ENGLISH NOTES FOR FORM FIVE – ALL TOPICS

IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SPEAKING – PART 1

1. Developing Critical Thinking Skills

One of the very first benefits you will gain from your
public speaking course is an increased ability to think critically. Problem
solving is one of many critical thinking skills you will engage in during this
course. For example, when preparing a persuasive speech, you’ll have to think
through real problems affecting your campus, community, or the world and
provide possible solutions to those problems. You’ll also have to think about
the positive and negative consequences of your solutions and then communicate
your ideas to others. At first, it may seem easy to come up with solutions for
a campus problem such as a shortage of parking spaces: just build more spaces.
But after thinking and researching further you may find out that building
costs, environmental impact from loss of green space, maintenance needs, or
limited locations for additional spaces make this solution impractical.

2. To Win Over the Crowd

An important skill to have in business and especially
in the public relations arena is the skill of persuasion or the ability to win
over the crowd. Inside and outside the workplace, the power of persuasion can
carry you far and it all starts by honing those public speaking skills.
Mastering public speaking results in an increase in confidence and with that, a
cool and collected presence in front of an audience. Of course it is imperative
to be knowledgeable about the subject you are presenting, but beyond that, when
making a persuasive speech of any kind, including a sales pitch to a client,
you need to be prepared to answer the opposition, and to speak with poise.

3. Ensures career advancement

Your public speaking skills can help you get hired for
a desirable job because it shows your critical thinking abilities, creativity,
leadership skills, and professionalism. Also, speaking regularly at events and
conferences can build your credibility. You can even add public speaking at
events and conferences as an achievement on your resume. Using your public
speaking abilities, you can impress an employer during a job interview and give
them confidence that you can speak during meetings and promote their ideas.

4. Leadership Skills

Being a great public speaker goes hand in hand with
developing leadership skills. Public speakers are often seen as leaders in
their field. Their knowledge and expertise allow them to be thought
leaders. Being a powerful leader and having a strong public speaking ability
can also help you rise in the ranks of your organization or even scale your own
business exponentially. Being a powerful leader and speaker will also improve
your networking skills. Being able to communicate your message confidently and
passionately will make others keener to listen and engage. Being confident in
your approach can open doors for you that may have never been possible before.

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Learning Languages

Learning a language is a complex, time-intensive task that requires dedication, persistence, and hard work. If you’re reading this, then you probably already know that.

What you might not know is that there are strategies that can help you study more effectively, so that you make the most of your time and energy. This handout first explains some of the key principles that guide effective language learning, and then describes activities that can help you put these principles into practice. Use these tools to create a strategic study plan that helps your language skills grow.

Key principles of language learning

The Basics:

First, let’s talk about the basics. Research in this area (called “second language acquisition” in academia) suggests that there are three key elements to learning a new language.

The first is comprehensible input, which is a fancy way of saying being exposed to (hearing or reading) something in the new language and learning to understand it.

Comprehensible output is the second element, and unsurprisingly it means learning to produce (speak or write) something in the new language.

The third element is review or feedback, which basically means identifying errors and making changes in response.

Fancy terms aside, these are actually pretty straightforward ideas.

These three elements are the building blocks of your language practice, and an effective study plan will maximize all three. The more you listen and read (input), the more you speak and write (output), the more you go back over what you’ve done and learn from your errors (review & feedback), the more your language skills will grow.

DO: Create a study plan that maximizes the three dimensions of language learning: understanding (input), producing (output), and identifying and correcting errors (review/feedback).

Seek balance

Learning a new language involves listening, speaking, reading, writing, sometimes even a new alphabet and writing format. If you focus exclusively on just one activity, the others fall behind.

This is actually a common pitfall for language learners. For example, it’s easy to focus on reading comprehension when studying, in part because written language is often readily accessible—for one thing, you have a whole textbook full of it. This is also true of the three key elements: it’s comparatively easy to find input sources (like your textbook) and practice understanding them. But neglecting the other two key principles (output and feedback/review) can slow down language growth.

Instead, what you need is a balanced study plan: a mix of study activities that target both spoken and written language, and gives attention to all three key principles.

DO: Focus on balance: practice both spoken and written language, and make sure to include all of the three key principles—input, output, and feedback/review.

Errors are important

Sometimes, the biggest challenge to language learning is overcoming our own fears: fear of making a mistake, of saying the wrong thing, of embarrassing yourself, of not being able to find the right word, and so on. This is all perfectly rational: anyone learning a language is going to make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes will be very public.

The thing is, you NEED to make those mistakes. One of the key principles of language learning is all about making errors and then learning from them: this is what review & feedback means. Plus, if you’re not willing to make errors, then the amount of language you produce (your output) goes way down. In other words, being afraid of making a mistake negatively affects two of the three key principles of language learning!

So what do you do? In part, you may need to push yourself to get comfortable with making errors. However, you should also look for ways to get low-stakes practice: create situations in which you feel more comfortable trying out your new language and making those inevitable mistakes.

For example, consider finding a study partner who is at your level of language skill. This is often more comfortable than practicing with an advanced student or a native speaker, and they’re usually easier to find—you’ve got a whole class full of potential partners!

DO: Learn to appreciate mistakes, and push yourself to become more comfortable with making errors.

DO: Create opportunities for ‘low-stakes’ practice, where you’ll feel comfortable practicing and making mistakes.

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Vivid Descriptions of People/Places and Events

Write vivid descriptions of people/places and events

Descriptive composition refers to composition writing which describes a person, place or thing in such a way that a picture of the subject is clear in the readers mind. This is usually done through descriptive use of the five senses.

Examples of descriptive writing topic are your dream house, favourite restaurant etc.

How descriptive writing helps students

It helps to make your writing more interesting.

It encourages students to use new words

It can help students clarify their understanding of new subject matter.

Characteristics of descriptive writing

Good descriptive writing includes many sensory details that paint a picture in the reader’s mind.

Good descriptive writing uses precise language, specific adjectives and nouns and strong action verbs, avoid use of passive sentences.

Good descriptive writing often makes use of figurative language such as analogies ,similes and metaphor to help to paint picture bin reader’s mind.

Good descriptive writing is organised e.g. chronological ( time) spatial 9 location ) and order of importance , for example in describing person by starting with their physical appearance then move to their thoughts.

How to write descriptive essay

More than other types of essays descriptive essays strive to create deep and vivid experience for the reader, following thongs should be considered:

Planning your descriptive essay

What or who do you want to describe?

What is your reason for writing your description?

What are the particular qualities you focus on?

Drafting your descriptive essay

Such details such as sights, sound, smell, taste and texture are important in developing your description.

Revising your descriptive essay

Make sure you have provided enough details and description.

Do not forget minor but important points.

Use words that may convey emotion or perspective.

Each paragraph should focus on an aspect of description.

Organise your paragraphs.

Writing Argumentative Compositions/Essays (Not Less Than 200 Words)

Contrasting Views of a Given Topic

Present contrasting views of a given topic

Argumentative compositions essays which express one sided point views and attempt to persuade the reader.

It is commonly assigned to teach students to write about facts and conduct research.

Argumentative essays are written like other essays but they must have the following:

An introduction.

Thesis statement which may have supportive evidence.

Body paragraphs.

A conclusion

Types of argumentative composition

Analysis essays: Argumentative analysis essays focus on other argumentative essays, the purpose of this essay is to analyse other evidence.

Personal essays: Do not rely on research and are based on opinions as well as personal experience.

Research papers: Argumentative research papers which rely heavily on external sources to make and support the main arguments, authors should take various research papers as cites for their essays.

Creative Writing

Writing a Literary Work Using Devices and Skills

Write a literary work using literary devices and skills

Creative writing refers to any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic or technical forms of literature.

Creative writing can technically be considered any writing of original composition which is contemporary and process oriented and differs from what is traditionally called literature.

Writing styles and techniques help you as future writer to develop and grow, below are the various techniques to consider:

Point of view: When writing a short story or novel ,point of view is important in establishing who is telling the story.

Strong plot: Creating a strong plot for you story is important, you could have engaging characters, great scenes but if the plot is weak the reader will not be interested.

Description: When writing a short story or novel it is important to describe characters, action and setting in detail.

Flashback: Sometimes writers move back in time to write about past events to provide more background detail about the story to the reader.

Dialogue: It’s important to master communication between your characters. Dialogue is important in building suspense,conveying your story and setting a mood.

Foreshadowing: This technique helps build a mood and engages your reader’s mind, it’s a technique where you drop clues or hints about characters or events that help reader predict what might happen later on.

Writing prompts: Writing prompts are sentences or paragraphs that provide inspiration for you to write ,they can be activities or ideas.

Story starters: This is a technique that helps you starts your story or novel.

Writing Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Write letters to the editor

Principles of writing formal letters

Follow the prescribed format of writing formal or official letters.

Use simple language to enhance understanding of the message.

Avoid informal language and slang.

Avoid vague or emotional words that may provoke or make an addressee angry.

Be polite and show respect to the addressee.

Describe the purpose objectively.

Provide all necessary information precisely. Be direct to the point and avoid giving your personal information.

Make sure you provide true and researched information and not hearsay or rumours.

Proof read your letter before sending it to the addressee.

Major Parts of Formal Letters

Senders address and date(all words must start with capital letters in an address).

Addressee address below reference number.

U.F.S ; if it has to be signed by a certain officer/person for forwarding.

Salutation i.e. Sir/Madame( Salutation must start immediately after the margin line).

The introductory sentence.

Purpose application.

Closing remarks like; yours sincerely.

Signature.

Full name.

Title if you have one.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The editor plays a vital role in making critical analysis of all letters before they are published and read by the public through newspapers, magazines, or any other appropriate media. Letters which are sent to the news papers are always addressed to the editor, the proper form of salutation is Sir/Madame and rarely dear sir though in some circumstances you can address the editor as dear Sir/Madame

Example 2

Example of a letter to the editor

The editor

Mzalendo newspaper

Sir/Madame it is high time steps should be taken to all private schools on student’s time management. Most of them are over working the students by the preparation of a timetable which is not giving a student time to rest, for example in a certain school instead of periods having 40 minutes for a single period and 80 minutes for doubles, it 1 hour and two hours instead and no of periods are still the same.

I hope the public, parents and government as education stakeholders can make changes through this writing.

Yours truly

Observer

Business Transaction Letter

Write business transaction letters

Every company, large or small, relies heavily on the business letter to keep the organisation running smoothly. Business letters ask for and give information, order goods and services, request appointments, make complaints, and deal with all routine matters. Although telephone calls have their place in the business world, letters have several important advantages.

1. Letters provide a permanent, written record.
2. Letters are like written promises and clearly indicate who is responsible.
3. Letters allow busy people to send and receive information when it is convenient for them.
4. Letters allow time to think about and research a topic or situation before writing or responding.
5. Letters allow the reader the chance to reread and review complicated material as often as necessary.

Characteristics of a business letter

A business letter should be brief, concise, clear, courteous and tactful. To get the best letters possible, use the writing process. Start by focusing on your purpose for writing the letter and the results you want from it. Think about your reader’s needs.

Secondly, prepare an outline or plan. It doesn’t have to be more than a few scribbles on a scrap of paper that list the points you want to be sure to include.

Thirdly, write a rough draft of the letter and allow a “cooling off” period before you revise it. Business letters are not a place to vent your anger, but rather a way for you to present a reasoned and logical argument.

Fourthly, revise the letter by arranging the details effectively and reworking sentences and paragraphs until your message is as brief and clear as possible.

Finally, check the mechanics of your writing and prepare the letter for mailing. Knowing how to write a correct and effective business letter is one of the best skills any employee can have, no matter what his/her work assignment is.

Parts of a Business Letter

The introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The introduction consists of the heading (the sender’s return address)

Date (the month, day, year on which the letter was prepared)

Inside address (the name and address of the receiver)

Salutation (a greeting like Dear Ms.)

The body of the letter contains the message the writer needs to

Conclusion consists of a complimentary closing (like Yours truly or Sincerely)

Signature (sender’s name written in pen)

How to Write a Business Letter

A business letter, unlike a friendly letter must have a heading. On the first line, write your apartment number, postal box, rural route number, and your street address1 (whatever applies to your address). The second line gives your city, town, or village, and the province name, and postal code2. On the third line, write the month, the day and the year you are writing the letter. Never write your name as part of the heading of a letter The addressee address is placed at the left margin, two spaces below the heading and contains the receiver’s full name, title, and address.

The salutation is placed two spaces below the inside address. If you don’t know the person use his/her full name and title in the salutation. If you do know him/her well, you would use his/her full name and title in the inside address and his/her first name in the salutation. In situation where you don’t know whether the reader is male or female, you may find something like Dear Customer Service Representative or Attention: Billing Department suitable.

The body of the letter is, of course, what the letter is all about. It begins two spaces below the salutation. You should single space within paragraphs and double space between them. The body of many business letters contains three paragraphs (although they don’t all have to have five sentences). The first paragraph should state the problem or situation clearly. The second paragraph should explain in specific detail the reason for writing. The third and final paragraph should make a specific request for action and close with courtesy. Here’s a sample body.

The conclusion of all letters is a brief phrase showing respect called the Complimentary closing which is placed two spaces below the body. Only the first Word of this closing is capitalised. Four or five spaces below this, the writer’s typed Signature (and title, if appropriate) should appear. The sender of the letter should write his/her signature between the complimentary closing and the typed signature.

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Best Way To Learn A New Language On Your Own?

1. Learn The Language As It’s Really Spoken

This is undoubtedly one of the hardest aspects of trying to learn a language on your own. Reading the words of a language is undeniably important, but then you don’t learn how speakers actually sound. That’s why you must supplement your learning by listening to native speakers and practicing the sounds yourself. Listening to podcasts is a great option for fitting more learning in. The same can be said for watching TV and movies (without English subtitles!).

But what about accurately practicing the sounds of the language? This one’s trickier. We made the Babbel app with speech recognition software so you can practice your pronunciation right after hearing a real native speaker say it. We’re an app that prides itself on teaching you a language that will actually come in handy when you talk to real people in real situations.

The Babbel app has speech recognition software so you can practice your pronunciation right after hearing a real native speaker say it.

2. Don’t Overload Your Brain

It can be tempting when you get into the study flow to do several language lessons back to back. Or maybe you think you should study for 2 hours a day because that’s how you studied subjects at university. Unfortunately, this “binge learning” strategy isn’t very effective.

Slowing down your learning so you can properly commit vocabulary to your long-term memory is the key to success. Studying for 15 minutes per day actually is your best strategy for becoming conversational. Luckily, this is the strategy that Babbel uses when we design our lessons. All of our lessons are five to ten minutes long and fit perfectly into extra time you have in your day. Bored on public transportation? Dip into a lesson on Italian holiday essentials. Stuck in the world’s longest queue at the supermarket? Time for a burst of Spanish idioms. You choose where and when you want to learn, and you’ll remember it better this way.

3. Actually Review What You’ve Learned

Yes, reviewing what you’ve learned can feel like a real chore when compared to learning new things. But if you actually want to learn a language, rather than just memorize some fancy sentences, you’ll need to review what you’ve done.

In the Babbel app, there’s a built-in vocab workout that ensures you don’t forget what you’ve learned by compiling a list of vocabulary you’ve encountered along the way. The best thing is that our app learns from your progress: Words that you consistently get right appear less frequently in your vocab workout lessons, while words that you have trouble remembering are thrown at you more often. That way, you only spend energy on the stuff that you really need to work on.

As you engage with Babbel’s lessons, our vocab workout feature quietly works in the background, compiling a list of vocabulary you’ve encountered.

4. Get Immersed And Make It A Habit

In contrast to traditional classroom learning, learning a language on your own is a dizzying amount of freedom. This freedom can be a real blessing if you’re a nontraditional learner, but it can also lead to laziness. That’s why it’s important to immerse yourself in the language whenever possible and make it a habit.

We at Babbel also try to get you to form habits by sending you well-timed messages to remind you to keep up with your lessons. We promise not to nag, but this daily approach is what keeps things fresh in the mind. We won’t give you boring homework, but we will set you fun daily challenges, so you feel motivated to learn every day.

5. Incorporate Resources And Social Media Into Your Learning

Not to brag but — because Babbel is staffed almost exclusively by dedicated language geeks, we do a decent job at churning out content that keeps learners entertained on their language-learning journeys. From our pop-quiz Instagram stories to our Magazine, we try to share our passion for learning with as many people as possible. Plus, we just added Toucan to the Babbel experience, which is a browser extension that helps you learn new vocabulary as you’re surfing the internet.

Even if you’re not (just) using our resources, it’s good to surround yourself with motivational media and like-minded learners. Learning a language on your own means you need to establish your own support network, but we know you can do it. So get out there and master that language!

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I am no language expert, nor do I claim to be one. In fact, for a long time, I fell into the same language learning traps as many other people.

I thought I didn’t have the “language gene”. That I was too old. That I simply didn’t have time. I now know all of these are false… unless you believe them to be true.

Living much of my life knowing only English and enforcing it onto other people has always been a huge source of regret, as it is for many others too. Even with years overlapping with different cultures, I did not know enough of their language to create nuanced interactions that can be so special and memorable.

But now, learning a language has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life so far. I have learned so much about my own mind, the limits of my comfort zone, and Spanish culture through language.

Along this journey, I had the opportunity to interview two well-known polyglots in the online language-learning world. These conversations equipped me with methods, mindsets, and the motivation to make language learning more fun — and more effective.

The language experts

Early into the pandemic, I started a job in the content team at Preply, a platform that connects tutors and students for 1-on-1 language lessons.

Preply’s mission is to “shape the future of effective learning”. So as a content creator, I felt obliged to understand the minds of polyglots and successful language learners, so I could seek advice that would help me learn Spanish practically from scratch.

I have always been someone geared towards self-improvement. Writing for huntingthemuse.net, I am always curious to find the small ideas that make a long-term difference in our lives. I took this approach into two, hour-long interviews with Olly Richards and John Fotheringham, who live in the world of language learning 24/7.

Olly Richards speaks eight foreign languages, and is well known online for being the man behind the popular website I Will Teach You a Language and the creator of the StoryLearning® method. He has published 10s of books devoted to helping language learners learn through story. He also creates some brilliant content on YouTube too.

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Language Learning Tips

1. Fixate on your reason “why”

“Sounding cool” because you know a language just isn’t enough of a reason to learn. John told me that you need a “tangible, clear and emotional” reason why.

You may be familiar already with Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle’, from his book Start with Why. Sinek describes that people don’t buy what you do, but by why you do it. Starting with why doesn’t just apply to business, but to many other facets of life. Your language learning methods might be effective, but you need a big reason “why” to drive you, especially in the days when you don’t feel like studying.

There are so many ways you could create a tangible reason why you would want to learn a language, from booking a flight in 6 months to Japan, to asking your girlfriend’s parents for their blessing.

It helps to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound) when setting this goal. People also rely on systems such as OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to set goals that keep them motivated in the long-term, by leveraging shorter-term wins. I wrote about this framework for Preply in our language study planner guide.

In my case, I quickly realised that when I reached my goal, that I quickly needed to switch to another one to keep me motivated. My goals were, in order:

Be able to speak to my girlfriend’s parents in Spanish in February.

Be able to understand and share jokes with my girlfriend’s parents in July.

Pass the B2 Spanish exam in February.

Like acquiring any skill, you can’t be left standing still. You need an achievable challenge that pushes you to keep going.

2. Find material that suits your level and keeps you engaged

Finding engaging learning material is not easy, particularly in the early stages where every sentence looks like weird squiggles.

This is where starter apps like Duolingo and super simple conversational phrases come in handy. They will give you enough of a base of vocabulary to get started. Once you have your base, however, there are thousands of learning materials suited to whatever medium you like to keep you engaged.

This is why I was so excited to talk with Olly Richards. Olly publishes books of short stories in many different languages, from high-beginner level to early intermediate. Learning languages through stories gives your brain something to hold onto – a universal hero’s journey story arc – and gives your mind plenty of context that makes picking up words and grammar natural.

If you listen to or read a good story, then the part of your brain associated with certain emotions will light up, as if you’re experiencing it yourself. That means you’re involving your entire brain in the learning process.That’s when synapses form new connections, and that’s when memory is formed.

Once you grasp enough grammar and vocabulary through these natural means, you can find more complex texts and narratives, from TED talks to one-person podcasts about interesting topics. Below you’ll find some of my favorite resources I’ve used while learning Spanish:

Short Stories in Spanish for Intermediate Learners: Short stories that include useful vocab glossaries at the end of each chapter.

Relato de un Náufrago: The first book by Gabriel García Márquez, a non-fiction tale of a shipwrecked sailor.

Duolingo Spanish podcast: Spanish-spoken stories from all over the world, with context filled in in English.

Caso 63: A Chilean audio series about a man in a mental asylum who claims to be from the future, and the doctor who’s starting to believe him.

Libros para Emprendedores: Summaries of some of the most famous entrepreneurial books with a fun and engaging host.

3. Don’t have zero days. If you do, quickly recover

I’m sure you’ve started something before, and the beginner’s motivation wore off. Maybe it’s the guitar picking up dust in the corner, or the Duolingo notifications that switched off passive-aggressively, then never returned.

Poor discipline is going to kill your language skills in their tracks. As John Fotheringham said in our conversation when you start acquiring a new skill and have a strong reason “why”, you need to avoid “zero days”:

Do the minimum viable habit. Maybe it’s just one lesson on Duolingo to get you started. That alone of course is not going to get you fluent anytime fast, but it’s better than a “zero day”. You want to avoid having two zero days in a row. Missing one day is an accident—missing two days is a new habit.

Nowadays, I force myself to engage with the language using stories, podcasts, and language journaling. Luckily, I also live in Barcelona, which can allow me to find ways to use the language: with friends, at stores, or when I do sports like Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

It’s easy to think that because I live in the country, I immediately have an advantage. But I also lived 8 years in Cyprus, without speaking a word of Greek! Your environment helps, but it is not everything. You can also build language habits and immersion environments from your own home.

To avoid zero days, I now build “mini habits”, such as reading books, listening to podcasts, or watching TV in Spanish, around a consistent “cornerstone habit”. For me, this cornerstone habit is one-hour lessons on Preply with my Spanish tutors, twice a week. For you, it might be something completely different.

The important thing is that they happen, no matter what.

4. Use technology to your advantage, but don’t rely on it

There are so many apps, programs, courses, and websites dedicated to learning a language that we often struggle with option paralysis. What do I use? What will bring me the best results?

When I asked Olly Richards about the technology he recommended, he responded quite glibly: “Well, you don’t really need apps…” Olly even didn’t recommend TV as a study method, because “when you’re watching a series with subtitles, you’re not listening to the language — you’re reading”.

Likewise, John Fotheringham said that watching a series in your target language with subtitles in your native language is pretty much useless. He also said that flashcard decks used in many apps, with a single word with the target language on one side and the translation on the other side, are the “worst possible type of card”.

The key is to make learning more active: and to do that, all you need are paper and a pencil.

Olly highly recommends reading as a study method, because you take the time to engage closely with the language. His books also include vocabulary sections at the end, to refresh the new vocabulary you’re building. John said that one of the best ways to make new vocabulary more memorable is to link it to physical activity. This could include drawing memorable pictures on one side of the flashcard, and the word in the target language on the other.

And of course, one of the best ways to form the memory of new words is to use them over and over while speaking.

5. Speaking is key

Speaking is the scariest step when you’re just starting out a language, especially when you hardly know a thing. It’s the reason why 8 out of 10 language students say that they’re unable to do no more than understand basic phrases.

When we asked Olly Richards about his strategies when he learned Italian in 3 months, he said he spent his entire second and third months actually speaking Italian. His first month was focused solely on input, so that he could build some basic vocabulary to work from. If we have nothing to work with, our first conversations can feel flat and demotivating.

I remember many times where I’d confuse two words, and people would laugh. Now, because I made the step and had the experience, I rarely make those same errors anymore — but I would still be making them all the time had I not opened my mouth to say them in the first place.

Conversations also help you see what set phrases and vocabulary you need. If you realize that half of your conversations are about dogs and the other half are about World War II, then it’s time to listen to Crufts with Spanish commentary and read a book about the Battle of Stalingrad.

There are tons of great language exchange apps and websites for free speaking practice, but if you’re looking for a pain-free way to practice without judgment, finding a tutor is a great move too. My lessons with tutors gave me the vocabulary, and most importantly the confidence I needed to take Spanish into other areas of my life.

6. Common language mistakes are psychological

Like I said at the beginning of the article, I was a victim to all of the tricks your brain will throw at you to stop you from learning a language. But over time, I began to see that language learning is shrouded in myth.

People think that they are “too old”. And yet people like Steve Kaufmann, who is continuing to learn languages in his 70s, prove them wrong.

People think that “language learning is long and boring”. But there are so many other alternatives to textbooks and Duolingo to learn in fun ways. You just need to build a base in the language, and then find them.

People think that they “don’t have time”. But a minimum viable habit of 15 minutes a day is enough to keep momentum going and keep you going. And if you want to learn enough and have a strong reason “why”, you’ll make time.

One of the toughest concepts to manage, and which Olly Richards said all good language learners have in common, is an idea so essential that I need to highlight it for the skim-readers out there:

Tolerance for ambiguity

​​This means you have to beokay with the millions of things you don’t understand in a new language. With this mindset, you can read a text and not feel stress at every word you don’t know. Simply, you’ll use the other words and the context to understand it.