Whether you are a multilingual, bilingual, or monolingual, language is not something that you can learn. You become an efficient user of a particular language only because you undergo a natural process of acquisition. This is why when we approach to learn a 2nd language using the conventional Grammar, Translation Method, we might find ourselves in a quagmire regarding having a good command. No worries though, because I will show you the easiest and quickest way to learn English.
There are two major obstacles we would be happy to pass over; one is the lateralization of our brain while the other being the absence of a crying need to express ourselves with the other language instead our mother tongue that we have already mastered in.
Because of the first one we lose our curiosity level along with the natural and gifted power to learn things quickly. And as our brain gets older, our LAD (language acquisition device) starts waning down. For the second one we are no more in the state of a child to murmur some helpless sound to get us expressed, and it never becomes an urgent need for us to develop the efficiency level of the second language. So it’s up to you how you will handle these shortcomings and here we go with some tips for you to develop your level of proficiency:
a. Once you determined to be a good user of English, take a deep breath, and start afresh.
b. Make sure that the environment around you is congenial to language acquisition. This might sound a little difficult for you if are not living in an English speaking community. Don’t worry about it. Try to read things in English if it be a newspaper, novel, article or even a magazine.
Whatever you watch on TV, make sure that the medium of the program is English, whether it is a movie, a drama serial or a documentary.
c. Look, you are receiving lectures on your mother tongue 24 hours a day. Got puzzled? A bit I think. Ok, let me clarify. Whatever you do or want to do, whatever you feel or think, whatever you need, your language keeps guiding you as an indispensable part of your entity & even when you sleep you possibly dream for a considerable amount of time and you will hardly find anybody dreaming in the second language. Now what you get to do is that help your target language get a little more time you spend both consciously & unconsciously.
d. Try to use English in any active conversation, whenever possible. If you find that you’re having trouble with it, retake the conversation in your imagination.
Now everything is set for you to have a go. Be your own language instructor, Prepare a course plan for you. Try to be honest to yourself and be a little strict in guiding you through the course.
I am to provide you with a sample course plan with some lecture plans which you might take for granted to learn English in the quickest possible time.
Be your own language instructor
Course Plan
Course duration – 1 month.
Number of lectures – 25.
• There will be twenty five lectures each comprised of five different sections designed to develop the language skill of any person, by the practical method, inspired by the linguists’ approach to the 2nd language acquisition.
• At the end of every three lectures, there will be a reviewing class.
Plan for each lecture
1. Vocabulary
a. Words having various uses or words necessary for some common but important expressions should be learned with examples.
b. A list comprising at least ten words must be collected from your reading materials. Get those by heart with their pronunciation (using phonetic alphabet, shown with each word in a good dictionary, e.g. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.) and usage.
2. Common action verbs in different structures
Some important action verbs in their different forms and some other important words necessary to decorate the meaning might be added to each your self-made lecture plan.
You are supposed to practice the action verbs in different structures both in your writing and speaking session.
3. Situational English
You have to collect some written dialogues to get them introduced to conversational English. Learn how to ask questions, make requests, give orders etc.
4. Idea Expansion
Pick up different ideas and topics you are familiar to. Arrange some clues and key words. Start developing those ideas using the clues and key words.
5. Discourse Analysis
Chose a written context; read it out; receive information out of it; try to understand the concept roughly if not thoroughly. Finally it is up to you to start commenting on the context.
The outlines of the model lecture plans
Being your own language instructor, all that you need to do is to pick up a single item from each of the sections listed below and start preparing your lecture sheet. Believe me; you will learn better and quicker if you start making your own stuff yourself. Don’t get worried! I will provide you with some model lecture sheets to guide you through. But in the end it’s you, only you, who can teach you.
Vocabulary – a
1. Verb to be and to have as they sit alone.
2. Have (some common uses)
3. Get (some common uses)
4. It in different structures
5. There – the uses
6. Happen and Enough (As they are used in English)
7. Wish (in different expressions) I feel like.
8. So (in different structures)
9. Suppose and dimension (usage and related words)
10. Hopeful (usage and related words)
11. Modal – a (How they are met with different purposes)
12. Modal – b (How they are met with different purposes)
13. Since (in different structures)
14. Movement (usage and related words)
15. Linking verbs related to our senses.
16. Nice and cook (usage and related words)
17. Machine and pull (usage and related words)
18. Giggle and reason (usage and related words)
19. Teach, some and prowl (usage and related words)
20. Travel and visit (usage and related words)
21. Some, talk and old (usage and related words)
22. Smirk, scatter and alone (usage and related words)
Vocabulary – b
You have to pick up at least ten new words a day from your reading materials. Having jolt them down onto your self-made lecture sheet go for their usage in a good dictionary and make sentences of your own in the way they are exemplified.
Common action verbs in different structures
1. Basic Tense Patterns – a. Simple Present, simple past, simple future.
2. Basic Tense Patterns – b. Present Progressive, past progressive, present perfect, past perfect.
3. Basic Tense Patterns – c.
4. Commonly used passive structures: Simple present, simple past, present perfect and modal verbs.
5. Subject + Transitive verb + object.
6. Subject + Transitive verb + double object.
7. Subject + verb + adverbial of place.
8. sub. + verb + adverbial of time.
9. sub. + verb + adverbial of manner / by + gerund.
10. sub. + verb + adverbial of reason / purpose ( to + verb/ for + gerund)
11. subject + verb + adverbials
12. Commonly used structures on infinitive and commonly used structures on gerund.
13. subject + verb + adjective/present participle + object and sub + verb + object + noun/adjective/present participle.
14. Sentence Enlargement – a . sub + verb + that…
15. Sentence Enlargement – b. sub. + verb + (action indicating time when/while / as long as / as soon as etc.)
16. Sentence Enlargement – c. sub. + verb + (action indicating reason as, since, because, for etc.
17. Sentence Enlargement – d. Sub + verb + action indicating purpose so that / in order that
18. Sentence Enlargement – e. Subject + verb + object + relative pronouns.
19. Not only… but also; either or… neither nor. so…that, too… to, enough …to, weather… or, not so… as, as… as.
20. Some common similes and proverbs.
Situational English
1. How to make a negation.
2. How to ask a yes / no question.
3. How to ask a WH question – a
4. How to ask a WH question – b
5. How to ask a WH question – c
6. How to ask a complex question.
7. How to ask a tag question
8. Meeting someone and parting with someone – Greetings and courtesy.
9. Asking for favor and asking for repetition
10. Making proposals
11. Making requests.
12. Giving orders and making suggestions
13. Giving expressions to a sudden emotion – a.
14. Giving expressions to a sudden emotion – b.
15. Encourage, pray and course.
16 – 20. Conversation practice based on some imaginary situation.
Idea Expansion
1. Talking about a person – a (Rahim)
2. Talking about a person – b (Rahim elaborated)
3. Talking about a person – c (Without clues)
4. Talking about a person – d (by making conversation and contrast)
5. Describing yourself.
6. Talking about a place – a. Your village home
7. Taking about a place – b. Your village
8. Talking about a place – c. Your city
9. Talking about a place – d. Your locality
10. Talking about your country.
11. Talking about action / event – a. The way you passed the last day.
12. Talking about action / event – b. The way you passed your last holiday.
13. Describing a picnic.
14. Describing one of your memorable days.
15. Describing a historical place you visited.
16. Describing a marriage ceremony.
17 to 22 picture presentation.
Discourse Analysis
1. Zamal is a student. He is…
2. Raju is feeling bad today. Being…
3. Rina and Rini are two sisters…
4. Rafique Reza and Rana are three friends.
5. Mr. Rafique is rather a capricious person…
6. Kazi Nazrul Islam…
7. Ratan is from Comilla…
8. Mr. Feroz lives in a small town…
9. In ancient Greece…
10. The principal religion today…
11. It was 2005…
12. For the last two months Rafique and his friends…
13. Rabindronath Tagore…
14. The principle religion…
15. Once upon a time there was a king named Asoka…
16. Once there was a fox…
17. Fabricating stories… a
18. Fabricating stories… b
19. Dialogue Discussion – a
20. Dialogue Discussion – b
In accordance with the lecture plan designed for a learner to be their self instructor, I am going to present a sample lecture sheet for you so that you can prepare yours following the guidelines described above. Please make sure you have gone through the above part.
Sample LECTURE
Vocabulary
Verb to be and verb to have when they sit alone.
eg. my father is a teacher. He is a doctor. The scenery was beautiful.
I have two brothers. They had a car. He has got a computer.
• 1st person singular number (eg. I) will take am, was, have
• 3rd person singular number (eg. he, it) will take is, was, has
• For all other persons & number we should use are, were, have.
Some words necessary to know
abandon, accept, accuse, ambition, answer (N/V), apparently, approach, attitude, attraction, attempt, authority, assist, arrive, approval, approximately, ashamed, argument, anger, affect.
abandon – V – to go away from a person, place or thing without any intention to return.
→ The cruel man abandoned his wife and children.
accept – V – to say ‘yes’ to an offer or to take something willingly that is offered.
→ I accepted his offer of a lift.
accuse – V – to say that sb is guilty of sth wrong.
→ He accused him of lying.
affect – V – to have an influence on sb/sth.
→ The change in climate may affect your health.
ambition – n – a strong desire to achieve sth.
→ He just wants to fulfill his ambition.
answer – n- a thing that is said, written or done as a response.
→ I want an answer as soon as possible.
V- to say or do sth as a response.
→ I don’t like to answer your question.
apparent – adj. – clearly seen or understood obvious.
→ our problem is now apparent.
approach – V – to come near or nearer to sb / sth.
You should approach him near carefully.
V- a way of dealing with sb / sth.
His approach with the boss was not convincing.
attitude – V – a way of thinking about sb/sth or behaving towards sb/sth.
→ She shows a very positive attitude towards his work.
attraction – n – the action or power of attracting sb/sth
attract – V – to cause sb to feel interest, pleasure, affection.
→ The fock music can not attract the young generation.
attempt – V- to make an effort to succeed at sth
The thief attempted to escape but failed.
n.- a try or effort
→ all his attempt was failed at the beginning
Note: eg stands for ex gracia, meaning for instance, while sb stands for somebody and sth for something. v for verb and n for noun as you can now easily guess.
Common action verbs in different structures
SOME IMPORTANT VERBS
SL Present Pre Participle s/es Past P.Participle
01 go going goes went gone
02 drink drinking drinks drank drunk
03 eat eating eats ate eaten
04 fly flying flies flew flown
05 play playing plays played played
06 sing singing sings sang sung
07 beat beating beats beat beaten
08 choose choosing chooses chose chosen
09 draw drawing draws drew drawn
10 fight fighting fights fought fought
Structure
Simple present
Sub. + verb in present form
I eat, They go to college, He plays football.
Simple past
Sub. + verb in past
I ate, They chose the wrong way, I draw a picture.
Simple future
Sub. + will + verb word (bare infinitive)
I will eat, They will beat the thief, You will sing.
Situational English
How to make a negation
1. For sentences having an auxiliary verb, add the negative word ‘not’ right after the auxiliary verb.
I am eating. → I am not eating,
They can do the work. → They can not do the work
2. Given that the sentence / statement does not have any auxiliary verb, Use do, does or did right after the subject, add the negative word ‘not’ and turn the main verb into its basic form.
Sub. + do/does/did + not + verb (bare form)
I eat. I do not eat.
He goes. He does not go
You went. You did not go.
Do – for simple present tense.
Does – for third person singular in number subject in simple present tense.
Did – for simple past tense.
Idea Expansion
Talking about a person
Rahim
20 (Name, age, profession, quality)
Student One sister
Dhaka University (Name, age, profession, quality)
Hons. 1st year
English
Doctor / House wife (father/mother)
(Names – age quality)
Two brothers
To expand an idea you have to pick up some clues as given above to describe a person. You can use each of the clues to make a sentence, however simple it may seem to be. For instance take for granted the first clue Rahim.
As you can easily guess it is the name of a person. Let’s say Rahim is a student. You are already there. Now start describing him making sentences using the clues followed by him. Make sure that you have used all the clues. As a beginner you can use the following structures:
Structure
I. Sub. + Linking verb + Noun (identify of the subject) or adjective (quality of
the subject)
– Rahim is a student
– He is brilliant
Sub. + have / has / had + noun.
I have two brothers.Possessive case of nounRahim’s father’s name is Md. Rahman
Rahim’s father is a teacher.
Discourse Analysis
Zamal is a student. He is 18 years old. He has recently passed his H.S.C exam. Now he is trying to take admission in a public University. His first choice is Dhaka University, and his favorite subject is applied physics. This is why he is working hard and taking coaching in a coaching centre. His father is a doctor and mother is a teacher. His father’s name is Md. Anwar Chowdhury and mother’s name is Sophia Islam. Zamal has two brothers and one sister. His immediate junior, Kajol is in class ten and the next, Raton is in class eight. His only sister, Mily, nearly starts her schooling.
Note: Read out the simple passage above, check out the key words, identify the information conveyed and finally it’s your turn to comment on and review the passage in your own way. Try to deliver your speech a little loudly; no matter if it takes pauses. Just try to make sense never letting grammar stand on your way. Read the context again and do the same again and again until you sound confident to your ears.
Be your own language instructor: In accordance with the lecture plan designed for a learner to be their self instructor, I am going to present another sample lecture sheet for you so that you can prepare yours following the guidelines described above.
Vocabulary
Enough – the usage
With enough + noun + infinitive (to + verb) structure to mean that there is as many or as much of something as necessary or required to do sth.
– we have enough money to buy that car.
– Don’t you have enough time to come here?2. With adj. /adv. + enough + infinitive (to + verb)
– I’m tired enough to take some rest.
– The girl is beautiful enough to draw anybody’s attention.
– He was weak enough to come here.3. Enough is enough – to mean nothing is required to say or do.
– Enough is enough! keep silent for now.
– Enough is enough! don’t do that again.
4. Curiously/oddly/strangely enough – to mean, it is very strange that…
– Curiously enough, I did the same mistake.
5. Fair enough – to mean alright when accepting an agreement often unwillingly.
– Fair enough! we can work together.
Happen – the usage
Happen with related verb occur and take place.
i. Happen refers to some action done accidentally.
– What happened to the passengers after the accident?
– When I was in class nine, an interesting event happened.ii. Occur refers to an action in a formal way.
– According to police report, the accident occurred at 10:30 Pm.iii. Take place refers to an action done in a planned way.
– The programme will take place at 4:30 Pm.
2. ‘As it happens’ – to mean actually.
– As it happens, I was not informed about that.
3. It so happens that … to mean by chance.
– It so happened that I was walking beside his home and saw the thief.
4. If you happen to… to mean by chance.
– If you happen to see my friend, give him the information.
Words necessary to Know
face, fade, fairy, faith, familiar, favor, fellow, fiercely, financial, firm, flame, flavor, flexible, flight, float, forecast, formal, fortunate, frequently, friendly, fuel, funeral, found, forget, forgive, fabric, fact, famous, fear, festival.
Face / / n. from the forehead to the chin.
eg. He has got a pretty face.
n.- an expression shown on the face.
eg. He welcomed us with a smiling face.
Face to face – Close to and looking at sb / sth.
eg. I want to talk to her face to face.
Have the face to do sth – have got the courage to do sth.
eg. I have the face to challenge the winner.
In the face of sth – in spite of sth / in the appearance of sth.
eg. In the face of the problem we gave them a good fight. In the face of the threat, we had to retreat.
Set one’s face against sth / sb. – to be determined to oppose sb / sth.
eg. I will never set my face against your decision.
face – verb – to deal with sth / to see sb / to accept sth to be real etc.
eg. The boy could not face his mother after scoring such a bad mark in math. You have to face the truth that you will finally fail.
fade / / v-to lose or make sth lose colour, strength or freshness.
eg. The sun has faded the colour of the wall.
– flowers fade in a mid summer day.
V – to disappear gradually from sight, hearing and memory.
eg. The memory of my school days has been faded away.
Familiar / / well known / often seen or heard.
eg. He used to be a familiar person in his village. I have not yet been familiar with the terms and conditions of the institute.
Falter / / to start to lose strength or stop making progress.
eg. The electricity often falters due to the shortage of power supply.
– Our speed faltered as we all got tired.
Favor / / n – approval or support.
eg. He has won a favor from the GM.
V – to support or prefer sb / sth or to give an advantage to sb / sth.
eg. I can’t favor the idea of forgiving the war-criminals.
– The toss-winning favored the team a lot.
Fiercely/ / in a violent or angry way.
eg. The reporter was fiercely critical to the politician.
– The militants attacked the crowd fiercely.
financial/ / adj. – concerning money or finance.
eg. The govt. should give the financial support to the project.
– His financial condition was not that good.
Flexible/ / adj. – easily changed to suit new conditions.
eg. Our plan was a flexible one to change in accordance with the demand of situation.
– You need to be more flexible to adjust yourself.
Float / / v – to stay on the surface of a liquid / water and not sink.
– Wood floats on water.
V – to move slowly in air or on water.
eg. the smell of the curry floated into the room from the kitchen.
Forecast / / v – to say in advance about the future happening / to predict sth from the information available.
eg. The report forecast a huge unemployment problem.
– The weather report forecasts that it will rain tomorrow.
Note: eg stands for ex gracia, meaning for instance, while sb stands for somebody and sth for something. v for verb & n for noun as you can now easily guess.
Common Action verbs in Different Structures.
Some Important Action Verbs
SL Present Pre Participle s/es Past P. Participle
01 bite biting bites bit bitten
02 break breaking breaks broke broken
03 pronounce pronouncing pronounces pronounced pronounced
04 spell spelling spells spelt spelt
05 keep keeping keeps kept kept
06 load loading loads loaded loaded
07 meet meeting meets met met
08 leave leaving leaves left left
09 cheat cheating cheats cheated cheated
10 dream dreaming dreams dreamt dreamt
Structure
Subject + transitive verb + double object.
a. sub. + tr.v. + indirect object (whom) + direct object (what).
eg. I gave Rahim a pen. He showed me a picture.
Father bought me a computer. I will build you a home.
b. Sub. + tr.v. + direct obj (what) + preposition (to /for) + indirect object (whom).
eg. I gave a pen to Rahim. He showed a picture to me.
Father bought a computer for me. I will build a home for you.
Situational English
How to ask a complex question:
It’s a combination of two different questions.
a. To know about the idea or suggestion of a person about an action.
– What do / did he think?
– What does / did he think?
b. To indicate the action / point for which we ask the person.
– Who has done the work?
– What are you doing?
– When did he come? etc.
Structures
1. For doer / subject of the action.
Who / what + (questions type a excluding WH word) + other parts of the 2nd action
(question type-b)
eg. a) What do you think?
b) Who came here?
– Who do you think came here?
2. For any other inquiry about the actions
WH word (according to the inquiry) + (Question type a. excluding the WH word) + subject of the 2nd action + other parts of the 2nd action.
eg. a) What do you think?
b) When has he come?
– When do you think he has come?
a) What does he think?
b) How did I solve the problem?
– How does he think I solved the problem?
a) Where do you think I am going?
b) What do you think you are doing?
– Why do you think I have come here?
Idea Expansion
Talking about a place – a
– Your village home.
Clues:
Name, Location, Rooms, Vegetable Garden, Flower garden, Trees, Pond, Gate
Structure
a. There is / are / was / were — in the northern / western / eastern / southern / middle part of the —.
b. Beside / near / before / adjacent to / in front of — there is / are / was / were —.
Note: To expand an idea you have to pick up some clues as given above to describe a person. You can use each of the clues to make a sentence, however simple it may seem to be. For details see the previous lectures.
Discourse Analysis
Ratan is from Comilla. His family consisting of his parents, two brothers and one sister, lives in a village of Nakla Thana, which is only five kilometers away from Comilla District. One can go there either by rickshaw or by bus. It takes only 20 minutes and costs around 15 tk to go to his village. The name of his village is Rupangar, a very beautiful village. There is a river named Kornofuli flowing beside the village. In the eastern side of the village there are a village market and a big play ground. There is a mosque in the middle part of the village. Beside the mosque there are a madrasa and a high school. The primary school is in the western part of the village. Ratan loves living in his village but he had to leave it after completing his S.S.C. as there is no college in his village.
Note: Read out the simple passage above, check out the key words, identify the information conveyed and finally it’s your turn to comment on & review the passage in your own way. Try to deliver your speech a little loudly; no matter if it takes pauses. Just try to make sense never letting grammar stand against your way. Read the context again and do the same again and again until you sound confident to your ears.