THINKING IN ENGLISH

THINKING IN ENGLISH

Since language is not an abstract entity that is used for producing correct sentences, it is not possible for us to learn by heart all the structures of English and use them. We should be able to produce sentences for unpredictable circumstances

Even before you start to utter a word to speak, your thinking process has already formed the sentence
in your mind. This means that your mind has already made a mental image or linguistic text of the order of the words, the grammar and the vocabulary you need to express that thought. This happens so intuitively that you are hardly aware of it, especially when you are communicating in your mother tongue.

Do you ever consciously pause and think about the next word or sentence when you are having a
conversation in your mother tongue? The answer is you do not, simply because the process of forming and arranging the words is so intuitive to you that they seem to come out without any effort. You may not make any grammatical errors while speaking in your mother tongue, irrespective of whether you are using it in a formal or informal situation or to perform any function. Why? This is because it has become a habit for you to think in that language.
Now, when you are in a situation where you have to use English to communicate, you should be able to do so without any awkward pauses, grammatical or syntactical errors or ambiguity. The thought process that creates the text in your mind to speak or write in English should be as natural and habitual for you as it is in your mother tongue. Think about it. It is not as simple as switching by translating from one language to another. This switch should take place in your mind, before you form the sentence that you are about to speak or write. In the beginning you may find yourself translating from your mother tongue to English as you speak. But that is not thinking in English.

The best way to learn how to think in English is to practice it until it becomes a habit. Your thought
process should find its expression in English itself without the help of the mother tongue. This is not
achieved simply by learning to make sentences according to the rules of English grammar. You will
have to be able to use the rules naturally in any situation.
It means you should try to learn the language by actually using the language. Knowledge of grammar is definitely important. But knowing grammar does not guarantee your competence in English or any language. Your goal should be to use English effectively and appropriately. You should be able to
perform a function in any situation you may not have encountered before. If you think in your mother
tongue, translate it and then speak, your speech will not have the natural flow. There is a good chance
that your mother tongue will influence the way you use grammar and how you pronounce. Thus the best way is to listen to, read and speak the language you are learning (in your case English) as much as possible and try to communicate in that language, rather than by consciously learning grammar. You should synchronize your thought process in such a way that you think as well as speak in English in order to communicate for different purposes of your daily life. Initially it may be a process of trial and error for you. You may not be accurate every time, but gradually you will acquire the required competence.