How To Improve Your Language !
How To Improve Your Language ! During your school or college years you might have sat under many kinds of teachers. Some teachers were dumb, others were intelligent, irritable, loving, caring, and so on.
Among teachers of all generations, two types have a very pitiable existence. The first category contains those who are brilliant scholars of their subjects but who do not know how to express it in a way that communicates with students. The second category knows how to communicate, but their language and expressions are so faulty that students find it impossible to conceal their laughter at their funny and strange expressions. The same is the case with writers.
Writers come in all colours and shades. Some of them communicate while others do not. Some are authorities in their field while others know less than the typical labourer in the street. Each makes his calibre known to people very soon. However, two types of writers face a very difficult time. They are authorities in their subject, are not irritated, have a great burden for the reader, but are unable to use language to their advantage. Some of them do not know how to express while the others in this group do not have sufficient mastery of the language to go with the dignity of the subject or the writer.
The writings of both of the types of writers mentioned above would greatly enrich the society, but unfortunately this does not usually happen. The writings submitted by both of the categories mentioned above are rejected right at the editor's office, and therefore they never get into print.
Yet, acquiring a good and pleasant language, free from blunders, is not an impossible task. In this lesson we will tell you a few things about language. They are as follows:
1-The necessity of improving one's language
2-Possible ways to improve language
3-Books and resources
Let us look at each of the above points in detail :
The Necessity Of Improving One's Language: Using any language is both a science as well as an art. This is the reason why many people are able to speak accurately (the science part) but not attractively (the art part). No work of art is perfect in the beginning, and no novice can expect his language or writing to be perfect from the beginning. Almost everyone has to perfect the art of handling language.
THE NEED FOR PERFECTION: Imperfections in written language are a great irritant compared to the same limitation in spoken language. This is because what is spoken vanishes into air as soon as it is uttered, but what is written down and published remains there for people to read and scrutinize. Consequently the mistakes in written material get spotted more often than the corresponding mistakes in spoken language. While mistakes cannot be eliminated totally, this problem with the published material calls for a certain minimum level of perfection before it is acceptable for reading and circulation.
TO AVOID COMMON MISTAKES: People of every language get into the habit of using certain erroneous expressions. These expressions originate in many ways, but soon some of them become so widely used that many do not realize that it is a wrong or faulty expression. This is fine as far as spoken language and the common man is concerned, but carrying such expressions into writing is an unpardonable offence on the part of writers. This is another reason why writers should give time to develop their language and expressions.
TO AVOID BORROWING MISTAKES: Sometimes faulty and erroneous expressions abound so much in a community that they even mar communication. A writer using these faulty expressions can isolate himself effectively from his readers. This is another reason why you should constantly watch and correct your language.
TO AVOID PITFALLS RELATED TO ACQUIRED LANGUAGE: If you write in an acquired language, that is a language that is not your mother-tongue, then it becomes all the more important to watch and improve your language. It is seen that whenever a person learns a new language, his native tongue (the mother tongue) strongly influence his new language. This gives rise to funny, strange, and even faulty expressions.
People for whom English is not their first language show this problem very often. They superimpose their native tongue unknowingly on English, rendering it neither pure English nor their own language. The problem is so widespread that many have published books that explain and correct the errors that are peculiar to people who acquire English as their second or third language.
TO OVERCOME YOUR LINGUISTIC PECULIARITIES: Since using a language is an art, many people develop their own special forms of expression. Not all of them are right or pleasant to the ears. Consequently, each writer must consciously try to discover his share of peculiarities and then eliminate them from his writing.
Possible Ways To Improve Language: Several methods for language improvement are available to the interested person. A writer should choose one or more of these depending upon his needs and financial resources.
THROUGH PERSONAL READING: If you have good self discipline and personal study habits then you can start polishing your language through self study. Plenty of books are available in the market that teach you how to use language, how to make your expressions clear and accurate, how to use idioms and figures of speech, and what the common mistakes and wrong usages are.
The available books range from the expensive and hardbound books sold by Reader's Digest up to cheap paperbacks published by numerous smaller publishing houses. Almost any of them will help a beginner, and therefore the best strategy is to begin with moderately priced paperbacks, and then graduating to books that are heavier in content as well as in price.
Several magazines publish regular columns on language. They tell you about the correct usage of language and also explain the common errors that people make. It is not possible to list any magazine here because they keep on adding and removing this feature. The best option is to check as many magazines as you can, spot the magazine with the appropriate column, and then subscribe to it.
Reader's Digest is the only publication for general reading that has carried a column related to language without a break. Their Increase Your Wordpower introduces new words while their Towards More Picturesque Speech introduces amusing ways in which English expressions can be used. Study them regularly, but keep most of this information in your memory for your personal enrichment. Never unload all of this vocabulary upon your helpless readers for whom English might not be their first language.
VOCABULARY BUILDING: A successful writer should have as large a vocabulary as possible. This not for showing off his achievements to others, but to broaden his ability to comprehend diverse types of writings. The wider one's vocabulary, the more one is able to grasp. Further, it has been seen that the better a person's vocabulary, the more clearly he is able to think, reason, and deduce.
Vocabulary building is not as difficult as most people think. Many researches have unearthed powerful methods for developing a rich vocabulary relatively fast, provided one is willing to discipline himself a little bit. Plenty of books are available for building up vocabulary, and you can choose almost any of them with profit. It is better to start with the less expensive volumes before you graduate to a more in depth and expensive ones.
Many magazines and newspapers publish occasional as well as regular features on vocabulary. You should look for such periodicals and then subscribe to them or get an access to them. There is no substitute for a rich vocabulary. It not only helps your comprehension, but also enriches your thought process and helps you to communicate your ideas in a simple yet accurate manner.
CORRESPONDENCE COURSES: If you are not good at self study, you might think of joining a correspondence course. Several institutes offer regular as well as correspondence courses for language improvement. Inquire for their quality, the range of their teaching, and also their fees. Ask a few students to see if they are satisfied with the way their institute teaches. Once you find a course that is suited to your needs, join it.
NEVER GIVE UP: Many people who want to become writers shudder at the thought of language development. Somehow they get this wrong impression that language development is a fearsome job. This is a completely unfounded fear. Language improvement and vocabulary building can be an interesting, joyful, and even exciting experience if you approach the subject with passion and inquisitiveness. Also, you must choose the books and courses carefully.
I told you that the most expensive book on language need not be the best. You should begin, therefore, with a moderately priced paperback and graduate to heavier publications. Even in the matter of purchasing this paperback, you should not do it randomly. Even though almost any book on language will be a help, it is always wiser to buy the better one from a given lot. Therefore, look through all the books available on this topic in one or two good bookshops, and then buy the one that is most friendly with the reader.
You must begin with the most friendly and interesting book so that your interest to learn is stimulated. An uninteresting book will, on the other had, only suppress your development. In fact, an improperly chosen book might even fill with horror at the thought of refining your language.
Another thing to remember is to bite only as much as you can chew comfortably. Do not try to achieve in one day what legitimately requires one month of study and effort. Don't try to complete all assignments of the book on the first day itself. Choose a pace that is optimum for memorizing and integrating each instruction into your language usage. Also, don't try to learn a hundred new words every day. Be sensible, and keep it around five to ten words per day. And finally, NEVER GIVE UP ! PERSIST, AND SOON YOU WILL REAP THE REWARD EVERY SUCCESSFUL WRITER ENJOYS!!!
Books And Resources: An endless variety of books is available both for lovers of language as well as for writers. These range from the simplest paperbacks to he most technical hardbound volumes and from the trivial to the most significant works. You should, therefore, preferably begin only with the tried and trusted books and then progress to the unknown and the new titles.
The following is a limited list of some of the easily available, reasonably priced, and authoritative tools for your use. You will be able to find several of these in bookshops if you cultivate the art of searching through bookstores.
In case you are unable to locate any, seek help from others who might be able to lend one or more of these to you. Alternately, language lovers might be able to suggest names of similar books that are readily available in your city. Do not wait till you find them to begin your writing.
1. Structural Grammar
(a) Living English Structure, W. S. Allen
(b) A Remedial English Grammar For Foreign Students, F. T. Wood
(c) An Intermediate English Practice Book, S. Pit Coder
These are a special kind of grammar books. Most schools use what can be called grammar books that deal with the "analysis" of language. These will tell the student about nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and so on. These make the student a master at analyzing language, but don't impart working knowledge of the spoken language.
The books recommended above belong the category called "structural" grammar. Every language has certain regular patterns or structures. Most native people learn these structures through repeated use and become fluent in using their language. This approach can be used by a person with a working knowledge of English (or any other language) to become fluent in speaking it in less than one year of concentrated practice. The actual results start manifesting much before that.
2-Fouler's Modern English Usage, Revised by Sir. Ernest Gowers, English Language Book Society and The Oxford Press. This is the standard reference on how to use and not to use words and phrases.
3-Usage and Abusage, Eric Partridge, Penguin Books. Lists the common usages and abusage of words and phrases. Handy, authoritative, and very helpful.
4-English Prepositional Idioms, F. T. Wood, English Language Book Society and Macmillan. Prepositional idioms are a part of English when it is spoken naturally. Here is a handy and authoritative guide on a subject not covered by dictionaries and grammar books.
5-Dictionary Of English Phrasal Verbs And Their Idioms, Tom McArthur and Beryl Atkins, Collins (Published in India by Rupa & Co.) Phrasal verbs are a part of English when it is spoken by natives of English-speaking countries. This is one of the most authoritative guides on this subject not covered by dictionaries and grammar books.
6-Elements Of Style, Strunk & White, Macmillan Publishing Co. (New editions/reprints of this book keep coming up) This is a "tiny" book having less than a hundred pages, but used by English language writers throughout the world. A very helpful guide for the beginner as well as the advanced level writer.
7-Smart's Handbook Of Effective Writing, Walter K. Smart and Daniel R. Lang, Jaico Publishing House. This is a more comprehensive guide to language and style. Covers a lot of subjects not touched upon by Strunk & White.
8-Instant Vocabulary, Ida Ehrlich, Pocket Books. This book offers a novel way of developing English vocabulary. To the intelligent student it is a really "instant" book.
9-The English Errors Of Indian Students, T. L. H. Smith-Pearse, Oxford University Press. This is again a "tiny" book packed with an unbelievable amount of information. Must be on the table of every Indian writer.
You Must Make Reading An Inseparable Part Of Your Life Not only is regular reading important for every writer, it must also become an integral part of his life. It should so much merge with his habits that he should be able to do it as routinely as he brushes his teeth, and it should interest him as much as his food interests him.
If you do not choose your reading matter wisely, specially in the earlier stages of your reading/writing career, then the experience can be very traumatic. I will therefore give you several suggestions that will help you to make reading interesting, stimulating, and also a part of your life.
MANAGING TIME: Once you start reading, you will discover that time is now not on your side. Almost every person has a liberal supply of free time before he picks up a book, but as soon as he finishes reading the introduction, the available time disappears mysteriously. Some people report this even before touching a book when they say. "I love to read, but there just is no time for it". Part of it is because of non interest, while the rest of it is because of faulty planing.
It is surprising to see how limitless amounts of time materialize for the same "busy" people when they start doing something that interests them very much. If a person can find time for TV, games, gossip, political discussions, and social life, but is unable to find time for books, his problem is not time but interest. He is able to allot time for things of his interest. If you are a person of this kind, you should learn to be more honest about yourself.
Most serious writers, however, find time shrinking into nothingness because of another reason. They are people who definitely allot some time to writing and reading, but find it difficult to continue because this time is not sufficient to do justice to what they want to do. The problem is most probably, LACK OF TIME MANAGEMENT.
Having time at hand is different from managing the available time. No person can ever find time for everything that he wants to do, and therefore everyone has to learn to distribute available time in a way that important activities get a larger share of time while useless activities are starved for time. This is the secret of productive people. Like you and me, they too have only twenty four hours per day at their disposal, but they have learnt to allot their time properly while the rest of the world thinks that they somehow have an extra supply of time, to be used when no one is looking.
Since some people are able to manage their time better, it is possible for others also to do the same if they are interested. Every writer should therefore examine his habits and make suitable alterations. For example, every writer who is serious about his call should change or even abandon his time-wasting habits. Although it is not very pleasant to accept, most of us do have time-wasting habits. For some it is gossip, for others it is the love for sleep. This has to change.
There are plenty of methods to redeem one's time. I strongly recommend that you pick up any book on time management, grasp the essence of this art, and start implementing it immediately. Further, you must change or abandon wasteful habits and develop newer ones. These new habits should integrate reading into your life in such a way that whenever a free time slot (howsoever small) comes up, you automatically pick up something and read.
One good, and even essential, habit is to keep a book with you wherever you go. It should not be a very heavy one in any way. A pocket book of convenient size, and upon a topic that makes light and interesting reading, is the best choice. Then, whenever you are free even for five minutes, just open it and start reading. In about one year it will become such a compulsive habit that you will long for a book whenever you are free. USE THE FORCE OF HABIT IN A WAY THAT SUPPORTS YOUR MISSION OF WRITING.
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