By Moon Sang-ho

Does studying English stress you out? If so, you probably have been caught up in the firm belief that as far as English is concerned, learning it by heart is the best policy. Why don't you break from such a tired formula?

In my point of view, English is not what you memorize, but what you need to understand. You might shake your head with in disagreement. However, given that you're not in a situation where you can practice English all day long, it's no exaggeration to say that your English skill depends on how well you understand the basic concept of words.

Let me ask you some questions:

― When talking about means of transport in general, we use by + noun, as in ``John goes to school by bus." But we say ``on foot," not ``by foot." Why?

― Some verbs like the word ``enjoy"should not be followed by the ``to +infinitive" form, but by the gerund (verb + ing) form as in ``Sam enjoys reading. "Why?

― Here are two sentences: one is ``The police 'searched' the criminal." The other is ``The police 'searched for' the criminal." What's the difference?

They're quite simple sentences, aren't they? Unfortunately, most students asked have missed the answers or kept silent. How about you? If you failed to answer, the time has come to look back on your ways of studying based on the ``notorious" rote learning, technique which is more harmful than helpful.

Let's return to the questions mentioned. In the case of the first sentence, the key concept of the ``on" is ``in contact with a surface or touching" as in ``There is a fly on the ceiling." Most students tend to see the meaning of "on" as ``on top of," which is just one of the various meanings of the word.

Here is a simple exercise: ``I can stand 'on my head.'" Do you know what it means? Perhaps you might blurt out, ``I can stand `on top of my head.'" As you might imagine, students usually smile sheepishly scratching their heads. It means ``you can stand or balance vertically with your head and hands 'touching' the floor."

The second question may be rather troublesome if you don't know the basic concept of the word ``to," which is generally compared to a flying arrow. As expected, almost all of the students don't know the accurate meaning of the ``to-infinitive," which means ``not fixed" or ``not happening." When you say '`I enjoy to read," it means you enjoy what's not happening. How can this be possible?

It's fairly interesting to get responses to the third question. The most common answer is: ``One is a transitive verb, the other is an intransitive verb." So what? Some students even say the former sentence may be wrong, since they have been totally accustomed to memorizing the phrasal verb ``search for." The former means the police ``examined" the criminal thoroughly to find out if he had weapons like a gun or something about his person, while the latter means the police ``looked carefully for" the criminal.

The questions mentioned above, of course, are just the tip of the iceberg among countless ``whys" we should question. One of the best ways to improve proficiency in English is to have the habit of asking yourself ``why." Always have an English dictionary within your reach and consult it whenever in doubt. Even if it may cost you a lot of time, keep in mind that it's the shortest way to eliminate burden of fears, to gain confidence, and to stimulate your interest in English.

Simply memorizing is a far shorter route whereas understanding why language behaves the way it does is much longer. Always be ready to ask ``why." Don't be afraid to ask school teachers. Don't shy away from asking foreign English teachers. Let them struggle to find the easiest ways to teach you English. Sometimes, you're unlikely to satisfy your thirst for answers, but don't give up. You can also search for grammar-related Web sites using the Internet as an easy research tool. Don't miss out on chances to write and ask questions in English. The sooner you start, the better.

A Chinese proverb suggests why it is so important to ask ``why" ― One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. Always keep in mind the words of Albert Einstein "the most important thing is to never stop questioning." Asking ``why" will ultimately lead you to a broader world.

The writer worked as a journalist for 10 years for a daily newspaper. After quitting the job about five years ago, he has pursued an interest in English education. He can be reached at jazzhour@naver.com.