Learning English can be fun and exciting, but also quite daunting to begin with. There’s a lot to learn, but there are plenty of ways to practice and improve your English in little ways, some of which can easily become part of your daily routine. Here are our 50 tips, in no particular order.
- Listen to English radio stations and podcasts. Even if you have it on in the background, your brain will still be tuning in.
- Involve your friends and family. Get them to practice with you and encourage you to stick to your study schedule.
- Read, read, read! Read everything from recipe blogs to news articles and fiction. Children’s books can be a great place to start.
- Write! Alongside reading, writing down what you have learned is one of the best ways to memorise things. Try writing at least one new sentence every day!
- Keep a vocabulary notebook, or write notes on your phone.
- Watch films and TV in English. Watch with the subtitles on so you can read along as you listen and immerse yourself in the language.
- Accept your mistakes. Mistakes will happen, but have confidence and don’t be afraid of making errors.
- Stay motivated. What is your reason for learning English? For business, or maybe your gap year? Keep your goals in mind and look forward!
- Surround yourself with English speakers. The best place to learn is immersed in an English-speaking environment.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
- Change your social media language. Changing the language settings on Facebook, Twitter or even your phone to English can pose a great learning challenging.
- Read, Write, Speak, Listen. These are the 4 core skills of learning any language and you need to utilise all of them for success.
- Set short term goals, and reward yourself when you reach them.
- Don’t rush! Focus on mastering the level you are at now. It’s a marathon, not a race.
- Find a routine. Some people prefer to study in the daytime and others in the evening, so find what works for you.
- Listen to English music. Sing along!
- Keep a journal or diary, or write a blog and share your progress with the world.
- Have fun! Learning is always easier when you’re having fun.
- Keep your dictionary on you, but try not to be too reliant on it.
- Learn stresses. English uses stress on different syllables, so when you learn a new word, figure out where the stress is (e.g. LEARning).
- Read out loud with English CDs.
- Ask your teacher if you can record a lesson. Listening back to lessons is a great revision tool.
- Remember the way English is written is not always how it is pronounced.
- Initiate conversations in English, and be confident about it!
- Don’t give up!
- The fastest progress is made when you’re a beginner. Don’t be discouraged when things get harder to learn at a higher level.
- Write down your strong and weak points. Identify what you can improve on and congratulate yourself for what you excel at!
- Learning English words is only part of it. You need to grasp grammar to properly understand the language.
- Label your home. Stick English labels onto everything!
- Use the right resources for your level. Don’t push yourself by using materials that are too difficult.
- Carry flashcards with you. Study them whenever you can, even on the bus.
- Practice whenever you can. Read in bed, talk out loud in the shower. Make English a part of your everyday life!
- Go with your gut feeling, especially when speaking. You’ll be surprised by how often you are right.
- Don’t worry about having a perfect English accent. Be proud of speaking English with your native accent.
- Review and Revise! Always go over everything you’ve studied in the past to make sure it’s staying in.
- With that in mind, going over your old notes and textbooks is a great reminder of how far you’ve come.
- Take tests periodically
- Join social media groups or chats for English learners.
- Play word games with friends and family! Anyone for Scrabble?
- Read a book. Highlight any words you don’t understand as you go along, but don’t stop reading. Once you’ve completed a chapter, look up the words you don’t understand.
- It’s never too late to learn, no one is too young or old to learn English!
- Keep up your routine. If you take too long a break, you might find your level decreasing.
- English has lots of irregular verbs, become an expert on them.
- If you’re nervous, take a moment to gather your thoughts and take a deep breath before speaking. Then go for it!
- Don’t let a bad test score put you off. It doesn’t mean you’re bad at languages.
- You can’t just learn from a book. It’s like riding a bike, you have to learn through doing.
- Perfect your studying environment. Make sure it’s comfortable and has everything you need to work effectively.
- Learn casual English and slang from movies. We don’t always speak Textbook English.
- Consider studying abroad.
- Finally – Study with us at Stafford House International!
We are an international group of English schools with English courses in the UK as well as overseas in Canada, offering a wide range of courses and unique ways to learn and improve your English. Begin your English learning journey with Stafford House today and put our 50 tips to the test.