Check the desired English skills to speak well

If you want to start or start learning English from now on, it is important to master English at the junior high school level first. If you can use even junior high school level English correctly, you will be able to speak simple daily conversations and read English. In other words, if you have the correct knowledge of grammar and vocabulary at the junior high school level, you will not have any trouble with a little communication abroad.

This time, for those who have not yet acquired junior high school level English skills, we will introduce the study methods to acquire the basics and the points of learning that will enable you to learn efficiently. Please use it for efficient re-learning.

What is junior high school level English proficiency?

Junior high school level English proficiency means having knowledge of English grammar, words, and pronunciation learned in junior high school, and mastering the four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking using these.

If you can master the knowledge of English words, grammar, and pronunciation at the junior high school level, you will be able to read simple news, read and write emails, and communicate in daily conversation.

However, knowledge is a little different from what you can actually use in conversations and sentences. Repetitive practice and training are required to write conversations and sentences. Another point is that knowledge is organized and established in a form that can be used immediately.

In this article, we will show you the right way to acquire middle school level English skills that can be used with 4 skills.

Middle school English study points

Studying English in junior high school has the characteristic that "just learning the correct study method will help you grow." It is effective to proceed with learning based on this characteristic. Let's learn from 1 such as words, reading aloud, grammar, writing, etc. by knowing the study method to acquire basic skills firmly.

English words

It is said that the method of studying English words is often wrong. For example, avoid the following study methods if possible.

・ Do not check pronunciation

・ Do not check scenes and example sentences to use

・Do not remember related words

・ Do not remember conjugation of verbs as a set

If you rush to input English words and finish them properly, you will not be able to remember "usable" English words, such as not knowing the nuances of what kind of scene to use, or words not appearing during conversation. I will.

Also, if you memorize a large number of English words at one time and neglect the subsequent review, you will soon forget the words you learned. The human brain is a creature that will be forgotten if it is not practiced over and over again. The time you have learned will be wasted. The results of your studies will follow you later, so you can do it little by little at the beginning, so don't be impatient and work hard every day.

Remember with example sentences

The recommended way to learn English words in junior high school is to "learn with example sentences".

Let's take a look at the following conversational sentence.

Conversation sentence 1

Who is that tall man? He
is our English teacher . His name is Ken. (He is an English teacher. His name is Ken.)

Conversational sentence 2

What's happened , Jun? You look tired. I
don't feel well . I am going home . (I'm not feeling well. I'm about to go home.)

* Underlined English words and idioms learned in junior high school

How about that. With such a conversational sentence, I think there is no resistance to remembering that much.

By memorizing while understanding the context and meaning, you will surely be able to memorize it, and you will be able to immediately use it for actual conversation and composition.

Learn pronunciation while reading aloud English words

It is recommended that you not only follow the letters with your eyes but also read them aloud to learn English words. It is said that by using hearing, people can use hearing as a clue to their memory and make it easier to remember.

Also, pronunciation and spelling have a certain regularity, with some exceptions. This is called phonics. It's a learning method that isn't very familiar in Japan, but it's common for native children to use this phonics to learn spelling. Once you have some pronunciation and words, you will be aware of this regularity.

English grammar

The following table shows the overall picture of English grammar at the junior high school level. Let's look at each grade.

English grammar, like English grammar, needs to be established repeatedly. As with English grammar, use reference books, workbooks, and English grammar apps to memorize example sentences.

However, it is not recommended to blindly memorize the contents of the reference book or solve a large number of problem books. Let's learn efficiently so that you don't work too hard and get tired.

Understand the basics of English part of speech and word order

The five sentence patterns cannot be excluded as the basis of part of speech and word order. The five sentence patterns determine the word order of English sentences. It's the basic of the basics, so let's master it well.

The five sentence patterns are the "skeletons" of the following five types of English sentences.

It represents S = subject (subject), V = Verb (verb), O = Object (object), C = Consonant (complement).

When studying, it is recommended that you first learn the example sentences related to these five sentence patterns. Also, remember the names of part of speech such as adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions so that you can explain the reason why this part of speech is here.

English grammar also outputs well

For English grammar, don't forget to do not only "input-type learning" as mentioned above, but also recite it like English words or create your own original sentences. By doing so, you will be able to promote the establishment of the input content and use the grammar as a living English naturally.

If you are not good at writing English composition with the grammar you have learned, it is a good idea to start by rewriting only a part, such as replacing the English words used in the example sentences of the text. It is also effective to change the present tense to the present progressive tense, past tense, future, and present perfect.

If you can use English words and grammar all the way up to this point, you will be able to have some daily conversation. Even if it is not perfect, if you can master it, it is recommended that you take the opportunity to actually have a conversation, such as an English conversation class or online English conversation.

Reading (long reading comprehension)

Many people who want to strengthen their reading ability have clear goals such as "I want to be able to read accurately as a preparation for English-related qualification exams" and "I want to be able to read emails quickly at work". Probably. One thing to keep in mind in reading learning is to keep reading without planning. It's just time consuming and not very effective. Reading comprehension is difficult to acquire if you have a vague understanding of English words, idioms, and English grammar.

It is recommended to set the following learning goals and study.

・ To be able to read within the time limit

・To understand the intention of the whole sentence accurately

From here, let's take a concrete look at how to study English so that you can read through the English text within the time limit and understand the content correctly.

Incorporate speed reading practice

To read English quickly, you can do it by reading English in order from the beginning like a native speaker. If you understand the English sentence from the back to the front according to the word order of Japanese, it will take time to understand because you have to translate it into Japanese one by one.

To practice speed reading, use a method called slash reading.

<Slash reading method>

1. 1. Separate sentences with slashes (/ = diagonal lines) where conjunctions, prepositions, relative pronouns, commas, etc. are well separated.
2. 2. A group of separated words = Understand the meaning of each chunk in Japanese. Finally sort the meanings in Japanese

At first, add a slash and write the meaning in Japanese under the chunk and read on. At first, it may take a long time or you may not understand it well because you are not used to it. However, as you practice repeatedly, you should be able to read long English accurately and quickly.

Gain experience by solving many reading problems

In order to improve your English reading ability, it is effective to solve many reading problems according to the level of junior high school English and get used to it. To practice speed reading with slash reading, you need to do a lot of training.

Also, when you solve a problem, you need to think not only about the correct and incorrect answers, but also why you get such an answer. At that time, check the Japanese translation to see if your interpretation was correct. It's a good idea to analyze the cause of the wrong problem and review it until you have a convincing answer and reason.

The questions are suitable for Eiken 3rd grade (passable at the junior high school graduation level) or high school entrance exam questions. Let's use a collection of questions with Eiken 3rd grade / junior high school English level and a news site for children for reading learning.

lighting

Once you have some input of English words and grammar, start practicing writing.

The following study methods should be avoided when studying writing.

・ Do not make corrections without writing ・ Do
not handle numbers

Studying writing is effective for applying English grammar and fixing the learned words. If the word order, tense, and spelling are not all accurate, they may not be communicated or misunderstood.

Here, we will look at study methods that improve writing skills.

Have an English teacher or a native speaker correct the English text you made

It is difficult for you to judge whether the English text you created is correct, so it is a good idea to have a native speaker or an English conversation school instructor check it.

A wide range of expressions are possible even in essays that use only junior high school English words and grammar. Therefore, it can be said that the content can be basically dealt with in junior high school English even if the email conveys the composition and work communication matters that have decided the theme.

However, it is difficult to write a cohesive sentence suddenly, so it is ideal to gradually flesh out short sentences to make long sentences. If you can attend an English conversation school, it is a good idea to have your teacher become a pacemaker. Online English conversation is recommended for busy business people. The teacher will follow you on a one-on-one basis, so you can request a check of the English text you wrote. In addition, you will be able to study writing steadily without difficulty because you will be able to consult with your learning pace according to your individual needs.

Write many times and gain experience

As for writing, the more you write, the wider the range of grammar and expressions you can use.

When writing an English composition, start by applying it to the "type" that serves as a template.

For example, in the case of English mail, there are types such as opening greeting, conclusion, text, and closing. Even simple English sentences can be created by combining junior high school level grammar and fixed phrases. Repeat studying English works according to the theme so that you can write sentences that convey your intentions accurately. And, as mentioned above, again, it's ideal to remember to have a native speaker or an English teacher check it out.

You can also write a diary in English. Alternatively, use SNS etc. to post in English and make various ingenuity to get used to the act of "writing English".

listening

Listening comprehension has the advantage of not only being able to hear and understand, but also being able to acquire correct pronunciation.

However, if you are adopting the following study methods, are you in a situation where you cannot easily hear English and just keep waiting for the effect to come out?

・ Keep playing English voice

・ Only listen to English movies and music

・I think that I studied at the level of listening at an English conversation school

When listening skills are required in qualification tests, etc., vocabulary and comprehension skills that can be passed on to others by listening to English and understanding it accurately, such as selecting the correct answer from the options and summarizing what was heard, are required. increase.

Let me tell you the recommended learning method here.

Improve basic vocabulary and grammar

It is important to improve your vocabulary and grammar before listening. If you don't have vocabulary, you won't understand the meaning of a word in the first place, so you won't be able to understand the sentence.

However, at least if you can master the fixed expressions and sentence patterns, even if you hear all the sentences, you can read the hint that predicts "I will say this kind of thing".

For example, if you are listening to the level of Eiken Level 3, you will be able to fully understand the content of the sentence by learning the words and grammar that have already been introduced correctly. If you want to improve your level further, it is recommended that you train by a method called dictation, in which you write down the words you hear.

If you still can't understand it, it means that you lack vocabulary and grammar. If you can't figure out your weaknesses, you can ask a third party. If you are taking one-on-one English conversation lessons, it is more effective to ask the instructor for advice, otherwise you can ask questions using a service that allows you to ask native questions.

Incorporate shadowing to understand English by sound

Shadowing is a learning method that follows the voice and pronounces what you hear. Since your voice and voice overlap, your ability to predict what you hear will be tested. It has the effect of speeding up listening and understanding.

When shadowing, the point is to choose the audio that suits your level. Until you get used to it, you will only hear one or two words, and the voice may go on and on. This shadowing is effective even if you only listen to one or two words. Let's start with a short sentence and gradually lengthen it.

Speaking

Speaking is more instantaneous than listening and reading.

However,
・ I don't talk actively from myself, I just listen passively
・ I'm shy and don't try to talk to anyone

If you repeat these things, your skills will not improve easily.

English conversation can be said to be an application of English grammar. For example, use interrogative pronouns (What, Who, etc.) and interrogative adverbs (When, Why, etc.) to prepare original interrogative sentences and answers, and recite them over and over again. In English conversation, the deciding factor is how quickly you can draw out the conversation.

In addition, some pronunciation is important in English conversation. Even if the English grammar is correct, communication will not be established unless the other party listens to it.

Understand the changes in English sounds

A change in the sound of an English sentence means a change in the pronunciation of a word in a conversation.

For example, change has liaison reduction.

・ Liaison
Liaison means that sound and sound are "connected".

What do you say? (What was that?)

This is pronounced in conversation and sounds like "wha-da-ya-say?".

・ It means that the reduction
sound is dropped. It is known that the g sound of -ing (current participle) is rarely pronounced. Also, in the following sentence, it is rarely pronounced. Words such as at and to may also be misspelled.

Please give it to me! (Please, give it to me!)

Conversational sentences in junior high school English have a lot of voice data. Listen carefully to which sounds are pronounced according to the phonetic symbols of the word and which ones are not. When you actually say the sentence, you can see that it is easier to pronounce it by changing the sound.

Actually talk in English

The best way to improve your conversation skills is to actually use English in conversation. It is only through experience to be able to freely express what you are asked and your thoughts, not just repeating fixed phrases.

If you just do the output, you will continue to use the wrong English. By having them check for pronunciation and grammar mistakes and using the correct grammar and vocabulary, you will acquire really usable English proficiency.

At English conversation schools and online English conversation, you can actually speak in English, which is perfect for speaking training. Especially for online English conversation, you can take classes at a convenient time and have them check one-on-one, so you can work on your studies while controlling your schedule and motivation. Please try to find an environment that is easy to continue so that you will not become a three-day priest.

Conclusion

In order to be able to master all four skills at the junior high school level, it is of utmost importance to practice an efficient study method so as not to waste as much as possible.

Again, English grammar is essential to mastering junior high school English level. If you don't have enough basic skills, try to focus on this English grammar.