You’re probably reading this because your child is struggling with English at school. The trouble with the English language is that it’s challenging to learn for young, native speakers at the best of times – let alone anyone learning it as a second language!
However, the good news is that English doesn’t have to be a struggle for your kids. The following explores why learning English can be tricky for some children and the ways you can help your child overcome any challenges on their learning journey:
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Here are some reasons why English is so hard to learn:
Some Words Have Multiple Meanings
Context is important when using certain words in the English language, and it’s something that catches out lots of kids.
The noun “desert” is a classic example because it can mean a barren landscape, but as a verb, it can also mean to abandon something or someone.
Another example is the word “lie.” If you use it as an adjective, it can mean laying down, or it can mean not telling the truth.
There Are Many Strange Rules
Many native English speakers think it’s an easy language to grasp compared to a few European ones like French or Spanish, for instance. But English does have some strange language rules.
For example, punctuation can play havoc with people trying to communicate a specific message:
- “Your” is a possessive word, whereas “you’re” is a contraction – a combination of the words “you are.”
- You wouldn’t write “your welcome” if someone thanked you, nor would you write “you’re hair looks great.”
The Vocabulary Is Made Up Of Different Languages
Ask any English teacher at school or an online English tutor, and they will all tell you that English is a language made up of several others!
Did you know that over a quarter of all English vocabulary contains words of Germanic origin (which makes sense, as English is a Germanic language)?
Also, around 30% of all English words are of French origin – examples include cul-de-sac, doctor, jargon, sacrament, and zest. There are even many words of Latin origin, like post and villa.
Dialects Can Be Confusing
Despite the British Isles having a small land mass compared to countries in neighbouring mainland Europe, one thing that some kids will find hard to grasp is the diverse number of dialects around them.
London and the South East will typically have similar Southern accents.
However, in the West Midlands, people living in Birmingham and the Black Country (i.e., Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverhampton) will have different dialects despite each location’s close proximity to one another.
How To Make Learning English Easier
Lastly, learning how to write in English can be very challenging for some kids, as you can see. Still, it’s possible to make the learning journey easier to grasp. Here are some examples of how you can help your child better understand English:
- Read lots of books to understand and memorise how words and phrases get constructed and used in various contexts;
- Ask for additional support from your child’s school or your local authority if you homeschool;
- Consider hiring a private tutor for extra-curricular lessons at home.
Roundup: Why is English so hard?
English can be tricky because:
- Weird spelling rules – “Though,” “through,” and “tough” all sound different.
- Tons of exceptions – “I before E except after C”… except when it isn’t.
- Phrasal verbs – “Give up,” “give in,” “give out”—all different meanings!
- Pronunciation madness – “Read” (past) vs. “Read” (present). Same spelling, different sounds.
- Borrowed words – English steals from Latin, French, German, etc., making rules inconsistent.
- Idioms make no sense – “Break a leg” = good luck?
- Word order matters – “Only he loves her” ≠ “He only loves her.”
Are you learning English, or just venting?
*This is a collaborative post