We have searched the web for the Top Ten Tips to Learn English and decided to create our own list. Find out what we think are the best ways to learn and how ABA can help you with some of them.
Please let us know your favourite tips too, how do you learn English? Where do you study?
1. Join a Daily English Tip Website
Joining a daily tip newsletter will help keep you inspired in your English studies. Each time you receive the email it will remind you to keep learning and you can go to bed every night knowing that you have learnt something new.
Our Today’s Class does that – 3 times a week you’ll receive a video class from one of our teachers who will explain an English lesson. Click here to sign up for free. Also, our Today’s Class has software that allows you to practice the lesson and improve your pronunciation.
Another great website for daily tips is ESL.About.com. Every day you’ll get a short tip or suggestion to improve your English.
2. Listen to English Music
Remember our post to Learn English by Listening to Songs? Well that’s because a lot of websites recommend it. When we’re having fun we remember better because our mind is open to receiving more information. So go on, choose your favourite band and learn what their songs mean.
3. Fall in love with learning
If you have a hobby or a passion, you probably learnt how to do it without studying, right? It didn’t feel like studying because you were having fun.
This is essential to learning English. If you hate studying, or if you dislike practicing, it will be very hard for you because your brain will be saying “I don’t want to do this” all the time. Solution? Learn to love learning English. On our Facebook page, we help you do that!
4. Make time for learning
Choose a time when you’re relaxed and have nothing to do to practice English. Maybe Saturday morning at a cosy caffe? Maybe every evening for 30 minutes before supper.
Make a routine and keep to it. It will greatly improve your chances to learn English.
5. Ask your company to start English classes
Maybe you really want to take an English class but you can’t afford the price. Get together with a group of employees who want to learn English and ask management to sponsor you. A lot of companies do this already!
For more information visit our ABA Corporate website.
6. Watch English language films in English
We wrote about the importance of watching films in English a couple of weeks ago. Read about How to Learn English with Movies here.
7. Make a vocabulary list
Buy yourself a notebook and keep it as your personal English Learning diary.
Write what your goals are, what motivates you to learn and, most importantly, make a list of the interesting vocabulary words you learn. Write down proverbs, idioms or curious phrasal verbs. When you have time, open your diary and try to remember some of them!
Also, writing notes is a great way to remember vocabulary, much better than just reading and forgetting.
8. Online communication
Join us on Twitter and on Facebook. We love chatting to anyone who is learning English. Ask us questions, share your tips and make friends with other learners so you can form a support group.
Learning in a social atmosphere is always more fun!
9. Record yourself or talk outloud
A lot of students are embarrassed to speak outloud in English, they worry their accent isn’t good enough or that they are making grammar mistakes.
A good way to stop being embarrassed is to talk outloud. When you’re doing your homework say the exercises outloud. When you’re reading an English book read outloud. When you’re listening to English songs sing outloud.
Why? You’ll get used to hearing your own voice speaking in a foreign language. The more you do it, the more natural it will seem.
Oh, and if you worry about your accent, remember this: your accent is part of you, it reflects where you come from and its part of your past. Learn to love it, it’s unique.
ABA’s method of learning involves the Intonation Software: in all the exercises you will have to record and listen to yourself so you can compare to a native speaker. By comparing yourself you will see how good you are and be able practice until you are happy with the result.
10. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes: practice, practice, practice
Perfection will come with practice.
Learning a new language is something that will make you feel very proud of yourself. Don’t worry about making mistakes, people will appreciate your effort to talk a new language, they will not judge you for making a small mistake.
Remember that a lot of English speakers do not speak a second language, so isn’t it fabulous that you do?
Another good tip is to read books or articles aloud. That helps a lot for the pronunciation. If not sure how to pronounce a word, check it in an online dictionary. Most of them have pronunciation installed so you can try to follow it. Done correctly it can improve dramatically your pronunciation. Also, find English videos or listening exercises and repeat after the speaker. Good way to achieve fluency in pronunciation.
Hello. Useful article. As for me I’ve learned English online with native English speakers. It was very useful because I could do it in any time.