A journey from one language to many - with no destination! (Part 4)

Let us now talk about a few unique characteristics of English language.

• English is a so called Subject-Verb-Object language, which roughly means, in most cases, the most important information comes right at the end. English is also very structured. There is hardly a scope to change or alter the format. "Mr Brown went down" & "Down went Mr Brown" - if we look at these two sentences, both are correct. As a matter of fact, something similar to the second one is actually available in a very famous English grammar book, by Wren and Martin! But hardly anyone uses the second version. 
• This means, however, that English is a very reliable language. One can never play with misplacing an adverb, or misuse a preposition. It is like driving on a road in Europe. Everyone follows rule, so if you too follow them, you will be fine. The issue happens when you do not follow them, or when someone breaks the rules. The entire chain falters and falls flat on its face. Just take this example - She gave food to the poor people that was well cooked. Now this is wrong due to the misplaced "that", it should have been - She gave food that was well cooked to the poor people.
• In English there is a very important construct called "Agreement of the verb to the subject". To cut the long story short, it means - check who is doing what and change the verb accordingly. "Thoughts come to me often" is correct, "Thoughts comes to me often is incorrect. Singular subject (thought) demands one version of verb (come) than its plural form (thoughts).
• There are some beautiful constructs in the language, one I can remember and share. Its called "Gerund". Its actually verb working as noun. Example - Swimming is my passion. Or - I like walking to school. Simple isn't it?
• English language has exclamations of the most beautiful kind. For example - "Oh! I missed the train!" Or, "Come on! We need to be fast!" These are expressions that occur regularly, we need to listen, learn and use.

Then let us switch over to some practicalities on how to grasp the language. I will divide this into three stages. Stage 1 would be directed to the new learners, when we start our first attempt to get a first hold on the most popular foreign language of the world.

1. Make short sentences, speak in soft voice and take pauses. If the other person is speaking fast or using difficult words, you can still influence him or her. The moment they hear you with simple tone, easy vocabulary and low speed, they will eventually also tone down. A great Gandhian principle in action, I have found it to work. Really recommend.
2. As starter, we often make the mistake of thinking in our mother tongue and then translating it. No! Do not do that - think in simple way. You may not manage to explain everything in the beginning, but still try to talk in your head and think using English words. This helps change the dimension of your thinking and brings a flow in your thinking, which helps you along the way.
3. Try to listen more and do not change context of a conversation. We often interrupt and start telling our stories. This should be avoided. Almost all Western languages are very much context based. Go with the flow of the topic of talk, maybe add in a few inputs, but most importantly, keep listening. Vocabulary is what we struggle at the start. Active listening helps building that.
4. Keep looking for short advertisements in English, short instructions on roads, restaurants, hotels etc. These are usually written with the purpose of attracting the attention of the viewers and to convey a message quickly.

Stage 2 would be for those who have gone past the first few steps and are now starting to communicate.

1. Communication - yes, that is the key. When we start to speak, we must always keep in mind that we are able to communicate. Now here there is a point to ponder upon. While we should think of making our statements clear, we should not be forcing. English is a language that does have a particular set of constructs - use them wisely. Example - "I can do it" and "Let me do it" are both ok, but the second one is more polite. Use it when needed.
2. Diction - when you start to speak make sure you have a tone. The voice can be low but stress on the words that matter. Learn the meaning of the words before you use them, that can help. Example - "I am irritated." This is a simple sentence, but the word "irritated" can cause lot of damage or help you, based on the context you use. But more importantly, based on how you use it.
3. Use of adjectives and adverbs - learn these. I know these come the last, I have also faced the same challenge with English and with other foreign languages I have so far learnt. These words never come in the early phases. These words come much later in the stockpile. But I can tell from my own experience - these are jewels in the goldmine. Once we know the meanings and use them correctly, they help us a lot. Example - "I was looking eagerly at you. You looked handsome." What more simple way there could be to express adulation! The two words "eagerly" and "handsome" tell an entire story!
4. Prepositions - do not worry much on these. Of course, while writing, we need to be cautious and make sure to not use "on" for "at" and so on. But while speaking, no, it is not the most essential element. Slight mistakes are ok, no one will stop talking to you if you say "I was waiting by the bus stop." instead of the more correct version, "I was waiting at the bus stop."
5. Conjunctions - would recommend to use them as much as possible. While writing and even while speaking. Using a "and" or a "because" helps us bind our thoughts, and make the speech more conversational. The constituent sentences can be simple and fluid but binding them help find a course of idea to communicate naturally.

Stage 3 is for the experienced people. For people who is well versed in English, reading, writing, listening, and speaking - with a good set of vocabulary at their disposal. Here, my own recommendation would be to keep reading and listening. Keep talking too, engage while talking, bring emotion, put in light moments, make speaking a habit for you and an experience for the other person. Read whatever you get - articles, books, poems, essays, plays, and even journals. Keep writing a page a day - pour your thoughts on what has happened over the last day, how to approach the next one and what challenges lie ahead of you. Today with AI, we can even speak and let the tool write for us. Why not? Ultimately those are our thoughts, and by the way, thoughts are never happening on the void, they happen always through words.

[To be continued, next post will focus on Hindi/Urdu]