English Language: Complex But Easy - Essay Example

English Language: Complex But Easy The English language has attracted the attention of many for its seeming complexities of spelling, pronunciation, and meaning to some extent. Efforts have been made to simplify them, which still continue. It is arguable if they really warrant change. Recently, I happened to meet my former English teacher. He kept students motivated. The expectation of perfection in his students was reflected by his own. This professor emphasized the observance of the rules of grammar and could never tolerate a mistake in spelling, composition, or structure.

My teacher was also critical on the present controversy demanding changes. In class my mentor went to the extent of saying that the complexities contribute to the strength of the language. In addition, the feeling that the English language has proved itself to be polite, graceful, and does not need any change was expressed in the classroom. I appreciated his stand as since we both belonged to a different age altogether. . I had a pleasant experience when I defeated others in a spelling bee despite the great number of participants.

The challenge proved exciting to find them providing examples, all queer but meaningful. The teacher gave me examples of the words, which spelt differently from what they were pronounced. I paused for a while and words beginning with psych came in a flash. I quoted Psychology and words related like psyche, psychiatrist, psychosomatic, and so forth. Next, I was to give examples of words having like sounds, but had different spelling and meaning. I received quick questions to place stationary/stationery, weak/week, seize/cease, and other homonyms.

Once mastering a difficult word really wrecked my nerves. The spellings of a number of diseases are hard, but one word from literature took me time to learn. The word onomatopoeia took some time to learn to spell as well as pronounce. After close examination of the English language, I have found the process painstaking. I have succeeded in learning the basics of English. The words for synonyms and antonyms were uncommon and obscure. I could get at the meaning without great difficulty. The other questions were not that difficult.

Learning the English language as a foreign language proved difficult initially particularly because each word had more than one meaning. Therefore, the rules of grammar posed another problem. Everything became easy after I obtained mastery over ‘tense.’ Grammar is of help, great writers say, only in giving correct expression. The rest will follow. Nobody should be afraid of grammar; this is what I discovered.