A well-known Russian proverb says: "Don't poke forward, don't trail in the tail, don't push in the middle." But when it comes to the level of English, is it so bad to be in the middle? In this article we will characterize the most common level of knowledge of the English language - Intermediate.
The levels of knowledge of the English language are characterized by the following parameters:
Passive, showing how well you perceive:
- Oral speech.
- Written language (i.e. how well you read).
Active, showing how well you will be perceived:
- Speech.
- Writing (how well you write).
Of course, all these skills can be unlocked. In this article, we will not characterize all levels of knowledge of the English language. Intermediate is a level that is either the most desirable goal (if you are just starting to learn a language) or an excellent springboard (if you are planning to live, study or work abroad).
It is from the Intermediate level that the long journey tocountry of English. With this level, you can already count on entering a foreign university (of an average level, of course), or apply for a number of positions in foreign companies.
Those who have reached the Intermediate level will never forget the language. Yes, the suspension of learning will lead to the fact that you will lose part of your vocabulary, forget especially complex grammatical constructions, but the basic, most important knowledge will remain, and if you wish, you can always easily restore what you have lost.
There is another important point. It is known that language acquisition occurs exponentially. As you move forward, you speed up. The more you know, the more you can master. It is the Intermediate level that gives you the opportunity to learn English, getting real pleasure. You can read books and magazines that are of interest to you, keep the conversation alive and deep enough, moving away from boring phrases like: "what is your hobbies?" or "where did you come from?". Yes, many things are still unclear and it will be difficult for you to follow a lecture at the university, but with such a good base, you will begin to involuntarily guess the meaning of new words and be able to expand your vocabulary without stress, just by doing activities that interest you.
What can a person who has an average level of English?
Verbal communication
You still cannot talk about subtle matters, about politics, religion or philosophy, influence the interlocutor, subtly ironize,to use idioms naturally and naturally - all this gives higher levels of knowledge of English. However, your skills are already enough to keep up a conversation with almost every native speaker you meet. If you do not understand something, you can clarify, ask again, nicely apologize. They will understand you and give you a "discount".
You can easily express your opinion or emotions, you can offer an idea. You can tell us about yourself and what interests you. Your vocabulary is approximately 3000 words. In everyday life, almost none of us use more.
Your accent is noticeable, but you speak clearly enough. You can understand the fluent speech of interlocutors, you will distinguish a native speaker from someone who just studied it well. You can watch any popular films, except that science and documentaries will be difficult. You form phrases grammatically correctly, making very minor, rare mistakes.
On a letter
You can read fiction in the original, but not the finest. Classical writers will still be troubled by a plethora of synonymous words and unfamiliar syntactic constructions (many intermediates discover that word order in an English sentence can be indirect). Publicism, newspaper and magazine articles, product instructions are very easy to come by.
The level of understanding of written speechIt also depends on the specifics of your training and interests. If you have learned the rules of English punctuation by studying economics texts, then they will certainly not be difficult for you, although another person with the same level as you will have difficulty. However, no matter what topics you study better, you will be able to understand the main theme of any text in a newspaper or magazine.
You write in relatively simple but grammatically correct sentences. Your style is clear and logical. You can easily write a letter, fill out a questionnaire, describe events, express your opinion. Your writing skills at intermediate level are enough to enter a technical university abroad, but not enough to enter the faculty of journalism - higher levels of English are needed for this.
Thus, higher levels of English are necessary only for those who make serious plans, are going to use English for a specific professional or scientific activity. For them, intermediate is a good, solid base. For everyone else, this level is more than enough to leave English courses and finally learn the language just by using it. The intermediate level is really the sweet spot.
