5 Difficulties You’ll Face When You are Learning
English
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with supplied material to let you know about difficulties you’ll face when learning English. Posts like this help to support the Valley Family Fun network.
Learning a new language does not have to be a chore. Although it has its fair share of difficulties, there are ways to circumvent them. Everyone has different learning styles and face different difficulties when learning English. Finding the right way to study could be the key to mastering a new language.
1. The Limited Environment to Practice
Practice makes perfect – we are sure this is a phrase you have heard of before. It holds more truth when it’s about language difficulty for English speakers.
Do you find it overwhelming and intimidating to speak to native speakers? You are not alone as it is especially challenging if you are not yet familiar with colloquial phrases. A good way to start is to create a positive learning environment for you.
Learning English online or learning with an English tutor can help many ESL learners overcome the difficulties of learning English. It produces a safer and more private environment to allow students to step out of their comfort zones.
For immigrants who are searching for English lessons in Canada , online learning is a great way to engage and interact with friendly and helpful teachers.
Learning in a private classroom with a teacher who gives you their full attention will aid in the learning process. It also gives you the confidence to participate in discussion exercises without feeling discouraged.
2. The Grammar Difficulty for ESL Learners
The fundamental basis of a language, the grammar, can be tough to grasp. Some of the issues people commonly face are:
- Tenses – in some languages, tenses don’t exist.
- Words that have multiple meanings, such as the word “class”.
- Pronunciation
- Subject verb agreement
The list goes on.
Language difficulties in other areas such as reading and learning idioms are also difficult for first-time learners.
To overcome this issue, reading and listening play vital roles in improvement. According to a professor from the University of Iowa, the learning environment is the most important factor for students wishing to absorb new information.
Much like the point made above, creating the right environment and immersing oneself in books and even TV shows strictly in English can create the conditions one needs for mastering English.
3. Students Often Defer to Their Native Language
As many ESL and ELL teachers have contested, students in a classroom environment end up spending the majority of class time speaking in their native tongue. This will in no way help with the challenges of learning English.
While we understand that it can be hard not to fall back on something that rolls right off your tongue, you should refrain from doing so. This is also why an online learning environment is optimal for these students.
An online environment creates a safe space where the teacher can focus attention on each individual’s needs in classes of smaller numbers. This ensures students will retain more information and learn more in class.
4. Students Depend on Their Teachers Instead of Trying
Another difficulty English learners face is the lack of effort at times. Without proper practice there won’t be any improvement.
As the percentage of English language learners continue to increase, more and more students face these challenges. Instead of looking to your teacher for answers, try to string sentences together – even if your answer is less than perfect.
An integral part of overcoming difficulties in learning English is to take bold steps. Be daring and try as it’s always better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all.
5. Difficulties Retaining New Knowledge Learned in Class
This is where practice comes into play. It’s tough enough for students to remember tenses, parts of speech and phonics, but what about vocabulary?
Students have a tough time recalling vocabulary they have learned and often revert back to the simplest terms. For example, instead of using the word “ecstatic”, they may choose to use “happy”.
This is a direct result of a lack of practice. Learning a language and overcoming the difficulties in language learning is not like riding a bicycle.
You will lose all the knowledge you acquire without sufficient practice. As a teacher, I always urge my students to utilize the new vocabulary words as often as possible in subsequent classes and in real life situations whenever possible.
The more you make use of a language, the deeper it will be embedded into your mind. Practice makes perfect and reading books and listening to native speakers on TV has helped with a lot of students.
Conclusion
Everyone approaches a language in different ways, and what works for one person may not work for you. The above mentioned points are ones that most students encounter. If you can relate to some of these issues, you can better prepare yourself in the classroom. Each of the challenges is presented with a solution.
We hope that you can identify your weaknesses and find a way to overcome the difficulties of learning English.
