THE POWER OF GRAMMAR

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.