If you study a language for any serious length of time, you’re bound to hit a plateau at some point. You gone through a few advance level course books, you know enough grammar to communicate everything you need to, and you already know most of the words you hear on a daily basis.
Language learning isn’t linear; it’s cyclical. You get the basic meaning of a word or the essential usage rules of a grammar structure and move on. Later, you come back to them and learn the more nuances of the word and additional rules of how to use that grammar structure.
When you look at it like this, you probably have plenty left to learn. Act like what you know about the language is only the beginning of what you should know. Because in reality, it probably is compared to what well educated native speakers know.
Of course, it’s not about “big words” and complicated grammar. Ultimately the goal is to express your thoughts as clearly and succinctly as possible. You may already be able to express everything you need to, but maybe your word choice isn’t as precise as it could be or maybe your sentence structure is a little awkward. A lot of what you can do is what a teen student might do to improve their skill in their native language.
Build Your Vocabulary
When you’re already reasonably fluent, you do pick up words with less effort. Unfortunately, it takes more effort to find words you don’t already know. Pick up a newspaper, serious magazine (usually about the arts, science, politics or business) or a novel to read. Every time you get to a word you either don’t know or only vaguely recognize, write it down in a note book. Practice these words the same way you practiced your first words in the language. Create mnemonics for them, make sentences with them, ask some one about the different nuances and connotations.
The Synonym Game
I have a synonym game that usually goes over well with advanced students. You really need a native speak for this one, but it’s something you can do with a language learning partner.
Find a good thesaurus in your target language. Pick a word basic like “beautiful” and list three to five synonyms, such as “attractive,” “pretty,” “lovely,” and “gorgeous.” Discuss the differences. In the example above, gorgeous is much stronger than the others. “Lovely” and “gorgeous” can be used for a things as well as people. “Pretty” is appropriate for a little girl, whereas “attractive” isn’t. “Gorgeous” generally isn’t used by men. I’ve worked with very fluent English speakers who were unaware of these basic differences.
Broaden Your Horizons
Another way to pick up words for your passive vocabulary is to read up on a subject you don’t learn deal with much. Car care skills need some brushing up? Get book on auto maintenance and learn the words for different car parts. Want to improve your eating habits? Pick up a book on cooking or nutrition and learn related vocabulary. You may be surprised at the number of new words you find like this.
Improve Your Grammar
Even when you’re fairly comfortable with the language, you’ll probably still have trouble with a few less commonly used grammar structures. If you’re used to speaking without any real problems, though, you may not be immediately aware of where your stumbling blocks are.
One of the best ways to seek and destroy grammar problems is translation. Translate a reasonably complex text both from your native language to your target language and the other way. Because you’re working with someone else’s thoughts—expressed in ways you might usually avoid—you’ll quickly see which structures give you trouble.
If you find that too easy, look for an advanced level grammar book that offers example sentences and translations. You might also make up your own sentences, translate them, and have your tutor or practice partner check them.
The point is to not go easy on yourself. Don’t settle for good enough or shy away from something that’s confusing. If you sense that you can’t use a particular grammar structure well, instead of “talking around” it, practice it until you can use correctly it without hesitation.
Really Challenge Yourself
If you’re already very fluent in the language, a language teacher may not be the best person to help you go farther. A language teacher is likely to judge you as a non-native speaker and be content with “pretty good for a foreigner.”
Instead, try enrolling in a college course meant for native speakers or working with a writing or public speaking coach who’ll be more inclined to judge you against the native speakers they usually work with. You may not fair too well in the beginning, but that only shows you how much progress you stand to make.
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