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I am not very good with the English language. I have three questions:

  1. While talking to others, most of them ask me why I am talking in much too complex a fashion (that is, they are not understanding my English). They suggest that I try to speak simpler English. I don't know how to talk simple English to make others understand me quick & easy.

  2. I am not able to understand American slang.

  3. Myself, I want to improve my communication and written skills.

Can someone suggest me how to improve these skills? My mother tongue is Tamil.

Damkerng T.
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Balamurugan
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    Welcome to the community. One question we often are asked is "How can I improve my English?" Fact is, there's no magic formula, just much usage and much practice. These questions get closed because ELL (actually, all of Stack Exchange) is designed to address answerable questions, not questions that can be answered with an array of valid opinions. So, for example, if you see some slang you don't understand, feel free to ask about it here. If you want to tell someone something in English, but you're unsure how to word it, ask that question here. I hope you stick around, and I hope we can help. – J.R. Dec 24 '13 at 10:23
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    Also, you might find this list helpful, and this explanation as well, which talks more about what I was saying. – J.R. Dec 24 '13 at 10:24
  • And once you got enough reputation points (about 20, I believe), you can visit our chat room here. I will help if I can. --PS. Whatever J.R. said. :) – Damkerng T. Dec 24 '13 at 10:25
  • Bala, just watch pogo channel. Learn the simple sentences in use and chant some of those often used in real world. After that watch english movie channels with subtitles. Very quickly you'll get enough confidence for speaking english. Its that easy as you learnt Tamil. – VijayaRagavan Dec 24 '13 at 11:44
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    I think there is exactly one rule of thumb: the faster you learn something, the faster you'll also forget it again. That's an actual phenomenon that has been researched a lot, though I'm too lazy to go fetch references right now. But the bottom line is: do not rush it. English is not a programming language du jour, it will still be around in a decade. Just don't stop learning, either. Slow and steady wins the race. – ЯegDwight Dec 27 '13 at 17:42
  • We can try this one guide how-to-learn-any-language – Aliaksei Mar 04 '20 at 15:30

1 Answers1

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My short answer: Don't worry.

Here is my longer answer. I was exactly in your shoes in the first few years I started to work with people from other countries. Some of them mentioned that I tended to use too many words. My sentences were too long, and so on. And, if I wanted to say something complex, it was too easy that they will not understand my English too.

Back then, I didn't know how to solve the problem on my own.

But I found that the more I watched movie, the shorter, and more natural my speech became.

I'm lucky because I'm a movie lover.

But I believe that if you can find what you like, and keep watching it, or listening to it, and stick with it, your English will improve little by little. (Here is my big tip. If you want to improve really fast, focus on your listening.)

  • I believe that today, you have another good alternative: chat rooms. You can find a chat room on about everything. Just find a chat room that you are interested in its topic. Freenode is a good starting point. Mingling with people in chat rooms can improve your English too.

Fix your speaking first, writing skill will improve naturally. And, when you are confident enough with your speaking, you can start taking grammar seriously. At that point, grammar will not be something irrelevant anymore.

Good luck with your learning. :)

Damkerng T.
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  • Thanks for your reply. But I had a question here you told fix your speaking first. While I am talking to other with wrong grammar. Myself feel shy & fear how I overcome from it. – Balamurugan Dec 24 '13 at 10:15
  • Just bite the bullet. Be brave and talk to them. And you might be surprised that they are more helpful than you expected. Most people will understand that you speak English as a second language. If most of native speakers close to you are your bosses and supervisors, then find people who share your interests (face to face is ideal, but chat rooms can also be a good start). – Damkerng T. Dec 24 '13 at 10:24
  • @Bala - You'd be surprised how that shyness can go both ways. Sometimes, a native English speaker won't want to correct a non-native, for fear of sounding rude, even when the other person would welcome such corrections to help improve their English. A good thing to do is tell your friends, "When I say something that isn't good English, please tell me a better way to say it." That way, they know you won't be offended, and they will feel free to give you a lot more advice during day-to-day conversation. – J.R. Dec 24 '13 at 10:56
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    @J.R. Please correct my English too, whenever you can. I know that I slip into non-standard English from time to time. – Damkerng T. Dec 24 '13 at 10:59
  • @J.R. Thanks for your words. I will surely follow it and ask my friends to correct me if I commit anything wrong and you also correct me If I commits anything false. – Balamurugan Dec 24 '13 at 12:09
  • @Bala - You mean, "if I say anything wrong." :^) It would always be "I commit," not "I commits," but I think you want to use wrong instead of false here. If you want to know WHY, just ask another ELL question - I think it might be a good one. – J.R. Dec 24 '13 at 14:19
  • There's no magic drink for improving your English instantly but if you are like me & @DamkerngT. and antimoon's guy and many many others then you must listen to Damkerng's advice on listening to improve your overall English and speak more natural English. There are other things to do but it depends on how committed you are, for example working on pronunciation. – learner Dec 24 '13 at 14:56
  • @learner Thanks for your advice. I am very curious to learn and speak English,Surely I will take steps for that from now. – Balamurugan Dec 24 '13 at 15:22
  • @DamkerngT. I am not able chat with you because I got only 8 points minimum 20 points needed to chat. Soon I will got it first and join with you for chatting.Thanks – Balamurugan Dec 24 '13 at 15:23
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    @J.R. Thanks for your correction. I will remind that and use always I commit. – Balamurugan Dec 24 '13 at 15:26