Fluent U The Guide To Instant English Immersion
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The Complete Guide
to Instant English
Immersion
FluentU
Contents
Introduction vi
1. 9 Ways to Learn English at Home in Your Pajamas
Claire Bhandari
1
2. Sweeten Up Your Vocab: 10 Fun and Effective Ways
to Learn English Vocabulary
Yuliya Geikhman
10
3. Learn Casual, Everyday English Phrases from These
8 Awesome Webcomics
Yuliya Geikhman
17
4. 8 Great Tips to Learn English Through Songs and
Music
Alan Park
25
5. How to Learn English by Speaking at Home: 10 Fun
and Easy Ideas
Azalea Pena
31
6. How to Improve Your English Pronunciation to Talk
Like a Native
Yuliya Geikhman
39
7. 9 Simple Strategies for Real-world English
Conversation Practice
Pinar Tarhan
46
8. Picture Perfect: 7 Awesome Ideas for Learning
English with Pictures
Claire Bhandari
52
9. How to Learn English with Audiobooks: The
Ultimate Guide
Yuliya Geikhman
58
10. 10 Great and Easy English Books You Must Read
Victoria Z.
64
Introduction
Learning English is an exciting journey that can change your life by
introducing you to new cultures, people and places. Also, speaking
English will bring you so many more job opportunities.
But in order to have these benefits, first you need to learn the language.
So what’s the best way to learn English in the shortest amount of time?
Immersion.
Now, we know that not many people have the time and money to simply
fly to the nearest country that speaks English, and that’s exactly why we’ve
made this guide for you.
There are so many useful ways, tools and tricks to immerse yourself in
English right now, no matter where you currently live.
Let’s get started—instant English immersion is just a page turn away!
[1]
9 Ways to Learn English at Home in
Your Pajamas
Claire Bhandari
Want to study English in your pajamas?
Yes, pajamas are super comfortable—but there are plenty of other benefits to
studying English at home.
For example, what if you adore learning English, but can’t find time to
practice?
What if your nearest English school is expensive or far away?
Then learning from home is for you!
You might think that it’s hard to practice speaking at home. You’re worried
that nobody will be around to correct you when you make mistakes. How can
you improve if you don’t know what you’re doing wrong?
All good concerns (worries), and there are even more things you might be
wondering about.
You’re concerned that your pronunciation won’t improve. In fact, you may
not even be sure where to start learning by yourself!
However, learning English doesn’t necessarily mean sitting over a textbook.
There’s a whole lot of resources available to point you in the right direction.
If you study English from home with the right attitude and resources, you’ll
be on the path to fluency.
Just check out these great ways to practice!
9 Ways to Learn English at Home in Your Pajamas
1. Watch TV
“The Simpsons”
You know all about “The Simpsons” already, right? Who doesn’t?
This long-running animated comedy is famous all over the world, and takes
us through the ups and downs of a dysfunctional American family.
Not only is it hilariously funny and culturally important, but it deals with
aspects of day-to-day life like school, work and socializing.
It’s also fantastic for slang words and cultural references. The main characters
are Homer Simpson, a rather clueless and fun-loving safety inspector in the
local nuclear power plant; his wife, Marge; and their three children. There’s
also an enormous number of supporting characters!
2 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
“Friends”
You’ve probably heard of this popular American situation comedy about a
group of six friends living in Manhattan.
Since the show went on for many years, it’s exciting to watch their lives
and relationships with each other change. The friends themselves are all very
different people. Rachel is trendy and fun, Ross is geeky and shy and Phoebe
is sweet and slightly crazy!
Their English is very casual and relaxed, so watching this is a must if you
want to practice sounding natural. It’s also available with subtitles and in other
languages.
Still need inspiration for more video resources? Check out FluentU. FluentU
has a huge collection of English video clips taken from real-world sources like
music videos, TV shows, “The Hunger Games” trailers, news and inspiring
talks.
These videos become unique English lessons for every user. Choose videos
that work with your learning style, English level and personal interests,
and we’ll recommend more videos just for you!
It’s a great way to figure out what kinds of English language videos help
you learn best. Plus, FluentU provides plenty of tools to actively practice
your English vocabulary and grammar, like interactive subtitles, flashcards,
vocabulary lists and more.
2. Keep a Diary or Blog in English
Writing can be a very creative and relaxing activity. Keeping a diary or
blog in English is the best way to get regular writing practice. As well as
sharpening up your grammar skills, writing will also improve your ability to
use everyday English.
You could be writing about your disappointing rainy vacation or the exciting
baseball game you watched on TV—it’s up to you!
Of course, you can write entries as often as you want. Even writing one entry
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a week will give you a huge sense of satisfaction. However, try to write more
every week. Set goals for yourself so that you need to write more, faster.
If you’re a perfectionist who hates making mistakes, you can show your diary
or blog to native speakers and ask them to correct it for you. Don’t worry
if you don’t know any native speakers though, lang-8 is a great language
exchange website where language learners can help each other with
writing. Looking back at your previous writing work and seeing how you’ve
improved over time will boost your confidence, too!
3. Host a Cultural Event at Home
It doesn’t have to be a huge party, but hosting a cultural event is a fun way
to learn about the culture of English-speaking countries.
Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving are well-known examples.
For Halloween, many people like to dress up as monsters, ghosts or their
favorite movie characters. If you’re hosting your own Halloween party, you
can encourage your friends to bring their own ghost stories in English and read
them by candlelight to create a spooky atmosphere.
A fun spring holiday is Easter. It’s very popular with children, but who
says adults can’t enjoy games and candies too? You can have an Easter egg
hunt by hiding chocolate Easter eggs around your home and writing out clues
in English!
You aren’t limited to these holidays either—you can have a historical movie
night or cook traditional food from somewhere in the English-speaking world.
It doesn’t matter what you decide to do, as long as you bring people
together and enjoy yourselves while practicing English.
4. Play Video Games in English
Most people don’t think of video games when it comes to learning a
language.However, RPGs (role-playing games) and MMORPGs
(massively multiplayer online role-playing games) are great ways to
practice English reading, listening and even speaking.
4 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
Did you know that you can make English-speaking friends through video
games? Keep reading!
RPGs usually (but not always) take place in a fantasy setting and involve
using magic, killing monsters and being an awesome hero. Since there’s a
lot of dialogue in these games, playing one in English will really boost your
vocabulary. You’ll also feel motivated to learn, because reading and listening
to the dialogue is the key to understanding the storyline and completing the
game.
Don’t worry about the new vocabulary too much—you’ll get used to it very
quickly as you play. Some of the most popular RPGs that are great for English
learning are “Final Fantasy,” “Legend of Zelda” and “Dragon Quest.”
MMORPGs add even more to your experience by involving a huge
community of online players. One of the most famous is “World of Warcraft.”
You can simply create a character and complete quests to play the game.
The best part is that you can team up and communicate with other players!
Conversation is often informal, relaxed and typed into a conversation window
on screen. This is a brilliant way to practice thinking quickly in English.
If you’re feeling adventurous and have a headset, you can also try using
TeamSpeak. This feature allows you to join conversations so you can chat
with friends and meet new people too! Talking to your computer screen might
feel weird at first, but it’s a fun way to practice speaking. Be careful though,
you may get hooked (addicted)!
5. Attend Online English Classes
Just imagine having all the benefits of conversations and school-style learning
without actually having to go to a classroom!
Many online schools offer their own materials and packages and have teachers
from all kinds of backgrounds. Often they’re cheaper than conventional
English conversation schools, which is a definite plus! Generally, you’ll want
to have a good internet connection to join in on such classes.
More often than not, you’ll be provided with some kind of video conferencing
software by the school itself.
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Virtual English
Primarily for Japanese-speaking students, this award-winning and popular
school offers a variety of different daily classes including group, one-on-
one and pair classes. It also provides level checks, instructor feedback and
a virtual room where students can practice conversation outside class time
with teachers and other students. For Japanese English learners, there are also
bilingual instructors available.
Englishtown
One of the best known online schools, Englishtown offers one-on-one and
group classes daily and has won numerous awards. You can also take a level
quiz to find out what kind of classes would be most suitable for you. As
with most other online schools, there’s an exam preparation package. It has
been praised for the variety of learning tools it offers, including pronunciation
practice and fun quizzes.
English Study Online
ESO is known for having good overall teaching quality and also offers
different types of classes. These include one-on-one, business and exam
preparation classes. It also provides homework so that you can learn even
between lessons.
6. Study Grammar and Vocab Online
If you feel the need to brush up on the basics, there are plenty of helpful
websites out there. Unlike textbooks, many of them are free!
English at Home
This site contains some excellent advice for beginners and is organized into
sections on speaking, vocabulary and grammar. The speaking section is
surprisingly useful as it tells you how to use phrases and idioms in
conversation. There are also simple multiple choice exercises and puzzles to
help you practice grammar, reading comprehension and vocabulary. Many of
the articles are written with a sense of humor too!
6 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
Free English Study
Love or hate the vivid (very bright and colorful) color scheme, this site
is a great resource. It has a huge section on grammar and is packed with
conversational phrases. Another perk is that it’s conveniently organized into
levels, so you can easily find what you’re looking for. There are also plenty of
links to other useful sites.
British Council: Learn English
Appealing (pleasing) to children and adults alike, this is one of the best sites
out there for free English study. The video clips are engaging and packed with
useful slang words, and all video content comes with transcripts in case you
miss anything. The games and jokes sections will also tickle your funny bone
and are perfect for English beginners. It’s also a very useful site if you’re
studying for your IELTS exam, since it has a variety of mock (practice) test
papers to choose from.
7. Listen to the Radio
Since radio and TV programs are available online, you can sharpen your
English listening skills anywhere! Whether you’re washing up or sitting on a
packed train you can still immerse yourself in English.
BBC Radio 4
Treat your ears to a wide variety of programs including “The Archers,” a
radio soap opera about the lives of people who live in the British countryside.
Soap operas are programs about normal daily life, so they’re a great way to
pick up natural English and perfect for advanced learners. Another popular
program is “Desert Island Discs,” where famous or important people choose
music, a book and an item which they’d take with them to a deserted island.
This is a good way to listen to the rhythm and intonation of English
conversation.
NHK World Radio
This is brilliant for people who live in or are interested in Japan. It features
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programs about Japanese music, culture and food. The presenters are from
different countries so it’s a fantastic way to listen to different accents.
8. Books
Reading isn’t just for improving your comprehension, it can also be a part of
your private relaxation time! You can double your fun by reading about topics
that appeal to you, especially your hobbies and interests. There are so many
books available that you’re bound to find one that you’re passionate about.
If you’re a fan of nonfiction, you might want to read a biography of a famous
person, like a movie star or your favorite sports personality. One popular
example is the biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, which contains
advanced vocabulary and humorous quotes from Jobs himself. The writing
is engaging and gets straight to the point, and it’s an excellent way to learn
business terms.
The “Harry Potter” Series by J.K. Rowling
An ideal series for ESL learners, since all seven books in the series have
movie adaptations and have also been translated into other languages. Harry
Potter books are aimed at children and young adults, and the books get
progressively longer and more complicated as the series goes on. So, the first
book is more of a simple children’s book, and the seventh book is more of an
intense young adult novel.
The series follows the adventures of young wizard Harry Potter, who is lucky
enough to be chosen to go to Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards. The
books contain a great combination of modern day slang and also terms relating
to mythology, which will make for interesting reading. You can also find a lot
of great synonyms for words, which will build your vocabulary.
“Animal Farm” by George Orwell
This is a very well-known book that can be read in two ways.
On one level, it’s a story about farm animals who overthrow their human
masters and take over the Manor Farm. If you read it another way, it refers
to the Russian Revolution, with the animals representing important political
8 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
figures and groups of people. The main antagonist (bad guy) is a pig called
Napoleon, who is an allegory of Joseph Stalin.
The writing style is simple and easy to follow. It’s very exciting and hard to
put down! It’s an essential read if you’re interested in politics or history. The
language level is perfect for learners and can be enjoyed by both children and
adults.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl
This is the perfect book for chocolate lovers and those with a sweet tooth! Like
Harry Potter, it has also been translated into multiple languages. You might
have seen the most recent movie starring Johnny Depp.
It’s about a young boy, Charlie Bucket, who lives with his parents and
grandparents in poverty. After he wins a tour of Wonka’s world-
renowned chocolate factory, his life changes dramatically. As well as using
simple language and explanations of what’s happening, it also uses some
fantastic descriptive language.
9. Talk to Yourself
This doesn’t necessarily mean you’re crazy!
Part of learning a language is becoming more familiar with it and building up
your confidence.
If you need to practice before a big event, like a parents’ evening at school
or a business presentation, practice always helps. You can rehearse the
conversation in your head or front of a mirror.
But if you’re feeling brave, why not record yourself? Making a short video
of your conversation or presentation on your smartphone or computer is a
great way to see how you really sound when speaking English. You can
compare your pronunciation to that of native speakers on TV shows.
So, there you have it—some great ways to study English in the comfort of
your own home. Curl up with a cup of tea and have a wonderful time learning!
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[2]
Sweeten Up Your Vocab: 10 Fun and
Effective Ways to Learn English
Vocabulary
Yuliya Geikhman
Are you having trouble remembering the vocabulary words on your
flashcards?
Do you feel ready to give up?
Well don’t! Maybe you just need something different to help you learn
English vocabulary—something colorful and fun!
Every year, people from all over the world compete in the World Memory
Olympics. In one event, they sit down at small tables and spend an hour
memorizing the order of many decks of playing cards. That’s hundreds of
cards, in order, for an hour. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it?
But these people don’t just stare at the cards until they remember them. They
use strategies (thought out plans) to help them memorize the cards.
Beyond Flashcards
Isn’t it frustrating (troubling and unpleasant) when you can remember an
unimportant fact you learned years ago—like words to a song—but you can’t
remember the word you just saw on a piece of paper two minutes ago?
Many people who want to learn new English vocabulary start with flashcards,
but you might find that it isn’t easy to remember new words this way. Why is
that? Your brain has trouble remembering too many random things. And that’s
all flashcards are—random words.
Flashcards are great to remember words you already learned. But to actually
learn a new word, you have to see it in a sentence, use it in your daily
speech, or in any other way that will give it some context. Once you link
the word with something bigger, it sticks better in your mind.
How to Make the Most of Your Vocabulary Building
Activities
When you do any vocabulary building activities, there are a few things you
can do to help yourself actually learn the definition. If the word you don’t
know is in a sentence, use context clues. This means you should read around
the word to try and figure out what it means. For example, even if you don’t
know what the word “intricate” means, you might be able to understand it by
looking at this sentence:
The plan was so intricate, it was too complicated to follow.
Reading that sentence, you might not get the word’s full meaning, but you can
understand that it might mean something like “too complicated.” And you’d
be right! Intricate means “complicated or complex, having many connected
parts.” See how using context clues can help you figure out what a word
means?
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Sometimes a sentence doesn’t have enough information to figure out what a
word means. If you still can’t understand the word, look it up in a dictionary
or ask somebody to explain it to you.
And if you’re having trouble remembering words from flashcards, try some of
these ideas instead:
10 Fun and Effective Ways to Learn English Vocabulary
1. Join Meetup.com
People don’t always use words the way the dictionary tells them to. One of
the best ways to learn real vocabulary that you would use in a conversation is
by actually having conversations with other people. But talking to others can
seem scary, especially if you’re a beginner. You might get lost when people
speak too fast, or be afraid of saying the wrong thing when you respond.
Don’t worry! All you have to do is find the right group of people to speak
with. Joining a Meetup group about something that you’re interested in can
help ease your fear about speaking to new people. Meetup.com is a website
where people start groups about hobbies in their area.
They then get together and enjoy the hobby together. For example, if you
live in New York and like playing the guitar, you might like to join the
NYC Guitar Group. There’s a meetup for everything, so you’re sure to find
something you’ll enjoy.
You will all be talking about a topic that you like, so it will be fun! Don’t
be afraid to ask people to slow down—you will discover that most people
are very sympathetic (understanding) and have no problem helping you learn.
You might make a few new friends that way too.
2. Read, Read, Read
The more you read, the more you learn. You will pick up new words without
even realizing it when you read. Reading lets you see how words are used in
sentences, and lets you understand them through context clues.
There are even some books that are meant to teach vocabulary. These are
12 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
usually written for students studying for the SATs, but they make a great tool
for anyone who wants to learn English because they have definitions of many
of the words right there in the book. Books like “The Ring of McAllister” and
“The Dropanchor Chronicles” are full of over 1,000 words and definitions, but
are also as fun to read as a good fiction novel.
If these are too difficult for your English level, you can try reading comic
books instead. Comics have a lot of dialogue, and their text is in smaller,
easier-to-understand parts. Superman, Batman and the other well-known
heroes are full of words for you to learn. If you don’t like superheroes, there
are many other options out there, like Calvin and Hobbes or even Garfield.
3. Use FluentU to Learn Vocabulary in Real-world Contexts
I said earlier that new words need context for you to remember them. One of
the best ways to get real-world context from home is with FluentU. FluentU
takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring
talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
There are six levels, from beginner to native, and the videos are also in
categories based on content. Every word comes with an in-context definition,
image and multiple example sentences. You can even click on a word to see
how it’s used in other videos across the site.
The most interesting part of FluentU could be its “learn mode.” Learn mode
takes videos and turns them into English learning lessons. FluentU remembers
what you’ve learned and which words are more difficult for you, and uses that
information when making fun questions just for you. Since FluentU teaches
you using what you already know, you will succeed, and you’ll be amazed at
how much progress you make with these fascinating videos!
4. Play a Vocabulary Game That Helps End Hunger
What if you could learn new English vocabulary and make the world a better
place at the same time? That’s the idea behind Free Rice, a free game you can
play online. The game tests your vocabulary skills by giving you a word and
letting you choose its definition. If you get the word wrong, you get an easier
question. If you get it right, the questions become a bit more difficult.
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Free Rice makes learning even more important though, because for every
question you get right, Free Rice will donate 10 grains of rice through the
World Food Programme. To date, almost 100 billion grains of rice have been
donated thanks to people like you. You can study vocabulary words and help
end world hunger! That gives you even more reason to get those questions
right.
Some of the words here might be too advanced for a new learner, but there
are a variety of topics to choose from, so you can view different kinds of
words and find the category that best helps you. You can also try different
subjects—not just “English vocabulary”—like math or geography, to learn
new types of words!
5. Play Text-heavy Games
You probably already play games on your phone or computer, right? So why
not play games that you can learn vocabulary from? There are many English
learning apps and games that make learning fun.
Text-heavy games (games with lots of text) like Inkle’s 80 Days can introduce
you to new words through simple phrases. Other games like Elegy for a Dead
World can actually help you feel confident enough to write your own stories
and poems. Games have a lot to teach us, and they remind us that studying
doesn’t have to be boring.
6. Have Fun with Word Magnets
What’s one place you see every day? Yes—your fridge! Put some vocabulary
words on your refrigerator so that every time you head to the kitchen for a
snack or a drink, you’ll see the words right in front of you.
There are many different word magnet sets available to buy at stores and on
Amazon, so pick the one that is the most interesting to you. It can have words
about peace or words for making poetry on your fridge.
Whatever you choose, make sure it has words you don’t know yet! You can
even make your own magnets, and paste words you want to learn on them.
Then you can make sentences with them and get something to munch on. Fun
and delicious.
14 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
7. Use New Words in Cowrite.net, an Online Community Writing
Game
When you learn a new word, don’t just try to remember it on its own. If
you make a sentence with it, you’ll remember it better. Good vocabulary
sentences use the word correctly, and have the definition of the word within
the sentence.
So a word like “respite” can become “I needed a respite from studying, so I
took a break and had some tea.” Can you figure out what “respite” means from
that sentence? Congratulations, you just learned a new word!
But instead of keeping these sentences to yourself, use them at cowrite.net,
a fun writing game. In this game, you create a story with other users—in real
time. You have a time limit during which everyone writes the next sentence to
the story and then votes on their favorite. The sentence with the most votes at
the end of the time limit becomes a part of the story, and then you move on to
the next sentence!
You can see a real game of cowrite.net in this video.
8. Start a Blog in English
Reading isn’t the only good way to learn new English vocabulary—you learn
a lot through writing, too. Start a blog in English about a topic you enjoy.
Write with a dictionary nearby, so that every time you can’t think of the right
word to use, you can look it up.
There are many free places to start your own blog. If you have a Google
account, you can easily start a blog on Google’s Blogger, or another popular
option is WordPress.
Share your blog with your friends (maybe your new Meetup buddies would
enjoy it!) and ask them to let you know if you used any words incorrectly.
As you learn more words, you’ll see that writing your blog will become easier
and easier.
9. Find Ways to Use “Words of the Day”
Every day when you’re having your morning coffee, choose two or three
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words to be your “Words of the Day.” Remember them and write them down
somewhere. During the rest of the day, make it a game to try and find ways
to use these words in conversation. Saying the words out loud in sentences
will help you remember what they mean, and your friends might enjoy playing
along too.
Want a “Word of the Day” sent straight to your email? The dictionary
Merriam-Webster has a “Word of the Day” specifically for English learners,
in addition to their “Word of the Day for native speakers. You can receive the
daily word via email by entering your email address in the “Subscribe” field.
10. Use Pictures
Are you an artist? Do you doodle (draw random pictures/designs) in your
notebook all day? Use that artistic side to help you learn some new words.
Find new vocabulary words and draw what they mean.
How would you draw something that means languid (tired, slow)? What about
to laud (praise)? Drawing what the word means helps you see the definition in
your mind whenever you hear it.
Learning new English vocabulary can be a fun part of your daily life. Just
use the tips mentioned above and you might not become an expert Memory
Olympics competitor, but you will learn many new words without the
frustration of flashcards.
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[3]
Learn Casual, Everyday English
Phrases from These 8 Awesome
Webcomics
Yuliya Geikhman
Learning English words is important.
But do you know how to put them together into phrases and sentences?
To speak English like a native, you need to learn how to use your words
correctly. You need to learn English phrases.
There are lots of ways to learn: Many websites have long lists of useful
phrases for you to memorize, like this one or this other one.
But there are so many things there, it’s almost scary! How do you start?
We’ve told you before that reading, watching things and constantly
practicing are great ways to learn.
But if you’re looking for a more fun and colorful way to learn English phrases,
try this one: Read webcomics.
How to Learn English Phrases from Webcomics
What are webcomics?
Webcomics are comics (cartoons) that are posted online. You don’t need to
pay for a full issue, and you don’t need to have a book or a newspaper in front
of you.
All you need is your computer, tablet or phone, and you can access some
fantastic comics.
Webcomics are great for learning commonly used English phrases because
they’re almost completely made up of dialogue (people speaking to each
other—or themselves).
Just reading a phrase in the comic is not enough though. Once you find a new
phrase, try to listen for it in other conversations by the people around you, or
even on TV.
Listen to how and when that phrase is used. Then try using it yourself.
Need a great resource for practicing your English phrases? Try FluentU.
FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and
inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
We’ve got videos that native English speakers actually watch every day, from
commercials and nature documentaries to clips from “The Hunger Games.”
That means you’ll hear the English that natives listen to and use every day.
FluentU isn’t just watching videos—it’s about learning and actively practicing
the language you hear in videos. Use the interactive subtitles, flashcards and
vocabulary lists to learn English phrases better than ever!
18 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
Practice like this, and before you know it you’ll be speaking like a native.
Learn Casual, Everyday English Phrases from These 8
Awesome Webcomics
1. Hyperbole and a Half
Hyperbole and a Half is a blog that uses silly illustrations to show the story
that’s going on. The blogs here are about many topics, from hilarious stories
about the blogger’s dumb dog to serious firsthand descriptions of issues like
depression.
Even though there isn’t as much dialogue here as in the other webcomics,
the blog is written in a friendly and conversational way and uses many useful
English phrases.
In case you’re wondering, a hyperbole is a very big exaggeration, the kind you
know isn’t really true. For example, you might say a dog is big but if you use
a hyperbole, “that dog was bigger than two school buses stacked on top of one
another.”
Sample phrase: “There was nothing I could do.”
You use this phrase when you have no options or no choices. It’s usually said
in a sad tone, when you want to do something but can’t. In this example, the
young girl wants to save her favorite dinosaur costume but she can’t, so she
says, “there was nothing I could do.”
Where else you can find it: The Leona Lewis song “The Best You Never
Had” uses this phrase to say that the singer was in love and had no choice in
this.
2. The Oatmeal
This comic is also a little different from other webcomics. It uses a similar
art style as Hyperbole and a Half, but focuses more on art than writing blogs.
There isn’t as much dialogue here either, but it makes up for it with extremely
colorful images and a huge variety of comics.
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There are silly comics about cats and dinosaurs. There are interesting comics
about cool animals like the Mantis Shrimp. There’s even an entire section
about grammar that provides easy-to-understand guides for difficult English
topics like how to use an apostrophe and how to correctly use the word
“literally” in a sentence.
A bit of a warning: This comic often discusses mature topics (topics
appropriate for adults only) and uses crude (rude, vulgar) language. If this
offends you, move on to the next comic! If you decide to use this one, you’ll
also learn how to curse (use swear words) like a professional.
Sample phrase: “Forget that guy.”
This is usually said as “forget it” or “forget about it.” It means don’t worry
about it. Listen to the tone of voice of whoever is saying this, though. “Forget
it” can also mean that the person is angry and just doesn’t want to talk about
the topic anymore.
In this comic, “forget that guy” means that the guy they’re talking about isn’t
very important. The person who said the phrase wants to ignore “that guy”
because he is lame (boring, not cool).
Where else you can find it: The line “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown” is a
famous ending line from the movie “Chinatown.” It sums up, in one line, how
terrible the state of the world is. They’re saying that everything is so horrible
that it’s not even worth thinking about the bad things that happened.
3. Dinosaur Comics
Dinosaur Comics isn’t about the art (as you’ll see pretty soon).
It uses the same few drawings over and over again. The beauty of this comic
is in the dialogue. The language can be a bit difficult to understand, and the
topics can get pretty philosophical and thought-provoking.
The conversations in the comics are great for discovering interesting phrases
and some more academic language, if you can understand the slightly more
advanced English writing style.
Sample phrase: “This will blow your mind.”
20 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
This phrase means that something is so crazy you’ll have trouble believing it.
The comic is using this phrase to make fun of “clickbait” articles. These are
articles you find online that have titles that tell you very little about the content
so that you’ll want to click and read more.
You can use this phrase for anything extraordinary or very awesome. Is this
blog post blowing your mind with its awesome English learning tips?
Where else you can find it: Here’s one of those article titles that the comic
was joking about. 50 AMAZING Facts to Blow Your Mind. They’re pretty
cool facts, actually.
Here’s another one with ideas that will blow your mind. This phrase isn’t only
used in online article and video titles, of course! Here’s a song called “Blow
Your Mind.”
4. Dr. McNinja
Meet the doctor…who’s also a ninja!
Dr. McNinja has crazy action scenes and even crazier characters. The ninja
doctor fights crazy bad guys—like, for instance, a giant lumberjack—with his
friend, the Mexican guy with a mustache who rides a dinosaur. His medical
office’s receptionist is a gorilla. This is the kind of silliness you’ll find in this
comic.
It’s beautifully drawn and takes you on a really fun, insane adventure.
Sample phrase: “Speak of the devil.”
If you were just talking about someone and then they walked into the room,
you might say “speak of the devil.”
While it says “devil,” this isn’t necessarily a negative statement. It’s just
another way of saying “Hey, we were just talking about you!”
Where else you can find it: “Speak of the Devil” is the name of a movie
from 1991 that uses the original meaning of the phrase. What’s the original
meaning, you ask? The phrase refers to a myth (story, legend) that if you speak
FluentU 21
of the devil, he will appear. This “English at the Movies” episode shows a clip
from the movie “Easy A,” where the phrase is also used.
5. Doctor Cat
Dr. McNinja isn’t the only unusual doctor in webcomics. Meet Doctor Cat,
the cutest doctor you’ll ever have.
He might not have thumbs, but he can still perform a difficult surgery while
playing with his mouse toy. A doctor’s bad news is easier to handle when it
comes from an adorable kitty.
Sample phrase:“Now that you mention it…”
When a person says something and it makes you remember something, you
use the phrase, “Now that you mention it.”
It can mean that you weren’t thinking about the topic, but now you remember
something about it because another person reminded you.
For example, if someone says “Have you seen my cat anywhere?” you might
stop and think, then say “Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him.”
Where else you can find it: Sometimes this phrase is used to make a joke,
like in this image. In this case, the phrase is used sarcastically, pointing
out something obvious (that the man is probably more bothered by his face
peeling off than by wearing contacts).
6. Girls With Slingshots
Girls With Slingshots is what’s called a “slice of life” webcomic.
It shows the adventures of two young women as they struggle to make it
(succeed) in the world after college, making many friends along the way. As
the comic evolves, you get to see them grow up, little by little. In the later
comics, you even get to see their friends grow up, have relationships and
marry.
The comic uses a lot of sarcasm and talks about some serious life issues,
22 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
but it always does so with a humorous tone. The language here is very
conversational, and the comics have a lot of English phrases in the dialogue.
Sample phrase: “Thanks for stepping up to bat.”
This phrase is a way to express your thanks when someone does something
to help. By saying it, you’re telling the person that you appreciate their help.
You can also say “Thanks for stepping up” and “Thanks for stepping up to
the plate”—all phrases having to do with baseball. In this comic, Jameson is
thanking Angel for helping him with his coffee shop while he’s gone.
Where else you can find it: Online, the phrase is used a lot to thank a group
of people for helping a cause or a company by donating or contributing in
some other way. This is just one example of the phrase in use.
7. Two Guys and Guy
This comic is about three friends who are “less than perfect people.” Wayne
is a normal—but somewhat wimpy (weak)—guy, Frank might be an evil
genius and Guy is amean girl. The comics show them in situations that are
typical—trying to write a book, getting along with others—and some that are
much weirder, like robots and cloning.
Guy and Wayne speak in a conversational way and use a lot of English
phrases, but Frank has a very peculiar (strange) way of talking. His speech
might be a little harder to understand than that of the other two.
Sample phrase: “There is nothing to be concerned about.”
It means “Don’t worry!” Another, less formal way of saying the same thing is
“Don’t sweat it.”
You’d use this phrase if you’re trying to keep somebody calm, or if you want
them to know that everything is okay. In the comic, Frank tells Wayne that
blood coming down the walls is “nothing to be concerned about” (because
Frank is really strange, and things like this are normal when he’s around).
Where else you can find it: You can see this phrase in an excerpt from
See Jane Run by Joy Fielding. Here it’s actually used as a way to deny that
something is wrong. Sometimes when a person says “don’t worry,” the first
thing you do is start to worry!
FluentU 23
8. Stick in the Mud
Stick in the Mud is what everyone calls the main character’s bar. Rod’s bar is
not a normal bar—some of the people who hang out there aren’t really people
at all. It’s a comic about good drinks, strange monsters and a guy just trying
to live his life and get over his ex-girlfriend.
Sample phrase: “Stick in the mud.”
Yes, the name of the comic is actually a phrase! A stick in the mud is someone
who doesn’t like trying new or exciting things. Rod might own a bar for
monsters, but he’s a stick in the mud for not wanting to actually have fun with
it.
Where else you can find it: In the Disney movie “The Princess and the
Frog,” the frog calls the princess a stick in the mud. He also calls her a killjoy.
Both those terms are ways of saying that she doesn’t know how to have fun,
and that she ruins the fun for others because of this.
There are hundreds of other webcomics online (you can find a nice long list
here) but these eight are a good place to start. Have fun!
24 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
[4]
8 Great Tips to Learn English Through
Songs and Music
Alan Park
What’s the key to learning English well?
Is it determination and persistence?
Or is it something that people are just born with?
I think it’s neither of those things.
The key is to make learning English fun through the right tools and habits.
And one of the best tools was sitting right there all along, right inside your
smartphone.
If you haven’t already been doing it, it’s not too late to start—to learn
English through songs and music.
Why Learn English Through Songs and Music?
So what is it about songs that make them such effective English learning
tools?
•It works. There is considerable scientific evidence that demonstrates how
music can help second language learners acquire grammar and vocabulary
and improve spelling.
•Learn everyday language and colloquial speech. Songs and music
almost always contain a lot of useful vocabulary, phrases and expressions.
And since the intended audience speaks English natively, songs and music
include up-to-date language and slang. The language used in songs is
casual and actually usable, if you pick the right music.
•Become familiar with the sound of English. Listening to songs will also
allow you to focus on your pronunciation and understanding of the English
language’s rhythm, tone and beat.
•Get English stuck inside your head. Many of the words and sound
patterns within a song are repetitive and this makes it easier for them to
stick in your mind. You probably already know this. Music has an
uncanny ability to get stuck in our heads. Tunes and lyrics will often
infiltrate (take over) our thoughts and play over and over in our minds.
And all of this will help you to learn English through songs as you easily
memorize vocabulary and phrases. In fact, after a short period of time you
will find it almost impossible to forget them.
•Songs are emotional. Our relationship with music is deep, powerful and
hugely rewarding. It is a key that unlocks our emotions, influences our
moods and enhances our mental and physical well-being. When something
is emotional, then of course it is also easier to remember.
26 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
•Music is an easy habit. One reason people find language learning difficult
is they don’t have an extra minute in the day to devote to their studies. But
when you’re learning English through songs, you don’t need to set aside
too much time because you can take the music with you wherever you go.
You can have English songs playing in the car, the kitchen and the shower.
And by picking music you like, you can listen to the same material over
and over again, without becoming bored.
•Music teaches you English culture. Music gives you insight into English-
speaking culture and how English-speaking people think and feel.
Familiarity with popular songs and artists gives you something to talk
about with your English-speaking friends.
How to Learn English Through Songs and Music: 8 Great
Tips
Before getting started you need to select the songs you will learn from. This
is important because there are a lot of potential pitfalls. For example, avoid
songs that:
• use difficult language that isn’t commonly used
• aren’t mainstream (nothing against niche artists, but if part of the goal is to
connect with English speakers, it’s probably more efficient to learn from
music that would give you a common language)
• are too fast (hard to learn from)
• don’t have lyrics readily available
Here are my eight tips to help you pick the right music for learning English:
1. Go to the right place to find songs.
You could search video sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. They have
vast libraries of music videos and some will also be subtitled with the song
lyrics in English.
Spotify, a subscription service, is fantastic because they have a huge selection
FluentU 27
which you can take on the go. It’s also useful to see what’s trending and
popular.
FluentU is an awesome way to learn English with real-world videos. We’ve
got all kinds of fun videos available now, like music videos and movie trailers.
There are hundreds of videos for you to choose from, so you are sure to
discover learning materials that are perfect for you.
There is something great in our collection for English language learners of
any skill level from “newbie” (beginner) to native. Just take a look—while
casually browsing our videos, you will see tons of diverse videos covering
many different topics and areas of interest.
2. Select the right songs.
Pick music you love. There’s no point to learning English through songs if
you don’t really enjoy the music. This is the fast track to boredom.
Find music that uses the right kind of language. This means language
that’s not too easy or too hard, and that’s commonly used.
Another thing to watch out for is that sometimes singers won’t pronounce the
sound clearly. Perhaps heavy metal isn’t the best place to start.
You might want songs that tell a story, which could make it easier to
understand and visualize. If you are a real beginner, you might even want to
learn children’s songs or Disney songs.
Start with pop music and then branch out. Mainstream, pop music tends to
be about love and romance, which is good because there is a lot of repeated
vocabulary. When you are ready to branch out, you can try more diverse
genres to pick up a wider range of vocabulary.
3. Get “scaffolding” and vocab support to digest the lyrics.
It would be nice if you could learn English purely by listening to the music.
In practice, you will have to spend some time digesting the lyrics and their
meanings so that you understand it first. This is what teachers often refer to as
“scaffolding” (scaffolding is something that holds up and supports something
that is being built, like training wheels for a bicycle.). Instead of trying to
28 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
figure out the lyrics on your own, you can use resources like the following to
accelerate this:
•Lyrics.com and Smartlyrics.com both offer an extensive library of lyrics
that you can use.
•Music English is a collection of music videos on YouTube that have
captions.
•FluentU: In addition to having the best music videos for learning English,
FluentU videos all have interactive subtitles. If you hover over a word, the
video pauses and a pop-up provides a definition of the word. Every
definition has multiple, easy-to-understand example sentences. You can
easily add any word to your own personal vocabulary list.
4. Study the lyrics and vocab.
In addition to digesting the content, it’s also important that you review the
vocab on a regular basis. Break the song down, word by word, and try
to master each word so that it’s a part of your vocabulary. You can do
this through a flashcard service like Anki, FluentU or Mental Case.
5. Sing along.
Unless you’re singing in front of an audience, it doesn’t matter if you’re the
worst vocalist in the world. So don’t worry if you don’t possess any musical
ability. Regardless of your singing prowess, you should try singing out loud
to the music. This forces your mouth to adopt the right shapes and move with
the rhythm of the song.
6. Try to sing from memory.
After a while, you should find that you’re starting to memorize the song. And
then you’re ready to take the next big leap—try singing the song without
looking at the lyrics. By that point, you should be able to find that you can do
a much better job including such words in your everyday speech.
Another fun way to test your memory is with the game Lyrics Training,
where you fill in the blanks to the lyrics as a song’s music video plays. Find
your song (there’s a huge selection), and then select your mode of play.
FluentU 29
You can either fill in the blanks by typing the full word, or by multiple
choice (choose the correct word from four options). You also choose the level
of difficulty, from 25% missing words (beginner) to 100% missing words
(expert).
7. Periodically review.
You don’t have to complete learning one song before you move to the next. In
fact, after you get comfortable with one song, you can move to the next. And
then after enough time passes, you can go back to the first song. This is called
“spaced repetition” and it’s been proven to be more effective than trying to
learn it perfectly all at once.
8. Find new music that builds on top of what you’ve learned.
This is perhaps the most difficult step. Each new song that you learn should
have the right balance of totally new vocabulary and in-progress vocabulary.
This right level of overlap keeps you motivated, and also naturally reinforces
your previous learning for maximum benefit.
Have fun and enjoy! Music is a universal language and one that we can
all enjoy and relate to. Listen to English songs every single day and you’ll
soon be surprised at how much of the English language you can pick up
with relative ease. When you incorporate language learning into fun activities
like listening and singing aloud to music, you won’t even notice that you’re
picking up a second language.
30 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
[5]
How to Learn English by Speaking at
Home: 10 Fun and Easy Ideas
Azalea Pena
Does your English speaking need some work?
Not quite ready to meet with a native speaker face to face?
And are online speaking lessons not for you?
I have just the solution for you.
You can learn to speak English at home—in your PJs if you want—while
having tons of fun!
But before we get to these 10 easy ideas, let’s take a look at the benefits
of learning from home.
Why Learn English from Home?
One way to start fun learning is to do it right in the comfort of your own home.
Your own home is a peaceful place where you can learn the way you want to.
Furthermore, there are five other reasons why learning to speak English from
home is much more fun:
•It’s comfortable. There’s no place in the world where you can just
completely relax. You don’t need to worry about how you dress, if you’re
late to class or answering questions correctly. If you are comfortable, it
produces successful learning.
•It’s convenient. There’s no need to leave the house and travel to a
different place. You can study anytime you want.
•It makes you productive. Instead of not doing anything at home, you can
use your free time to be productive. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you
will learn with all that free time on your hands.
•It’s pressure-free. You study without any pressure from home. You get to
follow your own learning pace without worrying if you’ll keep up with
your classmates or not. If there is no pressure, you’ll feel more at ease with
learning.
•It’s enjoyable. It is actually surprising to know that there are tons of
things you can do from home to learn to speak in English, and you will
have a blast doing them. Not to mention, you’ll also love the fact that you
don’t have to pay a cent.
As you can see, fun learning is indeed possible. And now, you can start feeling
better knowing that you can learn through your own efforts.
So are you excited to get speaking in English? Here we go:
32 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
10 Fun and Easy Ways to Learn English by Speaking at
Home
1. Sing Karaoke
Singing karaoke is when you sing along to a song that doesn’t have the vocal
track, only the background music—so you’re the only one singing. It’s really
fun, but sometimes if you’re with other people you can feel nervous and shy.
But at home, you can just relax and sing your favorite songs as loudly as
you want! It doesn’t matter if you prefer Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga or One
Direction—as long as you sing in English, you’ll improve your speaking skills
while having a good time.
Before you can sing karaoke, though, you will need to learn the lyrics and
practice. Break down the song and learn the lyrics in an exciting way with
FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers,
news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning
lessons.
Search through FluentU’s music videos to find a song you enjoy at your level,
and use its unique “learn mode” to understand the lyrics and learn new words.
Then, quiz yourself with the game Lyrics Training, where you fill in the
missing words from the lyrics as the song plays. Next, sing along with the
singer several times, and then finally you’re ready for the ultimate test (and
perhaps the most fun part): singing karaoke!
Luckily, you don’t need an expensive karaoke machine to sing karaoke. You
can easily find karaoke songs on YouTube. Simply type the name of the
song and artist, plus the word “karaoke” into the search field. For example,
if you want to sing the classic song “One Way or Another” by Blondie, just
type “One way or another blondie karaoke” into the YouTube search bar, and
you’ll successfully find this video as the top result.
Try Adele’s “Someone Like You,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop
Believing” and “Summer Nights” from the musical “Grease” for some
popular karaoke songs to start with.
FluentU 33
2. Read Out Loud
Reading silently can help train your mind in the English language. However,
reading out loud will train your tongue to speak English properly. You can
pick any book, poem or short story you want and start reading the words out
loud.
Start with easy English reading materials before moving on to these great
must-read English books.
In the process of practicing to speak English, you should also know if you’re
saying the words correctly. At home, you can check if your pronunciation is
correct by simply downloading apps
from Google’s Play Store.
You can try English Pronunciation by Kepham. Once the app is installed, type
in the word you want to hear pronounced.
You can also try Sounds: Pronunciation App, where you can check the words
in both British and American English pronunciation. Plus, this app has a
practice and quiz tester too. Both of these apps are free to download.
3. Exercise with Workout Videos
How can that help you, you ask? If you choose to exercise, use English
workout videos instead. It will be best if you have DVDs or Blu-Ray discs
because these videos always have subtitles. When you work out, try and read
those subtitles.
Among the best exercise videos are those from exercise expert Shaun T. You
can try his classic “Hip Hop Abs” or “Insanity.” Buy these videos on DVD or
rent them from the library so you can use the subtitles.
Once the video starts, copy his movements and his words. So if he’s counting,
count along with him! Not only will your body get a good workout, your
tongue will experience great English exercise too.
4. Host an English Night Dinner
Get your friends to join your English-speaking journey by hosting an English
34 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
Night dinner. Well, it could also be a breakfast or lunch, as long as the whole
point is for everyone to speak English the entire time.
Be sure to plan some games in addition to the meal. What are some of the
games you can try?
First, play Continue the Story.To play the game, someone should start
a story by saying “Once upon a time.” Then, the next person will continue the
story, perhaps saying, “There lived a princess and a prince.”
To make the game more exciting, you can add a specific number of words per
answer. If a friend picks five, he or she should only say five words. If he or
she uses the wrong number, the player is out of the game.
Another game you can try is Question and Answer. Have all your friends,
including yourself, write a question on an index card. After all the questions
are written, put them in a box or bowl and mix them up. Then just take turns
picking a question and answering it.
5. Play Monopoly in English
Another fun thing you can do is to play games that require you to read or speak
in English. A good example is Monopoly. The board and cards are all written
in English, so read them out loud when you’re playing.
Monopoly is easily available in all toy stores. This board game will let you
move around the board, buying, selling and renting out properties. The game
concept is easy, but for non-English speakers, reading the text on the cards can
be a challenge. So if you’re playing, reading the text out loud should prove to
be helpful.
Just for added fun, read the text with some emotion. If you are the landlord,
express a dominating tone when speaking. Maybe you’re a very nice banker,
or perhaps the banker is mean. You decide!
6. Chat with Friends Online
What better way to learn to speak in English than learning with friends?
Instead of chatting with them through your keyboard, why not just do a voice
FluentU 35
or video call instead? This way, you can practice speaking in English in a
conversational way. This will be good practice for you both.
One of the most useful video and voice chat apps is Skype. After downloading
the free software, sign up for an account and start adding your friends to your
contacts.
Another app you can use is Viber. Install the application, and then you can
start talking to your friends in your phonebook.
Both apps can be used on desktop and mobile. You call a friend like how you
usually make a call on your mobile phone.
7. Call a Customer Support Hotline
You don’t need to have a real question or complaint in order to call customer
service. But for the sake of learning to speak in English, pretend you have one.
Most big, international companies will have English-speaking representatives.
Think of it as a free English lesson.
One way to do this is to ask questions about their products. If you’re calling
a beauty product manufacturer, try Avon’s Hotline at 1-800-FOR-AVON.
Pretend that you bought a product, and tell them your problem with it. You
might say:
Hi, I recently bought your anti-aging skin cream. I like it, but I find it
too oily for my skin, would you recommend anything else?
Later, you can continue asking about the other products they have, and you
can continue to share what products you are looking for.
For men, you can try calling Nordstrom’s Hotline at 1-888-282-6060. If you
don’t feel like asking about products, you can always ask about their refund or
return policy. In that case, you might start with:
I recently bought a shirt, but it doesn’t fit right. What’s your return
policy?
From there, you have already started a conversation with the customer support
representative.
36 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
8. Record Yourself
Recording yourself will help you know your pronunciation mistakes. To
record yourself, you can use your smartphone, tablet or even your laptop.
Simply start by finding a piece that you’d like to read, and then open up your
device’s Audio Recorder and start recording yourself.
Now, recording your own voice is just the first step. The more important step
is to check if you’ve pronounced the words correctly. Use the apps mentioned
in #2 to check if you are pronouncing the words correctly.
Keep recording your English speaking sessions at home until you perfect the
piece you are reading. After that, you can move on to a different piece and
also challenge yourself with more advanced vocabulary.
9. Memorize Your Favorite Movie Lines
You probably have a couple of favorite movies that you like to watch over
and over again. This time around, you can enjoy them better by speaking like
you’re a part of the movie too. Speak alongside the actors and don’t forget to
talk with emotion.
We suggest these classic American movies that you can watch later on if you
have nothing else in mind. Also, if you’re having a hard time identifying the
words they are saying, you can always Google a movie’s transcript.
A transcript is the entire script of a movie, so you can follow the dialogues
from there. For example, if you want to say Tom Cruise’s lines in “A Few
Good Men,” simply type “A Few Good Men transcript” into Google’s search
box.
10. Make an Audioblog
An audioblog is kind of like a blog of podcasts, where you record yourself for
other people to hear. You can talk about whatever you want: movie reviews,
share stories, give your opinion, etc. After you record them, you can upload it
to your blog and let other people hear what you have to say.
If you have native English speaking friends, ask them for constructive
FluentU 37
feedback. This means they’ll give you pronunciation tips, praise and ways to
improve.
To make an audioblog, start by making a free blog (Try Blogger or Tumblr).
Then, use any audio recorder you have and record files of yourself speaking.
Upload them to your blog and publish the post. Ta-da!
Any combination of these 10 ideas will guarantee an entertaining time with
results. But there’s one final tool that you will need to be successful.
A Positive Mind Will Help You Learn to Speak English at
Home
If you want to speak English well, physical action alone is not enough.
You should have your eyes on the goal and stay positive when learning.
If you start feeling doubtful or feel like you won’t be able to do it, chances are,
that is exactly what will happen. So be positive and believe in yourself. Tell
yourself encouraging things: You can do it! You’re getting better! Great job!
In addition to being positive, you need to be persistent, dedicated and most of
all, committed. These characteristics will bring you many learning successes.
As you can see, to be able to speak English, you’ll need the physical, mental
and emotional aspects. You need to practice with your tongue, but also keep
the right mindset.
And most of all, you need to have fun. If you can do all of these things,
you will surely be an awesome and fluent English speaker sooner than you
thought!
38 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
[6]
How to Improve Your English
Pronunciation to Talk Like a Native
Yuliya Geikhman
“What?”
“Can you say that again?”
How many times do you hear this when you’re speaking? Even if your
vocabulary and English grammar are perfect, it can still be difficult for people
to understand you because of your pronunciation.
Learning to pronounce English words correctly can be one of the hardest parts
of learning English.
The English language has some sounds that your native language might not,
so you will have to learn how to make completely new sounds.
Plus, English vowels make it really tricky to know how to say a word. “Way,”
“weigh” and “whey” are all said the same, for example, while “comb,”
“bomb” and “tomb” are all pronounced differently.
Ah! Yeah, we know it can make you crazy.
So that’s why we have eight tips for you, to help you pronounce English
words better.
How to Improve Your English Pronunciation: 8 Tips to Talk
Like a Native
1. Learn to Listen
Before you learn how to speak, you’ll need to learn how to listen. Some
sounds can be hard to tell apart when you’re listening. Did the speaker sleep
or slip? Did he hurt his chin or his shin? If you can hear the difference, it will
be easier to speak the difference.
There are many guides to get you started in learning to listen. We have some
great articles here about learning to listen from movies, songs and music and
podcasts. You can also find listening exercises online, like this one from
Rong-chang.
The pronunciation practice at Many Things is really slick, especially its huge
selection of lessons on minimal pairs. Minimal pairs are pairs words
like sleep and slip, that are only different by one sound. You can click on each
word to hear a complete sentence with each, then quiz yourself in the second
box and click the correct answer.
When you want to listen to authentic English instead of pronunciation
exercises, you can watch videos on FluentU. FluentU is an online immersion
platform that takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news
and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning
lessons.
Every word comes with an in-context definition, image, audio and example
sentences, so you have enough support to make native English accessible
to you. FluentU’s “learn mode” takes your learning history into account,
40 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
and asks questions based on what you already know, which sets you up for
success.
The better you get at hearing words, the better you will become at
pronouncing them.
2. Notice How Your Mouth and Lips Move
When you speak, you move your mouth. How you move your mouth affects
how you pronounce a word.
The first step to correcting your mouth shape is to notice it and pay attention.
There are a few ways you can check that your mouth and lips are making the
correct shape:
•Use a mirror. This is by far the simplest way to tell what your mouth is
doing while you talk.
•Put a finger in front of your lips (like you’re saying “shh”). As you
speak, don’t move your finger. You should feel your lips moving away
from or pushing against your finger.
Watch other people and notice the shape their mouth and lips make when
they talk. Try following along with your favorite TV show or movie. Can you
repeat the faces and sounds that the actors are making?
There are guides and pictures online that will help you learn how to move
your mouth. Sounds of English has some good explanations for pronouncing
specific words. This guide is for people making 3D animations, but the
pictures are a great start to understanding how your mouth should look when
you speak.
3. Pay Attention to Your Tongue
The main difference between rice and lice is in your tongue. When you speak,
you move your tongue to make sounds. You probably didn’t even notice that,
since you do it without thinking. To improve your English pronunciation, it’s
a good idea to check what your tongue is doing.
FluentU 41
Some difficult sounds for non-native speakers to make are the letters “L” and
“R,” and the sound “TH.” Pronouncing them correctly is all in the tongue!
•To make the “L” sound, your tongue should touch the back of your front
teeth and the top of your mouth, just behind your teeth.
◦Try it now: Say the word “light.” Say it a few times. Feel where your
tongue is in your mouth. Make sure it touches the top of your mouth.
•To make the “R” sound, your tongue should not touch the top of your
mouth. Pull your tongue back to the middle of your mouth, near where it
naturally rests if you weren’t saying anything. As you say the sound, your
lips should be a little rounded.
◦Try it now: Say the word “right” a few times. You should feel air
blowing between your tongue and the top of your mouth as you speak.
You should also feel your lips get a little rounder when you make the
sound.
•Now for the “TH” sound. This one may seem strange if you don’t have a
similar sound in your native language. To make this sound, put your
tongue between your top and bottom teeth. Your tongue should stick out a
little between your teeth, and as you push air out of your mouth, let some
air escape between your tongue and teeth—that’s what makes the sound.
◦Try it now: Say the word “think.” Repeat it a few times. Make sure you
push your tongue between your teeth.
Now that you know where to put your tongue, can you hear the difference?
For a more detailed explanation on how to make those three sounds correctly,
watch this video from the Woosong University, this one from Club English,
or any number of other pronunciation guides you can find on YouTube.
If you can’t figure out what to do with your tongue to make the right sound, try
asking someone. Ask them to say a word with that sound, then tell you where
they put their tongue. They probably never thought about it before either!
42 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
4. Break Down Words into Sounds
Words are made up of syllables, or parts. The word “syllable,” for example,
has three syllables: syl-la-ble. Turning words into parts can make them easier
to pronounce.
To check how many syllables a word has, place your hand flat just under your
chin. Say the word slowly. Each time your chin touches your hand, that’s a
syllable.
You can even write the word down in parts. Leave a space or draw a line
between each syllable (every syllable should have at least one vowel: a, e, i,
o, u, y). Now try saying the word. Say it slowly and pause after each syllable.
Isn’t that easier?
If you’re having trouble with syllables, you can check out How Many
Syllables. This website shows you the syllables in any word you look up, and
even shows you how to pronounce it.
5. Add Stress to Sounds and Words
English is a stressed language. That means some words and sounds are more
important than others. You can hear this when you say a word out loud. For
example, the word “introduce” is pronounced with a stress at the end, so it
sounds like this: “in-tro-DUCE.”
Sometimes where you put the stress in a word can change the word’s meaning.
Say this word out loud: “present.” If you said “PREsent,” you are talking
about a noun that means either “right this moment” or “a gift.” If you said
“preSENT,” you are talking about a verb that means “to give or show.”
There are rules for where the stress goes in each word. Here’s one rule:
• Most two-syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable, and most two-
syllable verbs are stressed on the second syllable.
That’s just like the word “present.” Here’s another example: The noun
“ADDress” is the place where you live, and the verb “addRESS”is to speak
to someone.
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If this all sounds too complicated, don’t worry about memorizing all these
rules—the best way to learn is by listening and practicing.Remember that
most native English speakers don’t know the rules either, they just say what
“sounds right.” With enough practice, you can get what sounds right too.
Sentences have stresses too; some words are more important, and are said
with more clarity and strength than the rest of the sentence. Try reading this
sentence aloud: “I ate some toast with butter in the morning.”
The sentence should have sounded like this (the bold words are the stressed
ones): “I ate some toast with butter in the morning.” Notice how you slow
down every time you get to an important word, and quickly pass over the less
important ones?
Keep practicing by reading out loud, having conversations and listening well
to where others place stress when they speak.
6. Use Pronunciation Podcasts and Videos
There are some excellent video and audio guides on English pronunciations
that you can use to improve. The English Language Club has videos that show
how to make different sounds in English. Rachel’s English has friendly videos
on how to speak and pronounce American English in everyday conversations.
If you like podcasts better, Pronuncian has over 200 audio files that help with
everything from pronunciation to stress and pitch (how you raise and lower
your voice while you speak).
If none of these are what you’re looking for, there are many more to choose
from. Find the one that’s right for you.
7. Record Yourself
One way to tell if all your practice is working is to record yourself with a
camera. Use a camera and not just a sound recorder because it’s important to
see how you speak, not only hear it.
You don’t need to download any special software to record yourself; most
computers and mobile devices have built-in video recorders. You can use
44 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
PhotoBooth on a Mac or Movie Moments on a Windows computer. Your
phone or mobile device also has a video capturing app, usually as part of the
camera app.
Compare your recording to someone else saying the same words or sounds.
Find a video of your favorite part from a movie, like this clip from “Earth to
Echo.” Choose one or two sentences and record yourself trying to match the
stress, tone and pronunciation of the video. Then you can compare the two and
see what you did differently, and try again.
Ask a friend or watch a video to check. If your pronunciation doesn’t sound
the same, ask yourself some questions: Are you moving your mouth the right
way? Is your tongue in the right place? Are you stressing the right part of the
word? Use everything you learned in this article!
8. Practice with a Buddy
As always, “Practice makes perfect!” And it’s easier to practice with a friend.
Find someone to practice pronunciation with, either in person or through
online communities like Language Exchange or InterPals.
Practicing with a buddy (friend) will give you a chance to try everything you
learned, and learn new things from each other. Plus, it’s fun!
Pronunciation is as important to learning English as vocabulary and grammar.
Thanks to these eight tips, you’ll soon be on your way to pronouncing English
like a native.
FluentU 45
[7]
9 Simple Strategies for Real-world
English Conversation Practice
Pinar Tarhan
Do you get nervous when you have to talk to people face-to-face?
Even if you love to talk in your native language, speaking English can make a
simple conversation much more challenging.
Far too often, English students do not look for opportunities to practice
speaking their new language outside the classroom.
There are a million ways you can improve your English conversational
skills—even if you don’t live in an English-speaking country.
Here, we’re going to share nine of the best ways to make this happen.
Get Real-world English Conversation Practice with 9
Simple Strategies
In this modern age, you only need to go online to discover tons of great
opportunities!
The best thing about English is its popularity. Most people speak it at one
level or another. All you need to do is look around and take advantage of the
resources you already have to carry your speaking to the next level.
1. Talk to your friends and fellow students in English.
Think about the people you have a good relationship with. This includes your
friends, colleagues and family members.
How many of them speak English better than you? How many have a similar
fluency level?
If there are cool people in your life who speak English, ask them to practice
with you. Set up coffee dates and Skype appointments. Chances are, they’ll be
eager to talk to you since this benefits them as well.
As an ESL teacher, I’ve discovered that most of my students have at least one
family member or close friend who speaks English more fluently than they do.
Yet they never practice together.
Chatting (talking casually), even if it’s just typing, can help with your
conversation skills. If you decide to chat in English online, be sure to use good
grammar and spellings instead of using online slang.
Here’s the thing about the internet: While chatting, you usually don’t want
to make the other person wait. This means that you’ll try to come up with
answers fast. Internet connections are fast these days, so you can still look
up words you don’t know and answer your chat buddies swiftly (fast). This
assists (helps) you to think in English, making you a faster speaker in the long
run.
FluentU 47
If you’re using Skype, you can actually speak too. You don’t even have to
turn on your camera if you don’t want to. The important thing is that you’re
practicing your conversation skills!
2. Don’t worry too much about accuracy, but don’t
completely ignore it either.
Worried about speaking correctly in your new language? Too much concern
(worry) about speaking correctly might stop you from engaging in
conversations, so you’ll need to relax a little. However, being too laid-back
(relaxed) about this won’t help you in the future.
I had one student who was a lot more confident in his speaking than all his
fellow students, but he never paid attention to his mistakes. At the end of the
term, his confidence was still high but his accuracy hadn’t improved.
Why is this bad? He had the grammar of an intermediate-level student and
the speaking skill level of an elementary-level student. He was so confident
that he did not care when he messed up (made mistakes). This meant that he
would never figure out (learn) the right way to say things. If you want to speak
English casually and not use it in your professional life, and you don’t care
about advancing to a higher level of English, this is okay. But you’ll need to
really consider (think about) what your goals are with English.
3. Stay in an English-speaking country whenever you can.
If you have the time and money, it’s a great idea to go on vacation in an
English-speaking country. You’ll have to practice English for the length of
your stay.
However, not every country, city or town filled with English-speaking people
is a great place to practice English.
Go to towns and cities that have very few people from your country and other
tourists. This way, you won’t pick the easy way out when you feel uninspired,
shy or lazy. If there are many people speaking your native language (not
English) in your destination, try to avoid these foreign communities and
interact with locals instead. When speaking with other people from your home
country, insist that you both speak in English if possible.
48 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
Picking cheaper destinations means your money will last longer and you can
spend more time abroad. So, maybe you should avoid London or New York if
money for travel is limited. The pricier (more expensive) places also tend to
be more touristy, so that’s one more reason to avoid them. It’s a win-win!
4. Talk back to the television.
While you’re watching movies or television shows in English, you’ll have
some great chances to practice English listening and speaking skills.
Because most TV shows rely on continuity, they’re bound to repeat certain
things. Pick a TV show or a movie you already love and don’t tire of watching.
Since you already know what’s going to happen and what everyone will say,
you won’t have to worry about understanding anything. Watch once and just
practice paying attention to dialogue (conversations) and how people speak.
Pause at regular intervals to emulate (match, typically by imitation) their
tone and pronunciation. Repeating what people say will help you sound more
natural.
Do this regularly. You can even record your own voice to catch any mistakes
you make while practicing.
But there is one problem with using movies and TV shows to learn English.
They can be really hard.
Luckily, there’s a solution: FluentU.
FluentU takes fun videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring
talks, and it turns them into English lessons. FluentU does this in two ways.
First, you can watch videos with helpful captions. When you click on the
captions, you can see images, definitions, example sentences and even
examples of the word in other videos.
Second, there is a “learn mode.” It’s a quiz, but it uses the video examples to
create questions.
The best part?
FluentU knows what you’re learning, and it uses that to deliver a personalized
experience for you.
FluentU 49
5. Don’t shy away from speaking English during your trips.
You don’t need to be in a country whose first language is English to practice
speaking. Even if you’re traveling in your own country, chances are good that
you’ll run into many tourists.
Many native speakers actually like and respect the fact that you’re making
the effort to speak their language. Non-native speakers tend to appreciate the
chance to practice.
If you’re looking for common ground (things you have in common), why
don’t you start by asking each other about places you have been to?
6. Chat with strangers online.
With so many social networking sites and active online forums, you can find
at least a couple of websites that focus on your interests. Just pick a website
you like, create a free account and start chatting with like-minded people.
If you notice other users are being strict about grammar and use of language,
start by saying that English isn’t your native tongue. They’ll be friendlier
and more understanding about your mistakes. And while you shouldn’t worry
too much about being 100% accurate, it won’t hurt to read what you have
typed before sending it out there. This self-editing practice will help you in
the professional world as well.
7. Use Meetup and Facebook groups to find others who are
practicing English.
I use the international networking site Meetup. I get alerts in my inbox when
someone creates a Meetup group in an area I’m interested in, like Italian
conversation practice.
There are usually several English language practice groups in any major city,
so all you have to do is look around. Joining any Meetup group is free. You
only have to pay a small fee if you form one yourself.
50 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
8. Never miss an opportunity to talk to strangers.
This is especially true when you’re spending time in international coffee shop
chains or pubs where speaking to strangers is more or less expected.
Coffee shops are great places to meet with friends, have a cup of coffee and
unwind (relax). They’ve become so popular that nowadays they’re frequented
by several different demographics (particular groups of a population), so
you’ll probably see many people about your age.
People usually go to coffee shops to work (or play) on their laptops and use
the wireless internet connection, so it’s easy to start a conversation by asking
how it works (if you’re new there) or helping newcomers with their questions.
You don’t have to be best friends, but when you spot a foreigner you can offer
friendly advice and take it from there. Sometimes people will talk to you first.
9. Take classes in English, especially in areas you’re
passionate about.
If there’s a college or institution nearby that offers classes in English and you
can afford them, give them a try. As long as the students are encouraged to
speak in English, even a cooking or dancing class will make it possible for
you to practice your conversation skills.
Integrating English into your everyday life might sound like a difficult task
when you don’t have much free time, but it’ll be worth it. Even 15 extra
minutes every week will enhance your confidence and fluency. Just make
sure you don’t completely let go of accuracy, or focus too much on it that it
prevents you from conversing freely. Remember, learning English is supposed
to be fun!
FluentU 51
[8]
Picture Perfect: 7 Awesome Ideas for
Learning English with Pictures
Claire Bhandari
As chefs often say when cooking beautiful food, “You eat with your eyes.”
Well, we can learn with our eyes as well!
You probably use your eyes all the time while studying English—probably
too much.
So don’t those hardworking eyeballs deserve a vacation from textbooks?
Try learning English with pictures instead.
Haven’t thought about learning through pictures since kindergarten? No
problem. We’ve got some stellar advice to help you learn more effectively
through all kinds of readily available images.
Picture Perfect: 7 Awesome Ideas for Learning English
with Pictures
Think back to your school days.
Some people could remember everything the teacher said to them. Others
could perform a dance skit perfectly after doing it only once. However,
some of your classmates might have had a photographic memory—able to
remember pictures, people and places down to the smallest detail.
These lucky people were probably visual learners, preferring to look at
diagrams, read books or watch movies to help them study. If that sounds
familiar, you could be a visual learner! Visual learners explore the world with
their eyes, so the way information is presented is vitally important.
Even if your natural learning style isn’t visual learning, it’s always good
to shake things up. When learning a language, it’s important to exercise
your brain as much as possible and try learning things with new methods.
Approaching the same topics and ideas from different perspectives will help
them stick in your brain.
So, with all that in mind, here are some of our favorite ideas for adding visual
learning to your study routine:
1. Illustrated Books
Illustrated books aren’t just for kids, although children’s books are a great
place to start.
“Clarice Bean, That’s Me” by Lauren Child is an award-winning book
about Clarice Bean and her large, noisy family. The pictures are simple and
eye-catching. The text is fun and casual. Not only is it a perfect book for
beginners, but it also teaches plenty of English idioms.
Another classic is “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss. The imaginative
illustrations and quirky sense of humor will draw the reader into this
FluentU 53
inspirational book. The rhymes will also help with pronunciation—knowing
that”day” rhymes with “‘O’Shea,” for example.
2. Recipe Books
These are very visual and you can pick any cuisine that tickles your taste
buds. Even if you aren’t a master chef, recipe books are fantastic for grammar
practice! They contain plenty of food vocabulary and great examples of how
to use conjunctions in sentences.
“Heston Blumenthal at Home” by Heston Blumenthal is wonderful in
that it’s both methodical and easy to follow. The recipes are explained in a
simple yet scientific way and the gorgeous, glossy photos will give you an
idea of what your finished dish should look like. For a cheaper alternative
to a cookbook, you can also find recipes in magazines, apps and online.
The Cookpad app, available for both iPhone and Android devices, contains
over 1 million recipes from users themselves. With photos accompanying the
directions, it’s easy to see what to do next.
3. Maps
Something you might not have thought of—at least if you’re not lost—is using
maps! These are awesome for group activities, too. You can use street maps,
orienteering maps or even sketch one out yourself. Hop right on to Google
Maps and starting clicking around in English-speaking countries. Look at all
the sign posts, street signs, billboards and storefronts. Write down all the new
phrases you see.
Maps of tourist spots make your vacation stories more realistic. You can tell
everyone exactly where you were stuck in traffic and how your GPS sent you
the wrong way. Another tried and tested activity is map reading—one person
giving directions to a place on the map and the other following them. You can
spice things up a little by organizing a “treasure hunt,” giving each member
of the group a map and some directions which lead to a hidden object. This
activity is brilliant for kids!
54 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
4. Comics
We’re not just talking about traditional print comic books; there’s a wealth of
online comics too.
Luckily, Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson comes in both formats, and
you can also read it on Go Comics. Despite the heroes of the series being a
6-year-old and his toy tiger, it still appeals to adults. The topics tackled are
also quite advanced: Politics, the environment and abstract art are just a few
recurring topics of discussion. This is a recommended read if you already have
a fairly solid understanding of English and a good sense of humor!
Blindsprings by Kadi Fedoruk is a beautifully drawn online comic that’s
suitable for just about anyone! It follows the magical adventures of a young
girl named Tamaura as she leaves the forest and goes to the big city. The
language used is simple and the art has a real storybook-like quality to it. If
you enjoy reading fantasy comics, then this is for you!
The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl is about the
adventures of an adorable and slightly goofy abominable snowman. Even
though he’s a silent protagonist, the other animals in the forest have a lot to say
for themselves! The dialogue is a great way to learn conversational phrases
and the illustrations fit it perfectly. This will appeal to lovers of anything cute
who want to brush up on casual English.
5. Flashcards
Flashcards will probably bring back memories of cramming for exams! There
are heaps of advantages to using them though—they’re portable, quick,
effective and inexpensive. You can use them on the train or in bed. You can
pin them on the fridge to help you memorize vocabulary, grammar or even
presentations.
Many websites like Inside Story Flashcards offer printable flashcards in sets
to help you remember tricky vocabulary. Their flashcard sets give sample
sentences so you can see how certain words are used in context.
Another great tip is to be creative and make your own cards! You don’t
necessarily have to be able to draw like Walt Disney either. The Exam Time
FluentU 55
website lets you create cards from scratch, so you can simply upload photos
or images to use on the front of your own personalized cards!
6. Photographs
Most people use a dictionary when looking up a word they don’t know.
However, online search engines are also brilliant for this! If you type
“‘ravioli” into Google Images, you’ll instantly be rewarded with countless
pictures of delicious ravioli, which you’ll then associate with the word itself.
Photos can also be used for fun activities so that you can practice speaking! If
you have native English-speaking friends or friends who are fellow learners,
you can sit down together and describe your holiday photos or pictures of
fashionable people—whatever piques your interest.
You can also play a taboo style game. For this, one person describes a chosen
photo without saying certain words. For example, you have to describe a
soccer ball without saying “soccer,” “ball” or “sport.” Your friends will then
try to guess what you’re talking about. Games like these can be enjoyed by
children and adults alike!
7. Useful Websites
We all know that the internet is an indispensable learning tool. Here are some
awesome websites for the visually oriented!
FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news,
cartoons and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language
learning lessons. Watching video gives you context to help your listening
comprehension. Plus, FluentU has interactive subtitles. If you miss a word,
simply move your cursor over the subtitled word to pause the video and see
its definition and usage.
The best part is that FluentU turns the videos into a flashcard quiz that lets you
learn through real examples from the videos. It’ll help you learn English the
way that people speak it in real life.
Visuwords is another fantastic place to expand your vocabulary. The vivid
colors and great system of organization will appeal to visually stimulated
56 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
learners. You don’t even need an account– just type in the word you’d like to
know about and it’ll generate a kind of concept map. Concept maps are useful
diagrams that resemble bubbles of related concepts connected by lines. In this
case, they’ll show how a word is related to other similar words.
Visual Dictionary Online presents you with full-color scientific diagrams
including cross sections of buildings and fully-labelled pictures of vehicles.
This dictionary is ideal for those who want to learn technical terms in English.
It’s also great for those who like to go into topics in great detail.
Those are just a few examples of the many resources out there for people who
learn with their eyes. Above all, remember to pick activities that suit your
learning style and enjoy!
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[9]
How to Learn English with Audiobooks:
The Ultimate Guide
Yuliya Geikhman
Is it hard to find time to read books in English?
Or if you do read sometimes, do you ever wish you could hear someone saying
the sentences aloud while you read?
It would help your English pronunciation so much—and your listening!
Well guess what? You can have a native English speaker read books to you
whenever and wherever you want!
How? Through audiobooks, that’s how.
Audiobooks are recorded readings of your favorite books.
Life is fast, and many people don’t always have time to sit down and read
books. Audiobooks make it possible to listen to someone reading a book while
you do something else, like wash dishes or drive to work.
They are also a great way to learn English. Using audiobooks as part of your
English studies will get you the practice you need to become a better English
speaker.
How to Learn English with Audiobooks: The Ultimate
Guide
The Benefits of Using Audiobooks to Learn English
Why would you want to practice using audiobooks?
There are many reasons:
•You can repeat any part of the book as many times as you want. You
might be afraid or embarrassed to ask people to repeat themselves, but you
can repeat an audiobook over and over (and it will never get annoyed).
•You can “read” the book as slow or fast as you want. Listen to only one
paragraph a day, or read an entire book in a few hours. When you’re
talking with a real person, you can’t really tell them to share only half of
their story today and the rest tomorrow—but you can stop an audiobook
wherever you want to.
•You can choose any accent, gender or speed that you want to listen to.
Do you have trouble understanding people with British accents? You can
listen to an audiobook read by a British person to practice. Want
to understand New Yorkers better before moving there? You can find that,
too. Audiobooks have so many different kinds of voices to choose from.
•You can listen to audiobooks any time. You can listen on your way to
work or school, during breaks or even right before bed. It’s like having
somebody read you a bedtime story!
Now that you’re interested in audiobooks, where do you start?
FluentU 59
Choosing the Best Audiobooks for You
There are many audiobooks to choose from, on every topic you can imagine.
You can find classic literature in audiobook form, English learning books or
modern literature. You can listen to someone talk about dinosaurs, airports or
16th century Italy—whatever you’re interested in, there’s an audiobook for
that.
When you’re choosing an audiobook, look for something you would enjoy
reading. If you already own the book or e-book version of the audio, that’s
even better because you can read along if just listening is too difficult.
To find your reading level, try listening to adult fiction. If it’s too hard to
understand, read young adult fiction instead. Still can’t follow along? Try a
children’s book. Children’s audiobooks are wonderful learning tools because
they are meant to be understood by listeners who might not know all the
words.
Where to Find Audiobooks
You can find audiobooks all over the internet, some even for free. Here are
just a few places to start with:
Audible: This is one of the largest audiobook websites. It’s owned by
Amazon, and has over 150,000 books for you to listen to. It’s not free,
but it does have a free 30-day free trial, and if you discover that you love
audiobooks, it might be worth getting a subscription.
Project Gutenberg: If you’d rather not pay for audiobooks yet, you can look
around Project Gutenberg. This website is known for its collection of free e-
books, but it also has a nice selection of audiobooks.
Librivox: This is website of free audiobooks exists thanks to volunteers from
around the world who read books aloud for the site, thus
recording audiobooks. It has some great books to choose from.
Local Libraries: Many libraries in the USA now have “digital libraries,”
where you can check out e-books and audiobooks for free, just like regular
books at a library! Ask your local library, or check online to see if you have
access to a digital library.
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Tips for Actively Listening to English Audiobooks
If you just listen to audiobooks, you will learn something. But to really learn
the most that you can, try using these tips:
Take notes
One mistake you can make when taking notes is writing too much. So instead,
write down only things that will help you later when you look at your notes.
Write words and expressions that you don’t know.
If you are trying to understand the story, write important events or names of
characters. If you’re stopping your audiobook every couple of words to write,
you are writing too much. Listen, learn and only write the most important
things.
Read along
If you own a copy of the book you are listening to, read along with the audio.
Reading along makes you concentrate completely on the words. To practice
pronunciation, stop the recording once in a while and read what you just heard
out loud. Try to match the pronunciation of what you just heard. Can you do
it?
Discuss
How well did you understand the book you just listened to? The best way to
find out is to talk to other people about it. You can do that by joining online
communities where you can talk about your books, like Goodreads or Online
Book Club.
You can also join a local book club and talk with people in person about the
books you read. You can use Reader’s Circle or Meetup to find a book club
near you.
Listen again
The first time you listen, you are listening to understand the story and the
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words. After you listen once, put the audiobook away and look over your
notes. Look up the words you didn’t know.
Now you’re ready to listen again, and this time you’re listening to learn. Now
that you understand what the words are saying, you can listen more closely to
things you didn’t notice the first time, like how to use a word in a sentence or
how the reader’s voice sounds when they use a phrase.
Use what you learn
By now you should have a few new words, phrases, pronunciations and more
that you learned from the audiobook. So practice using what you learned! Use
your new vocabulary words in conversations. Talk about what you just read
with a friend. You’ll be surprised at how much you learned from just listening
to someone read a book to you!
4 Audiobooks Recommended for English Learners
There are thousands of audiobooks to choose from, so if you’re having trouble
picking a good book to listen to, here are some recommendations:
1. “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss, read by John Lithgow
Dr. Seuss might be a children’s book writer, but this book has been read to
high school and college students at graduation many times! It’s a simple book
for beginners that’s loved by everyone.
2. “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo, read by Cherry
Jones
This book tells the story of Opal as she moves to a new city. Opal learns
how to get over her fear and loneliness thanks to a dog named Winn-Dixie.
This is a heart-warming story for young adults, and is perfect for intermediate
English learners.
3. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde, read by various
What would you do if you could stay young forever? The story of Dorian
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Gray tells what happens when a picture of you grows old instead of you. The
dramatic reading of this book has a different person reading the different parts,
which makes it an excellent audiobook to practice listening and understanding
different voices and accents.
4. “The Hitchhikers’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams,
read by Stephen Fry
Even if you aren’t a fan of science fiction, you will love the crazy adventures
of Arthur Dent, a man who goes hitchhiking (getting rides from strangers)
through outer space. Narrated perfectly by UK star and comedian Stephen Fry,
this book is very funny, but may be difficult to understand. It’s well worth a
try if you want a challenge!
Of course these are only suggestions. Everyone has different tastes in books,
so be sure to find the books that you’re interested in. For more ideas you
can check Audible’s recommendations page, or look through AudioFile
Magazine’s audiobook articles and reviews.
Enjoy listening and learning!
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[10]
10 Great and Easy English Books You
Must Read
Victoria Z.
Reading can open your mind to brilliant new worlds and take you to a new
level of English language learning.
It may feel like a slow process, but it is effective.
Adopting English books as learning tools can help you reach English
fluency faster than ever before.
Take a trip to your local library and see what a difference a few good books
can make!
The Benefits of Reading English Books
“The more that you read, the more that you’ll know. The more that you
know, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss.
As any English-speaking child can tell you, there is no denying Dr. Seuss. If
you love to read, but you’re a little afraid of reading a full-on novel in English,
don’t worry. We’re going to help you get there, step by step. With every book
you read, the more you’ll improve.
Here are some benefits of reading in English:
Reading is rewarding.
Being able to read a novel in another language and understand it is a huge
achievement. You’ll feel accomplished the moment you read that final page,
close the book, and reflect on the experience. You might find yourself at the
last page faster than you thought—once you begin reading these books, you
won’t be able to put them down.
Reading is an exercise in language learning.
Reading English novels will help improve your vocabulary, general
understanding and in some cases it may even give you more knowledge into
different countries and their cultures. You also get to move at your own pace.
While listening to podcasts and radio, you have to keep up with whoever is
speaking. Sure, watching movies to learn English can be a lot of fun, but
doesn’t it get tiring to have to read subtitles or pause and rewind? While
reading a book, you can read as slowly or as quickly as you desire. If you
didn’t understand something, simply look at the paragraph again!
Reading opens the mind.
Reading educates. It opens you up to new experiences and perspectives. What
better way is there to understand someone’s way of thinking? You may learn
new information about language, culture, society and history that you never
knew before.
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Reading is fun!
It is, overall, an enjoyable and relaxing way to learn English without any stress
whatsoever. People get frustrated when they choose books that go above their
reading levels. By choosing your first English books wisely, you should have
a very positive experience.
Check out some of the following well-known novels. If you’ve got a basic
level of understanding and comprehension, these novels aren’t going to be a
problem. Set yourself a reading challenge. How many of these books can your
read?
10 Great and Easy English Books You Must Read
1. “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White
This is a lovely novel that all age groups can understand. Aimed at native
English speaking children, there are many adults who still say this famous
book is their favorite. This is part of the national curriculum in many schools
around the world, so it’s quite possible this book will also come up in
conversation. You can almost guarantee that the majority of native English
speakers have read this book at least once.
Plot Summary
A baby pig is almost killed because of his status—he is the smallest pig that
was born and he is considered to be useless and of no value. The pig is saved
by a little girl named Fern Arable. She adopts the pig and takes care of it. She
gives him the name Wilbur.
Fern grows sad when Wilbur grows up and has to be sent away to a farm
owned by her uncle. She has a strong relationship with Wilbur. When Wilbur
goes to the farm, all the other farm animals ignore him and he’s left crying for
his human friend. One day he hears a voice, but he can’t see anything. This
voice promises to become friends with him.
The voice belongs to a small spider called Charlotte. Charlotte the spider
knows that the farmers are planning to kill Wilbur. She promises to make a
plan to save his life. The farmers are surprised the next day when they see
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the words “some pig” written in the spider web Charlotte has made. Charlotte
asked for the other animals’ help over the day to write messages everywhere.
Wilbur is sad when Charlotte disappears. But in the end, her baby spiders turn
out to be great company for the pig. They continue to protect each other and
the story ends well.
2. “Mieko and the Fifth Treasure” by Eleanor Coerr
This book is not really so famous, but it is on the recommended book list.
What’s great about “Mieko and the Fifth Treasure” is that it’s short. At only
77 pages long, this will be an easy read. Again this book is aimed at young
native English speakers, so if you’re learning English, the level won’t be so
difficult. This book will keep you interested as you’ll learn many interesting
things about Japan and its culture.
Plot Summary
This is an emotional story about Mieko. Mieko is a talented artist and
calligrapher (handwriting artist). Her hand is badly hurt during the bombings
of the war. The scared little girl is sent to live with her grandparents in the
countryside where it is safer.
Mieko is worried and afraid that she’s lost her 5th treasure—the “beauty in
her heart.” This treasure is the key to her happiness and her beautiful art.
Mieko starts a new school. Her new classmates are mean. They constantly
laugh at her and tease her which just makes her angrier. Her grandparents
eventually manage to lift her darkness through their patience and wisdom. She
also finds a good friend in Yoshi. Yoshi is one classmate who is really kind.
Mieko also grows close to Yoshi’s aunt. Her friend’s aunt is strict, but kind
and encourages Mieko to pick up her paintbrushes again.
3. “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton
This short novel is perfect for EFL learners. It has modern themes and typical
teenage issues that people around the world have experienced. There are very
few cultural notes in this, which means you don’t need much background
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information. The sentences are short and easy to understand. The vocabulary
is also very easy. You should be able to read this book without difficulty.
Plot Summary
Ponyboy Curtis is one of the main characters. He is a part of a gang of
teenagers called the Greasers. After he leaves the movie theater one day, he’s
attacked by a rival (enemy) gang. Ponyboy’s friends chase the group away and
he is saved.
The next evening, Ponyboy and his friends go to watch a movie again. They
sit behind a few pretty girls from the other gang. They end up sitting together
with the girls. Ponyboy and Cherry learn that they have a lot of things in
common even though they are from different gangs. The boys begin to walk
the girls home, but on the way they meet the girls’ boyfriends. The girls have
to leave so a fight does not begin.
Because Ponyboy arrives late at home his brother becomes angry. This causes
them to fight. As a result Ponyboy tries to run away from home. They meet
up with the rival gang again and yet another fight begins. This time one of the
enemies is killed.
Ponyboy is really scared. They hide in a church and try to hide their
appearance by dyeing (coloring) their hair. A number of different fights break
out between the two gangs. Eventually Ponyboy wakes up in the hospital.
A trial is set in the courtroom and the judge has to decide Ponyboy’s fate
(future). Is he guilty or not guilty?
4. “The House On Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros
The great thing about “The House On Mango Street” is that it’s an interesting
read. It’s written from the point of view of the writer. You can really feel what
the protagonist (the main character) feels. The sentences are really short so it’s
also easy to understand. There are a few challenging words and a little bit of
descriptive language, but you can usually understand them with the context.
Another great thing about this is book is that it gives you a deep understanding
of a different culture.
Plot Summary
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This book follows the life of Esperanza, a Mexican girl. The novel takes place
over the period of one year. Esperanza moves into a new home on Mango
Street. The house is much better than her old one. It is the first house her
parents have ever owned—all their other houses have been rented. Esperanza
is not very happy because she had been dreaming of a different home—a
bigger one. Their new house is old and small. The house is located in a busy
Latino area of Chicago. In the new home, Esperanza feels like she has no time
to be alone. She promises herself that one day she will leave and have her own
home.
Throughout the novel the young girl grows up a lot. The story follows her life
as she makes friends, her body changes and she begins to have feelings for
a boy. With her new friends, she has many adventures. When she goes back
to school after the vacation Esperanza is embarrassed about her family being
poor. She writes poetry secretly to make her feel better.
There is a lot of focus on other women in the community and Esperanza hopes
never to be like them. Through watching the older women and how they are
stuck, she knows that she wants to leave.
5. “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher
This story takes place in the present, which means the writer uses simple
grammar. All sentences are short and the vocabulary is relatively easy. The
interesting grammar and short paragraphs make this a quick and easy book for
ESL learners. This is an award-winning book and on the NY Times best books
list, so it’s worth a read. This book deals with some heavy issues. If you’re
looking for something light and happy to read over the summer vacation, you
should not read this book.
Plot Summary
The man character is Clay Jensen, a quiet high school student. He comes
home from school to find a package at his front door. He does not know who
sent it. He opens it and discovers seven cassette tapes. These tapes are from
Hannah Baker, his previous classmate. She had emotional problems and has
committed suicide (killed herself).
The tapes came with instructions. The paper stated that they should pass the
tapes from one student to another student. There are 12 people in total. In the
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paper, she explains to these people that they helped her die—she gives them
13 reasons. Hannah also sends another set of tapes to a different person. She
gives them a strong warning that if they don’t pass the first set of tapes onto
the next person, the whole school will know how they were a part of her death.
We hear about her pain. She talks about her first kiss, people who lied to her
and stole from her. Everything started with gossip. The gossip then grew and
became out of control. The book follows each person’s story and the reason
why she felt hurt including her English teacher who didn’t take her seriously.
6. “Peter Pan” by J.M. Barrie
Almost everyone knows the story of “Peter Pan,” which is why this is an easy
read. Being familiar with a story already helps the reader to understand the
text better. This book is aimed at children, but it continues to be enjoyed by
adults around the world too.
Plot Summary
Every night Peter visits the Darling family house and listens to Mrs. Darling
tell bedtime stories. He sits on the window listening. One evening, they see
Peter trying to escape. As he tries to run away, he loses his shadow. He
goes back to get his shadow. He wakes up the daughter of the house, Wendy
Darling. Wendy helps him attach his shadow to his body again. Wendy tells
him she knows a lot of bedtime stories too.
Peter invites Wendy to return to Neverland with him. He wants her to be
the mother of the Lost Boys. Wendy agrees to the mission and asks for her
brothers Michael and John to join them.
They have a magical flight as they travel to Neverland and have many
adventures along the way. Wendy is nearly killed and the boys build her a
house in the trees to recover. After Wendy is okay, she takes the role of the
mother.
After all their adventures and fun, Wendy decides that her place is at home
with their mother. Wendy helps all the Lost Boys return to London. But Peter
doesn’t want her to go. Instead he tries to trick her. He tells her that their
mother doesn’t want them anymore. However, he understands how sad their
mother must be. In the end, he decides to let them go home.
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7. “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemmingway
This is a famous classic. Almost all native English speakers will have read this
book at some point in school. So, if you ever find yourself in a conversation
about literature and books, this is a good one to talk about. At some points it
has a little bit of difficult vocabulary, however, it is short and you won’t have
too much trouble being able to finish it.
Plot Summary
This is a story of a long fight between an old, experienced fisherman and the
best fish he ever caught. Santiago has returned to the village without any fish
for 84 days. The young boy who helps Santiago is told by his parents to join
another boat. But the young boy continues to help the fisherman at night.
On the eighty-fifth day, his luck changes and so does his life. Santiago sails
his boat further away. He drops his fishing lines. At 12 p.m., a huge fish (a
marlin) takes the bait (the food used to attract fish). The man tries to pull the
fish up, but the fish is too big and strong. Instead, the fish begins to pull the
boat. The old man continues to fight and hold on to the line. The fish pulls the
boat around the sea for two days.
On the third day, the fish gets tired. Santiago is able to pull the fish closer
and kill it. It’s the biggest fish he has seen in his life. He begins to sail back
to the village, but the blood of the fish attracts sharks. The boat is attacked
by a Mako shark, but Santiago is able to kill it. He kills most of the sharks,
but there is a problem. They have eaten the meat of the fish and now only the
skeleton (bones) is left. He returns back to his home and falls asleep.
All the people of the village are amazed at the size of the fish skeleton. The
young boy agrees to be the fishing partner of Santiago once more.
8. “The Giver” by Lois Lowry
“The Giver” begins in a very interesting way and catches the attention of
the readers from the start. It has easy-to-understand grammar. Most of the
grammar is just past simple and past perfect. All of the sentences are short
and there is no confusion in the story. This is a longer book. It’s really easy
though, so you’ll finish it quickly.
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Plot Summary
Jonas is a young boy. He lives a very safe life with a lot of order and rules.
There are many rules and everyone follows them. The citizens’ lives are
planned for them and they don’t often make decisions by themselves.
They try not to say anything different. One rule is that you must never say
anything that will make another person uncomfortable. Every husband and
wife is matched by a special committee. Each family has two children, one
boy and one girl.
When Jonas and the rest of his group become the “Twelves” in December,
they get special jobs. Because Jonas is smart and respected, he is given an
extra special job. His new job is to become the Receiver of Memories. The
Receiver of Memories is the only person in the group who can see all of
the memories in the past. He must keep these memories secret until he trains
another person to take his place. This job is really difficult. This person knows
things that others do not, and they also have to deal with all of the sadness
from the past.
At first Jonas is really excited. But he soon learns some truths about the people
in the community. He comes to understand that this kind of life is unfair. He
wants to allow people to make their own choices. Jonas comes up with an
interesting plan to change the community. He decides he needs to move the
community to another place. In his plan, they will get their memories back and
be able to live a good and fair life.
9. “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry
This is a realistic novel. It’s based on history. Unlike other historical literature,
it’s easy to understand. If you already know a lot of information about World
War II, this might be an interesting book for you. It’s not recommended if you
don’t know too much about the World Wars. In this case, you will be focusing
on trying to understand the facts too much so you will not enjoy the book as
much.
Plot Summary
This is a story of hope and courage. The year is 1943 in Copenhagen,
Denmark. The area has been taken over by Hitler’s army. There are soldiers
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everywhere. The life of 10-year-old Annemarie has changed a lot. There is
little food and everyone is very scared. There is talk about moving all of the
Jewish people to another place. This is difficult for Annemarie because her
best friend, Ellen, is Jewish.
This is a different book about the war. It shows it was not only the Jewish
people who suffered during the war. Annemarie’s family lost their eldest
daughter, Lise, a few weeks before her wedding.
Annemarie will later do what her sister, Lise, did. She will join the resistance
party to fight against the Nazis. She ends up being a heroine (a female hero)
for a few reasons (which I will not tell you because I don’t want to ruin the
story).
10. “A Wrinkle In Time” by Madeline L’engle
This book has a mix of shorter and longer sentences. The short sentences
allow the readers to relax a little bit more. They also create the scene well
and let you know what is happening through simple words. There is a lot of
vocabulary to learn. It is a good book if you’ve already got experience reading
novels in English. Make sure you have your vocabulary notebook with you,
just in case there are any cool words that you’d like to learn. This book has
many!
Plot Summary
Meg is 14 years old. Everyone sees her as a troublemaker (a person who
makes/causes trouble). They think she’s a bad student. Everyone in her family
seems to be perfect. Her mom is a very beautiful scientist. Her twin brothers
are very athletic. And her little 5-year-old brother, Charles Wallace Murry, is
a child genius and can often read the mind of Meg.
One night Meg can’t sleep. She goes downstairs to find her young brother
sitting at the kitchen table drinking milk. Later their mom joins them. A
strange neighbor called Mrs. Whatsit joins them. Mrs. Whatsit is talking a lot
and says that the “tesseract” is real. We (the readers) don’t know what this
means, but Mrs. Murry knows what it is. She looks like she is going to faint
(fall down from sickness or fear).
Meg and her brother meet a friend the next day. Calvin O’Keefe is a high
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school junior student. Together, the three of them go to visit an old haunted
house which belongs to Mrs. Whatsit. While going there they meet Mrs.
Whatsit’s friend, Mrs. Who. Mrs. Who is also very strange. Meg and Calvin
begin to like each other. Charles suddenly announces that they should focus
on finding their father who is lost somewhere in the universe.
Strange things happen and the older women turn into supernatural (not from
Earth) beings. They transport the kids to the universe by the “tesseract.” They
stop and visit different planets on the way. The women tell the children that
the universe is being attacked by the “Black thing” (the devil).
They find out where Meg’s father is being kept. Charles tries to use his
psychic (in his mind) powers to see where their dad is. Eventually they find
their dad, but not without drama. Along the way, Meg learns to love. She uses
this new love to help them escape.
There are so many cool and fun books to read. It’s always better to find books
that are for middle school readers in the United States so the language and
ideas will never be too difficult to understand.
Reading is a wonderful way to improve your English. It’s an awesome way to
learn new vocabulary. It’s a great way to learn how to guess what things mean
and at the same time enjoy English in another way. Reading opens your mind.
So what are you waiting for? Jump on Amazon or head to your local library
and start reading today!
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[11]
A Useful Guide to Practice English
Listening Online
Whit Altizer
Wanna open your mouth and effortlessly speak fluent English?
Getting to that level is always a challenge.
Many English learners think the way to get there is to talk constantly.
Talking helps, but listening can help you even more.
You probably don’t remember, but listening is the first language skill you
honed as a baby. It’s how we all first learn our native language. Because of
the way we develop as humans, it’s the only thing we can do for the first year
or so of our lives. Sure, we can make little sounds, but we’re nowhere close to
fluency. Then, suddenly, after a long time of absorbing the language, we start
talking.
And some of us never stop.
Remembering to take some quiet time and absorb the language is incredibly
important in your language acquisition.
English Listening Practice: The Complete Toolkit
Students who are outgoing tend to be some of the best English speakers, but
may struggle to understand the rhythms of English. Not all English speakers
stress and link words in the same way. A word may sound one way in America
and not sound the same in Britain. So it’s important to hear how different
countries speak English. How can you engage in a conversation if you don’t
understand what’s being said to you?
Immersing yourself in your second language by interacting with others is
extremely beneficial to language learning, but it isn’t always possible. Lucky
for you, there’s an overwhelming amount of resources on the internet for
improving your listening.
So, don’t disregard the importance or ease of sitting back and soaking in the
language. While in your homeland, dive into listening and take some time to
learn sentence structure, intonations and nuances with your ears to become a
better English student!
A Step-by-step Guide of How to Practice Listening
As adults we don’t take the time to sit back and listen because we want to be
more proactive and speedy in our learning. We may feel that we should be
doing something with eyes, mouths or hands. Be proactive while you listen.
Even a little bit of skill in reading, writing and speaking our second language
can help with listening practice. Here’s how:
1. Find an audio track that also comes with the transcript. First, listen to
the track without reading the transcript. Train your ears and brain to
hear the words and visualize them at the same time.
2. Now read the text out loud to see what you missed.
3. Listen to the audio again, this time reading the transcript out loud while
it plays. This’ll help you recognize words you didn’t quite hear the first
time and see how words sometimes blend together.
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4. Next, put the transcript away and grab a blank sheet of paper. Listen to
the audio again. This time, try to write down the transcript as you hear
it. Listen a couple of times if you need to.
5. Finally, fill in the gaps of your writing with one more listening and
reading of the transcript. The more you listen and recognize the words,
the more they’ll be committed to memory and hearing them won’t
sound so new to you.
5 Great Websites for Listening
Not sure where to go for listening help? Here are some great sites to start with
that’ll allow you to follow the above five steps.
1. Breaking News English
It’s free, it’s printable, it’s interactive and it accommodates many levels.
This site’s full of short audio tracks about current events, weird news and
worldwide issues. In the 26-page lessons you can do word-fill activities,
vocabulary exercises, true and false questions and multiple choice quizzes
along with other activities that prompt conversation and critical thinking on
the subject. Then you can check your answers. This gives you all the tools to
follow our guide to listening.
2. Ted Talks
This offers a wide range of speeches on as many different subjects as you can
think of, all for free. If you can’t find a talk that sounds interesting to you, then
you aren’t looking hard enough! Furthermore, you can find talks with subtitles
in 105 languages. One hundred and five!
There’s a good chance that, after you first watch the talk with English
subtitles, then you can watch it in your native language to help clear up
anything you didn’t understand.
You can also find an interactive transcript or a printable one that you can read
at your leisure or along with the talk. TED allows you to learn more about an
interesting topic, learn new words and even get tips on how to give a good
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presentation. This is ideal for advanced learners, but there are plenty of talks
for all skill levels.
3. Elllo.org
This site is great because of its variety in exercises and accents. You can get
news, situational dialogues, video blogs from other English learners around
the world, and audio tracks called “mixers” where six different speakers
respond to the same question and other helpful audio. These also all come with
transcripts that you can use to read along with the audio.
This is especially fun and interesting because the content is made by people
from all over the world. Not only is language learned here, but also different
accents and cultures. Here you can connect with other learners and participate
in the language learning journey together, and if you feel inclined you can
upgrade your account ($19.95) to have access to more language exercises.
4. The British Council
Like Elllo, the British Council offers some great audio and four different
levels to choose from. They also provide questions and gap fills that you
can do as you listen to the audio track. If you want to study it even further,
they also offer PDF downloads with more questions and exercises. Below the
online exercises there’s also an active chat board where you can answer a
question posed by a moderator and vote on other people’s responses, getting
you involved in a language community.
5. FluentU
All right, since you want to improve your English listening skills, I absolutely
have to tell you about FluentU. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a beginner or
near fluency—our philosophy is that you’ll learn better if you listen to real-
world English.
At FluentU, we take reality shows, music videos, interviews, Disney movies
and more, and turn them into English learning experiences. Not only can you
read along with subtitles and look up definitions along the way, but we also
have an interactive learning mode that teaches you new vocabulary by using
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questions generated from the videos themselves. The best part? All prompts
are personalized based on your history on FluentU.
Be Entertained: Watch, Listen, Laugh, Cry, Dance and
Learn
These days there are also lots of great podcasts to listen to for free! A
few weeks ago, I was at a conference with Hyunwoo Sun from Talk To
Me in Korean (TTMK). He mentioned that many non-English speakers are
improving their English while learning Korean on his site. Perhaps you’re a
multitasker and could find an English language podcast that teaches another
language of interest like TTMK!
Though podcasts and audio tracks are incredible for the English learner,
there’s nothing quite like watching television or movies and listening to
music.
Sitcoms, movies and music from countries where English is the native
language can teach you about the culture, frequently used idioms, slang,
common body language (don’t underestimate the importance of body
language!) and the rhythm of the language without having to actually live in
that country.
There are countless stories of people crediting cheesy American sitcoms for
helping with their English skills. Fortunately, there are also some incredible
TV shows being made these days that are offered around the world that appeal
to everyone.
And now the internet, iTunes and YouTube offer an endless library of TV and
movie resources for you. There’s plenty to choose from.
Overwhelmed? Need a recommendation? Check out the videos in FluentU’s
library for television, movies and music that’ll help you practice and feel
confident with your listening. It’s extensive, user-friendly and has been
organized and created with you, the English student, in mind!
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[12]
6 Great TV Shows to Improve English
Listening Comprehension
Pinar Tarhan
It’s cool that your English textbook came with a CD full of listening activities.
But after a while you’re going to get bored.
Tired of hearing the same accents, vocabulary and conversation topics?
I can’t blame you.
No matter how authentic they try to be when they make CDs for English
learners, it’s just not real English.
It’s too clean, too easy and too clear.
But that’s not the only problem with audio (just sound) made for English
students.
You don’t see the speakers, so it’s harder to understand what they’re saying.
There’s nothing to see to hold your attention and keep you focused. If you
want to improve your listening comprehension skills without getting bored or
annoyed, watching a TV series is the way to go.
Perhaps you’ve already tried watching English news broadcasts and full-
length English movies. If so, you’re definitely going in the right direction —
you’re already familiar with some super fun ways to learn English!
However, there are many unique benefits that only television shows have to
offer English learners.
Read on to find out more about English language television shows and how
they can improve your English skills.
How to Select the Right TV Show to Improve Your
Listening Comprehension
Most of us enjoy watching a fun TV show to relax, but not all shows are
equally helpful. For instance, “Game of Thrones” is a terrific (or in my
opinion, excellent) show, but its characters use many words people don’t use
in daily life.
Medical drama “House” would be another bad choice. Even though it’s a
gripping (holds your attention) show, it’s full of medical jargon (job-
related vocabulary).
It’s better to watch shows with characters in different professions. And it’s
much more useful if they don’t live in the Middle Ages. Below are some of
the best shows you can watch to boost (improve) your listening skills.
6 Great TV Shows to Improve Listening Comprehension
and Vocabulary
1. “MTV Cribs” (2000-present)
What it is: “MTV Cribs” is a 30-minute MTV program where several famous
guests in each episode give tours around their glamorous (fancy) houses. The
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show displays general information about the house on the screen, like the size
and number of rooms.
Cameras follow celebrities as they show off their houses, talking about how
they’ve decorated, giving details about the furniture and more.
Why it’s helpful: They use informal, everyday language. Different celebrities
have different accents and vocabulary. Often you can watch them pointing to
the items they’re mentioning (talking about) on-screen.
2. “Saturday Night Live” (1975-present)
What it is: “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) is a weekly live sketch comedy
show (has lots of different short comedic acts) that lasts about 60 minutes
without commercials. Often a famous actor or singer hosts the show, also
making appearances in the sketches.
Why it’s helpful: Because the sketches are over-the-top and there’s a lot of
physical comedy, you’ll be able to understand most of what’s happening just
by watching. SNL makes fun of advertisements, music videos, TV shows,
movies, politics and more.
You might not like all of their work, but there will be at least numerous (many)
skits (acts) that will make you laugh.
A lot of hosts’ speeches and sketches are available on YouTube, so you can
choose according to topic or your favorite actors. SNL might not always be
the best choice for grammar, but it’s priceless for improving your speaking
and listening.
3. “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (2014-present)
What it is: It’s a satirical (making fun sarcastically and critically) news
program where hilarious John Oliver presents the most popular news story
from the previous week. This can be anything from lost space geckos (a type
of lizard) to the enormous student debt in the United States, from Scottish
independence to the death penalty.
Why it’s helpful: The presenter has a clear English accent and he often uses
visual aids like pictures and graphs. Episodes cover a wide range of topics,
82 The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion
adding to your vocabulary in spades (large quantities). He also uses pieces
of recent interviews and news shows which will introduce you to different
English accents from all over the world.
His shows are available on YouTube, and episodes last about 15-16 minutes.
He sometimes interviews guests from other countries as well.
It’s a short and really entertaining (fun) way to learn more about what’s going
on in America as well as the world at large. At the same time, you’ll be
building your listening skills. If you enjoy politics and humor, subscribe to
John Oliver’s YouTube channel.
4. “Friends” (1994-2004)
What it is: “Friends” is a popular American sitcom. It centers on the lives
of six friends in their ’20s who live in New York. What makes “Friends” so
appealing (interesting) is its sense of humor, as well as its universal themes.
Why it’s helpful: Now, catching up with the dialogue in “Friends” might not
be easy. The characters often speak fast. But there is also a lot of physical
comedy and repetition (using the same words and jokes)—even if you don’t
understand everything you’ll get what’s going on. If you’re not confident in
your listening skills, you might want to watch several episodes with English
subtitles.
The characters have diverse (very different) backgrounds, personalities and
jobs. There are also some funny grammar and pronunciation lessons as they
make fun of each other’s shortcomings (faults, failures to meet a certain
standard), like how Ross corrects people when they say “who” instead of
“whom,” or how Joey buys the “V” issue of an encyclopedia set (series of
informational books) to improve his vocabulary.
A real life example of how “Friends” can boost (improve) your listening skills
is my best friend. She got her job at an educational consultancy firm (she gives
advice to educational projects) mostly because of her ability to understand
native speakers. She can also speak almost like a native speaker herself. She
has seen each “Friends” episode more than three times. Is that a coincidence
(a matter of chance)? I think not.
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5. “Coupling” (2000-2004)
What it is: Like “Friends,” “Coupling“is about six young adults and their
relationships. But unlike “Friends” and its 238 episodes, “Coupling” has only
28. Because there are fewer episodes, it’s easier to finish the series and watch
once more from the beginning.
Why it’s helpful: Many scenes from “Coupling” are on YouTube, so you can
enjoy your favorite scenes in parts online during short breaks or on your way
to school or work.
“Coupling” features English characters as well as a Welsh one. While
“Friends” varies in its story lines, “Coupling” focuses on the romantic
relationships of its characters. So it’ll take less time for you to start
understanding what’s going on even though the characters speak fast.
It also has lots of physical comedy, so you don’t have to worry much about
missing a lot of action or words.
While “Coupling” and “Friends” have a lot of fans in common, “Coupling”
can be the better choice if you prefer (like better) British humor.
6. “Lie to Me” (2009-2011)
What it is: “Lie to Me” is an American crime drama that lasted for three
seasons. The main character is talented psychiatrist Cal Lightman (partly
based on real life psychiatrist Paul Ekman) whose specialty is catching liars
(people who lie).
He works with his partner psychologist Gillian Foster. Together, they help
different organizations to catch criminals. Of course working with Lightman
is frustrating, because it’s impossible to lie to him.
Why it’s helpful: Unlike other crime-of-the-week shows, “Lie to Me” doesn’t
follow a typical formula (story structure). One episode can be about
preventing (stopping from happening) a crime and the next can be about
finding out if there was a crime. You never know where or how the next
episode is going to start.
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“Lie to Me” offers a very broad range of vocabulary as they deal with miners,
firefighters, the police—so there’s a lot of variety.
The show also helps with learning different English accents. The main
character, Cal Lightman, is British and other characters are American.
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