Stop “just memorizing” English and start seeing the big picture
![Picture of Christine](https://www.difficultenglishexplained.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSCF0976Headshot.jpg)
When you are a beginner, you have to do a certain amount of memorization to build a foundation for your language skills. You must memorize the English alphabet and basic vocabulary.
Once you get beyond this early stage, it is important to focus on the patterns of English. When teaching grammar, I focus on the meaning of a particular construction rather than just how to make it. For example, conjugating a verb is a mechanical process. Choosing what verb form to use in a particular situation is not.
When you use English in real life, you must make choices about what words and constructions will communicate what you mean. How do you learn to do this? You don’t learn this by reading a book. You learn by practicing and getting immediate feedback from your teacher.
Some topics in English simply can’t be taught in a mechanical way. Does that mean you can’t learn them? Not at all! The “difficult topics” are difficult because the patterns behind them are not obvious, even to native speakers. What you need is someone who can help you to understand what is going on. That is what I aim to do. I want to help you get past rote memorization and start learning how to express what you mean in English.