1.
Use a dictionary while
you are watching a movie. Films often have the
same words many times, so if you look up important words the first or second
time you hear them, you should have learnt them by the end of the film. It is
easier to use a dictionary if you watch with English subtitles.
2.
Start your own English
language blog. Even for people who
don't have to write in English, writing can be a great way of properly learning
the kind of vocabulary you need to describe your own life and interests, and of
thinking about how to stop making grammar mistakes. The problem most people
have is that they don't know what to write about. One traditional way to make
sure you write every day in English is to write an English diary (journal), and
a more up to date way of doing this is to write a blog. Popular topics include
your language learning experience, your experience studying abroad, your local
area, your language, or translations of your local news into English.
3.
Write a news diary. Another daily writing task that can work for people who would
be bored by writing about their own routines in a diary is to write about the
news that you read and listen to everyday. If you include your predictions for
how you think the story will develop (e.g. "I think Hillary will become
president"), this can give you a good reason to read old entries another
time, at which time you can also correct and mistakes you have made and
generally improve what you have written.
4.
Sign up for a regular
English tip. Some websites offer a weekly or even daily
short English lesson sent to your email account. If your mobile phone has an
e-mail address, it is also possible to have the tips sent to your phone to read
on the way to work or school. Please note, however, that such services are not
usually graded very well to the levels of different students, and they should
be used as a little added extra or revision in your English studies rather than
as a replacement for something you or your teacher have chosen more carefully
as what you need to learn.
5.
Listen to MP3s. Although buying music on the internet is becoming more popular
in many countries, not so many people know that you can download speech radio
such as audio books (an actor reading out a novel) and speech radio. Not only
is this better practice for your English than listening to English music, from
sources like Scientific American, BBC and Australia's ABC Radio it is also
free.
6.
Listen to English
music. Even listening to music while doing
something else can help a little for things like getting used to the natural
rhythm and tone of English speech, although the more time and attention you
give to a song the more you will learn from listening to it again in the
future.
7.
Read the lyrics to a
song. Although just listening to a song in English
can be a good way of really learning the words of the chorus in an easily
memorable way, if you want to really get something out of listening to English
music you will need to take some time to read the lyrics of the song with a
dictionary. If the lyrics are not given in the CD booklet, you may be able to
find them on the internet, but please note that some lyrics sites deliberately
put a few errors into their lyrics for copyright reasons. Once you have read
and understood the lyrics, if you then listen and read at the same time,
this can be a good way of understanding how sounds change in fast, natural,
informal speech.
8.
Sing karaoke in
English. The next stage after understanding and
memorising a song is obviously to sing it. Although some words have their
pronunciation changed completely to fit in with a song, most of the words have
the same sounds and stressed syllables as in normal speech. Remembering which
words rhyme at the end of each line can also be a good way of starting to learn
English pronunciation.
9.
Write a film, music,
hotel or book review. Another motivating
and easy way to make yourself write in English is to write a review for a site
such as Amazon or Internet Movie Database. Many non-native speakers write
reviews on sites like this, and if you have some special understanding of the
book, music or film due to your first language or knowing the artist
personally, that would be very interesting for the English speakers who read
and write reviews on the site.
10.
Only search in English. Switching your search engine to the English language version
of msn, yahoo, Google etc. can not only be a good way of practising fast
reading for specific information in English, but could also give you a wider
choice of sites to choose from and give you an idea of what foreigners are
writing about your country and area.
11.
Read a book you've
already read or seen the movie of in your own language. Although most language learners under Advanced level would
probably learn more from reading a graded reader or something from the internet
than they would from reading an original book written for English speakers, for
some people reading something like Harry Potter in the original can be a great
motivator to improve their English. To make this easier for you and make sure
that it motivates you rather than just making your tired, try reading a book
that you already know the story of. This not only makes it easier to understand
and guess vocabulary, but you are also more likely to remember the language in
it. If you have not read the book before, reading a plot summary from the
internet can also help in the same way.
12.
Read a translation
into English. Another way of
making sure books are easier to understand is to choose a book that was
originally translated into English, preferably from your own language. Even if
you haven't read the book in your own language, you will find the English is
written in a slightly simplified way that is more similar to how your own
language is written than a book originally written in English would be.
13.
Skip the first ten pages. If you have given up with a book in English or are reading it
very slowly, try skimming through the first ten pages or skipping them
completely. The start of most books tend to be mainly description and are
therefore full of difficult vocabulary and don't have a clear story line yet to
help you understand what is happening and to motivate you to turn the next
page. If the book is still too difficult even after the introductionary part is
finished, it is probably time to give that book up for now and try it again
after you have read some easier things.
14.
Read a book with lots
of dialogue. Opening up books before you buy one and
flicking through them to find one with lots of direct dialogue in it has
several advantages. If there is less text on the page due to all the speech
marks etc, this can make it easier to read and easier to write translations on.
Dialogue is also much easier to understand than descriptive parts of a book,
and is much more like the language you will want to learn in order to be able to
speak English.
15.
Read English language
comics. Even more than books with lots of dialogue,
comics can be easy to understand and full of idiomatic language as it is
actually spoken. There can be difficulties with slang, difficult to understand
jokes and/ or dialogue written how people speak rather than with normal
spellings, so try to choose which comic carefully. Usually, serious or
adventure comics are easier to understand than funny ones.
16.
Read English language
entertainment guides. Nowadays most big
cities in the world have an English language magazine and/ or online guide to
the movies, plays, exhibitions that are on in the city that week. Reading this
in English is not only good value, but it could also guide you to places that
English speakers are interested in and where you might hear some English spoken
around you.
17.
Read English language
magazines. Like books, if you can read two versions of
the same magazine (Newsweek in your language and in English, for example), that
could make understanding it much easier.
18.
Take a one week
intensive course. Although you cannot
expect to come out of a very short course speaking much better English than
when you started it, if you continue studying a little over the following weeks
and months, the knowledge you gained then will gradually come out and mean that
your level of speaking, listening etc. are better than they would have been if
you hadn't taken that course. This positive effect can still be true up to a
year later.
19.
Follow your intensive
course up with an extensive course. The more time you
can spend studying English the better, but studying periodic intensive courses
with a few hours of study a week in between is probably better value for money
than any other system as it gives your brain time to subconsciously learn and
start using the new language you have learnt before you introduce the next new
"chunk" of language.
20.
Supplement your group
class with a one to one class. Another good way to
combine two different kinds of classes is to study both in a group class and
one to one. Having a one to one teacher, even if just a couple of times a
month, will mean that you can be taught exactly the language that you need,
that you will have more time to speak, and that you can have as much error
correction as you like.
21.
Supplement your one to
one class with a group class.
The benefits of having a group class are often less clear to students, but they include the fact that you will learn to deal with several people speaking at once, have a chance to practice skills such as interrupting people, and will hear a range of different viewpoints and topics.
The benefits of having a group class are often less clear to students, but they include the fact that you will learn to deal with several people speaking at once, have a chance to practice skills such as interrupting people, and will hear a range of different viewpoints and topics.
22.
Teach your children or
friends some English.
Recent research has shown that elder children tend to be a couple of IQ points above their younger siblings, and the most likely reason is that explaining things to their little brothers and sisters gives them an intellectual boost. In the same way, teaching someone lower level than you the English you already know is a great way of permanently fixing that knowledge in your own brain.
Recent research has shown that elder children tend to be a couple of IQ points above their younger siblings, and the most likely reason is that explaining things to their little brothers and sisters gives them an intellectual boost. In the same way, teaching someone lower level than you the English you already know is a great way of permanently fixing that knowledge in your own brain.
23.
Ask your company to
start English lessons. Even if you don't
need to speak English at work, English lessons can be a fun and reasonably
priced way for your company to spend their training budget in a popular way.
24.
Have English radio on
in the background while you are doing your housework. Even if you are not listening carefully, it will help you get
a feel for natural English rhythm and intonation.
25.
Play English language
learning games on your Nintendo DS. Although such games
can have quite random language and are unlikely to improve your ability to
speak English on their own, the next time you hear or read the same language
elsewhere it will be really fixed in your brain by the fact you have played a
game with it in already. It is also a nice way of taking a break from your
other English studies while also doing some English. To make sure it really is
a break and to avoid wasting time learning language from the game that is not
much used in daily life, don't bother writing down any new language you see in
the game, but just try to learn it from playing the game again.
26.
Say or think what you
are doing in English as you do your daily tasks. As you are doing your chores, try creating sentences
describing what you are doing, e.g. ‘I am unscrewing the ketchup bottle cap'.
This gets you used to thinking in English without translating, and can be a
good way of seeing what simple vocabulary that is around you everyday you don't
know. yet
27.
Watch English language
films with English subtitles. For people who can't
understand a film without subtitles but find themselves not listening at all
when reading subtitles in their own language, this should be the way of
watching a film that you should aim for. If it is too difficult to watch the
whole film this way, try watching the (usually important) first 10 or 15
minutes of the film with subtitles in your own language, switch to English
subtitles after that, and only switch back to subtitles in your own language if
you get totally lost following the story of the film.
28.
Watch films in your
language with English subtitles. If you are finding
English films with English subtitles too difficult or you can't find English
films with English subtitles in your local video shop, this is a good second
best option. Looking for local films with English subtitles can also sometimes
be a good sign of quality, as it means the producers of the film are expecting
it to be popular internationally as well.
29.
Watch English films
with subtitles in your language. Again, this is not
as good practice as English language films with English subtitles, but is more
relaxing, can be easier to find suitable DVDs for, and is also possible with
VHS.
30.
Watch the same film or
TV episode over and over again. This can not only
save you money on DVDs, but will mean that you can really learn the language
without having to study it. Some comedies can also get funnier the more you
watch them, especially if you watch them with no subtitles and so understand a
little more each time you watch it.
31.
Be realistic about
your level. One thing that holds many language learners
back is actually trying too hard and tackling something that their brain is not
ready for yet. Checking your level with a level check test on the internet, by
taking an English language test (FCE, CAE, IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL etc.), or by
taking a free trial level check and/ or lesson in a language school will help
you find out what your level is and so choose suitable self-study materials.
32.
Be realistic about
your reading level. Most researchers
agree that people learn most when reading something they understand almost all
of. If there are one or two words per page that you have never seen before,
that is about the right level. If there are three or more on every page, you
should switch to something easier and come back later.
33.
Read graded readers (=
easy readers). These are books that
are especially written for language learners like you, e.g. Penguin Readers.
Although it can be difficult to find something as interesting as things written
in newspapers or on the internet, in terms of learning the language only people
who need to read for their work or an exam usually gain more from reading
things written for graded readers. Graded readers of classic books like Charles
Dickens also have the benefit of giving you a lot of knowledge about the
literature, and culture more generally, of English speaking countries in a
short time.
34.
Read the whole thing
with no help. Although using a
dictionary has been shown to help with both short term and long term learning
of vocabulary, the fact that using it slows reading down can stop some people
reading in English at all. Reading a whole book quickly through just for
pleasure from time to time will help you remember how fun reading in another
language can be.
35.
Read and learn
everything. At the opposite extreme, it can be hard work
but very satisfying to get to the end of a book knowing that you have learnt
every word in it. See other tips on this page to make sure it is a book that is
easy enough to do this with and to ensure that the vocabulary you learn is
useful.
36.
Watching English
children's films or TV programmes. Although some of the
vocabulary you can learn from things made for children can be a bit strange
(lots of animal names and maybe animal noises, including baby names for
things), the fact that not only the language but the structure of the story is
simplified can make it an easy and motivating thing to watch. Like good
language learning materials, the same language is also often repeated to make
it memorable, and the use of catchy songs etc. can increase this positive
effect on your memory.
37.
Read English
children's books. This is very similar
to watching English children's movies, but with the added advantage of there
being more illustrations than adult books, which both helps you to understand
the story and makes the page brighter and more motivating to read.
38.
Keep a list of
language to learn, e.g. a vocab list. Even if you don't
often find time to go though your vocab list and it keeps on building up, just
the act of choosing which words you need to learn and writing them down on a
special list can help you learn them.
39.
Go through your vocab
list several times every day. If ticking off words
on a vocabulary list on the train to work is inconvenient or embarrassing for
you, you can keep your list of words to learn as an entry in your electronic
dictionary, as a mobile phone to do list or as a text file in your MP3 player
(e.g. iPod). Although the time spent transferring the information between
different formats like these may seem wasted, in fact any time you spend using
the vocabulary like this will help you learn it.
40.
Convert your vocab
list to English only. One way to stop
yourself translating and therefore increase your speed of comprehension and
production is to learn all your vocabulary without the use of your own first
language. Ways you can write a vocab list in only English include with synonyms
(words with the same meaning, e.g. "tall" and "high"); with
opposites ("high" and "low"); with pronunciation factors
such as number of syllables (the number of beats, e.g. three for "de- ci-
sion") and the word stress (the syllable that is pronounced louder and
longer, e.g. the second syllable in "baNAna"); and gaped sentences .
41.
Cross out and delete. Crossing out or deleting words, sentences or whole pages that
you have learnt can be a great motivator, and save your list of things to learn
becoming too big to handle.
42.
Throw everything away
and start again. One of the things
that can put most people off learning is a stack of half finished books or a
huge list vocabulary waiting to be learnt. Simply getting rid of all that and
starting again with something new from zero can be a great motivator and get
your studies underway again.
43.
Label things in your
house or office with post-its. The easiest
vocabulary to learn is the vocabulary of things you see and use everyday. If
you can write the names of things around you on slips of paper and stick them
on the real thing, this is a great way of learning useful vocabulary. If you
can leave them there over the following days and weeks, this is a very easy way
of revising the vocabulary until it is properly learnt.
44.
Label a drawing. For people who can't put labels on real things, the next best
option is to take a photo of a real place in your life like your office, print
it out, and then draw lines to all of the things you can see in the picture and
label them in English with the help of a dictionary. You can do the same thing
with places you pass through everyday like the station. Because you will see
the same thing again and again, it should be easy to really learn the words for
those things.
45.
Keep a diary in
English. This is a popular method of making sure you
use English everyday for people who don't often speak English and can't think
of things to write about. The fact that you are writing about real things that
have happened to you means that any words you look up in the dictionary will be
vocabulary that is useful for you and easy to learn.
46.
Online chat. The closest thing to speaking for people who don't have the
chance to speak English is online chat, as you have to think and respond
quickly, and the language is short and informal just like speech.
47.
Listen to the radio
news in English. You can make this
easier by reading the news in English first, or even just by reading or
listening to the news in your own language.
48.
Read an English
language newspaper. Freebie newspapers
like "Metro" in London are usually the easiest to understand,
followed by mid-brow titles like "The Daily Express" or "The
Daily Mail" in English. Popular newspapers like "The Sun" are
more difficult because of the idiomatic, slangy use of language and the number
of jokes in the headlines and articles.
49.
Write fiction in
English, e.g. short stories. For people who find
writing a diary about things that happen to them everyday boring, the best
thing is to let your imagination go and write about whatever comes into your
head. The advantage of this is that if you can't think of how to say something
in English, you can just change the story to something that is easier to
explain. Perhaps the easiest way to start writing fiction in English is with a
diary, changing any details you like to make it more interesting and adding more
and more fantasy as the weeks go on.
50.
English language
exercise videos. This is quite
similar to how babies learn, by listening, watching and copying. It is also
good for your health!
- Sunday, June 12, 2016
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