How to improve your English skills

Our most important piece of advice is: "Do something (anything).

If you don't do anything, you won't get anywhere.

Make it your hobby, not a chore.

Above all have fun!

Oh, and don't be in too much of a hurry. You're setting off on a long journey

and there will be delays and frustrations along the way. Sometimes you'll be in

the fast lane and other times you'll be stuck in traffic, but there will also be lots

of interesting things and interesting people along the way. Take your time to

really enjoy the experience.

There are many ways to improve your level of English, but only you can find

the right way for you. Here are a few tips that might help:-

Improve your Learning Skills

Learning is a skill and it can be improved.

Your path to learning effectively is through knowing

yourself

your capacity to learn

processes you have successfully used in the past

your interest, and knowledge of what you wish to learn

Motivate yourself

If you are not motivated to learn English you will become frustrated and give

up. Ask yourself the following questions, and be honest:-

Why do you need to learn/improve English?

Where will you need to use English?

What skills do you need to learn/improve?

(Reading/Writing/Listening/Speaking)

How soon do you need to see results?

How much time can you afford to devote to learning English.

How much money can you afford to devote to learning English.

Do you have a plan or learning strategy?

Set yourself achievable goals

You know how much time you can dedicate to learning English, but a short

time each day will produce better, longer-term results than a full day on the

weekend and then nothing for two weeks.

Joining a short intensive course could produce better results than joining a

course that takes place once a week for six months.

Here are some goals you could set yourself:-

Join an English course - a virtual one or a real one (and attend

regularly).

Do your homework.

Read a book or a comic every month.

Learn a new word every day.

Visit an English speaking forum every day.

Read a news article on the net every day.

Do 10 minutes listening practice every day.

Watch an English film at least once a month.

Follow a soap, comedy or radio or TV drama .

A good way to meet your goals is to establish a system of rewards and

punishments.

Decide on a reward you will give yourself for fulfilling your goals for a month.

A bottle of your favourite drink

A meal out / or a nice meal at home

A new outfit

A manicure or massage

Understanding how you learn best may also help you.

There are different ways to learn. Find out what kind of learner you are in

order to better understand how to learn more effectively..

The visual learner

Do you need to see your teacher during lessons in order to fully understand

the content of a lesson?

Do you prefer to sit at the front of the classroom to avoid visual obstructions

(e.g. people's heads)?

Do you think in pictures and learn best from visual displays including:

diagrams, illustrated text books, overhead transparencies, videos, flashcards,

flipcharts and hand-outs? 

During a lecture or classroom discussion, do you prefer to take detailed notes

to absorb the information?

!Learning Tip - you may benefit from taking part in traditional English

lessons, but maybe private lessons would be better.

The auditory learner

Do you learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through

and listening to what others have to say?

Do you interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone

of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances?

Does written information have little meaning until you hear it?

!Learning Tip - you may benefit from listening to the radio or listening to

text as you read it. You could try reading text aloud and using a tape

recorder to play it back to yourself.

The Tactile/Kinesthetic learner

Do you learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the

physical world around you?

Do you find it hard to sit still for long periods?

Do you become distracted easily?

!Learning Tip - you may benefit from taking an active part in role plays

or drama activities.

Other English Learning Tips

Travel to an English speaking country:-

England, America, Australia, Canada, South Africa, one of them is only

a few hours away from you.

Specialist holidays are available to improve your English.

Take an English speaking tour or activity holiday.

Spend your time on things that interest you. If you like cooking then buy an

English-language cookbook or find recipes on the net and practise following

the recipes. You'll soon know if you have made a mistake!

Keep something English on you (book, newspaper or magazine, cd or

cassette, set of flashcards) all day and every day, you never know when you

might have 5 spare minutes.

If you are too tired to actively practice just relax and listen to a story in

English, an English pop song or talk radio station.

Get onto Google Plus, Skype, other social networks, or be really adventurous

and start socialising in Virtual Worlds.

Start networking with native speakers / teachers and other learners.

Don't restrict yourself to seeking out native speakers. Think about it, the

likelihood of needing to speak English with non-native speakers is statistically

much higher.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/improvepage.html#sthash.LaA9ndHW.dpuf

Improve Your English Vocabulary

We have a series of vocabulary pages.

Start by learning practical vocabulary.  Learn words that are actually important

to you at work, at home and out and about. 

Use stick it notes and label things around your home.

Use self-study vocabulary books, these should include a good dictionary, and

a thesaurus.

Expose yourself to as much English as possible by reading, watching the

TV, films or the news and listening to the radio or music.

Read an English magazine. If you can afford it take out a subscription to a

magazine or newspaper.

Do online exercises. Keep a note of how you did and go back in a few weeks /

months to see how you have improved.

Try to memorize whole sentences, not just individual words. When you have

learnt a word, write about it in context.

Create or play word games. Scrabble, Crossword Puzzles, Hangman,

and Dingthings are all great ways to play with words.

When you know you need to learn a particular word list for a test, start using

the words immediately, use them in context and frequently. See if anyone is

talking about those words online and comment on people's blogs or pages in

Facebook, or on Google Plus.

Review, revise, review.  These are my 3 rs.  Review your word lists.  Revise

the ones you keep getting stuck on.  Review the list ... ad infinitum.

No one said it was going to be easy, but unless you are studying to become

an  Aerospace  engineer, it's not rocket science.

Notebooks

Keep a notebook to help you remember what you've learnt.

Here's a guide to keeping an English notebook.

Vocabulary webs

Build a vocabulary web to organize your vocabulary about certain subjects.

For example your personal life:-

and then extend it:-

and then extend it further...

Try this little gadget too.

Flash cards

Start a flash cards box.

Buy or cut out some cards all the same size.

Draw or cut out some pictures.

Paste the pictures onto one side of the card and write the correct word on the

other side.

Put new words in the front of the box.

Test yourself using either the pictures, the words or both.

If you have forgotten a word bring it to the front of the box.

!On this site:- Use the vocabulary pages to learn new vocabulary

thematically and in context.

!On this site:- You can use my on-line flash cards to practise your

vocabulary.

Singing

Try learning the words to English songs, and even sing along with them. With

friends or in the privacy of your own bathroom.

!On this site:- You can find some karaoke resources and ideas on the learn

English through songs page.

!On the Network: You can find the words to some popular songs on the

English magazine.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/ImproveEnglish/improvevocabularypage.html#sthash.cZQS3bZ7.dpuf

Improve Your Written English

Write frequently, in a wide range of formal and informal situations.

Get the most out of your dictionary by understanding how to use it correctly .

You can use a good English dictionary to find words, for meaning,

for pronunciation, to check your spelling and to understand explanations.

Copy out short passages of English text from newspapers, magazines or

books.

Try dictation exercises. You can do this online or get friends to read out text

for you to write and then check your writing - concentrate on spelling and

punctuation.

There are many forums on the net, find one about your interests or hobbies.

Observe the niceties of forum use , and apologise if you think you have made

any mistakes.

Use a blog to create a diary about your life. Write it in English and if you have

a thick skin, ask for feedback. Remember blogs are not private, so do not

write anything there which you do not want the whole world to read. I

recommend http://www.blogger.com , it is free and very easy to use.

Be careful about using abbreviations when writing on forums and in

chatrooms, they are fun and quick, but can cause bad habits to form.

If you are using a computer, use an English spell checker (but don't rely on it).

There are spell checkers built in for Google and Firefox browsers.

Check what you've written. Even better, get someone else to proofread what

you've written. Check for spelling, capitalisation and punctuation.

Try to find English speaking pen friends and write to them or, use a

messenger service like MSN, Yahoo, Google or find a chatroom. If you can't

get in touch with native speakers then contact other learners:-

You can find ePals on the Internet!

!On the Network :- Use the Learn English Network Forum pages to practise

your writing.

!On the Network :- Try our proofreading tips.

! Note - If you are going to use forums and chat services, it's as well to brush

up on the niceties - otherwise known as Netiquette.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/ImproveEnglish/improvewritingpage.html#sthash.wZTnQ47v.dpuf

How to improve your listening skills

Listening plays a huge part in learning any language. The first thing you did as

a child was listen - you couldn't talk, or write or speak, so you listened.

Unfortunately as we grow up a lot of us lose the skill of listening, but like most

things, it is something you can improve on.

The first thing to do is learn to listen actively. Learning a language is a lot like

learning to play a musical instrument. You can listen to music for enjoyment,

but if you want to study the music you have to listen more critically. It's the

same with languages; you need to make a conscious effort to hear not only

the words that someone is saying but, more importantly, pay attention, and try

to understand the complete message behind the words.

Watching films, TV shows or videos is a good start. If you're not sure what

films to watch, look at my recommended films pages.

If you enjoy reading, why not listen to some of your favourite books? Audio

books are available in many different formats, and you can even borrow some

audio books from libraries. If you like the classics you will find many available

to listen to online, for free.

Films and TV shows are scripted, so listening to talk radio or chat shows can

be a bit more challenging. It's all good practise.

!On the Network: Every Tuesday we publish a listening session using

Spreaker. You can listen to the text and read the comments on the Live

Chat page. Previous episodes are archived on YouTube.

!On the Network: You can listen and read on the English magazine. Each

article has text to voice enabled, just click on the button - you can even speed

it up, or slow it down.

!On the Network: Every week Amatsu reads out the News Round Up from

the English magazine.

!On the Network: Amatsu also reads out people's corrected posts from the

lessons on Learn English Online.

!On the Network: We run several voice sessions every week. We use

different platforms, so check the calendar for more details.

!On the Network: Little and often is a good idea, so try our Interesting

Facts pages. Every week we write some interesting facts and there are

accompanying sound files for the most interesting ones.

!On the Network: There is always a bit of light-hearted fun on the Have Fun

with English page. There are new videos or listening files every month.

!On the Network: You can join the forum and once you are a Full Member,

you can ask Lynne to read a short piece of text out loud. Yes, she takes

requests.

Go to some TTS (text to speech) web sites and use their free services. Some

of the results are surprisingly good. We particularly like Acapela TV for their

talking, fluffy bunnies.

Get onto Second Life or Open Sim. Virtual worlds are the one place we've

found where you're pretty much guaranteed a conversation - it's an adult

environment, and you won't always want to listen to the people you meet, but

for every blood sucking vampire who asks if they can bite you, there are at

least ten, nice people who just want to socialise. If you want a list of nice

places to go, just contact us on the forum or look at some of the places we

have already visited (sometimes Sims close, so it's best to ask us).

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/ImproveEnglish/improvelisteningpage.html#sthash.5cdiCX7E.dpuf

Improve Your English Speaking and English Pronunciation

Skills

My first piece of advice is not to get too hung up on trying to sound like a

native speaker. Would you start learning the piano in an attempt to sound like

Mozart? The first rule of speaking English is to learn to speak clearly and

concisely and remember you won't just be speaking to native speakers: There

are roughly 380 million native speakers out there, but as many as a billion

people speak English as a second language, you do the math.

Try to avoid using idioms and slang (I always say learn it, but don't use it). It

might sound clever to say "You're barking up the wrong tree," but if you use it

in the wrong situation, or if the other person simply doesn't understand you,

you'll only look silly when you try to explain what you meant to say, or what it

actually means.

There's also a saying in English "Have you swallowed a dictionary?" It is

applicable to anyone who uses long, complicated words when a shorter word

will do. Short sentences are just as good (if not better) than long rambling

explanations. The value in what you have to say is what you say, not how

clever you look or sound when you say it. So it's a good idea to try to use

simple, clear vocabulary, KISS - keep it short and simple, Here's a fun video

that illustrates what I mean.

English speaking tips

Get over any fear you might have of making mistakes. You will make

mistakes.

Be patient with yourself. Learning any language can be frustrating, but

frustration won't help you, so let it go.

Grasp every opportunity you have to speak with people in English.

Talk to friends who are also learning English. Go out together for coffee and

only speak English to each other!

Read short stories out loud and try to see, say and hear the words to reinforce

your memory. Record yourself and play it back later, how does it sound? 

Find English speaking friends:-

You might not be able to find any friendly native speakers where you

live, but If you can't find anyone who'll actually help you, don't worry,

you'll still be able to figure out if they can understand you.

Get onto Second Life. It's the one place I've found where you're

guaranteed a conversation - it's an adult environment, and you won't

always want to talk to the people you meet, but for every blood sucking

vampire who asks if they can bite you, there are at least ten, nice

people who just want to socialise. If you want a list of nice places to go,

just contact me on the forum.

There are several internet based voice chat programmes out

there: iVisit | | MSN Web Messenger | Yahoo! Messenger | Google

Talk | Skype and I'm sure there are lots more.

Look for people with the same interests as you. It's no good asking

everyone you meet to help you with your English, rather develop natural

friendships based on your hobbies etc. Eventually you will make friends

and they will be much more likely to give you correction / guidance.

Join an English club or conversation group. Around the world there are

many English speaking clubs, these clubs aren't just for expats but for

people interested in the English way of life. They can be friendly and

fun. For a list of English clubs click here. Check magazines as well as

your phone book, your local newspaper and your local university. Or if

there isn't one in your area - start one! Place an advertisement in your

newspaper for people interested in starting a group or go to Meetup.

Visit an Irish/English/Australian theme pub or British food shop, you can

usually find one in the larger cities. Often, the waiters and waitresses

come from English-speaking countries, the menu is often in English too!

Once your English is good enough, go shopping in some tourist areas.

You'll find lots of shop assistants speak very good English.

If you can travel to an English speaking country, do it.

Singing

Try singing along to English songs. With friends or in the privacy of your own

bathroom. Lots of the major games consoles have karaoke games nowadays,

like Sing Star on the Playstation.

On the internet :- You can speak to me on Skype or in Second Life (see the

forum calendar for times and dates) - you can also listen to or chat with other

learners and native speakers there, or join one of the many social networking

sites. They are all free, so there are no more excuses.

On the network:- Use the pronunciation pages to improve your

understanding. Use my Voice Thread to practise tongue twisters, introductions

etc.

On this site:- You can find some karaoke resources and ideas on the learn

English through songs page.

On the Network: You can find the words to some popular songs on the

English magazine.

Pronunciation skills

Accents really don't matter any more. You can spend a fortune and waste a lot

of time trying to "get rid of" your accent, time and money that you could spend

learning more English. So, unless you are up for a role in a film, don't worry

about your accent too much. That said, people need to be able to understand

you, so pronunciation and enunciation are important.

Be playful. Mimic famous people, play with the different accents in films etc. I

do a mean John Wayne.

Learn the phonetic alphabet.

List words that have the same sound add to the lists as you learn more words.

For example words that rhyme with me:-

More here

Work on one problem sound at a time. Read slowly concentrating on the

pronunciation of particular words. Record yourself, keep the tape and record

yourself later, have you improved? Don't be shy - ask a friend to listen to the

tape too.

Don't worry about sounding like a native, it is more important to speak clearly

and pleasantly than it is to sound like the Queen of England - Even the Queen

of England doesn't sound like she used to.

The most important thing to think about is can people understand you? If you

have a problem being understood then find someone who speaks English

clearly and try to copy the way they speak. Pay particular attention to speed

and enunciation.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/ImproveEnglish/improvespeakingpage.html#sthash.N8UQmi0c.dpuf

Improve Your Reading Skills

Make a habit of reading regularly. Read as many English books, newspapers

and magazines as you can get your hands on.

Reading should be fun, so make sure the texts you choose are not too too

difficult for you. If the book or article you are reading is a chore, then find

something easier. Try reading graded books written especially for ESL

learners. Lynne has written a guide on how to choose a book here.

Find an author you like and read all their books. By doing this you will get

used to the style of a particular author and the typical vocabulary and

grammar they use. As you read more of his/her books you will find it easier

and easier.

If you have a local library find out if they stock English books or if they have

bilingual editions of English classics. Or ask them to stock English translations

of books you are already familiar with.

Try reading things more than once. Read something and then read it again a

few weeks/months later. You should find your understanding has improved.

Try to discuss a book you've enjoyed with other people. You can even discuss

books with us on the forum, or there are lots of online book clubs and you can

even write reviews on book selling sites.

Don't try to read "the classics" straight away. Save them for later, start with

contemporary short stories. And don't forget, there are loads of excellent

comics out there too. I actually started learning German by reading Winnie the

Pooh!

!On the Network: Learning Tip - don't try to understand every word. Try to

understand the overall meaning of a sentence or passage.

!On the Network: Learning Tip - don't translate every word- only use a

dictionary if a word keeps appearing in a text and you still don't understand it.

!On the Network: Learning Tip -don't just read a book and then forget about

it; try to analyse it. You can use this reading log to help you.

!On the Network: Use the English Magazine to find some interesting articles,

poems and jokes to read. If there's a word you don't understand double click it

with your mouse and the definition will pop up. There are no more excuses.

!On the Network: Check out our recommended books.

!On the Network: Try some Speed Reading tips to increase your reading

speed.

!On the Network: Every Monday we run a reading session on Skype, There

are no more excuses.

!On the Network: We run an English Book club on Second Life. If you would

like to join us, or have any other ideas / suggestions (clean ones) of what we

could do on Second Life you have to be a member of the forum.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/ImproveEnglish/improvereadingpage.html#sthash.PkTo5vBF.dpuf

Improve Your English Grammar

If you are confused about a point of grammar, read our grammar pages.

Don't get too hung up on having perfect grammar, but don't think it doesn't

matter either. As I often say, the main point of learning a language is to be

able to communicate, and using the wrong grammar can lead to

misunderstandings, so you do need to get the words in the right order. That

said, learning about a language is different to learning a language. As a child

we learn to communicate without the benefit of grammar books.

Of course you're an adult, and as such you can use grammar books to read

about English grammar and to test your grammar, but once you think you've

learnt something you have to practise it again and again, and in a more

realistic situation than on a blank sheet of paper. Practise forming meaningful

sentences. Make positive statements negative, turn statements into questions,

make active statements passive. Turn past tense sentences into present

tense sentences etc. etc.

Learn the different tenses. Learn by heart a simple example sentence using

each tense.

Do online exercises. Keep a note of how you did and go back in a few

weeks/months to see how you have improved.

!On this site:- Use the grammar pages to learn new grammar and then test

yourself.

But most importantly, try to develop a feeling for English. When you are

speaking with someone you don't have time to go through all the rules in your

head.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/ImproveEnglish/improvegrammarpage.html#sthash.QaC18EZs.dpuf