A famous Russian proverb says: "Go ahead, do not poke around, do not lag in the tail, do not push in the middle." But when it comes to the level of the English language, is it really 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, demonstrating how well you perceive:
- Spoken language.
- Written language (i.e. how well you read).
Active, showing how well they will receive you:
- Speech.
- Writing (how well you write).
Of course, all these skills can be revealed. In this article, we will not describe all levels of knowledge of the English language. Intermediate is the level that is either the most desired goal (if you have just started to learn the language) or an excellent springboard (if you plan to live, study or work abroad).
It is from the Intermediate level that a great path begins in the country of English. With this level, you can already count on entering a foreign university (intermediate level, of course), or apply for a number of positions in foreign companies.
One who has reached the Intermediate level will never forget the language. Yes, pausing the study will lead to the fact that you will lose part of your vocabulary, forget particularly complex grammatical constructions, but the basic, most important, knowledge will remain, and if you wish, you can always easily restore what you lost.
There is another important point. It is known that language acquisition occurs
exponentially. Moving forward, you are accelerating. The more you know how, the more you are able to 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 interesting to you, keep the conversation alive and deep enough, moving away from boring phrases like: "what is your hobbies?" or "where came you from?". Yes, a lot is still incomprehensible, and it will be difficult for you to take a lecture at the university, but with such a good base, you will begin to involuntarily guess the meaning of new words and you can expand your vocabulary without stress, just doing interesting activities.
What can a person who has an average level of English?
In oral communication
You still cannot talk about subtle matters, about politics, religion or philosophy, influence your interlocutor, subtly ironize, use idioms at ease and naturally - all this is provided by higher levels of English. However, your skills are already enough to support a conversation with almost every native speaker you meet. If you do not understand something, you can clarify, ask again, sweetly apologize. They will understand you and make you a "discount".
You easily express your opinion or emotions, you can offer an idea. You can talk about yourself and what you are interested in. Your vocabulary is approximately 3,000 words. In everyday life, almost none of us consumes more.
Your accent is noticeable, but you speak clearly enough. You can understand the fluent speech of the interlocutors, you distinguish the native speaker from the one who simply studied it well. You can watch any popular films, unless scientific and documentary will be difficult. You compose phrases grammatically correctly, making very minor, rare mistakes.
On the letter
You can read fiction in the original, but not the most refined. Classical writers will still cause difficulties with an abundance of synonyms and unusual syntactic constructions (many who have reached the Intermediate level discover that the word order in the English sentence can be indirect). Very easily given journalism, newspaper and magazine articles, instructions for the goods.
The level of understanding of written language also depends on the specifics of your training and interests. If you studied the rules of English punctuation, studying texts on economics, then, of course, they will not be difficult for you, although another person with the same level as yours will have difficulties. However, no matter what topics you have studied better, you can understand the main topic of any text in a newspaper or magazine.
In a letter you express yourself in relatively simple but grammatically correct phrases. Your syllable is understandable and logical. You can easily write a letter, fill out a questionnaire, describe events, express your opinion. Your written skills at the intermediate level are enough to enter a technical foreign university, but not enough to enter the journalism faculty - this requires higher levels of English.
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 all others, this level is more than sufficient, allowing you to leave English courses and, finally, learn the language just by using it. The intermediate level is really the golden mean.