan of Hindi or Tamil movies? Watch them with English subtitles. At first it won't be easy, but if you want to succeed, it requires effort. When you finally get the hang of it, you might love it way more than you think, trust me. Most importantly, if you think occasionally reading a book or watching a random movie would polish your English, you are wrong. You can't narrow it down only to your hobby. It's just a way to start loving it, the very first step. When you get more comfortable with the language, start adding it to your daily activities. Try to speak in English, even with yourself. Try to write your diary in English. Use a dictionary, or just google the word you want. Chat with your friends in English. Add captions, comments on social media using English. This blog writing assessment is also very advantageous (I learned a lot just by writing this post!). Internet and social media can help you in many ways to improve your English skills. 

Make English a part of your life, and don't think of it as a burden or a nuisance. When it starts to flow through you easily, all your prejudice towards English will vanish in a second. As for me, there's a lot I still need to improve, especially the spelling part (Dictation is no joke guys!😅💔). But it's only natural, because you won't be able to master anything overnight. You just have to keep learning, practicing and loving it. You got this!