A Beginner’s Guide to Learning English for Free
Unsplash: Toa Heftiba
In need of an afternoon delight? Sure, you can have a cup of tea and some biscuits or maybe a slice of cake. But what else should you do to make this afternoon more special? Learn a new language like English for free. Or better yet, improve and practice your knowledge of English with Beelinguapp.
With Beelinguapp, you can learn English by exploring the wondrous world around you and by reading stories you love right in the comfort of your own safe haven. You can even take advantage of the flashcard feature, by learning new words and practicing your pronunciation. With Beelinguapp, mastering English is only a tap away. Download now for free!
Before I start telling you about the secrets of how to learn and acquire English, here are your lucky seven interesting tidbits about the English language. Feel free to whip any of them out when you're in need of an icebreaker.
- The shortest grammatically correct sentence in English is made up of two letters: “Go”.
- Every year, roughly 4,000 new words are added to the English dictionary.
- Every two hours, a new English word is added to the English dictionary.
- 11% of words in the English language begin with the letter E.
- 67 countries have English as their official language.
- The world's English-speaking population is estimated to be at 1.5 billion people.
- English is the official language of air travel.
English as a lingua franca has become an important part of the global education system.The language has been very influential in the growth of globalization and in conducting international business, connecting cultures, communities, and countries. In this time, the importance of learning English as a second language has proven to be very essential and crucial in discovering more opportunities and larger possibilities around you!
Learning English is just the beginning to a more diverse and wider access of wondrous knowledge this one cavern can hold. So my fellow language learner, hang in there and let us help you master this fantastic language.
There are many ways to learn English, so let us list out the ways. And if you follow these simple steps, we are very sure your afternoons will be the best part of your days. So grab a notepad, some glittery pens and get ready for listing and note-taking.
Personalization. Personalization. Personalization.
When you’re studying English, you have to make this learning process your own. Hence, the term “Personalization” and this means that you have to make this learning more personal, make it how you want and would like it to be.
Studying a language like English is an intimate activity between you (as the student) and the language you are learning, which in this case is English. And personalizing your language learning is a great motivational factor to keep you going. When you’re doing things you love, you tend to do it more. This special hack is key to holding you accountable for your studies.
When personalizing your language learning, think of your curiosities, the content you like to consume, even your hobbies and interests. From here, you can start thinking of ways as to how you can incorporate these into your study!
Resources:
- Beelinguapp
- manythings.org
- usingenglish.org
An award-winning mobile language learning app that helps people learn languages with interesting stories, relevant news articles, and more. The app uses the parallel-text method, in which the learner's native language is displayed alongside the target language, read aloud by a native speaker of the target language.
A free website for students studying English as a second language implementing different language lessons through games, puzzles, read-along videos, daily study guides, and other resources.
An English language learning website with tools and resources to help you enhance your grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.
Listen. Listen. Listen.
Listening is another integral part of acquiring English, that is because listening is an active part of the learning process. When you’re listening, you’re hearing how English is spoken and how words are pronounced, all while trying to make sense of the information you are receiving. With this technique, you’re sort of multitasking: boosting your understanding, getting familiar with the language, as well as training your attention span.
Tips on how to practice listening in English:
- Listen to English podcasts, music, audio recordings
- Listen to narrated stories using audio books
- Listen to the dialogues exchanged in films and TV shows
Resources:
- English Speeches
- Modern Love
- TED Talks
English Speeches is a podcast and YouTube channel that uses acclaimed and historic speeches to help you improve your listening and speaking skills in English.
Modern Love is a NYTimes podcast series that talks about love in all its shapes and sizes. With this podcast, you can hear different real life stories and become more familiar with the English language in a more moving way.
TED Talks are presentations or talks about various topics from poetry to science and technology. Check out TED Talks if you're searching for a fun and engaging approach to learn about a topic that stirs your interest. The transcript and subtitles can also be used to assist you through the video.
Speak. Speak. Speak.
Learning and acquiring English takes a lot of time and effort. And one way to make use of what you learned is by practicing your English speaking skills. Sure you are reading and listening to your target language, but part of language immersion is Speaking. So… speak away!
Even if you’re speaking in broken sentences or not conjugating verbs properly or mixing English with another language, that is okay! Learning happens when you are doing something, and speaking is a way of implementing what you’ve learned by using your own voice.
The beginning stages of it won’t be easy. You may think you sound funny. You may think you sound weird. You may think that your speaking makes no sense at all. All of that is FALSE, because what you’re doing is really interacting with the language. And there’s no better way to interact in your target language like English than by speaking it.
Tips to practice speaking English:
- Have a conversation with an English speaker
- Record yourself when reading something
- Watch something in English and mimic the speakers
Resources:
- Language Learning Groups on Social Media
(Facebook, Discord, Twitter, WhatsApp) - mylanguageexchange.com
- Join a language exchange program
Social media is not only a way to connect and communicate with people, but it can be used to learn a new language like English. This method is called Social Media Language Learning or SMLL and it uses social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and WhatsApp. This approach to language learning encourages conversation, a way to supplement your speaking and listening skills.
Conversation is an important element of language acquisition since it allows you to learn the language in a relaxed space by sharing thoughts and ideas, all while also improving your listening skills. Mylanguageexchange.com uses the technique called the Cormier method, which places language learners in small groups to improve their language skills through conversation.
Joining an English language exchange program is an excellent approach to becoming immersed in the culture and language. This method allows you to see the world and experience culture as if you were a native speaker, introducing you to nuances of the language.
Oh My Gamification!
Oooh, the one and only G word you need to know when it comes to acquiring a language is…Gamification! Indeed, gamification is a way to enhance your learning and you don’t need any gaming consoles for this one. Gamification or game-based learning, is a fun way to increase engagement and participation in language acquisition.
When it comes to language acquisition, game-based learning encourages a healthy balance of competition and fun, which increases motivation in learning. So why not apply games to learning and acquiring English?
You can integrate gamification in language learning and acquisition by playing word games or answering Concept Check Questions (CCQ). When you are playing word games like the famous Wordle or the competitive Scrabble, you are training your brain to focus when figuring out a specific word. When you are answering CCQs, you are exercising your brain and sharpening your critical thinking skills.
Resources:
- Wordle (NYTimes)
Ready for today’s Wordle? Wordle is a word game created by Josh Wardle for himself and his partner. The New York Times bought the game in 2022 and has been publishing it every day since then. Wordle is a five-letter word game in which players are given only six tries to guess the word of the day, and with each try a feedback is given until a correct guess is made.
- Words with Friends
- Merriam-Webster
If you love playing scrabble, then Words With Friends is the game for you! Although Words with Friends is not affiliated with Scrabble, its rules are similar. When playing, make sure to form high scoring words and place them towards the middle.
Want to improve your vocabulary, Buzzfeed style? Try Merriam-Webster’s Word Games and Quizzes website feature. Merriam-Webster offers a variety of fun and interactive word games, puzzles, and quizzes to help improve your vocabulary.
Learning and acquiring English should be fun. It shouldn’t make you feel like you’re doing a chore. It shouldn’t make you feel bored. It shouldn’t even make you feel sore that all you want to do is drop to the floor. Because learning a language like English should make you feel like you are part of a bigger world, a world full of sparkling days and favorable tomorrows.
So what do you say, are you ready to make your afternoon delights more special?
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