Is English easy to learn?
By sernen
@sernen (29)
Malaysia
May 15, 2007 10:45pm CST
In my honest opinion, English is a difficult language to master. At times, I get confused on the word usage when a certain word has almost the same pronunciation but different meaning. Example, stationery and stationary. I once read that someone used an ingenious method to differentiate the meaning - for stationery, just remember the 'one' as one piece of paper. Therefore the other 'stationary' means immobile. There are a few words which still baffle me like principle/principal, lay/lie (on bed). Do you have a certain method to conquer this language?
4 responses
@moonshadow68 (723)
• United States
16 May 07
English is a very difficult language ebcause it steals pieces of other languages and adopts them into it.
I can't help you with all your questions on how to determine which homonym to use, but for principle and prinicipal, try remembering it this was the Pricipal is your pal (i.e. pal = person).
Hope that helps.
@molusk (857)
• Philippines
16 May 07
To me I find the English language as as the most
beautiful kind of language, as I can communicate my
thoughts to other people in other parts of the world. Mastering this language is another matter. I can write and talk in English but using it in a way were tenses, spelling and usage should be in its correct form I honestly am not capable of doing. My write-ups usually are reviewed by my wife who happens to be an English teacher. Right now however, she is not here as she is out of town for a regional meeting. Hence,my apology for any incorrect tenses, usage or spelling that I may make.
@Photos4sale (352)
•
16 May 07
After talking to international students, I understand that English is easy to learn on a basic level but hard to master. The reson they gave me was 'inconsistency'. There are so many rules with exceptions, illogical spelling and pronunciation rules and grammatical irregularities. Let's face it can anyone really explain who knife has a K in it? There are many more......this is why English is hard to master. Even many English people get it wrong......there, why is there a W in wrong?
@Norstar (694)
• India
16 May 07
Yes, you can get rid of these problems by practising. Practice makes a man (this includes woman) perfect. So, if you want perfection, then practise, practise, practise...
Practise what? Practise reading, writing, speaking, listening, doing gramatical excercises, spellings, difference between similar words, changing one tense to another and the whole lot of things.
Well, no language can be learned without continuous trying, practising (notice that I have used "s" some times whereas at other places, I have used "c". Why? Because, when the word is used as a verb, it has "s" and when the word is used as a noun, it has "c".) and using the languageit.
All the best to you.
