8 useful habits to help you learn English

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Conversations with Siri, your favorite songs, movies and games can help you improve your English.

1. Speak your actions in English to yourself

In the Russian-speaking environment, the lack of practice is the main problem when learning a foreign language. This difficulty can be easily overcome by speaking to yourself or aloud all the actions in English Do You Think in English? Here’s Why You Should, Plus 6 Steps That Show Exactly How to Start. This method allows you to practice the language even without an interlocutor. For example, when going to work, repeat to yourself everything that you are doing in English: “Now I am putting on trousers and a shirt, putting on my shoes, closing the door, calling the elevator,” and so on.

Learn to think in this language the same way as in your native language. If you don't know or have forgotten some words, use the translator or Google Assistant. So you will learn how to correctly formulate thoughts, memorize new phrases and in the future you will feel confident during dialogues with real interlocutors.

2. Blog, Instagram, Twitter in English

Today, many users maintain their blogs, Instagram pages, Facebook or Twitter groups. It's also easy to use for learning a foreign language. For example, you can lead two groups in parallel - in Russian and in English. It is not at all necessary to publish large posts, the main thing is to do it regularly, for example, once a day. Thus, you will remember the correct spelling of words, learn how to express thoughts "on paper" and communicate with subscribers.

In addition, this way you will attract a new audience to your channel and make it more popular.

3. Use a virtual assistant

Another way to start speaking English is to use the power of virtual assistants. Specifically Google Assistant, Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Microsoft Cortana. They not only know how to find the information they need, but also maintain a dialogue. Use the helper functions regularly - communicate with him in English, ask questions, try to understand the answers. The main advantage of this method is the ability to learn to speak without an accent.

4. Keep a diary

An effective way to learn a foreign language is to keep a diary. Buy a beautiful notebook and write down your desires, thoughts, deeds in English every day. Let it be just five small sentences, but this will help you learn the language faster. Ignore mistakes, treat it like a conversation with a close friend who will always understand. Your goal is to write. You can get acquainted with the detailed video instructions from Dmitry More.

5. Listen to audiobooks in English

Audiobooks are an ingenious invention that introduces to "reading" even those who do not like to do it. It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of audio materials in language learning. They help to perceive a foreign speech by ear, introduce new words, allow you to better master spoken language.

Choose books based on your level of English. For beginners, stories about Huckleberry Finn or Oliver Twist are good. For the intermediate level, you can choose, for example, "Secret Garden" or "Three in a boat, not counting the dog."

Today there are many sites where you can download or listen to audiobooks for free:

• Loyal Books,
• LibriVox,
• Scribl,
• Free Classic Audio Books.

6. Learn English by playing

You can learn English even during a short break or rest. Improve your memory, reaction speed and attention with mini-games on Wikium or Learnenglishkids. Select the English version of the site and start completing the assignments. The urgency to solve puzzles encourages the rapid learning of new words and terms. You can also play your favorite computer games in English. This method helps you to relax and study at the same time.

7. Watch TV shows and films in English with subtitles

Another effective way to learn a language is to watch English TV shows with subtitles. This helps to comprehend foreign speech by ear, get acquainted with the spelling of new words and hone the correct pronunciation.

For beginners, the series "Friends", "Desperate Housewives" are suitable. For the intermediate level - "Office" and "House of Cards". You can hear the real British pronunciation in the TV series "Sherlock" and "Downton Abbey".

On the Internet, you can find many sites with films, TV shows and other videos in English. We suggest starting your browsing from:

• Ororo;
• Show-English;
• Lingualeo.

8. Sing along with your favorite performer

Songs are also a great way to learn English. Sing along to your favorite band or artist - this way you will learn the words, understand what the text is about, and practice your pronunciation.

Many lyrics are presented on the sites:

• Online Teachers UK;
• Lyrsense;
• Native English.

You can also use the Shazam app. It not only searches for songs, but also downloads lyrics to them and allows you to sing along with the performer.

Outcome

The main thing in learning any language is consistency. Introduce these habits into your life and you will soon notice how your vocabulary has increased, your pronunciation and understanding of English have improved. And such activities do not require a lot of time and effort.