Until the 1960s, Singapore was a member of the British Commonwealth, establishing English as the language of business and opportunity.
Singapore has three official languages, Malay, Chinese, Tamil or Singlish.
Divided into two categories, the official, Singapore Standard English (SSE) is spoken in all business communication. Singapore Colloquial English (Singlish), is a hybrid version of standard English and the native tongue of the speaker.
Why Is Learning English Important?
The Singapore government’s Speak Good English Movement in 2000, promoted the speaking of standard English throughout Singapore. The goal enables the next generation of business and tech’ professionals to compete globally. Click here for English school.
Below are five simple ways you can quickly learn Standard English.
The World is Your Classroom.
Singapore has many opportunities for immersion in the English Language. Raffles Hotel, named after Singapore’s founder, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, offers a chance to converse with both American and British English tourists.
East Coast Park and Turtle Island provide additional opportunities to speak with native English speakers. Whenever possible, visit or work in tourist-rich areas. They can be great places to practice English.
Speak standard English whenever you can, this is the fastest way to fluency. Work with a partner, or co-worker and give feedback to each other. Order food, ask for directions. Keep practicing, it is amazing how quickly you will learn.
Watch English TV shows, listen to English pop songs, and sing along with a Karaoke machine. These can be fun, fast ways to learn English. YouTube is another great way to quickly listen to the English language. Some of the videos are funny, making memorable learning experiences.
Play Games and Go Tech’
Playing Scrabble with a group of friends, either the board game or online is a fun way to create words, and will help with writing English too!
Language apps’ can be great ways to quickly grasp the English language. Developed to get you fluent in a short period. They offer games, quizzes and other challenges. Do a web search and see which work for you.
Start a Blog
Starting a blog in English makes it possible to track your progress over time. It is a great way to build proficiency in grammar, and writing skills. You could write about the challenges and the fun of learning English. How it has helped your career or other areas of your life. Whatever your reason, blogging is a great way to write about your experiences.
Learning anything new can be challenging. But sticking with it brings rewards. English is one of the most difficult languages to learn, however, by keeping the practices fun, you could be proficient in no time.