Why and How to Stay Updated with the Growing Trends of the English Language?

Language has been the medium of communication for more than a millennium. Language evolved from signs and symbols to letters and words. The English language, in particular, has been in existence since the fifth century. The English that we speak today, the one that’s known as Modern English, has existed since the late fourteenth century.

The language has been evolving since and still does. According to the Global Language Monitor (GLM), around eight hundred to thousand new words are added to English dictionaries every year, and every ninety-eight minutes, a new word is created. This data must be sufficient to make you realise why it is not enough just to know the language but to keep updating your knowledge of the language.

Learning at least one new word every day or a few words every week is a step you need to take consciously. In addition to this, it is also important that you learn the concepts of English grammar and also comprehend its usage. There are multiple ways in which you can do that, the most common ones being – learning grammar rules and working out grammar exercises.

You might wonder if there is a particular order in which English grammar should be learnt. Well, there is no specific rule as such, but it is advised that you start with the basic components that make up sentences and slowly move on to the types of sentences and other topics. Parts of speech can be the first topic you familiarise yourself with. This will help you identify the function of words and also use them appropriately. Once you are done with this, you can move on to phrases and clauses.

The next topic you can choose to learn is sentence structure. You will have to first understand the components of a sentence and how they are supposed to be arranged in a sentence; only then can you construct meaningful sentences. Make sure you have a clear idea of what a subject, verb, object, complement and adjunct are and how to maintain subject-verb agreement in sentences. Work out as many exercises as possible and practise writing sentences every day to master the art of writing.

You can go on to learn how to use figures of speech, degrees of comparison, and active and passive voice in your writing. Literary devices make your writing look a lot more creative and symbolic. Use them wisely to create an impact in the minds of your readers. You can also inculcate the practice of reading. This will help you understand the various styles of writing and also motivate you to experiment with them yourself. It will also give you an insight into different points of view on a specific topic. You will evolve as an individual the more you read. If you are someone who aspires to become a writer or an orator, what better way to improve your language skills than constant exposure to literary texts and continuous writing practice?