Have you ever noticed that foreign English speakers many times use the English language more correctly than English native speakers? There are lots of language formalities that, if not practiced, are simply lost. You may be a native English speaker, but if you never read from reliable sources, or never practice your writing skills you may start missing grammar. Take, for instance, the words “they are”, “their” and “there. Students of English as a second language are literally tired of running into these common mistakes among native English speakers.
Another thing that happens is that many times students of English as a second language have a broader, and perhaps more formal vocabulary. This has to do with the fact that they are taught what is known as Standard English, the language of the BBC. My friend and I were once in the car and we saw a group of people that had come up in protest and they were blocking the street. I said -“the street is cordoned off”-. He thought the way I said it was rather funny -“that’s something you’d hear in the news”- he replied. So I asked how he would express the same idea with different words, and he replied: -“I’d simply say that the street is blocked”- Interesting.
When choosing to take English lessons Vancouver residents and visitors are looking for ways of doing away with these things…that are not mistakes per sei, but they make the language sound unnatural. Being a foreign English speaker can be a advantage, because you can easily spot mistakes like the one we first mentioned (which by the way, is an actual mistake) and also a drawback, because until you get to talk to native English speakers you can mix registers and do other things that make you sound unnatural.
After taking English lessons Washington visitors explained that in order to sound natural it is crucial to learn by a native English speaker. Especially once you are an advanced student, who can listen and understand English perfectly, but needs to brush it up a little bit to avoid certain mistakes, or to improve what is already good in order to sound natural. Besides, it’s not only about ‘sounding’ natural, but also feeling that the language is a part of us.
