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Use Hobbies to Learn English

admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:26:59 +0000

If you want to learn English, it can help to harness on your hobbies and interests to make the learning process more fun and exciting.

1. When you decide to learn English, start by choosing one activity that you enjoy and in which you would love to experience a new challenge. For example, maybe you will choose basketball.

2. The first step is to pick up some of the key vocabulary words. Make a list of important terms and phrases in your native language, and then use a dictionary to find the English equivalents.

3. Create flash cards or lists. You can even use color coding to categorize words by sub-category or difficulty. Portable learning aids will encourage you to learn your vocabulary words on-the-go. Plus, you will have the English translations handy when you need them!

4. Are you ready to use your newly learned vocabulary words? Many free resources are available online to help English students practice with real conversations over Skype or with email pen pals. Livemocha.com and lingofriends.com are both great examples of language websites that can help you. These websites provide you with a comfortable environment to practice and gain knowledge from others while you learn English. A simple Google search for “Language learning pen pals” will help you find many other resources for you to practice while you learn English.

5. Next, try to find a place to use your new hobby-related language skills in a face-to-face environment. Using our example of basketball, check if your city offers a free intramural basketball league for English speakers. Here you can make more English speaking friends, practice your new basketball vocabulary, and even continue learning more! You will see that hanging out with English speaking friends will help you learn English faster, more efficiently, and in a more enjoyable way.

6. Finally, you can use EZ-Speak to improve your spoken pronunciation. This will help you feel more confident when having conversations with your English speaking friends.

Good luck!

Traps In Subtitle Learning

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:56:47 +0000

Many ESL learners learn English vocabulary through watching English movies and TV shows with subtitles. These subtitles can serve as a great tool for visual learners and for those who just want to have a good time while learning. What better way could there be to hear new words in context and to practice saying them over and over just like the characters? While there is much to be gained from this type of learning, you should watch out for a common trap. Very often, TV and movie characters speak with poor grammar or in ways that are very culturally specific. It doesn’t hurt to understand the context of these types of words while you learn English vocabulary, but odds are they you do not want to introduce these habits into your everyday speech. If you do choose to use them, it might be useful to understand in which type of environment each example will be best received.

Some examples include slang abbreviations, like “ain’t” instead of are not and “y’all” instead of you all

Or, there might be a child character speaking who is not old enough to speak with proper grammar. “Me no want no vegetables!” might sound cute coming from a 3 year old, but will sound a bit ridiculous coming from an adult.

Other words and phrases might be great additions to your English vocabulary, but shouldn’t be used in a professional setting. Some examples of these are: “Dude!”, “Sup?”, “Wanna”, “Coulda”, and “Shoulda”.

What should you do if you come across one of these types of words? What if you still want to add it to your English vocabulary, but you can’t quite figure out the meaning. A good resource for these types of words is Urban Dictionary.

Studying English One Category at a Time

admin — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 20:28:28 +0000

Do you often confuse words from the same category? If you confuse “shirt” with “skirt” and “slide” with “swing”, you aren’t alone. While studying English, you might notice that your brain sometimes processes its learning of words in stages. “Ear.” “Eye.” You might think to yourself that both of these are definitely parts of your face, but you just can’t remember which is for seeing and which is for hearing! This is because when you first started learning these words, your brain placed them into a specific category. Next, you need to fine tune your new vocabulary a bit more in order to fully learn and internalize which words and sounds go with which meanings.

One way to speed up the pace of this part of studying English is to focus special attention to one vocabulary category at a time. These categories can be content or grammar related. Let’s take a look at an example of the content category and at ways to better develop your vocabulary and avoid confusion.

Picture yourself in an office supplies store, on a mission to restock the cubicles on your floor at work. The store is pretty disorganized, and you are finding it difficult to find all the items on your shopping list. When you approach a store representative, you realize that the words for the different products are getting mixed up in your head. You know that they all fall into the category of office supplies, but you can’t remember which word goes with which item. How can you avoid this for the next time? Here are some tips to improve your studying English vocabulary words.

1. Choose one category at a time.

2. Create paper flash cards with English translation on one side and your native language on the other side.

3. Create paper flash cards with English translation on one side and a photo of the word on the other side.

4. Use the world around you as one big reality flash card. As you go about your daily activities, pay special attention to each time that you encounter an object in your chosen category. When you see this item, think about the English word in your mind, and write down the English word together with its translation in your mother tongue language. If you don’t have pen and paper, you can use a cell phone to type the words in.

5. If you have a smart phone, download the Google Translate application. If you see an object in your chosen category that you can’t remember the English word for, type it into Google Translate using your native language to instantly see the English word. This is most beneficial when you are looking at the object, as the visual aid will reinforce your knowledge of this vocabulary word.

6. Speak the English word out loud to yourself any time you see an object in your category. Pay careful attention to your pronunciation.

7. Specifically engage in conversations that utilize your category’s vocabulary words. This can be accomplished by putting yourself into a situation where you will need the words, like at an office supply store if that is your category, or by asking a friend to help you practice.

8. Short YouTube videos about your category will help you learn the words in context. This will also enable you to hear correct pronunciation and to practice speaking the words after you hear them.

With the above tips you will be well on your way to mastering a vocabulary category. When you feel comfortable with one category, choose another. But don’t forget to set aside some time every now and then to review old categories so that you don’t forget some of the words!

Well-rounded learning American spoken English

admin — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 08:27:20 +0000

The Internet is full of great resources for learning American spoken English. Many of these websites can be perfect complements to your learning with EZ-Speak. While learning American spoken English is important, students should not discount the value of expanding vocabulary, improving grammar skills, and practicing reading and writing. No matter what your current English level is, it is very important for you to improve on all of these areas simultaneously. Even native English speakers should be growing in these areas! Are you wondering why it’s worth putting effort into these topics, if you think you can already comprehend material and express yourself well enough at your current level?

A large part of learning a new language is gaining confidence. If you want to feel more confident as you continue learning American spoken English, it is important for you to feel intelligent and educated while you speak. Sometimes, non-native speakers of any language get tongue tied when they don’t know a specific word. When this happens, they often lose their train of thought for the next few sentences of conversation. The larger your vocabulary, the less likely this will be to happen.

You might be wondering why good grammar is important if you know the right words. While vocabulary is often likened to the building blocks of a language, grammar is often known as the cement. Without proper grammar, ideas can be completely skewed and incorrectly communicated. Are you going in or out? Are you referring to a male or a female? Seemingly minor grammar mistakes yield needlessly frustrating communication and conversation.

Improved reading and writing skills will enable you to gain information and to convey your thoughts through different mediums. When colleagues, fellow students, or friends are not available for a phone call, deciphering a complicated e-mail and writing a response might become necessary.

Wrapping all of these skill sets together is pronunciation. Though you might have a strong vocabulary and impeccable grammar, others might experience difficulties understanding you during a conversation. This, in turn, could lower your confidence levels and make it more difficult to speak. The adaptive EZ-Speak program is a great way to improve your pronunciation and spoken English skills.

Learn Business English

admin — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:30:50 +0000

In today’s global market, the world is connected through English. You might find that even though you already learned English through TV or a regular English class, you still have a difficult time communicating when it comes to business topics. That’s because in order to learn business English, you need to put a special focus on ideas, words, and activities that are specific to conducting business in English. For example, you might understand an English TV show or movie and have no trouble carrying on basic conversations with you English speaking friends, but do you know the proper etiquette related to writing a business email in English? Have you ever negotiated deal or given a business presentation in English?

Business English contains quite a different vocabulary than regular conversational English. In addition, it also carries with it several expectations relating to how people communicate with one another. If you learn business English, you will also gain a better understanding of how to relate to English speaking colleagues. Very often, cultural gaps present themselves and cause a great deal of confusion and misunderstandings between people. In one culture it might be customary to give opinions in a more “politically correct” and gentle way, while in another culture it might be more widely accepted to state views in a very blunt manner. If you plan on working in an English speaking environment, it is very useful to understand the differences and have a good grasp of business norms and etiquette.

Rather than participating in a formal course, some ESL learners choose to learn business English directly in the business environment. Some jobs will allow employees to learn the vocabulary and strategies as they go, but this is often much more frustrating than first developing a strong base through taking a course. It is not always easy to know the proper way to respond to certain emails, comments in meetings, etc. without formal guidance. Business English can help make the work environment easier and less stressful, while teaching you new words and ideas that can carry over into your regular English learning.

Practice English with Small Goals

admin — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:39:44 +0000

Practicing English, like any new skill, can seem overwhelming and intimidating. This is understandable, since learning a new language brings many new grammar words and a whole new vocabulary. It’s important to practice English in a comfortable and approachable way. It often helps ESL students to set small goals that are easy to reach, one at a time. This helps students keep focus while they practice English and notice their progress easily.

Here are some ideas for daily small goals that will help you learn English:

Read one short story or poem each day. As you’re reading, underline the words that are hard for you to understand. Use a dictionary to find out the meanings, and keep a list of the new words you learn.

Every day, try reading the article headlines in an English newspaper. Then, in English, create a list of 5 current events that are discussed that day.

Watch English TV shows and movies. This will help you get used to hearing correct pronunciation.

Pay attention to the items and actions around you. Each day, choose 3 of these to practice English speaking out loud in a sentence. Then, for each of these 3 words, try to come up with another English word that means the same thing or that describes the item or action.

Play English word games, like hangman. These games will give you an enjoyable way to practice using your current English vocabulary, while continuously growing it with new words!

Using TV and Radio to Practice English

admin — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:18:12 +0000

Learning a new language is not easy, and usually requires countless hours of practice. Many students will put in less effort when they feel like learning is a chore, and are searching for fun and interactive ways to practice English. Did you know that some of the best, most interactive and most accessible English learning resources are already right at your fingertips? Television and radio programming offer countless opportunities to improve and practice English pronunciation in a way that is always adaptable to your interests.

Choosing a TV or Radio Show

The first step is to choose a program that matches your interests. If you like a specific genre of television, this is a great opportunity to catch up on past episodes. Other options can include reality shows, news channels, and talk shows. This is also a great opportunity to expose yourself to specific types of speech. For example, you can choose to learn business English, medical English, or English for any other area through which type of programming you use to practice English. It is important to select shows that will keep you hooked, so that you want to keep on learning.

While thinking about which shows to watch or listen to you should also consider your current English level. If you have a difficult time understanding English when many people are speaking at once, it might be a good idea to start off watching talk shows and news programs. In these types of shows you are likely to see many conversations in which only one person will speak at a time, making it easier to hear words and practice English with them. If you feel that you are at a more advanced level, it can be useful to watch different types of shows in which conversations move very quickly and many people participate in a conversation at the same time.

Learning Tips

To start, choose one speaker at a time to pay special attention to. Focus on how he speaks. How does he pronounce his sounds? What is his rhythm? Which syllables in the words does he stress the most?
Try to imitate the speech from the TV or radio right after it is said. Start with one word at a time and then build up to full sentences. It is important to say these words out loud. While you might feel a little bit silly at first, it will be a huge help for improving your English word pronunciation.
When you are feeling more comfortable with the process, start imitating more than one speaker. Before you know it, you will be practice English for the entire duration of the show!
Try to watch and listen to as many different types of shows as you can. This is a great chance to be exposed to new words and different types of conversations.

Invite friends to join you! If each person chooses one character in a TV show or movie to follow and imitate, then when you practice English it will turn into a fun social activity.

How to Achieve Better English Pronunciation

admin — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:42:34 +0000

Improving your English pronunciation may seem like an impossible task at first but there are several simple things you can do in order to achieve better English pronunciation. If you stay dedicated, and follow the tips bellow, you will have better English Pronunciation in no time!

1) Start Slow

Sometimes, if you speak English too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and emphasis, native English speakers will have a hard time understanding you. Speak slowly and concentrate on each word you are saying.

2) Learn a Few Phrases

Start off by picking a few phrases you feel are most important. Maybe there are a few key phrases you use a lot at work, or phrases you notice native speakers using quite often. Once you have mastered these phrases, you will also know how to correctly pronounce all the individual words that make up those phrases, and then make multiple combinations of the words to form many different sentances.

3) Imitate Native Speakers

The best way to do this is by watching TV and repeating what the characters are saying. Watch the mouth movements of native English speakers and pay special attention to emphasis, intonation and rhythm when repeating after them.

4) Focus on your Difficulties

Try to make note of certain words you find especially difficult. Then, ask a friend to help you with their pronunciation, or look up the phonetic transcription of the word in a dictionary.

5) Record Yourself

Recording yourself speaking English will make you more conscious of the mistakes you are making. Try reading a passage from a book, and then recording yourself while you read. You can also try using books on tape to compare your recording to that of the person reading the book on tape.

6) Be Specific

Each language has its own rhythm, including your native language. Some languages are similar to English, while others are very different and all in different ways. Look up tips for better English pronunciation that are specific to native speakers of your language. For example, Spanish speakers who want to have better English pronunciation will need different tips than Chinese language speakers.

7) Surround Yourself with English

The more English you hear, the better! Listen to English music, watch TV, listen to the radio, and speak with native English speakers. Immerse yourself in the language and their style and inflection will start to rub off on you.

8) Don’t Get Bogged Down in Details

You don’t need to concentrate on grammar too much when you’re focus is pronunciation. It will only confuse you and steal your focus. Native speakers don’t concentrate on grammar when they speak, it is second nature to them, and if you don’t think about it too hard, it will also become second nature to you.

If you work hard and follow the steps above, you will be on your way to having better English pronunciation in no time. Be patient with yourself and get as much practice speaking as you can. Good luck!

What to Look for in Spoken English Lessons Free Download Options Available?

admin — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 09:07:31 +0000

So you have been going through a real tough time because you are not that very good when it comes to speaking in English?

There are many cases where a person is real good in grammar, writes very good in English yet is not very good when it comes to speaking in English. This is primarily a problem in nations where English isn’t the native language there are many in those nations who somehow manage to get a grasp of speaking aspect of the language, but others who somehow do not get the exposure or opportunity are not able to improve.

English lessons online free download

However, thanks to the internet boom, people can now opt for spoken English lessons free download and get started with the process of learning within minutes and that too without spending a single dollar from their pocket. How and where do you get free English lessons online? There are plenty of websites that have loads of material with respect to learning English conversation free download and these websites would ensure that you get exposed to plenty of free online English courses, which target and work upon each and every attribute of learning English.

In the last few years, it has been seen that more and more spoken English lessons free download have added audio English lessons free download to their courses. The reason is people need to listen audio English lessons free download to actually improve their own spoken English, unless you hear and know the correct way to speak there actually is no point learning a language. If you have been reading loads of material which promise to make you better in English and does not have any audio free English lessons for beginners or video English lessons online free download option then it is very likely that your pursuit of improving your spoken English would fall flat. It is always better to opt for Spoken English lessons free download where you get an opportunity to listen to audios of people conversing in good English or you get to see videos of people teaching English.

Free English lessons online

There are so many free English lessons for beginners, people get confused and wonder which should be the best option for themselves. Like we have already mentioned only opt for those which offer audio or video exposure in English lessons online free download. However, for beginners it isn’t that easy always and people tend to make a mess of the whole stuff. What differently should a person do in order to ensure that they make the most of spoken English lessons free download? The first and foremost suggestion would be to opt for English test online free.

Audio English lessons free download

There are various websites again which would help you track your English learning progress as well, so checkout some of the better options and keep a tab on all that you learn. Another major problem that beginners face when it comes to learning spoken English is that when they do not like a learning English online free course they keep on changing to other courses. In reality, you should actually checkout all the features of a course and then only begin with that course and if you do start off with one, you should ensure that you complete the same. With so many Spoken English lessons free download options available for people on the internet, it makes it really difficult to find one that is the best, shortlist quite a few and then read some of the reviews on those Spoken English lessons free download course and then decide which one you wish to opt for. What are you waiting for start off with your Spoken English lessons free download program right now or check out some of the free English speaking course online.

Know How to Improve English Pronunciation

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 09:04:19 +0000

We all know that there are plenty of online material which would help you learn English sitting at your home.

Some of the online courses would help you understand English grammar and its proper usage, some would help you improve your writing skills, but one of the biggest challenges that people would say is improving on their pronunciation. Wondering how to improve English pronunciation? There are plenty of online courses which when followed would result in better English pronunciation, but there is plenty of requirement or in other words there is plenty for the person to himself/herself to do so that they can improve English pronunciation.

How to Improve English Pronunciation

It might have sounded quite a bit complex, but that’s the truth getting your English pronunciations perfect is not always the easiest thing to do. You might speak very good English and you might be perfect in pronunciations with most of the words, but there are certain words which you might pronounce in a particular manner and an American might pronounce in a different manner. This is probably one of the biggest challenges for people and many really do not give due importance to it. the fact is if you are correct in most of the cases then you really do not have to look for answers of how to improve English pronunciations, but if you are quite weak at it then it is better that you start looking for the best possible answers of how to improve English pronunciation and start off. The thing is, if you find a good enough solution then you might be perfect and speak words with better English pronunciation than most of the people do.

Better English pronunciation

However, it is suggested that one should seek and opt for courses or listen to courses that deal with your form of English. For example, a person moving to Britain would not benefit by listening to English that is spoken by a person staying in the United States. There are quite a few options available and most of these cover the popular forms of English and they really would help you in better English pronunciation. Though there are plenty of options available, for people who are more or less familiar with basic forms of English and their difference they can start off with an English pronunciation dictionary, which teaches you exactly how to pronounce a word. There are plenty of pronunciation guide English language available too and all that you would need to do is download one and start reading. For people who are not well-versed with different accents or forms of English, it is better to start off with a basic learning English online free course and then slowly proceed to a more complex English pronunciation course.

Improve English pronunciation

Wondering what makes us stress upon the fact that one needs to go through pronunciation guide English? There are plenty of reasons for it and one of the biggest reason for it being, English pronunciations are not very tough and once you know some of the very basic rules, you would be able to ensure that you improve English pronunciation very soon. Many of you would be wondering what makes so many people search for how to improve English pronunciation? Pronunciation is one of the most important parts for one to express himself or herself and/or also understand conversations with native English speakers. Many think that it very tough and it takes years to get it right, but the fact is there are so many options available and each is so very effective that you would not have an issue understanding and picking up the pronunciation of any form of English. For all those who think it is too tough to pick up any particular accent, checkout the spoken English exercises free download options available of that accent or form.