We all are aware that English is, without a doubt, the most spoken foreign language in the world in terms of non-native speakers. There are over 980 million speakers of the English language across the globe. In most countries, English is the only medium for examination in higher studies.
Thus, if you want to be a part of the global village, it must speak, write, read, and understand English well. Whether it is an English exam or any other subject's exam, having a strong grip on your language, grammar and vocabulary can get you extra grades/marks.
How to improve English
Learning should be a holistic process where you understand and adapt the knowledge instead of simply memorizing the texts. The tips mentioned below will help you learn in that way. We have gathered a list of the top eighteen tips to help you improve your English in just a few days before any examination.
These tips and tricks are tested over time, and they have always worked for students and learners. So let's head straight to the list.
1) Talk to yourself in English
This trick is easy yet extremely beneficial for language learners. We usually think and speak to ourselves in our mother tongue language, but before exams, try to speak to yourself in English and practice it within yourself. Think in English and correct yourself if you find yourself making a mistake.
The more you speak to yourself and practice, the more you will become fluent in English. You can do this anytime and anywhere. When you are thinking about your day, which food to order, whom to call, and what to do, then speculate and introspect in English. You will see the difference soon. With time, you will notice that it gets much more comfortable to speak English when you think in English.
2) English conversation practice: Talk to others in English
This is commonly known by people, but still, people do not use this trick. Many teachers and language specialists have suggested that when we speak to others in English, it becomes easy to write in English.
Conduct a group study at your home or school to practice with your classmates. Talk to them about the exam and its syllabus in English. Revise it with your friends and talk to them about it. You can do this through debates, question hour rounds, discussions, or quizzes.
3) Do mirror exercise
Take out a few minutes from your day and do this exercise. It will help you become better communicators, and it will help you in your examinations too. In this exercise, you have to stand or sit in front of a mirror and speak directly to yourself in English.
Choose a topic, speak for 5 minutes on it, notice the mistakes you have made while speaking English, and later work on your weak points. Watch your body language, facial expressions, and mouth movement as you speak English. It will help you during your oral exams, presentations, and practicals.
4) Write to learn English
Many researchers have suggested in their studies that when you write something, it goes in your long-term memory, unlike when read, it goes to your short-term memory.
Thus, you can learn about your exams while writing in English. It will help you memorize the syllabus for a longer time. When you write, you are also able to fix your spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, etc.
Writing the main words or main sentences in a notebook at least three times will ensure that you do not forget that subject's important points.
5) Listen and watch to learn English speaking
In the information era, everything is available in the virtual world. Google can solve all of your questions. On the internet, you can find educational videos, lectures, infotainment videos, articles, quizzes, exercises, etc.
Just go online and watch relevant videos on YouTube and learn while watching a fun and animated video. There are numerous videos that teach the English language on YouTube, and they are comprehensive, interesting, and fun.
Before the exam, make sure that you watch at least 4-5 videos on educational sites like Khan Academy or YouTube to learn more about that topic. It could be grammar, punctuation, phonetic symbols, etc. You can also find an English language tutor to help improve your English oral and writing skills.
6) Use a learning English app
There are thousands of English learning apps that can be easily downloaded on your smartphones. Go to your play store on your phone, search for such apps, and download them. They are interactive, fun, and informative. In these apps, you will find various fun activities to test your understanding of English, and it will teach you relevant vocabulary, grammar, spellings, pronunciation, etc.
Whether you want to give an English exam or any other exam, these apps can help you expand your knowledge, vocabulary, etc. One of the best ways to reinforce your English language skills is to find a tutor to further help you.
7) Sing in English
When you are tired of learning from textbooks and books, try this fun trick never to stop learning even in your leisure time. We all love to sing, and it has a calming effect on us. When you are on a break, play the English music channel on the radio or tv and sing along. If you know the lyrics, then sing the song and if you do not know the lyrics, then focus on the song and try to understand the lyrics. If you do not understand the meaning of a word, then look for it in the dictionary and keep learning.
8) English vocabulary: Learn forms of words
When you learn a new word, he learns its forms too. It will expand your vocabulary, and it will help you become more fluent in English. When you learn a word, look for its various forms like the word write and then learn its various forms are written, wrote, writing, etc., depending on the tense being used while talking or writing.
Learn how to use the word accurately in different kinds of sentences. With a prefix or suffix, the entire meaning of the word changes, so make sure that you learn it well. See how the words are formed and learn its meaning will make your understanding of English strong.
9) English phrases always work
Phrases and clauses are essential in any language. Phrases will help you become more familiar with the language and how people use it in their daily lives. They are easy to learn and grasp. So, start with this and then head to sentences. When you learn phrases, you also learn sentence formation and word placement. It is an excellent way to learn the English language. It will improve your English writing and speaking skills.
10) Prepare for specific English exams
You must be prepared according to a certain situation. If you have an exam like IELTS, SAT, etc., then just a normal understanding of the English language is not sufficient. You will have to be experts in 4 sections, i.e., listening, reading, writing, and speaking. So, the entire course or syllabus will be according to that situation. However, if you have an English exam at school, you need to focus on your syllabus. So, different situations demand a different understanding of the subject you must prepare accordingly. Thoroughly go through the syllabus and learn what is relevant to the exam.
11) Make a study plan
Practice every day, and create a study plan. Keep milestones and reward yourself whenever you reach a milestone. Small rewards like a bar of chocolate are perfect for such exercises. Decide how much time you will give in a week to learn English and make sure that you study at that time.
Establish a routine to learn English every day and enhance your knowledge. Before an exam, it is a great way to ensure that you do not fall behind to learn for the exam.
12) Make a list of highlights
While you are learning, make a list of all the important points, highlights, and keywords. Take a quick glimpse of it before the exam to recall the entire syllabus that you have studied. From this list, you can revise before the exam. It will help you keep all the important points in mind, and it will drastically reduce the chances of you forgetting what you have learned.
It is a great way to memorize the syllabus and contents for your exam. You can also write short sentences explaining those topics to get a quick recap before the exam.
13) Take an online English learning course
Without spending any money, you can get a virtual tutor. Go online and find courses in the English language that are free. There are actually hundreds of sites that offer this service. You can easily revise, learn, and study the English language from top scholars, teachers, lecturers, etc.
Learning from a textbook and taking a fun-interactive online course are two different things that have different effects on a learning student. We learn much more from an audio-visual source that keeps us engages rather than a huge book with clustered words that might make you sleepy.
14) Review before you sit for an exam
English is a simple yet tricky language. Make sure that you review whatever you have learned before an exam. Take a look at the list of the highlights, or quickly revise your syllabus to ensure that you do not forget anything.
Review, review, and review as much as you can because the more you repeat, the more it will go on to your long-term memory. At times, a lengthy syllabus makes us skip a few things from our minds, so revision can help keep the memory intact.
15) Brainstorm
If you want to write well in exams, then brainstorm as much as you can. Write down your ideas, thoughts, and questions on a paper. Find answers for them and work more on them. It will help you improve your grammar and spelling.
Write anything that you like and later look or mistakes and issues in your write-up. Fix them and ensure that you do not make those mistakes again. Through this simple trick, you will be able to understand the subject more holistically and comprehensively.
16) English tricky words: Use post-it notes
Whenever you come across a tricky word or a question, write it down on a post-it note and find the answer to it when you have time. You can also use them to label or make a list of the things you have learned and the things left to learn.
Post-it notes are visually present in your rooms all the time, so whenever you pass them by, you get an imprint of that information saved in your memory, which allows quick learning. Use your house walls to memorize vocabulary by writing difficult words on chart papers or post-it notes and paste them on your walls.
17) Watch Hollywood movies and tv series with subtitles
This is another great and interesting way to learn English, and that is through watching movies. Yes, you can learn English by watching Hollywood movies. Turn on the subtitles option and watch a movie that interests you. You will notice that it is a great way to learn English quickly and easily without getting into the boring part.
Look at the way the actors form sentences and how they use words in a sentence, repeat after them, and learn from them. Without a doubt, you will be a better English speaker if you watch English movies regularly.
18) Memorize English language idioms
Idioms are colloquial to a language, and they are used by certain language speakers, which cannot be translated into other languages as it might not mean the same. Idioms may be difficult to learn, but it is extremely important that you know their meaning.
A group of words that are idioms may have an entirely different meaning than what the words individually mean. So, idioms are essential for English language learning. Take tests in intervals, and make sure that you take regular breaks to have a fresh mind to learn for exams. It will expand the horizon of your knowledge immensely.
Now, you know all the tips and tricks to master the English language, then what are you waiting for? Go ahead and start learning. After all, learning is the key to knowledge and wisdom. You can easily find the right English language tutor to suit your level and sharpen your English language skills. Remember, practice makes perfect!