Learning English, as with any other language is a process which takes a long time and requires a lot of effort. And while it is technically possible to learn English by yourself, this is generally less efficient and a way to accumulate mistakes which will be hard to rectify the higher a level of English you attain.
This is especially problematic at the beginning when you are learning the basis of the language and are building the structure in your mind on which all your language skills will be built upon. Learning with a professional English teacher means that you will always have someone to catch and rectify your mistakes early on and show you the right way something should be expressed. By yourself, these mistakes will pass unnoticed and will become part of your vocabulary. Learning a language is both a conscious and unconscious endeavor. While you may learn the rules and tricks of the language, it’s in the unconsciousness that the language is really registered and there comes a time when the word just comes out of you without any thought. That’s why it is so dangerous to learn by yourself, for if these mistakes are not caught and fixed early on, they become part of the unconsciousness part of the learning process, and you will use them instinctually.
Another reason why you should learn with an English teacher is the spelling. Considering that English words are written one way and spelled another, it is imperative to learn the right pronunciation of the words from the very beginning and a professional teacher will teach you the standard way to spell each word. This will also help you avoid the heavy accent which comes from the inevitable fusion of the way you have spoken your mother tongue all your life and the specific way word pronunciation works in English. Although removing your accent is something which takes long practice and constant usage of English (and some argue it is impossible to totally remove the influence of your mother tongue from the way you speak) with a professional English teacher you will learn to speak clearly and correctly.
When it comes to grammar, and especially grammar for levels B2 and above, learning all the rules by yourself becomes an exhausting task in whose complexity you can get easily lost. All English teachers will not only provide you with the rules but also a long tried and proven system on how to learn and organize these rules in your head. On top of this you will always have someone you can ask clarification from and who will show you the way to proficiency. Again, while this is technically possible to do by yourself, it will take you way longer, will require extensive research from your part and there is no way to guarantee you will learn what you need.
A lot of you will learn English to give some specific exam. Here is where a professional English teacher can be the difference between taking a good mark or flopping the exam. Usually every exam, from TOEFL to SAT to APTIS are made according to a specific style and specific rules and knowing where to focus and how to prepare for each one of them, is a huge bonus which will increase your chances of doing really well. These “exam tricks” are learned from a long experience our teachers have from preparing students for these exams and will put you a step before anyone who is learning by himself.
As we can see, there is no way you can learn English better than with a professional English teacher who will not only have the right plan for you, personalize your learning to fit your agenda and needs but also show you the tricks and tips on how to better retain the information presented to you. If you are serious about learning English and you need it for more than just a hobby, sooner or later you will need to ask the help of a professional.
English is a journey which is not done alone and along the way the more and higher quality help you get, the better English speaker you will become. Start your journey today!
