n e T T i ps p o T FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH by Jessica Elliot Sky Blue English CONTENTS Find a way to speak more ..................................................1 Spend more time reading ..................................................3 Listen more ......................................................................... 4 Commit ................................................................................6 Buy some books ..................................................................8 Keep a record .....................................................................10 Use flashcards .....................................................................11 Create spider diagrams .....................................................12 Take an exam ......................................................................13 Find out how you learn best ..............................................14 Final words from Jessica.....................................................15 TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK JESSICA ELLIOT 1 Find a way to speak more This seems obvious but it is essential to be speaking English as much as possible if you want to improve. You could pay and go to classes or get a private teacher, either face to face or through Skype but there are also many free options. If you are in the UK, the website ‘Gumtree’ has a section called 'Skills and Language Swap' (http://bit.ly/1A8PtRI), where you can find language partners. The idea is that you meet up with an English speaker who helps you learn and in return you help them learn your laguage. I know that there are similar websites in other countries but if there isn’t maybe consider doing a language swap through Skype. I’ve just discovered Go Speaky (http://www.gospeaky.com/) which is another great place to find an online language partner. TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH JESSICA ELLIOT WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 1 If you would prefer to meet people in a group, there is a website called Meetup. You can find groups to practise your English all over the world. There are many different kinds of groups you can join, from conversation to phonetics. I recommend joining these groups as it can also be a good way to meet people if you are in a new place. It is important to commit for a certain amount of time to see results so I recommend freeing up some time in your week for this kind of activity. When I went to live in Spain, I only knew a few words of Spanish. I lived in a house with Spanish people and quickly started to speak. It wasn’t easy and I used a lot of hand gestures at the beginning! However, I knew that if I put myself in that situation I would learn quickly and I did. I also did language exchanges and that really helped. You don’t have to immerse yourself in the way that I did but it is important to be surrounded by the language and to be speaking regularly. JESSICA ELLIOT TIPS FORYOUR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH TOP TEN TIPS TOP FOR TEN IMPROVING ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 2 2 Spend more time reading My second tip is to read more in English and this really helps as you'll increase your vocabulary while becoming more used to grammatical structures. Whether you read books, newspapers, magazines or blogs, it's important to read about things that you are interested in. If you like sailing, read a sailing magazine or if you like interior design there are many blogs that you could read regularly. You might find that it's difficult to find material that is the right level for you. If this is the case, I recommend buying Graded Readers, books that are written specifically for each English level. There is a huge range for each level and there are often exercises at the back. Have a look in bookshops or type ‘Graded Readers’ into the search bar on Amazon. TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 3 3 Listen more My third tip is to listen to as much English as you can. I've listened to BBC radio 4 (www.bbc.co.uk/radio4) since I was a child and there so many interesting programs. I personal favorites are Desert Island Discs, The Today Programme and A Good Read. There are lots of podcasts on itunes. You could choose one that focuses solely on learning English or you choose a podcast that is about a subject that you are intetested in. I really like podcasts as you can download them and listen to them while you are doing other things. I listen to podcasts when I go running, in the gym and when I'm travelling around London. I told one of my Spanish students about Vaughan radio, which is specifically for Spanish speakers and she now listens to it every morning. TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 4 If you like audio books, Audible is a good website as there are a great range of audio books in English. You could buy the audio book and the 'real' book and read while you are listening. I am a member of audible and I think the price is very good. You can download an app onto your phone and listen wherever you are. I really recommend it and really think it’s a great way to improve your English. If there’s a book that you’ve read in your own language, you could see if the English version is available and listen to that. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to understand every word and it’s just good to have it on in the background - you’ll still be taking it in and by doing this you will start understanding more and more. TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH 5 4 Commit When learning a language, it is essential to commit to studying. I recommend having a calendar or wall chart that you can use to map out how much you are going to do each day. I do this for physical exercise. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to exercise at least three times a week. I have a wall planner above my desk and put a red spot on the days when I go for a run or go to the gym. I find this really motivates me as you can see the whole year and feel really satisfied when you see your red spots! 2015 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 This is the wall chart that I bought but any kind of wall chart or calendar would be fine. http://bit.ly/1HUHG1Q TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 6 You could also try setting aside a certain time of the day to practise. Set an alarm on your phone, write it in your diary or do it before or after a particular activity. For example, I am learning Italian and like testing myself before breakfast. The important thing important thing is to be consistent and to try and do it every day. If you forget to practise one day, just try and get back to it - try it and keep the rhythm. TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 77 5 Buy some books The next tip is to buy some good English textbooks. Here are some that I often use and recommend. English Grammar in Use By Raymond Murphy I use this text book all the time and I really like the straightforward manner in which it is explained. There are little diagrams that help to explain grammar points and concepts and you can easily select the units that you want to do (you don’t have to do it in a particular order.) TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 8 Phrasal verbs Plus Published byMacmillan This is a great book for gaining a better understanding of phrasal verbs. It groups phrasal verbs under particular prepositions and provides explanations to the different meanings that prepositions can have. Good for upper-intermediate/ advanced levels Prentice phrasal verbs by Martin Shovel This is a fantastic book to help you learn phrasal verbs. There are really funny illustrations that help to remember each one and there are exercises at the end of each unit and answers at the back so you can use it for self-study. English Vocabulary in Use If you want to improve your vocal. I recommend these books. They come in different levels and have good explanations and exercises. TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 9 6 Keep a record It makes a real difference if you write down new words and expressions as you can revise them. To remember new words, you’ll need to go back to them again and again. You’ll find that some words just stick and others are a lot harder to remember. If you have a small notebook for new words, you can keep it with you and write down new words when you come across them. You could also have different notebooks for different types of words. For example, one for nouns and another for verbs. A great exercise is to make sentences with the new words and get a native speaker to check them. New words I really like Muji’s notebooks and often buy them http://bit.ly/1OetDsU TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 10 7 Use Flashcards When learning a language, it’s important to lean vocab, phrases and expressions. I recommend flashcards for this and they can either be paper or digital. If you prefer to use paper flashcards, Ryman and Muji both sell them. I think it’s good to have a set of flashcards for each subject. You’ll need to write the word/phrase in your native language on the front and the English word on the back. If you would prefer to use your phone or computer, there is a great app called Anki (http://ankisrs.net/). You can install this for free on your computer but you have to pay for the app for iphones (it’s free for Android phones.) I think it is well worth the money if you do need to pay for it. When you have installed it, you just need to create a deck and start creating cards. There’s also a similar app called Flashcards Duluxe, which is also good (http://bit.ly/1HkPtqH) Try and test yourself for at least 10 minutes each day! TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 11 8 Make spider diagrams sunshine a tan Grouping words can work well and it’s very good for people like me, who are visual learners and respond well to infographics sailing etc. Spider diagrams (also called mind maps) are a great way to learn new vocab and revise words that you already know. Here is an example: The seaside lie-ins relaxation conversation Holidays reservations cocktails (nouns) good food reading adventure activities the flight TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH hotels/ b&b’s/camping sightseeing WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 12 9 Take an exam Take an exam Exams provide motivation and also look great on your CV or in job interviews. If you find it difficult to motivate yourself, preparing for an exam could be the answer. There are many exam preparation courses and text books that have been written for exams. I particularly like the Cambridge exams as there are specific exams for different levels. There are four parts: Speaking, Reading and use of English, Listening and Writing With the IELTS, all students take the same exam but are awarded different grades according to their level. You have the choice of the Academic exam and the General exam. The Academic exam is required if you are applying to University in an English speaking country. There are also four parts: Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing. TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 13 10 Find out how you learn best We all learn in different ways and I recommend finding out what type of learner you are. Here are the different types: Visual Aural Reading and writing Kinaesthetic (learning through doing) You can find out by doing a test on this website: http://bit.ly/1ukfRvs Visual Aural Once you know how you learn best, you’ll be able to tailor your learning more effectively and choose methods that work best for you. TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH Reading and writing Kinaesthetic WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 14 Final words from Jessica So that’s the end of the 10 tips. I hope that you’ve found these tips useful! I use them when I teach English and also when I learn languages (I’m learning Italian at the moment). It would be great to hear from you. Let me know your thoughts on these tips and if you use any of them or are thinking of trying them. Get in touch through Facebook (http://on.fb.me/1Fef3vJ), Twitter (https://twitter.com/skyblue_english). I’d love to hear from you. Remember that we improve one step at a time. Sometimes you’ll feel that you’re improving faster than at other times. Some days you’ll be able to speak completely fluently and other days it will be more of a struggle. This is normal and part of the process. Enjoy learning and keep going. ’The future depends on what you do today.' Mahatma Gandhi TOP TEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ENGLISH WWW.SKYBLUEENGLISH.CO.UK 15