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I have recently joined two courses in English, one focuses on creative writing, and the other on academic writing.
I will try to summarise each weekly class here; for the start I would like to share with some ideas and methodology.
During the process of improving our English, we tend to ask questions about how to master it, how to learn new words, how to become fluent in a chosen language.
There are a few myths that circulate over the world that I have never agreed to and finally I have found out that there are people who think the same. That is really refreshing.

1. Read a lot to increase your vocabulary.
Reading is great, but it helps you increase only your passive vocab.

2. Learn words from the context.
Some words you may acquire in such a way, but not many. There is an example:

'Natural gold may contain the light of the sun, but minted gold becomes a 'symbol of perversion and the exaltation of unclear desire.' Sir Thomas More confirms this moral distinction in his Utopia, reserving its gold not for finery but for making chamberpots.'Periodic Tables, by Hugh Aldersey-Williams (HarperCollins, 2011)

Now, how you may figure out the meaning of 'finery' and 'chamberpots'?

3. Everyone may acquire a language the same way children do, by listening and speaking without any effort; there is even a name for it: effortless language acquisition.

If your goal is to use about 2000 English words and mainly speak with friends, then, well, it may be the truth for you. 

For others, with the goal of becoming a fluent speaker and writer, this is just a false idea. Remember the saying, 'No pain, no gain.' And that means work hard on your English. 
Hard work does not mean digging up something heavy, but putting aside time for English. As for me, it means to write about grammar and to write in English as much as possible. And it is not hard work for me at all, all is fun really. Sometimes a lack of discipline or laziness diverts me from my path. But, after all, we sometimes need holidays.

My idea for the next step in my journey in English is to write down words, expressions from a book or a film and then use them in my own writing. That should improve my active vocabulary and the correct spelling. 



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