THE POWER OF GRAMMAR
The English language is one of the most popular languages
to learn, it must be the most spoken language around the
world. And many people choose to learn the language simply to place them in a better position to
secure work, or to communicate more effectively with others. English might be a
popular language to learn, but this doesn't necessarily mean that it is a
simple language to use. However, there are many challenges people face when
learning English, and if you are aware of this issue, you can overcome any situation
using the language. Stephen
King said once: “Grammar is… the pole you grab to get your thoughts up on their
feet and walking.” It is a really important part in the language; furthermore,
there are also some problems people face when learning it. The main issue is
grammar itself, it is a little complicated to understand since every language
has its structure. Then we have vocabulary, ESL students always face a problem
here, and it is difficult to decode what word to use in any situation. And
finally, word order is another issue many people who learn a new language have.
Grammar is something difficult to understand; however,
it is the most important part in any language. With grammar, we can convey a
very accurate message when talking or writing to other people. It is important
to recognize that grammar is used spoken and written language. One of the
problems ESL students have is that they try to use the new grammar they are
studying according to the one they use in their mother tongue. But when they see
that grammar totally differs in both languages, they get disappointed and in
that part of the learning process, many people give up.
Secondly, vocabulary is another issue faced when
learning a new language. In a Spanish speaking country like El Salvador, a very
simple thing can be named in many different ways, and it can be even more
different according to the context. Many people who speak Spanish tend to associate
the English language with Spanish and in that context; they don’t convey a very
accurate message. The problem is that we use many words that are very similar
in in Spanish. For example “Repeticion” that in English is Repetition. But when
we say “Repollo” people think it is “Rechicken” since “pollo” means chicken. Vocabulary
is a really difficult topic to talk about.
Finally word
order has been a really big problem when speaking and writing. In Spanish,
people always use adjectives after the noun when they describe something. Example
“Carro bonito” in this peculiar case, “Carro” means “Car” and “Bonito” means beautiful.
In this case, people mostly translate it in the same order their use it in
their mother tongue. If this example were from Spanish to English “Carro Bonito”
would be translated as “Car beautiful” which sounds awful. People get confused
with the order of words. It has been one of the most difficult issues with ESL
students that are in a basic level.
Grammar is a really powerful tool and it opens a lot
of doors for people who want to learn something new. One of the most important things
is to understand it and to use it in the most appropriate way. We have to understand
that if we want to use the language in a very accurate way, we have to pay
attention to this beautiful thing which is grammar. Grammar is like math, it
has its structure, and if the structure is not well used, it can cause a lot of
misunderstandings.
