15 Tips For English Learning
Study daily, even if it’s for 20 minutes
No matter what you’re learning, constant practice is vital. Studying English for a short amount of time daily will be of much more benefit than reading books for half a day whenever the inspiration hits you, only to forget everything on your next break.
Take a good look at your schedule – daily, weekly, monthly – and plan a realistic time for studying. Feeling tired after work? Revise everything you learnt the day before or watch an episode of your favourite show in English – the main thing is to stay consistent because skipping a day means you can easily skip another one, and then another one, and then it builds up and you have to start over, and we all know how hard that is…
Set realistic goals
When starting your English journey, get a grasp of your main goal – which level of English proficiency do you want to reach? What skills do you want to develop? After that, create a study plan and set short-term goals and tasks to celebrate wins more often. Remember – be realistic about how much spare time you have because we as people are prone to daydreaming, and insurmountable goals can be a major buzzkill.
Appropriate learning routine
Once you’ve set your learning goals, it’s time to create a routine that matches your personality and lifestyle. Only you know best what tricks, hacks and methods help you learn something new and what you can incorporate in your daily life. Remember the ways you used to learn in school, but also be open to new ways to cement your knowledge. To balance your study routine, pinpoint concepts you find fun and easy to learn and those you find more challenging.
Think about what time of day you want to study most as well. Are you a morning or an afternoon person? Some people are more productive early in the morning, already feeling tired in the afternoon, while others need time to warm up their brain, and even focus best during night hours.
Movies, TV shows, music, podcasts – listen to all of this in English
In English, pronunciation is important. Ignoring this, you risk being misunderstood. A lot. Listening to native English speakers creates an understanding of the language structure, sound and pronunciation. You might already have a set of favourite TV shows and broadcasts – all you need to do is remove the dubbing track and subtitles to fully focus on the English.
A great way to learn the language is to listen to podcasts, interviews and radio broadcasts while going to work, gardening or walking the dog. If you can’t catch what’s being said, lower the playback speed. This can help you build your vocabulary and learn grammar faster. Not only will you gain new English knowledge but you’ll also learn something new about other topics you find interesting.
Find an English conversation partner online
There are four base skills that make up language learning: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Even though schools often start with grammar, the best way to learn a language is speaking in it, even with a very limited vocabulary. Writing is also a great way to add to your vocabulary and understand grammar. Try writing something every day. It’s also a great way to see your progress.
Today, it would be unwise not to use online opportunities – social media and language learning groups let you find conversation partners or penfriends with ease, preferably native English speakers. English is the third most spoken language in the world after Chinese and Spanish, and it has more that 400 million native speakers globally, so you’ll definitely be able to find someone who would love to become your English-speaking conversation partner.
Read everything that has letters
Schoolbooks and various exercises are important and will definitely help you learn English, but limiting yourself to these can hold you back. English is everywhere and anywhere you go. Classic literature, periodicals, websites, e-mails, your social media feed, even the booklet in the hotel and the box of Cheerios you bought last night – Read. Every. Single. Thing. It’s a stealthy but solid way to learn new words, expressions, idioms, sentence structures and punctuation.
Learn phrases, not isolated words
Fluency in language means the ability to speak in full sentences without any hesitation. Learning English word by word will only make your life harder, as you’ll have to translate each word in your head into English from your native language. For example, if you’re learning “tonight”, it would be useful to learn a whole phrase like “tonight, I’m going to…” This way your brain will already know half of the answer and stumble less when discussing plans for the evening.
Another important aspect of English is idioms and figures of speech that are prevalent in colloquial speech – these will help in conversation with native English speakers. If you’re going to translate each word of the phrase separately, you’ll find the things read or heard strange, if not absolutely ridiculous; so, if you encounter an idiom, make an effort to find out its meaning and try to memorise it.
Create your own English dictionary
The English language has a very rich vocabulary, so the best way to memorise new words is by writing them down – perhaps it’s a good idea to remember school, where you had to create a dictionary in your notebook. Upon encountering a new word or expression, put it in context – use it in a sentence or describe its meaning in greater detail. If you’re more of a smart device fan, you can do it digitally by creating a Google Docs file.
Find people to study English with
This can be done through English classes twice a week, or an English conversation club, but it can also be a study buddy – this way, you’ll be able to support and encourage each other not to quit once the initial enthusiasm dies down. Studying with someone else will be more enjoyable and effective. Together, you can create a study plan, find new ways to test your knowledge, and the competitive spirit will be a good motivator as well.
Online courses are available anywhere and anytime.
Today, online courses hosted by English experts are available worldwide. Both group classes and individual courses are available, and many platforms have prepared educational materials so you can study at your own pace independently. The biggest advantage of online courses is the opportunity to adjust them to your daily routine and study at a convenient time and place.
Apps for learning English
Nowadays, there is a wide selection of apps and learning programs to help you learn English. Fluenz offers videos by tutors, while Duolingo can be used on your smartphone for daily practice, killing time with an English exercise. If you write e-mails or other English texts at work, Grammarly can be a helpful tool. The app will not only fix your grammatical errors but also give you solid tips on rewriting the text more clearly and concisely. While reading books and online magazines in English, definitely use an online dictionary where you can quickly translate words and phrases you might be struggling with.
Learning can be fun
Forget about school routines as an adult. English can also be learnt in a fun way: game night or karaoke with friends in English, crosswords and joke strips in online magazines, video games and YouTube videos are just a few examples. Don’t forget that we actually learn language during moments when we seemingly aren’t being “productive.”
Speak even when you only know basic phrases
No matter how many words and phrases you’ve learnt, don’t be afraid to use them, and speak English as often as you can. It’s a great way to constantly train and test your language skills. On Skrivanek courses, teachers also invite students to speak so that the acquired theoretical knowledge can be reinforced effectively and applied in practice instantly.
Plan trips
Travel is the best way to learn English. It’s no secret that English is the most widely-used language around the globe, so you’ll be able to hone your English skills in various destinations, depending on your wishes and possibilities, starting from the United Kingdom to as far away as Australia. Travelling alone or with friends on your own, without the use of travel agencies, is the best way to do it, as you can plan your own travel programme together while also practising your English, solving any questions and problems by yourselves.
Challenge yourself
Keep track of your English progress and challenge yourself every once in a while. Sometimes, awkward situations where you’re forced to read, speak or listen to English outside of your comfort zone are the best ways to learn English, as you have to actually exercise your brain and focus.
Try ordering food in a restaurant, talk to an English speaker at a social event, let an exchange student live with you or apply to receive foreign guests at work – just be brave and don’t be afraid of errors. Making mistakes while learning is inevitable – often, the same mistake occurs constantly, but thank the one who corrects you with a smile on your face and try to highlight any awkward words, pronunciation or grammar.