How to learn to speak English on your own

Today’s youth (as well as students of all ages) are equipped with more tools than ever to learn English. In the 1980s, students relied on private lessons, printed books, and language learning tapes to improve their English language skills. Now there are many more opportunities online to listen to authentic native English speakers and practice with activities such as multiple-choice exercises. Many of these activities are free, while others have a cost. Whereas students in the past had to travel the world to practice authentic language in a real-world context, now students use apps, text messages, FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts, and more to practice their language skills. All one needs is a good internet connection, a computer, and an Android or iPad to get started.

First of all, one should not forget the importance of reading literature in the language being studied, no matter what the language is. Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and other vendors offer an excellent selection of downloadable books. Many prefer PDF books that can be stored in the iBooks app on their iPads or Android. Most experts agree that the best English writers and speakers are those who have taken the time to read extensively in various genres, including but not limited to romance, literary fiction, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Writers of great books tend to exemplify the best of English, so the digital book should not be overlooked as a valuable tool in a world that tends to provide the quick gratification of acquiring knowledge through online programs.

With that said, it’s good to know that there are so many apps and websites for students who want to learn English on their own, even as a means to outperform their peers at school or work (or to score high on a test. ). One of those valuable sites to acquire English is Udemy. Udemy offers courses of all kinds in the English language. Most of the teachers are native English speakers or second language speakers with a high level of proficiency. By taking a Udemy course, the student develops a vocabulary specific to a field of specialization. Another excellent site is The Great Courses, a site where you can purchase a Great Professors digital course and stream it in an online digital locker. The Great Courses site offers quite long English courses with a wide range of subjects, especially in literature and philosophy. Otherwise, an advanced student of English could supplement their studies with excellent lectures given on TED.com or with free courses offered through universities on the Coursera website.

There is something for people of all language levels, from beginners to advanced professionals. There are programs to address the needs of each learning style. No matter how young or old they are, everyone benefits from websites originally created for public and private schools. Students and teachers find a large number of downloadable worksheets and puzzles, as well as downloadable English books on these sites. Many of these learning sites are backed by the products they advertise and sell. The products of these sponsors add value because they tend to be related to the acquisition of English.

It would be impossible to provide a list of all the sites available in the digital world. New sites emerge all the time when creative people design original means to teach languages ​​online. Rather than learning in one place with a limited methodology, students benefit from exposure to a variety of teaching techniques, strategies, activities, and games. Here is a list of some of my favorite sites that I have used in my experience as an English teacher. Not all of these sites meet the needs of all students, so students must choose from these sites and more:

  • Englishgrammar.org

  • Wall Street’s “English Anytime”

  • Learnamericanenglishonline.com

  • usalearns.org

  • Learnenglish.britishcouncil.org

  • bbc.co.UK

  • Busuu.com

  • Merriam-Webster Dictionary – Official Site

  • Oxforddictionaries.com

  • eslbase.com

  • ESL.partyland.com

  • Khancademy.org

  • Lynda.com

  • Duolingo.com

  • iteslj.org/questions/

  • better-english.com

  • ESLvideo.com

  • kidslearningville.com

  • studyenglishtoday.net

  • pinkmonkey.com

  • brighthub.com

  • usingenglish.com

  • livinglanguage.com

  • ets.org/toefl

  • rosettastone.com

  • English-at-home.com

  • learningEnglish.voanews.com

  • https://www.youtube.com/user/VideoLearnEnglish

  • talkEnglish.com

  • YouTube.com (lessons, music, movies, and more)

  • abaEnglish.com

  • abcfastphonics.com

  • free-phonics-worksheets.com

  • kizphonics.com

At Kiz Phonics, students find valuable examples of the pronunciation of sounds in English. Note that this site is American, but there are equivalent sites with pronunciation from England, Canada, and other English-speaking countries. Adult learners will benefit as much from hearing pronunciation examples on a kid-friendly website as well as children, as phonetics apply to all ages. It is wise to focus on the wide range of vowel sounds spoken by English speakers because most second language speakers are initially unaware of how each vowel makes so many sounds depending on the surrounding letters.

For unfamiliar words, I would turn to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the online Oxford Dictionary, or a general “word of the day” email list that one can sign up to receive daily messages with new vocabulary. Even a native speaker may not know all the words one receives in word emails every day. Students should pay close attention to the etymologies of words. Year etymology it is an explanation of where a word came from and possibly how it changed in both form and sound over a long period of time. Studying word origins makes a challenging language like English even more fun because it links the language to historical origins and to various cultures.

When considering the meaning of words, it is still wise to evaluate a word used in context. English vocabulary is planted in an environment that enables the English learner to understand the intended meaning. There are sites, including sites with dictionaries, that explain the differences between homonyms, homophones, synonyms, and rhyming words. One such site is RhymeZone.com. The Rhyme Zone also provides a valuable thesaurus that will allow students to understand the nuances of the English language.

ABA English offers a natural way to learn English by watching movies related to real life. One of my former adult students from Italy commented that this site was nice and that it made learning English seem like less work than learning in the classroom. ABA English offers a trial period so that anyone can try the program and benefit from its videos for free. If students prefer to advance in the program, they can enroll in Premium services. Otherwise, students may prefer to watch free YouTube videos about English language and sing along with some YouTube music videos with printed lyrics for singers. Singing allows students to practice the flow of sounds naturally.

Wall Street English offers exciting social clubs. Students go to one of its centers (centers) to participate in fabulous activities that address popular culture, trends, marketing, business, advertising, and even the arts. It can be a lot of fun making friends at a Wall Street social event. Wall Street also offers an exciting online “Village” also known as “English Anytime” for motivated students who need to know English for success at work, school and in the workforce. Wall Street English combines the best of classroom teaching with online teaching at a very reasonable and affordable price.

For serious ESL and TEFL students who want to explore English stories in detail, there is Pink Monkey.com, a site with a huge collection of literary summaries written in English. These summaries will help students better understand their literary studies or choose books they would like to read. Both Cliffs and Spark Notes are similar American sites for students with literary leanings of the great English language.

Last but not least, ABCmouse.com, for a small fee, teaches kids activities that come straight from the classroom. One finds thousands of activities within the reach of children. Students click anywhere and are directed to an activity so students never run out of activities. For children of all ages, Reading Bear will teach 1,200 vocabulary items in 50 presentations that cover all the rules of English phonics for free.

As you can see, no matter where one has studied English in the past or where one currently studies English alone or in a classroom, there are many things that the student can study online to improve reading, writing, listening and speaking. . English through websites and apps. Students will find a variety of activities ranging from elementary basic phonics to college-level presentations on sites like Udemy and TED.com. No matter where you have come from in your English studies, you must take responsibility for your own learning. A single teacher cannot provide students with all the knowledge they need because a teacher’s knowledge is limited and comes from only one point of view, no matter how good the teacher is. Therefore, students should not blame their teachers for what they do not know when there are so many opportunities to explore English on the Internet. Students should always use research as a means to better understand words, phrases, and idioms. It is still the responsibility of the student to try to cover all facets of the language, especially when there are so many interesting opportunities!

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