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Have you ever had the following experience?
- You’ve studied English for years, but you don’t feel like you can speak it.
- You said “The earthquake destroyed the wall of my house” when you should have said “The wall of my house destroyed the earthquake.”
- You’re so focused on what you’re saying that you don’t remember what the other person said.
But don’t worry.
By reading this article,
- You’ll understand the importance of English grammar!
- You’ll understand why you’re not good at English grammar!
- You’ll understand how to study English grammar efficiently!
- You’ll find a study method that suits you!
- The pioneers of English who were at the mercy of the times!
It’s full of information that you can’t find anywhere else.
Please take your time to read through it.
[Japanese translation]
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Introduction
Today, we may not have had the strange fate of learning English like the people at the end of this article.
Fortunately, we have the opportunity to learn English from elementary school through college.
But despite this, why is it that so many Japanese people have such difficulty speaking English?
- If you live in Japan, you can live comfortably with just Japanese.
- Many people do not need to communicate in English.
- There are many other things they would rather do than practice English conversation.
There are probably various reasons like this for each person.
According to the 2023 “EF EPI” (English Proficiency Index) data, Japan was ranked 87th out of 113 countries in the world.
- 1st place: Netherlands
- 2nd place: Singapore
- 3rd place: Austria
- 4th place: Denmark
- 5th place: Norway
- 20th place: Philippines
- 49th place: South Korea
- 82nd place: China
- 87th place: Japan
This data also shows that Japanese people have low English proficiency.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has set a goal of Eiken Grade 3 for junior high school students and Eiken Grade Pre-2 for high school students.
The ministry carried out major education reforms in 2020, making English education compulsory from elementary school onwards.
Third and fourth graders will have the opportunity to experience English, and fifth and sixth graders will begin English classes.
The policy has shifted from the traditional reading and writing-centered learning to one that focuses on speaking and listening.
We can expect great things from this in the future.
However, mastering English still seems to be a difficult task for many Japanese people.
The reasons for this include:
- Very few people around who can speak English.
- Very few Japanese teachers can teach in English.
- The language systems of English and Japanese are extremely different.
English is usually structured in the order of subject + verb + object (SVO), while Japanese is structured in the order of subject + object + verb (SOV).
English: SVO (subject + verb + object) I speak Japanese
Japanese: SOV (subject + object + verb) I Japanese speak
English has strict word order, and if you use the wrong order, the meaning will not be understood.
For example, if you write “Ate an apple I” instead of “I ate an apple,” the meaning will not be understood.
On the other hand, Japanese has particles, so word order is quite free.
Inversions such as “ate an apple I” are commonly used in everyday conversation.
Also, in Japanese, we often speak with the situation and environment in mind, and the subject is often omitted.
For example, the subject is not specified in expressions such as “The roads were improved.” and “Infection control measures were strengthened.”
This is because it is clear that the subject of “The roads were improved” is “the people who understand the road conditions well,” and the subject of “Infection control measures were strengthened” is “we, the people.”
As such, there are big differences between the linguistic systems of English and Japanese, making it difficult to simply translate from Japanese to English or from English to Japanese.
Ultimately, the most important thing in English education is to develop the ability to think in English.
To achieve this, it is necessary to understand that English grammar is merely a tool, and understanding this tool is not the ultimate goal.
English grammar forms the skeleton of English and supports the muscles that are called vocabulary.
Understanding this tool makes it easier to guess the meaning of unknown words and to grasp the meaning of English sentences.
It is also important to always keep in mind that the ultimate goal of English learning is to speak English and enjoy novels and movies.
Even so, English grammar is difficult
Everyone has different goals for learning English and different levels of English grammar they need.
For example, it is said that basic English grammar learned in junior high school is sufficient for everyday conversation.
However, if you want to use business English, you will need advanced knowledge of English grammar to pass tests such as TOEIC.
In either case, it is important to set the level of English grammar you need depending on your goals.
English grammar is a tool for understanding the skeleton of English and supporting the muscles called vocabulary.
It is important to be aware of this.
Grammar terms and rules are difficult to remember
When you open an English grammar book, you will find many technical terms and rules.
Even if you understand these, it is only an understanding in Japanese, and it is often difficult to apply them in real situations.
English education in schools still places emphasis on tests and exam preparation.
Therefore, learning in the form of questions is the main focus, and students may be faced with problems that even native speakers find difficult.
Even if you get a good score on a test, it does not directly lead to an improvement in your actual communication skills.
The more serious you are, the more frustrated you may feel when you do not get the results you expected, even though you try hard, and it may become difficult for you to continue studying English.
You may also be afraid of making mistakes, feel anxious about speaking accurately, and be unable to communicate proactively.
The more you learn English, the more knowledge you will gain, and the stronger your fear of making mistakes will become, and you will not be able to enjoy English.
In this situation, learning English, which should be enjoyable, will become painful.
How to study English efficiently
Clarify your goals and choose study materials that fit those goals.
This is the first step to starting to study efficiently.
If you are starting over at the beginner level, it is best to start with junior high school level English grammar materials.
However, you don’t have to force yourself to memorize the materials you choose.
The important thing is to look at the same materials over and over again.
By studying repeatedly, you will naturally become accustomed to the materials, and the knowledge will penetrate your mind without relying on rote memorization.
This is the most effective way to study.
To learn English practically and efficiently, keep the following points in mind.
Once you have absorbed the English grammar, it’s time to practice using it!
When English grammar has naturally become ingrained in your mind, you will be able to create English sentences based on its rules, to the extent that you have memorized it.
It will also increase your desire to try using sentences that follow those grammar rules in actual conversations.
In this way, knowledge of English grammar that has become ingrained in you will be a great asset and will be useful in a variety of situations.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and speak English actively!
As your knowledge of English grammar deepens, you will naturally and smoothly recall short sentences that were previously difficult to remember.
As a result, you will be able to speak English actively without fear of making mistakes, and you will find using English enjoyable.
Even if you make a mistake, the experience will teach you to try not to make that mistake next time.
And you will be able to say it without making any mistakes in actual conversations.
Making mistakes is an important part of practice, and it leads to greater growth.
Summary
In English learning, it is important to master grammar, but even more importantly, it is important to put the knowledge you have learned into practice.
Here, we have summarized effective learning methods and points for growth.
1. Natural absorption of grammar
Instead of forcing yourself to memorize English grammar, it is effective to learn by repeatedly touching the material and letting it soak into your head naturally.
When you naturally acquire grammar knowledge, you will be able to write sentences that follow the grammar smoothly.
2. Practical application
Grammar knowledge that has naturally absorbed will be able to be actively used in actual conversations.
Even if it is a simple sentence at first, by trying to use it in a practical situation, you will be able to speak English with confidence.
At this stage, by trying to actually use it instead of relying on grammar, your English ability will improve dramatically.
3. Attitude of not being afraid of mistakes
In English learning, making mistakes is an important step for growth.
By experiencing mistakes, you will remember not to make the same mistake next time, and as a result, you will be able to speak English more accurately.
Not being afraid of mistakes and taking on challenges will lead to improvement of your English ability.
4. Continue to challenge yourself
English learning is not something that will produce results overnight.
By strengthening your knowledge of grammar and continuing to use it in practice, you will gradually improve.
Continuous challenges will ultimately produce great results.
As mentioned above, knowledge of grammar is certainly important when learning English, but it is even more important to use it in real communication situations.
By using English actively without fear of making mistakes, you can learn while having fun.
The experiences and lessons you gain in the process will greatly improve your English ability.
In English learning, the most important key to success is the attitude of continuing to challenge yourself.
Let’s continue to do your best!
[Reference] Pioneers of English at the mercy of the times
William Adams
William Adams was born in Kent, England in 1564 and is known as the first Englishman to come to Japan.
In Japan, he is known by the name “Miura Anjin”.
At the age of 12, Adams began working as an apprentice at a shipyard, where he studied shipbuilding, astronomy, and navigation for 12 years.
He then experienced being a captain in the Royal Navy and an Arctic explorer.
At the age of 34, Adams joined the Dutch Oriental Expedition and set sail for Asia as chief navigator.
Voyages at that time were very dangerous, with attacks from local natives, harsh winters in the Strait of Magellan, and the difficulty of securing food.
The five ships gradually dwindled, and eventually only one ship remained, the one Adams was on.
The ship drifted ashore in Sashio, Usuki City, Oita Prefecture, Japan, in April 1600.
This was just six months before the Battle of Sekigahara.
It took one year and ten months from leaving the Netherlands to arriving in Japan.
Fortunately, the Japanese Shogun at the time, Tokugawa Ieyasu, invited Adams to Osaka Castle.
Ieyasu recognized Adams’ talent and gave him a mansion in Nihonbashi, Edo, after winning the Battle of Sekigahara.
Ieyasu appointed Adams as a diplomatic advisor to the Shogunate, and Ieyasu himself learned mathematics and geography from him.
Ieyasu’s senior vassals also learned gunnery, navigation, and astronomy from Adams.
In 1604, Ieyasu ordered Adams to build Japan’s first Western-style sailing ship.
Adams used the sandbar at the mouth of the river to build the ship using the “sand dock method.”
He dug a hole in the sand, laid logs in it, built a boat and a waterway, and launched the completed boat into the sea.
Ieyasu rewarded Adams for his achievements by giving him land in Yokosuka, two swords, and the name “Miura Anjin.”
Thus, William Adams became a “samurai,” married Oyuki, the daughter of an Edo merchant, and had two children.
Adams made a great contribution to Japan’s maritime trade and died in Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture, in 1620.
His son, Joseph, followed his father’s will and erected a gravestone in Yokosuka.
This area is now maintained as “Tsukayama Park” and is also known as a famous cherry blossom viewing spot.
Next to Anjin’s grave is the grave of his wife, which has been designated a national historic site.
Yokosuka is also a sister city of Medway, England, where Adams was born.
John Manjiro
John Manjiro, also known as Nakahama Manjiro, was a Japanese man who was shipwrecked while fishing and rescued by an American whaling ship and made his way to America.
John Manjiro was born in 1827 in Tosashimizu, Kochi Prefecture, as the second son of a poor fisherman.
When he was nine years old, he lost his father and life became even tougher, so he started working at a young age.
When Manjiro was 14 years old, he was shipwrecked while fishing and drifted with several friends for several days.
They eventually reached Torishima, an uninhabited island in the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
After 143 days of survival, the American whaling ship John Howland found them and decided to take them to America.
At the time, Japan was in a state of isolation, so they could not be sent back to Japan.
After arriving in the United States, Manjiro was adopted by a man named John Whitfield and lived in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
He studied English, mathematics, surveying, navigation, and shipbuilding at school, and achieved excellent grades.
After graduating, Manjiro decided to return to Japan, and set sail from Honolulu for Japan in 1850.
The following year, he landed in Kagoshima, and after a lengthy interrogation, he was able to return to his hometown for the first time in 12 years.
After that, Manjiro became highly valued by the shogunate, and began to call himself Nakahama Manjiro.
In 1853, Matthew Perry, commander of the American East India Squadron, arrived in Uraga with four warships and urged Japan to open its borders.
For this reason, Manjiro was ordered by the shogunate to engage in various activities such as translation and interpretation, commanding shipbuilding, and teaching.
In 1860, John served as an interpreter and technical instructor on the mission to exchange documents of ratification of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan.
In the novel Robinson Crusoe, written by the British author Daniel Defoe, the protagonist Robinson is stranded on a deserted island and overcomes various challenges during his 28 years of solitary life.
In this novel, Robinson displays the wisdom and courage required to survive on the deserted island.
Similarly, John Manjiro, as a real person, gives us a sense of his tough lifestyle and determination to survive.
Hirobumi Ito
Hirobumi Ito was recognized for his excellent English skills and was later chosen as the Prime Minister of Japan.
He was also the portrait model for the 1,000 yen banknote of the Bank of Japan issued in 1963.
In August 1864, the combined fleet of the four nations of Great Britain, France, America, and the Netherlands attacked the Choshu Domain in retaliation for an attack on a foreign ship.
At that time, Hirobumi Ito was the only interpreter on board the flagship of the combined fleet and conducted peace negotiations.
In 1871, when a mission was sent to the United States, Hirobumi Ito accompanied the mission as deputy envoy and gave a speech in English at a welcoming party in San Francisco.
This speech was highly praised, and his excellent English skills became widely known.
In 1895, the New York Tribune published a letter from Hirobumi Ito to banker Henry Crews.
In 1904, when the Russo-Japanese War broke out, his letters were published in the New York Times.
His English writing skills were so good that he was even featured in American newspapers.
In his letters, he stated that “Japan is fighting not only for its own interests, but also for the sake of fair trade.”
It was his study abroad in England that led Ito Hirobumi to learn English.
From September 1863 to March 1864, he stayed in London and stayed in the home of Alexander Williamson, a professor at University College.
In just six months, Ito had acquired enough English skills to be able to carry out everyday conversations, and even after returning to Japan, he continued to subscribe to new foreign books and English newspapers.
In this way, Ito Hirobumi became an international politician and eventually rose to the position of Prime Minister of Japan.
Umeko Tsuda
The new 5,000 yen note issued in July 2024 features a portrait of Umeko Tsuda, who dedicated her life to the education of Japanese women.
Umeko Tsuda was the first Japanese female student to study in the United States in 1871.
She was only 6 years old at the time.
In the United States, she was raised by Charles Lyman, secretary of the Japanese Embassy, as if she were their own daughter.
Umeko returned to Japan in 1882, but at that point she could barely speak Japanese.
Later, in 1889, she returned to the United States to study at Bryn Mawr College.
After graduating, Umeko returned with a strong sense of mission to “create a good school for Japanese women” and laid the foundation for Tsuda University.
