General |
Decide why you want to study English. Keep this
in mind when studying gets tough.
Regular study is important. Try to study a little and often, 30
minutes a day is better than 3 1/2 hours once a week.
Motivate yourself by studying for an exam eg TOEIC (Test of English
for International Communication).
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Listening |
Try watching movies and tv programmes, and listening to the
radio, in English. Don't be discouraged if you can't understand
everything first time, the more you listen the more you will understand.
With movies on video, if you find it difficult, don't try to watch
everything at once; watch a little at a time, checking any new words
in your dictionary.
Tape record English radio programmes, listen to them several times.
Listen to songs. Follow the lyrics sheet that often comes with
a CD. Try to write the lyrics of a song only by listening to it;
you'll probably need to listen several times with many pauses. The
lyrics of many songs can be found on the Internet, try starting
with a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. By listening to the native languages in both song and in person, you will have a better understanding.
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Speaking |
Practice introducing yourself in English.
Prepare a 5 minute presentation on a subject that interests you.
Share it with your friends.
Speak to as many English people as possible; if you see English
people in your country, say hello and ask if they need any help.
Have an "English Only" party with your friends. Have English food,
beer and conversation!
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Reading |
Read newspaper and magazine articles that
interest you.
Subscribe to an English newspaper or magazine or read one regularly
on the Internet; see the links page.
When you find new words try to guess their meaning before looking
at them in the dictionary.
Practice reading quickly, without re-reading, to see how much
you can understand (this can also help your listening).
Practice different kinds of reading:
- Scanning is reading for specific information,
eg reading some adverts to find the ones that interest you.
- Skimming (or reading for gist) is reading to get
the main point of a piece of text, eg you might do this with a
newspaper or magazine to decide which articles to read in full.
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Writing |
Keep a diary. For each day consider the "WH"-questions
(what, where, who, when, why, how).
Write reviews of movies you've seen, restaurants you've eaten
at etc. Describe them and say what you liked - and didn't like about
them.
Find some English speaking penpals or email friends to practice
real English communication with. Our International
Friendship page has lots of links to free penpal sites
on the Web.
Write letters to newspapers and magazines on subjects that interest
you. |
Vocabulary |
Read newspaper and magazine articles that interest you.
Write down any new or difficult words. Try
to guess what you think they mean from how they are used. Check the meanings in a dictionary.
Try using an English-English dictionary before looking at the translation of new words. Try the Oxford Elementary Learner's Dictionary of English, or Collins COBUILD Advanced Learners English Dictionary.
Write down and check new words or expressions you hear in movies,
songs etc.
Do crossword puzzles and other word games.
Set yourself targets for learning new words - eg try to learn
10 new words a week.
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Grammar |
Most native speakers NEVER learn
rules of grammar.
English grammar rules are complex and have many exceptions. It
is best to learn grammar by hearing and reading as much natural
English as you can. | |
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