The English language is spoken worldwide and it is widely used on the internet too. This means that most people on the planet, no matter where they are, understand or speak English to some extent. While this language is popular and easier to learn compared to most other languages, there are flaws and ambiguities that can make it a little confusing.
For example, there are words called Homophones that sound the same but have varying spellings and definitions. You could be an English native and still have problems with some similar words having different uses or meanings – it happens to everyone and you are not alone.
However, English is a language that you must learn if you want to succeed in this digital world. There are also many benefits of learning English as well – you improve your communication skills, you can talk to and understand people from different regions if you both speak English and you can also travel around the world. You cannot do all of it if you only know your regional language.
For Example: Affect vs Effect
Affect and effect is one of the most popular examples in English vocabulary when it comes to words with similar spellings or pronunciation but with different uses.
“Affect” is the verb and “effect” is usually used as a noun. This means “affect” is the action and what happens in the reaction is “effect”. But people get really confused and forget the actual meanings.
“Affect” is usually used as a verb, and it means “to act on or change something.”
- Smoking tobacco can adversely affect your lungs and blood flow.
- Hugs can affect a person’s immune system in a positive way.
As a noun, an effect is “a change that results when something is done or happens,” or “a particular feeling or mood created by something.”
- The new manager is bound to effect positive changes in the office.
- It has been found that smoking does have an effect on the health of the smoker.
You can follow the link to see more detailed examples differentiating affect vs effect and three tricks to ensure you never make this mistake again.
How To Memorize The Different Uses?
More and more people are devoting time to learning English as a second language these days. Many nations integrate English into their school curricula, and children are learning English at an earlier and earlier age.
All of this highlights the importance of learning the language correctly and being grammatically accurate. You can memorize such variations using a variety of approaches.
These grammar mistakes are very noticeable, especially in business writings, legal documents, transactions, and academic documents. If you know how to speak or write a language properly, you will be considered a professional and an educated person.
On the other hand, if you only know the informal use of the language, you can never score better in business, legal, as well as academic scenarios. Grammar is important and this fact cannot be ignored.
Here are some ways you can be better at English
Keep An Organized Vocabulary Notebook
Keep an organized notebook where you write all the words that need to be memorized. This will help you with memorizing as well as the proper use of the word in a sentence. You can also write a few sentences for each word so that you will memorize it better along with pronunciation.
It is also a great way to remember Homophones as you will see the difference in use when you look at the sentences. This trick is used by people doing IELTS or TOEFL and it has been proved to be effective. People doing a graduate degree in English also use this trick to improve their vocabulary and command of the language.
Keep Revising the Words
Our minds tend to forget things with time and memorizing words is hard for our brains. It is better to keep revising them once in a while to keep your memory fresh. Also, look at your notebook after a week and then after a month, this will permanently put those words in your memory.
Repetition is the key to memorizing. You might notice that when you first go to a neighborhood, you rarely remember any of the streets or shops, but with time as you go there over and over again, you tend to memorize a lot of things,s and eventually you just know where everything is. You also remember bumps and corners of the street if you visit it regularly.
Similar is the case with the English language or any language, you must keep reading books, keep seeing your notes, and keep practicing so that not only do you memorize the words but you will also know different uses of the same words because you would have read them in different places in different contexts.
Make Word Cards And Take Them With You
This technique is used by people doing IELTS or English Language courses. It is really simple and very useful.
All you need to do is to make word cards where on one side of the card there will be the word and on the back side of the card, there will be pronunciation, meaning, and a sentence.
You can take them with you on buses, trains, hotels, restaurants, or anywhere you go. Whenever you get free, take out your cards and look at the words, try to recall the meaning and sentence.
Final Thoughts
English is the global language and the language of science, computers, politics, and all the fields of this world. If you know English, you are automatically one step ahead of the people who do not.
We live in a digital age where everything will be remote in a few years. Due to labor expenses, businesses have already begun to hire remote home-based staff. If you know English, you have a good chance of securing a high-paying job and will most likely be chosen.
English is a must if you want to travel the world and work in intriguing companies from all over the world.
It is important to be grammatically correct and know the right use of words. See the above examples of how different words can mean different things and follow the tips on fixing it.
