English as a powerful means of international communication

   Every day we can see that it is very important to know foreign languages. The Internet and satellite TV enable us to get information from all over the world. We are able to get education or a job in any country of the world. But we all know that we have to know the language of the country we want to study or work in.

   English is the world's first truly universal language. Today there are more than 1.5 billion English speakers in the world. At any station or airport in the world we can find instructions in English. Pilots and air traffic controllers, sailors speak English at all international airports and ports.

   More than 80 percent of information of any kind (scientific, commercial, personal) is stored  and exchanged in English. Business and trade can't exist now without English. It is the official language of international aid organizations such as OXFAM  and Save the Children Fund as well as of UNESCO, NATO and the United Nations.

   If we listen to the talk of young people we'll hear words like 'rap music', 'bodybuilding', 'windsurfing', 'computer hacker' and others. English has become a part of youth culture all over the world and in Russia too.

   If we want to feel ourselves comfortable in our modern world we must know English. But it's not the limit. The knowledge of one foreign language extends our mind more than twice. So let's not put limits on our minds and souls and study more foreign languages.

How To Overcome Your Fear Of Speaking English

They say that practice makes perfect. Nowhere is this more pertinent than when learning to speak a new language. But one of many people’s greatest stumbling blocks to achieving fluency in English is their fear of failure.

Fear of failure has stopped many a great project in its tracks, business from being created or marriage vows exchanged. Yet, just as Honoré de Balzac famously said, our greatest fears lie in anticipation. So if getting choked up and tongue-tied is getting in your way, check out these tips to help overcome your fear of speaking English.

1. It’s Never As Bad As You Imagine

You know those people who stand up in front of the cameras, give conferences and speak confidently in another language? Here’s a little secret for you. They all experience fear of failing at some point or another (maybe even all the time). No one was born speaking any language, much less fluent in more than one.

If you’re learning English as a young adult, or even later in life, then remember you’re not the only one. Fear of speaking is normal. It’s how you overcome that fear that will transform you from an English language learner to an English language speaker.

2. Everyone Makes Mistakes. And Mistakes Are Useful! 

No one likes making mistakes. Whether you’re terrified of getting your pronunciation wrong, or worried about when to use the present perfect; remember that making mistakes is inevitable. It’s natural and the best way to learn. Whatever your native language, you’ve probably heard your own people speaking it incorrectly or stumbling over spelling.

There are many stages towards achieving language fluency and your goal at first should be to be understood. Embrace your mistakes, learn from them and get better along the way.

3. Practice Every Moment Possible

The only way to master any skill, from your diphthongs to your phrasal verbs is by practicing them regularly. The more often you speak English and get used to speaking English, the easier and more natural it will become.

If you’re not lucky enough to study English in an English speaking country, you can make use of English language radio, podcasts and television. Try to find an English speaker in your home town or city. If there isn’t anyone to practice with locally, then read, write, or find people online who want to trade.

4. Learn To Laugh At Yourself

Let’s be honest, approach anything in life with a little bit of humor and it’s suddenly a much more enjoyable task. From housework to studying for exams; learn to laugh at yourself and not only will you become a better student, but you’ll bemore likeable, approachable and encourage further conversation.

15 interesting facts about the English language

English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world so it is not surprising that so many people want to learn how to speak English.

In your English classes you no doubt learn interesting things but I’m sure you haven’t heard all of these facts before:

1. ‘E’ is the most commonly used letter in the English language. In fact, as many as one in eight of all the letters written in English is ‘e’.

2. More English words begin with the letter ‘S’ than any other letter of the alphabet.

3. ‘I am.’ is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

4. The longest English word that can be spelled without repeating any letters is ‘uncopyrightable’.

5. The following sentence contains seven different spellings of the sound “ee”: ‘He believed Caesar could see people seizing the seas’.

6. Do you know what is special about the following sentence? ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’. This type of sentence is called a ‘pangram’ as it uses every letter in the English language.

7. The longest word in English has 45 letters: ‘pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis’! It is a type of lung disease caused by inhaling ash and sand dust.

8. There is no word in the English language that rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

9. ‘Queueing’ is the only word with five consecutive vowels (five vowels in a row). This is a great word to use when you play hangman!

10. There are nine different ways to pronounce ‘ough’ in English. This sentence contains all of them:  ‘A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed.’

11. Due to a printing error, there was a word in the English dictionary from 1932 to 1940 which didn’t have a meaning.  The word was ‘Dord’ and it became known as ‘ghost word’.

12. ‘Pronunciation’ is the word which is most mispronounced in the English language!

13. English is the official language of the sky! It doesn’t matter which country they are from, all pilots speak in English on international flights.

14.The most difficult tongue twister in the English language is “sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick”. Why not try it out on your friends and see if any of them can say it without making a mistake?

15. Approximately one new word is added to the English language every two hours and around 4,000 new words are added to the English dictionary every year.

Warmest Wishes for Christmas! May you have an ocean of happiness!