Ever wondered why English is one of the sections in most entrance exams? And why do components like grammar and reading comprehension invariably appear in these exams? Well, there must be a good reason, don’t you think?
Reading, wRiting and aRtihmetic are considered the 3 basic skills that a person should have. If you look around and analyse your daily work, most jobs require those skills. Using correct grammar, usage of words to make a difference in meaning and how to read and comprehend written material along with some quick calculations.
Language skills acquire even more importance because our medium of communication is invariably English. Here, I don’t mean communication skills that help you negotiate or persuade. I mean the basic understanding of grammatically correct language free of Indianisms. And you will need it all through your career. At every level of your job, you will give or follow oral and written instructions, which have to be grammatically correct and readable. You will also have to read and analyse departmental reports quickly to ensure that your team is indeed going in the planned direction. You will require those skills even more if you wish to turn into an entrepreneur since your communication skills would be the driver of your strategy.
But language skills have a more important role to play in our lives. They have to be imbibed so that they transform gradually through consistent practise into communication skills for a lifetime. Remember that grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension are building blocks of excellent communication skills which are vital to success in real life.
But this does not mean that they are different compartments to be dealt with in isolation. They are all as interconnected. The next time you work on your vocabulary, don’t mechanically learn a word and its meaning. Understand the usage, examine whether it is a noun or a verb or an adjective and make sentences using the word. The more time you spend with a word and the more often you do that, the more likely you are of becoming friends with that word. And when you read passages or newspapers, check if you remember the meanings of words from your vocab when you come across them. This is like a touchstone to the efficacy of your work. Similarly, note sentence structures and correct grammar patterns when you read. Ponder over wonder that might not have contextual literal meaning you know of for a word. Use this opportunity to enrich your word power.
This is the most efficient way to ensure you develop your correct language skills. It is seldom possible that you remember the meaning of a word when you read it but forget it when you need to apply it in writing. When you know a word you know it no matter what the context. Similarly, when you internalise correct grammar, you will speak or write correct sentences.
In the next few weeks we shall look at grammar concepts that are building blocks of language. We will also look at the common grammar errors that you should remember and avoid.
Going through Wren and Martin all over again will be quite unnecessary. Just follow this pace and you will have all you need in terms of important basics that you should cover if you are beginner. Going through Wren and Martin all over again will be quite unnecessary. Just follow this pace and you will have all you need in terms of important basics that you should cover if you are beginner.
We will also deal with other aspects of language skills like the best ways to learn vocabulary and techniques to better your reading skills.
So watch this space for more.