GRE FOR NON NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS
As a non native English speaker from Kuwait, you are making a very bold move by stepping out of what is familiar to you, and studying in a foreign country. To take a standardized examination in a language that is not native to you takes a lot of determination. To ensure that you get the best results, begin your test preparation well in advance. Once you feel confident that you are ready to take the exam, you can book the test. There are several GRE test centers in Kuwait you can either reserve a date online, or over the phone. This article will provide you with general advice concerning the GRE for non native English speakers.
According to the Oxford Royal Academy, English is the hardest language to learn. There are several reasons as to why this is true. One of them is that the English language is at times quite illogical, litered with an array of contradictions and conundrums. Native English speakers are accustomed to the syntaxes and idioms that make no sense to someone whom English is not their first language.
One of the hardest things about the language, is the rule of exception. There are several rules that one is expected to adhere to, but every so often there is an exception that completely contradicts everything that you have just been taught.
I could continue to elaborate on the difficulties faced in the English language; however, that is not the purpose of this article. It is now time to explain how to break through the English language barrier.
Even native English speakers find the vocabulary section of the GRE difficult. Some of the wording used is very obscure, so while it may be tempting to simply memorize the list of common GRE words this is not the best route to take.
Thanks to the growth of the internet and social media, you now have access to people from all over the world with just the click of a button. Find a native English speaking pen pal to communicate with on a regular basis.
Books are a great way to learn; however, practical real world application is the best form of learning. The more you practice speaking the language, the easier it will become.
You may not be able to spend all of your time speaking to pen pals, but you can listen to podcasts, watch movies, documentaries, and do a lot of reading. Reading urban books and magazines where slang is used will not suffice; you need to expose yourself to the original English language if you want to master it. Read newspapers such as the New York Times, and magazines such as Harper’s, The New Yorker, and the Atlantic. Choose material that directly interests you so that you can focus more efficiently.
One of the many mistakes made by non native English speakers is that they use words out of context. Pay acute attention to the way in which words are used grammatically. Try and understand how the word is used in its context, and how it relates to the sentences and words surrounding it. This skill is known as “vocabulary in context,” and the more you practice, the better you will become at it.
Whenever you find an idiom or a word that you are not familiar with, look it up in a dictionary. Don’t just memorize the words, but write about them, and describe how you would use them when constructing a sentence.
By continuously surrounding yourself with the English language, it will slowly become embedded within your subconscious mind. The more you use words that are unfamiliar to you; the more it will become natural for you to use them in everyday speech.
You will feel more confident with the quantitative section of the GRE test because math’s is a universal language. The only problem is that some of the questions are presented in the form of a sentence. You will need to understand the vocabulary of math’s in order to answer the question. You will encounter words such as, “percentage,” “fractional,” and “hypotenuse,” in this section. Regardless of how good you are at solving number problems, if you don’t understand the “language of maths,” you will fail. To avoid disappointment, make sure that you spend as much time studying for this section as you do for the vocabulary section.
Asking for help can be a daunting task, especially when the answer may appear simple to someone else. If you want to better yourself, you are going to have to put your pride to one side, and ask for help even if you suspect that you know the answer, but you are not entirely sure.
I hope that these tips to begin your journey in studying the English language have been beneficial to you. English is a complicated language, even native speakers can get lost in its perplexities. By applying the principles outlined to you in these tips, your will enhance your chances of getting a high GRE test score.
