101 Ways to Learn English
Here are 101 things (in no particular order) you can do to
improve your English:
1. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Be confident. People
can only correct your mistakes when they hear you make them.
2. Surround yourself in English. Put yourself in an all
English speaking environment where you can learn passively. The best way to
learn is through speaking.
3. Practise every day. Make yourself a study plan. Decide
how much time a week you are going to spend studying and stick to it. Establish
a routine.
4. Tell your family and friends about your study plan. Get
them to push you to study and also don’t let them interrupt you.
5. Practise the 4 core skills: reading, writing, speaking
and listening. They all need to be worked on for you to improve.
6. Keep a notebook of new words you learn. Use them in
sentences and try to say them at least 3 times when you speak.
7. Visit EC’s free learn English website at least once a day
and complete a lesson.
8. Memorisation of lists is one of the most common ways of
learning vocabulary for a test. It's only a good exercise for short term
studying because you often do not retain the information that you have learned
for a test.
9. Use your body clock. If you’re not a morning person,
study in the afternoon.
10. You will find words easier to remember if you try to
remember an example sentence using that word rather the word on its own.
11. Plan to take a test. You’ll find that you work harder
when you need to study for something.
12. Saying that, it’s better not to study just to take a
test. Think of the bigger picture. What can you do when you have a good command
of English? How will the quality of your life improve?
13. Give yourself a long term goal. Focus on working towards
it.
14. Give yourself short term goals too and reward yourself
when you achieve each one.
15. Create an atmosphere in which you want to learn, not
because you have to. You’ll learn more when you’re learning because you want
to.
16. Know what works best for you. Think about what methods
have been successful for you in the past and stick with them.
17. Figure out how you learn. It can be by memorising,
reading, speaking, summarising or other methods. Find out how you study best.
It can be in a quiet place by yourself or with a group.
18. Get help! If you don’t understand something you’ve got
to ask someone. Ask your teacher, classmates or friends for help.
19. Review! Review! Review! Make sure that you take the time
to review things you have studied in the past.
20. It’s not a good idea to study on your own for more than
30 minutes at a time. Take regular breaks, get some fresh air and stretch your
legs.
21. Don’t be in such a hurry to move up a level. Concentrate
on the level you are at now.
22. Watch DVDs rather than TV. It’s better to use something
that you can watch over again to catch information you might have missed the
first time.
23. Watching TV only gives you the chance to hear something
correctly first time. This is better for high level students. It can be great
practice for speaking to native English speakers so you don’t have to ask them
to repeat themselves!
24. Read graded readers. These books are especially written
for your level. Read a whole novel. You can do it! You’ll feel great
afterwards.
25. Children’s books have easier words and are a good
alternative to graded readers.
26. Newspapers are a good place to find passive constructs.
Read through an article and see if you can find the passive
sentences.
27. Read for the general meaning first. Don’t worry about
understanding every word, then go back and look up new words.
28. For a word you don’t understand in a sentence, look at
the other words around it. They will give you a hint. Try to guess the meaning
from the context.
29. Learn root words. They’ll help you guess the meaning of
words. For example: scrib = write, min = small
30. When you learn a new word, think of all its other forms:
Beautiful (adjective), beauty (noun), beautifully (adverb).
31. Learn prefixes (dis-, un-, re-) and suffixes (-ly,
-ment, -ful), these will help you to figure out the meaning of words and build
your vocabulary.
32. English, unlike Japanese or French, uses word stress.
For new words, count the syllables and find where the stress is. Only one
stress per word and always on a vowel. Two syllable verbs have a stress on the
second syllable (beGIN). 2 syllable nouns (TEAcher) and adjectives (HAPpy)
stress the first.
33. Use English whenever you can. It’s as simple as that!
34. Don’t translate into English from your own language.
Think in English to improve your fluency. Talk to yourself…but not on the bus
otherwise people will think you have gone crazy!
35. You can’t learn English from a book. Like driving a car,
you can only learn through doing it.
36. The most natural way to learn grammar is through
talking.
37. Keep an English diary or journal. Start by writing a few
sentences a day and then get into the habit of writing more.
38. Why not start an online blog and share your writings
with the world?
39. To become a better writer brainstorm as many ideas and
thoughts onto paper without worrying about grammar or spelling. Then think
about the structure. After that, write your piece using good grammar and
spelling. Finally, read it through or give it to someone else to check for
mistakes.
40. Keep an eye on your punctuation as it can totally change
what you’re trying to say. Check out the difference in meaning between these
two sentences: “A woman without her man is nothing” and “A woman: without her,
man is nothing”.
41. Sing your heart out! Show the world your beautiful
voice! Learn English songs and sing along with them to improve fluency and
intonation… anyone for Karaoke?
42. Get a penfriend or use chat-rooms, forums and community
sites. If you can’t speak to someone in English, this is the next best thing.
43. Shadow English CDs. Listen to a few sentences then
repeat what you heard. Focus on the rhythm and intonation.
44. Have English radio on in your house. Even if you are not
actively listening to it, you will still be training your ears.
45. Mirror CDs. Read out loud along with a CD. Again, this
is great for intonation, pronunciation and rhythm.
46. Dictation. Listen to a CD or friend and write down what
you hear.
47. Nobody likes to hear their own voice, but be brave and
try it! Record your voice and listen to your pronunciation and intonation. It
will help you to identify your problem areas.
48. Ask your helpful teacher if you can record his lesson.
This is a great way to review. You can also listen to your teachers speaking
speed and intonation.
49. Use an English/English dictionary as it will help you to
keep thinking in English and not translating.
50. If an English/English dictionary seems scary, there are
learner’s dictionaries for English students of your level.
51. Don’t become too reliant on your dictionary. Your
dictionary should be an aid, not your main teacher. Try to guess the meaning of
words rather than going straight for your dictionary.
52. Don’t give up! Stay positive! Sometimes you will feel
that you aren’t learning quickly enough. Everyone feels like this, don’t worry
about it. You’ll get there in the end.
53. Enjoy it! We learn more when we are having fun!
54. If you get nervous when speaking, take two deep breaths
before you say something. You’ll speak better when you feel relaxed.
55. Keep yourself motivated by looking back at the textbooks
and CDs you used in the past. You’ll be surprised at how easy they seem to you
now! Congratulations, your level is improving!
56. You are never too young or too old to start learning
English. Don’t make excuses not to learn. What are you waiting for?
57. Procrastination can stop you from being successful. To
stop procrastinating, it's important you understand if your procrastinating is
to avoid studying, or if it is your bad habit.
58. If you haven’t gotten the results you wanted yet, it’s
not because you’re bad at languages, it’s because you haven’t found your own
special way of learning yet.
59. Use resources which match your level. Don’t use
texts/listening exercises which are too difficult or too easy. Use materials
which challenge you but don’t frustrate you.
60. Don’t worry about making your accent perfect. It’s an
important part of your cultural identity to keep your accent. Native English
speakers enjoy hearing English spoken with an accent.
61. There are many types of English: British, American,
South African and so on. None of these are wrong or not as important. English
is English.
62. Instead, be aware of the differences in American and
British English and use your words accordingly. For example: Elevator (US) /
Lift (British).
63. Carry cue cards with you. These are small cards which
you can write new words on. You can pull them out and look at them whenever you
a free minute.
64. Use post-it notes and stick them around your home. You
can use them to label things. Stick one on your pet dog!
65. You can’t ignore phrasal verbs (two words verbs), there
are hundreds of them in English and they’re widely used. The more you focus on
their meaning, the more you’ll be able to guess the meaning of new ones. You’ll
start to recognise their patterns.
66. Use your intuition. Go with your gut feeling, you’ll be
surprised how often your first guess is the right guess. Like we said before,
be confident.
67. Gather your thoughts. Take a second to think about what
you’re going to say. You know the grammar, but maybe you don’t use it correctly
when you speak.
68. Meet new people. Make the effort to mix with English
speakers in your town. You could join a club or go to bars where foreigners
hang out. Buy one a drink, they love that!
69. Be the person to start conversations in English. Try to
keep the conversations moving and use listening words (‘really?’ / ‘go on…’/
‘what happened then?’) Don’t wait for others to speak to you. Get in there!
70. Debate. Discuss topics in a group. Each person should
choose a viewpoint (even if you don’t agree with it) and debate it within the
group. Make sure you get your point across. Learn to listen actively. Active
listening will help in the classroom and it will help you get more out of, and
contribute more to, group study sessions.Focus on the person who is talking.
Don’t fidget or become distracted by other people or events. Concentrate on the
speaker with your ears and eyes. Follow the movements the speaker makes in an effort
to hear more. It may help to repeat what you hear others say in an effort to
understand their thoughts.
71. It’s not enough to only learn English words. You can
teach a parrot English words but that doesn’t mean it can speak English! You
still need to have an understanding of grammar.
72. Verb tenses are used by English speakers to talk about
the timing of actions. You might not have the same expressions in your own
language. It’s important that you know these tenses and when to use them.
73. English has many irregular verbs. You should drill
yourself on them.
74. Keep it up! If you take a break from speaking English,
you will find that your level decreases and all your hard work has been wasted.
75. Don’t be put off by a bad test score. Sometimes students
have the ability to pass an English test, but can’t communicate well with
English speakers. If you can speak freely in English, you should be proud of
yourself.
76. Remember that as long as you have tried your hardest,
you have succeeded!
77. Learn English with a friend. You’ll have someone you can
practice with and you can motivate each other to study.
78. Remember, the way we write English is not the same as
how it’s pronounced. For example ‘Ough’ has over 6 pronunciations. Familiarise
yourself the Phonetic Alphabet. It will help you correctly pronounce words in
the dictionary.
79. Get used to the ‘schwa’ sound [ə] - an unstressed and
toneless neutral vowel sound. ‘Schwa’ is the most common vowel sound in
English. For example, the 'a' in about and the 'u' in supply.
80. Keep in mind that it takes longer to improve when our
level is high. Usually the fastest progress is made when we are beginners.
Don’t think that you’re suddenly not learning anymore, it’s just a less
noticeable progress.
81. Make sure that your English matches the occasion. It’s
OK to use slang with friends but not in a business meeting. Decide in which
situation it’s appropriate to use the words and phrases you have learned.
82. Textbook English is often different from the way we
casually speak. To learn casual ‘slang’ watch movies.
83. Idioms can be difficult to memorise, but they are great
fun to use and they’ll make your English more colourful.
84. When talking we usually link words together so that two
words can sound like one. Simply put, we link words ending with a consonant
sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (consonant > vowel). We link
words ending with a vowel sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (vowel
> vowel). Practice these to improve your listening and pronunciation.
85. Make use of the internet. It’s full of resources to help
you learn: BBC Learning English ; learnenglish.ecenglish.com
86. Think about your strong and weak points. Write down
which areas you want to improve on and work on improving them. Of course, don’t
ignore your strong points. Congratulate yourself on how well you’ve done!
87. Unlearn your mistakes. You probably make the same
grammar mistakes over and over again. Use English tests results as a study
tool. Go over your mistakes and choose one or two that you want to focus on.
Use your favourite grammar book to check rules.
88. Use the correct article (a/an, the).Be aware that there
is more to this rule than a/an= non specific, the=specific. For example: A
university (not an university because it begins with a consonant sound). An
hour (not a hour because the ‘h’ is often silent).
89. For fluency, try image training. Before you go to that
restaurant think through what the waiter is likely to say to you. Think of what
phrases you are going to use.
90. Much communication comes through body language and
gesture. These can be different between cultures and countries. For example,
the two-fingered "V" for victory symbol is fine palms-out. If you
make it with you palm facing toward you, you'll offend a British person. It
means…well, you ask a British person and find out for yourself!
91. The easiest one - Sleep! You’ll learn more after a good
night’s sleep. You’ll be able to concentrate more.
92. Take an English course in an English speaking country.
93. If you studying abroad, mix with people from other
countries not only people from your own country. It’s not a good idea for you
to live in a shared house with people from your own country. Enjoy a more
cultural experience by spending time with other nationalities.
94. Have you thought about getting a job or doing an
internship abroad?
95. Get yourself a qualified teacher. Who wants to learn
wrong things?
96. Nobody can learn all of the English language. No need to
worry about trying. A useful shortcut to learning is that in English we have
lots of words that have the same pronunciation, but a different spelling and
meaning. For example, ‘come here’ has the same pronunciation as, ‘I can hear
the birds’. You might find it easier to build vocabulary by knowing the
different meanings.
97. Once you have a basic level of English explore the
different ways you can say the same thing. This makes your English more
interesting to the listener and it shouldn’t be too difficult for you because
you already know the basics. For example, how many ways can we say, ‘Goodbye'
in English?
98. When you are on your English course, be prepared for
your class. Do your homework as soon as possible and hand it in on time. Review
your notes and your last lesson a few minutes before the class. Doing this will
refresh your memory and you'll be warmed up for lesson.
99. Don't get distracted in class. Focus on the lesson,
don't stare out of the window. Don't be late, arrive a few minutes before the
start of the lesson. Don't sit next to people who won't speak to you in
English. Switch off yo
how to speak fluent English
These are some steps to help you guys to speak fluent
English
1. Don't study grammar
This rule might sound strange to many ESL students, but it
is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then
study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in English, then you
should try to learn English without studying the grammar.
Studying grammar will only slow you down and confuse you.
You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally
saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small fraction of English
speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know
more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience.
I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been
teaching English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more
details about English grammar than I do. I can easily look up the definition and
apply it, but I don't know it off the top of my hea
3. Reading
and Listening is NOT enough. Practice Speaking what you hear!
Reading,
listening, and speaking are the most important aspects of any language. The
same is true for English. However, speaking is the only requirement to be
fluent. It is normal for babies and children to learn speaking first, become
fluent, then start reading, then writing. So the natural order is listening,
speaking, reading, then writing.
First Problem
Isn't it strange that schools across the world teach reading
first, then writing, then listening, and finally speaking? Although it is
different, the main reason is because when you learn a second language, you
need to read material to understand and learn it. So even though the natural
order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing, the order for ESL students
is reading, listening, speaking, then writing.
Second Problem
The reason many people can read and listen is because that's
all they practice. But in order to speak English fluently, you need to practice
speaking. Don't stop at the listening portion, and when you study, don't just
listen. Speak out loud the material you are listening to and practice what you
hear. Practice speaking out loud until your mouth and brain can do it without
any effort. By doing so, you will be able to speak English fluently.
d.
I often ask my native English friends some grammar
questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are
fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively.
Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a
causative verb, or do you want to be able to speak English fluently?
2. Learn and study phrases
Many students learn vocabulary and try to put many words together
to create a proper sentence. It amazes me how many words some of my students
know, but they cannot create a proper sentence. The reason is because they
didn't study phrases. When children learn a language, they learn both words and
phrases together. Likewise, you need to study and learn phrases.
If you know 1000 words, you might not be able to say one
correct sentence. But if you know 1 phrase, you can make hundreds of correct
sentences. If you know 100 phrases, you will be surprised at how many correct
sentences you will be able to say. Finally, when you know only a 1000 phrases,
you will be almost a fluent English speaker.
The English Speaking Basics section is a great example of
making numerous sentences with a single phrase. So don't spend hours and hours
learning many different words. Use that time to study phrases instead and you
will be closer to English fluency.
Classroom Expressions
Every effort should be made to conduct the language class
using the target language extensively. The following list is by no means
exhaustive but permits students to communicate effectively and carry out
classroom routines
In preparing this list of classroom expressions, we have
opted to place into groups a number of expressions, we have opted to place into
groups a number of expressions. Certainly, they do not necessary fall always in
that category. They are so categorized for easier access. The list is by no
means exhaustive. It is, nevertheless, a good start. Teachers may wish to illustrate
some of these expressions and place the illustrations and the text on the
bulletin board as a constant reminder and as an aid to learning
Greetings
- Good morning
- Good afternoon
- Good-bye
- Hello
- Until tomorrow
Formulas of Courtesy
- Please
- Thank you
- You're welcome
- Excuse me
- I beg your Pardon
Warm-up Period
- What's your name
- My name is
- Where is (name of student) today
- Present. / Absent
- He/She is ill
- Come in
- Close the door
- Open the door/window
- Turn on/off the lights
- Erase the backboard
Inquiry questions
- What's this
- How do we say ( word ) in ( target language )
- How do you spell ( word ) ?
- Use the five "W"s: Why? What? Where? Who? When
Classroom Management
- Are you ready
- Quiet/ Silence!
- Distribute these sheets
- Collect the test
- That's enough
- Pay attention
- No talking
- Listen
- One at a time, please
- Stop talking to (name of student), (name of student)
- Faster/ More quickly
- Stand up
- Sit down
- Read quietly
- Read aloud
- Louder
- Come up in front of the class
- Go back to your seat
- Line up here
Praise
- Excellent
- Very good
- Bravo
- Good
- Well done
- Correct
- Perfect
- Great
- Terrific
- Congratulations
Presentation
- Repeat after me
- All the boys
- All the girls
- All together
- Everybody
- For example
- Close your notebooks
- Close your books
- Is this clear
- Do you understand
- Look at the blackboard
- Look at the screen
- Answer the question
- Look at the bottom of page
- Look at the top of page
- Look at the middle of page
- Once more
Application
- copy down the examples in your notebooks
- Open your notebooks.
- Open your books.
- Open your books at page
- Turn to page
- Open your workbooks at page
- Write
- Continue
- Repeat once more
- It's ( name of student ) turn
- Go to the blackboard
- Write the answer on the blackboard
- Go back to your seat
- Choose a partner
- Play the role of
- Look it up in the dictionary
- For homework, do exercise
Students' favourites
- May I sharpen my pencil
- I don't have a pencil
- I forgot
- I don't remember
- I don't know
- I left the book in my
- I can't hear
- May I get a drink of water
- May I go to the bathroom
