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language learning

How Can I Learn English Online

The internet makes it possible to learn a language online like you never could before. But make sure you are using your time wisely! Use these five tips to help learn English as quickly and easily as possible.

1. Watch Videos

One of the best things about the internet, when it comes to language learning, is that there is more video than ever. One of the most important things you can do to learn a language is expose yourself to as much of it as possible, and with YouTube you could watch videos in English for years on end!

Turn on the English subtitles to help yourself understand and to build multiple skills at once!

2. Set Goals

Technology also helps us to track and plan our behavior. Consistency is important to language learning, and tools like Google Calendar can help us to build the regular study skills and habits that will result in faster, lasting language learning.
Google Calendar has this really cool Goals feature that is helpful for everything from exercising to learning English!

3. Communicate in Groups

Interaction is an essential part of language learning, and a whole lot of the internet is in English. This means you have a massive environment for learning and using English online. Use whatever website or social network you like! There are even Facebook groups dedicated to learning English!

4. Record Yourself

Recording yourself, watching yourself, and noting where you need to improve are great ways to develop your English. It can be uncomfortable at first, but you need to get outside of your comfort zone to develop your language! This can be especially helpful for your pronunciation!

5. Read!

It’s great that you’re reading about English, don’t forget to read in English.
Many students underestimate the importance of reading in English, but reading is essential for building your vocabulary! Spoken English is mostly just the first 2,000 words in English. You need much, much more than that to become fluent, and the more advanced words are more common in written English.

The internet is full of accessible texts in English! Get lost on Wikipedia and start building that vocabulary!

What is Ginseng?

Well, you already know that Ginseng is an online English school. But as we talk to more and more people around the world about Ginseng, we’ve learned that more and more people want to know about the word ginseng:

  • What does it mean?

  • How do you pronounce it?

  • Why is it the name of an English school!?!?

Well, ask and you shall receive. Let's get some answers to those questions!

What is Ginseng?

Ginseng Root

Ginseng Root

Ginseng is a plant! And it's a funny plant because the root—the underground part of the plant—is more famous than the flowers and leaves.

Ginseng has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries to help people relax. Some people even say it improves your memory!

The word ginseng comes from the Hokkien pronunciation (/jîn-sim/)of the Chinese word (人参) for the plant. That literally translates to person-root, because the root often has two “legs” and looks like a person.

How do You Pronounce Ginseng?

First, that G is soft. This means it sounds like an English J, as in jump. G is often—but not always—pronounced this way when it is before either an E or an I.

The first syllable sounds exactly like the word gin, a common alcohol. It also sounds like the first syllable in ginger, another root.

The last syllable sounds exactly like the English word sing. The E is pronounced like a short I sound. (Note: some people pronounce the -seng with a short E sound, but that's not what we say for Ginseng English).

The stress in the word is on the first syllable. So all together, the word ginseng is pronounced jin-sing (IPA: /ˈdʒɪn sɪŋ/).

Why did you name the school Ginseng?

Lots of reasons! Many of the best brands out there are not literal descriptions of what the company does. Think about Google, Nike, Mercedes. This was the type of brand we wanted. We didn't want to be Rob’s Online English School. We wanted something more abstract and suggestive, something evocative.

Early logo for Engma English

Early logo for Engma English

The first idea was Engma, the name for this symbol: ŋ. After a while, we decided that this was a little too esoteric and just didn't work for our company.

Ginseng worked better for a couple of reasons:

We first started considering this name because of its sound. It’s one of the only other words in which the letters E-N-G are pronounced /ɪŋ/ like they are in Eng-lish. 

Also, ginseng has lots of positive connotations: it's relaxing and it helps your memory. These are two very important things for learning a language!

What about that logo?

Ginseng root is often made into a relaxing tea, so our logo is a steaming cup of tea to help you relax while you learn English with us! As you may have noticed, it’s also our letter G, upside-down!

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What is Ginseng?

5 Myths About Learning English

5 Myths About Learning English

5 Myths about Learning English

Learning English is tough. And it's even tougher because there's lots of bad information about what makes good education. Today, let's look at five myths—things that many people believe, but that are not true—about learning English.

1. We learn vocabulary and grammar in the order that we study.

Myth #1 We learn in the order we study

Many students assume that there is a logical order to the English grammar items and vocabulary words that you should try to study. They think that if we arrange things from "simple" to "complex" and study them in that order, we will learn them in that order. Most English textbooks are designed around this idea, but that simply isn't how it works.

Research shows that, yes, there are some basic patterns. But many factors, such as your first language, can really change the order that you learn grammar or vocabulary. This does not necessarily mean that we should not study grammar or vocabulary directly, but most experts now say that the curriculum should be based around something other than grammar topics.  

“Some studies suggest that second language learners acquire a second language in different orders depending on their native language.”
— Language Teacher Toolkit

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2. Native speakers are better teachers

Myth #2 Native speakers = better teachers

There are English schools around the world that advertise, "English Lessons with Native English Teachers!" These are especially common online (see below). And many English learners seem to share the idea that native speakers are the best teachers. But why?

An ad emphasizing "native speakers."

An ad emphasizing "native speakers."

A native speaker of English did not have to study and learn the language as an adult. They haven't necessarily experienced all the same challenges and struggles as someone who learned the language at a later age. Native speakers can often follow English grammar patterns without knowing what that grammar pattern is, so they can do it but they cannot teach it.

“‘All sorts of people are fluent, but only a tiny proportion of them are sufficiently aware of the structure of the language that they know how to teach it.’ ”
— David Crystal

They can probably pronounce TH, but they might not be able to tell you how to pronounce TH. In other words, a native speaker might have the ability to speak English very well, but they often don't have the skills needed to teach English well. As linguist David Crystal puts it, "All sorts of people are fluent, but only a tiny proportion of them are sufficiently aware of the structure of the language that they know how to teach it." In many ways, a non-native English speaking teacher can be more helpful than a native speaker! Of course, there are very good native and non-native teachers, but skill and qualification as a teacher is much more important than your first language. 

Check out this article at TEFL Equity Advocates to learn more about how we select the best teachers at Ginseng.

3. Accuracy is the most important thing

Myth #3 Accuracy is most important

So many of my students tell me that they want me to correct them every time they make a mistake in their speaking or writing. My response is, "No, no you don't want that." When students ask this, they assume that English is all about accuracy, and that improving your English means eliminating errors from your English.

But English is about a lot more than accuracy. In fact, focusing too much on accuracy can really limit your fluency, your ability to speak rapidly and naturally, and fluency is an important part of language learning. If you are too worried about making mistakes, you might also avoid more challenging, complex structures, and complexity is another important part of language learning. As your understanding of the language develops, you need to try more complex sentences and structures, and you will make mistakes as you experiment. Those mistakes are important, and if you have someone correcting you every time you make a mistake, you won't experiment as much!  

Accuracy is important but it's not everything! We need to balance accuracy, fluency, and complexity as we learn English. 

4. Learning English should be a constant challenge

Myth $4: Learning English should be a constant challenge

Learning a language can be a challenge, but that doesn't mean that everything you do in English class should be as difficult and challenging as possible. Generally, you just want small challenges: new language that is just a little above your current level. This is called comprehensible input. Comprehensible means you can understand it. Input is language that you take in.

But there is also a lot of important language acquisition that happens when you are doing things in English that are not challenging at all! Extensive reading, or easy pleasure reading, is very important to developing your English. So is casual conversation, which can really develop fluency!

Make sure that you spend some time challenging yourself with English that is just above your level, and some time using the English that you already know. Again, it's all about balancing those two!

5. Progress in English is linear

Myth #5 Progress in English is Linear

This can be really frustrating, but learning English is not a straight line from no English to fluent English. Some parts of the language you will learn quickly. Others will take years. Generally we learn a lot in the first year or two that we study, and our learning slows down after that. Sometimes it will even seem like your English is getting worse! Don't worry. All of this is common and part of the process.