As the most common second language in the world, the importance of English cannot be overstated. It's easy to learn English in an environment with native speakers or where the majority speaks the language. The constant interactions help to develop an innate speech process where the mind automatically starts thinking in English. But what if the learner doesn’t have access to such facilities? There are some efficient ways to develop thinking in English even while learning alone. Let's find out.
Why Should You Think in English to Speak Fluently?
There's a popular saying that goes “Your mouth speaks what’s in your heart”. Human beings have the fascinating ability to visualize, think and analyze any situation in their head. The complex ability of the brain allows humans to formulate thoughts into words inside the head before one even speaks.
Thinking in English simply allows a person to repeat with their mouth what’s in their head. Most people shy away from English because they are afraid to make a mistake or stutter. Sure enough, it's normal to make mistakes upfront. But the notion that a thought itself can be conceived in English rather than having to translate it, makes a world of difference when it comes to achieving fluency.
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How to Train Your Mind and Brain to Think in English
The One Word Drill
The one-word drill is a highly effective method of developing English vocabulary. And it requires no extra emphasis that a strong vocabulary makes for effective command of the language.
In this method, the learners will have to simply go through the names of the objects they see in front of them in English. For example, you are walking down the road and you see a tree or a car. Try and repeat them in your head in English rather than in your native tongue. Make a habit out of this process. The brain will eventually start to identify the objects around you in English subconsciously.
One important heads-up here is to constantly learn new words as well. Because the process becomes useless if you see something and can't find the English word for it. Even if such cases arise, follow the next point.
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Delineate Unknown Words
It's normal for a person learning English to not know the name of many things or objects around us. Developing the vocabulary is a constant process and even the natives have a brain fade at times. But that doesn’t mean you should give up. Instead, it offers you the ability to expand on the one-word drill and make a sentence out of it.
Try and describe the unknown word in your head using simple and easy English. For example, you entered the “Kitchen” but can’t recount the name. What do you associate with a Kitchen? “A place where cooking is done”. That’s it, the single word is now replaced with a complete sentence. Keep repeating the process as it's an effective way to develop sentence structuring fluently while speaking.
Recount the Day
Another great way to start thinking in English is to recount the day. It's natural to feel stuck at first with what to think. Recounting the day in the evening or at night gives an easy way to deep dive into processing thoughts.
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Think about when you woke up, or what you had for breakfast? How was the weather? What about lunch and the commute? All of these make for an effective and meaningful structuring inside your head.
Similarly, you can plan your day when you wake up, all in English and your head. Regardless of how you do it, it’s habituating the brain to feel comfortable in thinking away from the native tongue.
Strike a Conversation in Your Head
Okay, so this might feel like something straight out of the Hollywood movie “Fight Club” but it's also an effective way to excel in one-to-one communication.
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You don’t have to have a conversation with a partner to practice speaking English. Rather make up a scenario in your head and ask questions. Think of the possible replies and counter replies. It doesn’t have to be completely meaningful as long as it makes sense. This trick will help to build confidence for actual real-life conversations.
Keep Notes
Whether it’s the one-word drill, imaginative scenario, or delineating unknown words, each of these tasks will eventually introduce completely new words. The best way to retain these new words is by taking notes.
Try to take 5 to 15-word notes daily and look up their meaning from the dictionary. Recount them after a few days of learning from the notebook. This is a much more effective way than simply crunching on vocabulary.
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Follow English to English Dictionaries
Speaking of dictionaries, many people use English as their native tongue. This process should be avoided. Yes, it's important to properly understand what a word means but English to English dictionaries explain each word in a single term. So, if you have enough expertise to look up a word in the dictionary, you will also be good enough to understand the meaning written beside. It also helps you to develop the second method we discussed earlier.
Remember, the goal here is to develop a through and through English thinking capability. A native dictionary will only hinder the process.
Practice, Practice, and More Practice
Practicing is the ultimate process in honing each of the methods mentioned above. None of these methods will work unless there is a regular practice. It's not like you have to give a set time to the process each day. Just make sure you are incorporating them into your routine little by little.
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Eventually, it won’t feel like a task anymore. And more importantly, it will help you make a significant stride in speaking English fluently.
Final Words
The process of learning English is both easy and difficult. It's difficult for those who bind the language learning process in just textbooks. But for those who incorporate the language into daily life and thoughts, the process becomes significantly easy for them. So far we have discussed some easy and practical ways to think in English. If you can train your mind and brain for thinking in English, you can grab the ability of speaking English smoothly. Hope it helps!