Taking the Easiest Path to Success in English

by Marc Anderson

English is a tough language to learn, not only for non-native English speakers but for native English speakers as well.  During my schooling in Canada, English class had to of been my worst class and I am not afraid to admit it.  You have all these verb tenses, run-on sentences, grammatical rules that have so many holes in them that you could drive a car through them (they are more formally known as exceptions).  Exceptions to a rule is what makes something so tough because it requires you to engage in thought to decide why this is correct or incorrect.  Knowing every single possible bit of information in the English language is very hard to achieve and after finishing school, I said to myself “I have the basics down, so what more do I have to learn”.  Fortunately knowing the basics of English will get you very far and over time you will learn the rules, if not by name, by memory.

So, if you are learning English, relax and take a deep breath.  Don’t fret the small stuff or every small detail as you will do just fine with consistent practice.

Language is developed over time and even native English speakers have trouble remembering all the rules, names of grammar and why we do something the way we do.  If your English is improving with practice year after year and you don’t remember all these rules or get confused take the easiest path and don’t worry about it.  Nobody can be expected to know everything there is to know about English unless you’re an English teacher :) in the meantime keep up the great work, enjoy life and don’t get caught up with all the finer points of English.