Ways to Improve English

Ways to improve English – introduction

Before I start, I would like to say that although the focus is on ways to improve English, most of what I say about modern language learning aids could apply to any language.

When I think back to when I first started learning German, there wasn’t much in the way of learning material. Specifically, there was:

• no internet
• no smart phones
• expensive international telephone calls
• VHS cassettes only in one language

These days, there are many more options, some of which you might not expect.

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Reading

Yes, reading – it’s one of the best ways to improve English, or any other language. This can be physical books, kindle or other ebooks. To a large extent, it doesn’t matter what you read, as long as it’s well-written. Any genre, author etc. will help. Check out this post for a great way to get your hands on lots of discounted and free ebooks.

Ideally, you should read something that you find enjoyable. That way, the learning comes for free. If you find a word or expression that you don’t know, take the time to find out what it means. Don’t just carry on. Let me elaborate.

Try to guess the meaning, based on the context. Then put the book down and go and find out what the word or expression means. There may be more than one possible meaning, so make sure that you keep the context in mind. Then go back to the book and see if the meaning makes sense. You will find that the ability to guess the meaning will improve with practice, something that is extremely valuable in an exam situation. For extra learning benefit, you can make a note of these words and phrases in a notebook and look at it from time to time to refresh your memory.

If you’re new to the language and find reading difficult, then see if you can find children’s books. I’m serious. This will give you the practice that you need, at a level that is sensible. Don’t worry about the fact that you have a children’s book in your hands. What matters is that you have found material that helps you progress.

For advanced learners (and bearing in mind that this site has a Business English slant), try reading newspapers or magazines with business-related topics. Not only will this help with the language, but you will be better informed about the business world in general.

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DVD / BluRay

The film really needs to be in the language you’re learning. I would avoid translated films, as dubbing makes it unnatural to watch as a learner. If you’re looking for ways to improve English, then you have a huge amount of material at your disposal.

Modern films on a digital format are wonderful learning resources. You can pause, replay, change the language, change / enable subtitles etc. at the push of a button. It doesn’t get much easier than this.

This is my suggestion to making the most of this amazing learning resource.

• choose a film that you really like and know well
• switch to the original language (i.e. the one you’re learning)
• watch the film, repeating and/or pausing as necessary
• switch to your native language as a last resort, then back, once you understand

As in the reading above, if you hear a word or phrase that you don’t know, pause the film and take the time to look it up.

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A word about dictionaries

A couple of times, I said that you should look up words if the meaning is unclear. I recommend using an old-fashioned paper-based dictionary – you know, that thing gathering dust on the shelf.

If you use an electronic dictionary or online tool, you get the answer too quickly. This has the unfortunate effect of being forgotten, equally as quickly. If you’re looking the word up in a dictionary, it takes longer, but you remember it longer.

Obviously, if you’re on the move and you’re missing a word for the taxi driver, then by all means, use an electronic dictionary. The paper dictionary recommendation is for learning purposes.

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The internet

There are many sites, both paid and free, that offer learning resources. However, the quality is very diverse and if in doubt, ask a native speaker to have a look for you.

I looked at online courses in detail in this post. YouTube videos deserve a special mention. There is a wide range of videos available in many languages, but again, ask a native speaker for check if you have any doubts as to the quality and correctness.

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Online games

Yep, you read that right – online games. Even if the game is available in your native language, play it in the language you’re learning. You will get lots of reading and listening practice.

Pro tip for any younger people reading this: when your parents shout up the stairs, asking what you’re doing, just tell them you’re practising English 😉

If you’re playing an MMORPG, such as World of Warcrack, you will most likely be in a guild. Try joining one that speaks the language you’re learning. Join them on TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, Mumble, Skype etc. You will get good practice at listening to different voices, as well as speaking. Because they’re your guildies, they won’t be unkind and will be more patient than 99% of the population. If this isn’t the case, then find a guild with better people.

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Internet forums

I mention this separately from the internet section above because internet forums are very hit and miss in terms of usefulness to a learner.

One problem is the ‘kewl kidzz’ who think it’s hilarious to write in ‘1337 5p34k’ (leet speak), which won’t help you in the slightest.

Another problem is the fact that a lot of non-native speakers are present, who might write poorly. Before you start screaming ‘racist’ at me, the problem is that you will see something written incorrectly, which start to look correct if you see it often enough. This isn’t good and once you form bad habits, they can be very hard to get rid of. At the risk of committing the same crime, people will write things like ‘if u wanna’ instead of ‘if you want to’.

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Facebook Groups

There are many groups on Facebook that are dedicated to learning a wide variety of languages. As with so many things online, the quality varies, but there are good groups around. You just need to find them.

Avoid those where the group owner is only interested in harvesting engagement. You can spot these easily, because the majority of posts are just wordless images with mathematical puzzles, which have numerical answers. These provide absolutely no language learning benefit. Most of the time, the answers are also mathematically wrong, so groups like this only serve to increase the levels of general ignorance. Needless to say, just avoid these groups and concentrate on finding some good ones.

Ideally, I would recommend some now, but there are problems with this. Firstly, the owner can delete them. Furthermore, the language, level and flavour might not suit your needs.

However, I hope you will forgive me for mentioning my own Facebook group, English Language Learners Online. This is a group for learners at all levels, who want a supportive place to ask any questions about learning English. Click on the image above to join us.

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Radio

Of all the ways to improve English, this is probably the worst resource for a learner. I’ve lost count of the number of times a student has come into the class and asked about the meaning of a song s/he heard on the radio.

Trying to understand song lyrics is usually a complete waste of time.

There are several reasons for this:

• unclear diction
• meaningless drivel
• forced rhymes

The most important reason, though? The song wasn’t written with your learning requirements in mind. It was written to express something, usually an emotion or feeling. The term ‘artistic license’ springs to mind. A great number of ‘sins’ are committed in the name of artistic license. By all means, enjoy the song – just ignore it as a learning aid.

If you’re still not convinced, imagine this real-life scene, as witnessed by your humble servant.

The neighbour’s five-year-old son heard a song on the radio he liked and was seen running naked around the garden singing “I’m horny, so horny horny horny” at the top of his lungs. Priceless.

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Ways to improve English – conclusion

Today, there are many modern language learning aids available to anyone who wishes to learn or improve a language. I hope this post has been helpful in deciding which to use and which to leave alone.

Is there anything missing from the list that you have found useful?

Do you have any other ways to improve English using the resources mentioned?

Please let us know about it in the comments below.