Advantages & disadvantages of studying english

English is a language that is spoken around the world. It is the official language of the United States, England and Australia, but it is often spoken in other countries as well. There are many advantages to learning how to speak English, but it is a challenging process. It may be the most difficult second language to learn because of all the idiosyncrasies involved in its construction. However, it is worth it for the wealth of information and opportunity it opens up for a person.

When travelling abroad, knowing English is a great advantage. If you want to visit the United States, England or Australia, it will be a great benefit to know how to speak English. In addition, English is often spoken in other countries as an auxiliary language, so it is a good all-purpose language to know to get around on the international scene. English is popular all over the world and would be of great use to a traveller, even if you only know how to converse on a basic level.

Much of the works of academia are being published in English. Many of the most prestigious schools in the world are also English speaking. If you want to further your education in a prominent Western school, you will not be able to do so without learning how to speak English fluently. Not only does the language open up all of the journals of research, it also opens up the wide range of scholars who are English speaking as well.

A great deal of material on the Internet is in English. Not having access to this great source of information is a detriment to anyone who does not know the English language. It also keeps someone from communicating with the millions of people online who are speaking in English via social networking sites. Although other languages are used with these technologies, English dominates. The ability to speak English fluently opens up a world of information and communication for a person.

The main disadvantage of studying English is that it is difficult to learn. Spelling in English is a matter of memorisation because of various words that sound one way and are spelt another. There are many words that have the same or almost the same meaning, making it difficult at times to know which word to use. Words in a sentence can receive different stresses to change the meaning of the sentence, which is not something that occurs commonly in other languages. Conjugating verbs is also a nightmare for English-as-a-second-language students. Learning how to speak English requires a commitment but there are many options for studying the language and increasing fluency.