Think as you read, speak as you think, write as you speak

The first thing you learn is to speak in English. Then you learn to read in English. Finally you learn to write in English.

When you first learn to speak in English you are struggling with words and sentence structure. But what you are actually doing is train your brain to learn the language. After a while (and I hope, by now) this comes naturally. This means your brain has grasped the language enough to learn as you start to read.

Next comes reading. When you read “silently”, you are letting your brain say the sentences and paragraphs you are reading. This helps your brain to learn “good” English. So try NOT to read too many comics and manga. Much of Social Media English (whatsapp, email, FB, etc) is also not examples of good English. At the same time, as you listen to people speaking in English you are unconsciously picking up the nuances of the language. All of these will help your brain become familiar with English, how it is used, and how it is understood. This is what we call “comprehension”.

When you first learn to write, you were taught sentences and paragraphs. You were taught some rules of grammar and sentence structure. Because you are writing what you are told to write, it is unlikely that these sentences sound natural and these paragraphs “flow”. The trick is to write as if you are speaking, especially if you have been training your brain by reading, listening and speaking in English.

So, the more you read (and think), listen (and think), speak (and think), write (and think), the more you are helping to train your brain to use the language. At some point it becomes natural and you don’t consciously think anymore. This is when you begin to develop a “feel” for the language.

This is how you learn language, by internalising it into your brain.