Reading more effectively

Listen while you read.

Part 1 (to the end of ‘Find out how difficult the text is’)

Part 2 (from ‘Prediction’ to ‘Looking up vocabulary’)

Part 3 (from ‘Using reading to practise grammar, vocabulary and punctuation’ to end)

Do you read much in your own language? What about in English? What kind of things do you read?

A lot of us read all the time without really realising it. How many text messages, emails or facebook messages do you read every day? Do you use Google? Are you like me, reading whenever you can, even if it means reading food packaging because that’s the only thing available?!

Here are some ideas that should help you get more out of your reading in English, and understand more of what you are reading. If you have any other tips, please leave them in the comments for others to read.

Choosing what to read

If you don’t read much in your own language (and sometimes even if you do) it can be difficult to motivate yourself to read in English. It’s important to read things which you are interested in, or which you know will help you in some way. For example, if you love football, but hate going to the cinema, read the sports section of the newspaper and don’t read film reviews. If you want to go to an English-speaking university to study marketing, read marketing books in English. If you aren’t interested in science and technology at all, don’t bother reading about them!

Why you should read in English

Reading more doesn’t just help you to improve your reading skills. It also improves your English instinct by helping you to recognise the way grammar, vocabulary and punctuation are used in practise. Through this exposure, reading makes writing easier too. Finally, reading can give you information about lots of different areas of culture, and help you to learn how other English speakers see the world.

What you can read

Reading doesn’t just mean books or newspapers. It could also include:

• short stories;
• advertisements;
• text messages;
• emails;
• websites;
• Wikipedia;
• facebook;
• magazines;
• puzzles;
• the back of DVD cases;
• essays;
• reports;
• packaging;
• and much more…

Find out how difficult the text is

If you are using a text from the internet, it is very simple to find out how challenging the text you want to read is by following the instructions below.

If the text is not from the internet, read the first paragraph or first few sentences. How many words are there which you have never seen before? If you don’t know a lot of them, you should probably try reading something else.

Using a text checker

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary uses only 3000 words in all of its definitions. On their website there is a text checker. Copy and paste the text you want to read into the first box:

In the second box write any words which you want the checker to ignore, for example names.

Then click ‘Submit’.

You will see your text with different coloured words:

• black: these words are some of the 3000 most common words in English, so should be the easiest to understand.
• red: words which are not part of the Oxford 3000. If you look at the words here, some of them may still be quite easy, like ‘Antarctica’, ‘UK’ and ‘Australian’.
• blue: words which are on the list of specialist words for Art, Science or Business and Finance.

At the bottom of the page is an analysis:

This shows you the length of the text and the difficulty level:

In a typical lower intermediate text close to 100% of the words will be Oxford 3000 keywords.

In a typical upper intermediate text 90-95% of the words will be Oxford 3000 keywords.

In a typical advanced text 75-90% of the words will be Oxford 3000 keywords.

From the Oxford Text Checker home page

That means the text I will use as my first example in this guide is an advanced level text (86% of words in the Oxford 3000), but hopefully my tips will help you to use it anyway!

Why does this help? Text checkers can help you to focus on the most important words you need to understand a text. See ‘Looking up vocabulary’ below for more information.

When should I do this? Text checkers are most useful when you are trying to choose something to read yourself, but you are not sure about the level of difficulty. Things you get from your school/teacher should already be right for your level.

Prediction

Before you start to read something, spend a minute or so using clues to help you predict what you will read about.

For example, look at this headline, photo and caption from a BBC News article:

Choose one or more of these things to do when you first read a short article:

• Think of five words which could be in the article.
  Mine are: satellite, chicks, ice, scientists, researchers
• Think of two facts you think could be included.
  Mine are: Counting penguins from space is not as dangerous as counting them on the ground. It is important to know how many Emperor penguins there are to know how climate change affects them.
• Think of two questions you would like an article with this title and this picture to answer.
  Mine are: What methods were used to count the penguins? How much did the project cost?

Then read the article as quickly as you can to find out if your words/facts were included or your questions were answered. Three of my words were there, both of my facts were, and one of my two questions was answered.

Why does this help? Prediction ‘puts your brain in the right place’ ready to read about a specific topic. Reading quickly gives you an overview of the whole text.

When should I do this? This is best for short texts, or done between small sections of a longer text, for example before each chapter of a book.

Summarising the main points

Read your chosen text more slowly, then turn it over/minimize the window and try to remember the main points of the text. You could write them down or record yourself saying them.

For example, from the penguin text above I remember:

• There are twice as many Emperor penguins as originally thought. I think they said there are about 600,000.
• The scientists who did the study are from the US, UK and Australia.
• They find the colonies by looking for the brown patches of penguin poo, then count them using the satellite images. Sometimes they have to check the counts using aerial photographs or ground counts.
• Climate change means the amount of ice could decrease in the future, although it is happening faster in the Arctic than the Antarctic at the moment.
• By counting the penguins now, scientists can track how changes in the ice affect the population.
• If the ice shrinks, the number of krill (which the penguins feed on) could decrease too. A reduction in the amount of ice could also mean baby penguins don’t have time to become adults before the ice melts, so they will die.
• This was the first census of a species from space.

Then read the text again and focus on the points you couldn’t remember or didn’t get quite right.

Here are some of the points I forgot:

• There are 44 colonies of Emperor penguins, including 7 which weren’t known about before.
• There are 595,000 penguins, not 600,000 as I thought.
• Warming in Antarctica could also mean new predators, which would be bad for the Emperor penguins.

Why does this help? Summarising texts helps you to train your short-term memory. It is good writing or speaking practice. Most importantly, it helps you to see how much of the text you can understand.

When should I do this? It is normally best to summarise a text after you have read it a few times, as this will help you to remember more facts. Don’t forget to compare your summary to the original text to check it!

Looking up vocabulary

As a general rule, try to only look up a maximum of four or five words each time you read any text. Remember, you don’t need to understand EVERY word in a text to be able to understand the general message. If you need to look up more than this, then you are probably reading something which is too difficult. Use the text checker described above to help you choose something easier.

When I read in different languages, I try to only look up two kinds of words:

• verbs or nouns which are obviously important to the message of the text;
• words which I have seen more than four or five times in the same text, but I still don’t understand.

It is best to use a monolingual dictionary to look up words, as this is also a kind of reading practice. Find out how to use a monolingual English dictionary.

Why does this help? Looking up every word you don’t know is a quick way to get depressed and demotivated about reading in a foreign language! Choosing to only look up some vocabulary is good practice, especially if you remember to learn the new words and phrases too. I also find that the words which I have seen many times before I look them up are easier to remember than words which I have only seen once.

For example, I was reading a German book and kept seeing the adjective ‘spöttisch’. It was not important to the story, but I was annoyed because I didn’t understand it. I looked it up once, and I still remember it means ‘mocking‘. 

When should I do this? Don’t start underlining words or looking them up until you have read the text completely at least once. If you don’t read the text first, you will start reading the words but not the meaning, making it harder to understand the text.

Using reading to practise grammar, vocabulary and punctuation

Do you do a lot of grammar exercises? Do you try to learn a lot of new vocabulary? Do you have trouble using punctuation in English ;:!? You can use reading to help you.

Choose a piece of grammar (for example the passive), a piece of vocabulary (for example ‘make sacrifices’) or a piece of punctuation (for example an exclamation mark!).

Find quite a large amount of English text, like a newspaper, a few pages of a book or an entry on Wikipedia.

Read it as quickly as you can looking for your chosen piece of grammar/vocabulary/punctuation. Every time you find it, highlight it.

When you have a few examples, go back and look at them more carefully. Ask yourself questions about why the writer used them. For example, why did they choose to use the passive and not the active? What other words can you find around the collocation ‘make sacrifices’? How many times did the writer use an exclamation mark in the whole text?

Why does this help? These kind of questions help you to see how the theory you study is used in real English. It helps you to understand how common or unusual some grammar/vocabulary/punctuation is in different styles of written English. Spending a couple of minutes looking for a piece of vocabulary can also help you to remember it more easily.

When should I do this? Try not to do this too often as it can be depressing if you can’t find what you are looking for! However, using this technique sometimes is a great way to activate your grammar/vocabulary/punctuation knowledge and  it will also help to improve your writing.

Reading books

Books are a great way to get a lot of exposure to language in context.

You could start with readers, which are books made especially for English language learners. They normally include a mini dictionary of vocabulary from the story and some questions to help you understand the text. Many of them now also come with a CD or a downloadable mp3 so you can listen to the story at the same time as reading it. Here are links to the readers sold by Cambridge Macmillan Collins Oxford Black Cat

If you want to read books written for native speakers, I normally find it is best to start with books for children and teenagers, as they are shorter and the stories are easier to understand. Some of my favourite fiction authors are:

These are some tips for reading fiction in another language (all from personal experience!):

• Try to read for at least ten minutes each time you sit down. This gives you time to get in to the story. If you just try to read one page at a time it is difficult to understand the story.
• Don’t read books with a pencil! If you do, you read the words but not the story.
• Only look up words that you see many times. If you have seen it so many times that it annoys you, you will remember it much more easily when you do look it up (see ‘Looking Up Vocabulary’ above).
• Don’t worry if you don’t understand the story at the beginning. I expect not to understand the first 25% of any book I read. If you keep reading you will find you understand more and more. I normally understand more of the second 25% and almost all of the last 50%. You need time to get used to the characters and the way the author writes.
• Only read stories you would consider reading in your own language. I tried reading some chick lit in German but gave up after about ten pages, because it annoyed me too much! I would never read chick lit in English, so in German I didn’t enjoy it at all.

Why does this help? Reading longer texts regularly is proven to really improve language skills. Language learners who read regularly in a foreign language are generally those who reach higher levels fastest. It can also be an enjoyable way to practise.

When should I do this? Whenever you can!

Working with others

Reading doesn’t have to be something you do alone. A lot of the activities here could be done with a ‘reading buddy’. Both of you could read the same thing and do the same activities, then compare the results you have. For example, when predicting, did you choose the same words? Can your partner help you understand some vocabulary which you don’t know?

If you both read the same book at the same time, you could meet to discuss the story and what you think will happen next.

Why does this help? It is good to read with another person as you can motivate each other to continue. It can also help you to see that other people have the same problems as you if you are finding things difficult.

When should I do this? As soon as you have found a reading buddy!

I hope all of these tips are useful. If you have any other tips to share, please add them in the comments.

(By the way, 95% of the 2470 words in this guide are in the Oxford 3000!)

English Club

In the first guest post on Independent English, Tara Benwell introduces EnglishClub.com, a site with many different areas for English learners to explore and use. Tara works very hard as the administrator on EnglishClub.com, setting challenges for learners and helping them to practise their English as much as possible. Over to Tara:

(and you can listen to her read the post too:)

An Introduction to EnglishClub.com (for English Learners)

Englishclub.com has been online since 1997. It was one of the first websites for English learners, and has been growing in popularity ever since. The site is useful for self-learners as well as learners who study English at school. This club is FREE for English learners and teachers.

Here is how English learners can get the most out of EnglishClub.com:

Take the English Club Tour

On the homepage you will see a red bus. Click on the bus for a very short tour of the site. You will discover the 5 main sections.

The Learn English and Member Pages are the most popular sections for English learners. The Grammar pages in the Learn English section are written in easy English. We also have a Grammar Help Desk.

Search EnglishClub.com

Do you want to learn phrasal verbs? Do you need listening practice? Are you looking for dictations or videos? Find exactly what you are looking for via EnglishClub.com’s search box. The search box on EC is on every page, and works just like Google. Some of the search results will be for English Club’s main site. Some will be from the Member pages. Search is very helpful if you need homework help! If you can’t find what you are looking for, put in a request.

Sign up for RSS feeds

English Club will email you regular updates if you request them. You can receive all of the new pages, or just the ones you want. For example, many members subscribe to Idiom of the Day! Choose the feed you want here. You can also see all of the new EC content in a sidebar on MyEC (Member Pages).

Sign up for Member Pages

My English Club (MyEC) is the social side of English Club. Sign up to receive your own FREE Member webpage, blog and media gallery. Blogging within a community is a great way to  practise English. You will have an instant readership of thousands of English learners and teachers. Read the FAQ for more details.

Here are some of the things we do on MyEC.

Join or Start a Group

What are your interests? Do you like music, cooking, or anime?  MyEC has several groups that you can join. Find other learners with the same interests and practise your English as you discuss topics that interest you. Any member is welcome to add a new group.

Chat

Many English learners (and teachers) come to EC to chat. MyEC has one of the most active international chat rooms online. We have an English-only policy, and our moderators work hard to make sure that our chat room is a fun, safe place to practise English. There is also a chat room on the main site called 1997 Chatroom. Here you can create password protected private chat rooms for you and your friends.

Accept or Create Challenges

Many of our long-term members and teachers create regular challenges for English learners to try. These include writing, photo, video, and audio challenges. You can also create your own challenges and contests! Try fun online tools that embed right in your blog posts.

Find a Learning Partner

Self-study is becoming a popular way to learn English, but don’t try to learn a language alone. MyEC will help you make good friends quickly. Join the “Find a Learning Partner Group”  to post a request for a learning partner. You can also use the Advanced Member Search to find other learners in your level or country.

Practise Speaking and Pronunciation

Our members use tools like Audioboo to record and share their voices. The Audio Speaking Group is a great place to practise speaking. In this group you can practise being a newscaster with EnglishClub.com’s Weekly News. Volunteers will help you improve your pronunciation. Many English Club members also Skype together. Find out who uses Skype by using the Advanced Member search.

Connect with EC  via other Social Networks

EnglishClub is on Facebook, Twitter (@EnglishClub), YouTube, and Google +. You can set your MyEC status updates to go to your other accounts. Use the tag #twinglish on twitter to tweet with English learners and teachers from around the world. Invite your friends to join MyEC.

If you sign up for MyEC, be sure to add me as a friend, and let me know if you have any questions. I am Tara,  the administrator of MyEC, and a teacher of English. I hope you’ll join my monthly writing challenges.

Quick Links

• Learn English Section
• Grammar Help Desk
• Sign up for a MyEC Member Page
• Weekly News (Listening)
• How to Use Audioboo on EC
• Audio Speaking Group
• Tara’s Page on MyEC
• 10 Steps to Learning English on MyEC

Quizlet

Listen while you read:

Part 1: (to the end of ‘Print your flashcards’)

Part 2: (practise your spellings to play a typing game)

Part 3: (How to join quizlet to end)

What is Quizlet exactly? We start with flash cards. Students can make their own, or choose from millions of flash cards sets created by others. But that’s just the beginning – once you’ve got flashcards, you can use several study modes including multiple choice tests and study games. You can add images and listen to audio, and even study on the go with one of dozens of Quizlet-compatible mobile apps.

From ‘About Quizlet‘

Parts of this guide

Quizlet has many different functions, so there are a lot of parts to this guide. Click on any of them in this list to go straight there:

• Why use Quizlet?
• How to find flashcards
• How to use the flashcards
• Print the flashcards
• Practise your spellings
• Learn the words
• Test yourself
• Play a matching game
• Play a typing game
• How to join Quizlet
• Your dashboard
• Groups
• Make your own flashcards
• Go mobile!

Why use Quizlet?

The site is very easy to use and allows you to study the vocabulary you want  to learn in many different ways. You can make your own sets quickly and easily or use sets created by other people. There is a lot of variety and repetition, making it much more fun than traditional lists of vocabulary. You can also use the site to study other subjects, including everything from history to biology and much more besides.

You don’t have to sign up to use the site, but I would highly recommend it. Find out how here.
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How to find flashcards

To help you out, I have created groups of flashcards for different levels of English learners. All of these groups contain only English, sometimes with pictures to help you understand the words.

• A1 beginner
• A2 elementary
• A2+ pre-intermediate
• B1 intermediate
• B2 upper intermediate/FCE preparation
• C1 advanced/CAE preparation
• C2 proficiency/CPE preparation

If you want to study something different, first click on ‘Find Flashcards‘ or the ‘Find something to study…’ box.

Type in a keyword related to what you want to study, for example “idioms”, and click “Search”.

As you can see, there are 1,631 sets, which is quite a lot! To reduce the number of sets and help you find exactly what you’re looking for, click on one of the ‘Subtopics’ on the left.

I click on ‘English idioms’ and now only have 428 sets:

You can reduce this more if you want to by clicking on another subtopic or choosing to show only ‘sets with images’. I like using photographs, so I have chosen to only show the 14 English idioms sets with images. To preview exactly what is in the set, you can point your mouse at the name without clicking on it. This set has English idioms with descriptions in English:

This set has English idioms with translations into Turkish:

If possible, I think it’s best to study using only the language you are trying to learn, so I have chosen set 1.

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How to use the flashcards

Once you have chosen the set you want to study, click on the title and it will take you to the set page:

The flashcards show you both the word/phrase and the definition/picture at the moment. Click on the tick next to ‘Both Sides’ in the top right corner to show only the definition and picture.

Read the definition then click anywhere on the card to check the word/phrase.

Use the buttons in the top left corner to make the cards bigger, mix the order of the words or hear the words/sentences being pronounced – it is computer pronunciation, so there are sometimes problems with the stress in the word, but most of the time it is correct.

Use the arrows to move through the flashcards and familiarise yourself with the words.

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Print the flashcards

If you don’t want to use the computer too much, you can print the vocabulary in a few different forms. Underneath the blue box is the word ‘Print’. Click on it.

Choose what form you want to print the words in (as a list, a table or as flashcards):

If you’re not sure, click on the different forms to preview them. When you’re ready, click ‘Open PDF’:

This will automatically open your .pdf reader (such as Adobe Acrobat or Preview). You can then print the flashcards from there as you would any other .pdf file.

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Practise your spellings

When you think you know most of the words, click on the ‘Speller’ button underneath the flashcards.

Listen to the word, look at the picture and read the definition.

Click ‘replay audio’ on the left if you want to listen again. Above the replay button there is also a menu where you can choose whether the computer should speak fast or slowly.

Write the word/phrase in the box with the correct spelling and press enter/return on the right of your keyboard.

If you make a mistake like the one below (don’t learn this!), the computer corrects you and spells the word you didn’t know:

You can then try again to help  you remember:

When you have finished, the system shows you your progress:

If you sign up with Quizlet, the site will remember this and you can continue from where you stopped the last time you used the site.

You can continue with this mode to keep improving your spellings, or you click ‘Back to Set page’ in the top right corner.

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Learn the words

Click on the ‘Learn’ button underneath the flashcards.

This mode remembers what you do and don’t know:

Look at the picture, read the definition and write the word/phrase. If you can’t remember it, click ‘Give Up’:

The computer marks the word as ‘Incorrect’ and gives you the answer to copy:

Sometimes your answer might be only a little different from the computer, so you can tell it that you were right:

Be careful with this though: sometimes the article can’t be changed or the ‘s’ that you forgot has to be there

If you sign up with Quizlet, the site will remember which words you have studied and you can continue from where you stopped the last time you used the site.

When you fancy a chance, click ‘Back to Set page’ in the top left corner.

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Test yourself

Click on the ‘Test’ button underneath the flashcards.

There are four types of question in the Quizlet tests:

• written: look at the picture and write the word/phrase;
  
• matching: match the five words/phrases to the correct definitions/pictures by writing the letters in the boxes;
  
• multiple choice: read the word/phrase, then choose the correct definition/picture;
  
• true/false: look at the word/phrase and decide if it is the correct one for the definition/picture shown.
  

Answer all of the questions, then click ‘Check Answers’ at the bottom. The computer will give you your score:

Oh dear! Looks like I need to practise more...

If you sign up with Quizlet, the site will remember your test score and you can try to do better the next time you use the site.

When you have finished, click ‘Back to Set page’ in the top left corner.

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Play a matching game

Click on the ‘Scatter’ button underneath the flashcards.

Click ‘Start Game’

You will see some of the words/phrases from the set you are studying and the matching definitions/pictures:

Click on any word/phrase and drop it on to the correct definition/picture. If it is right, the word and the definition will both disappear. You can also drop the definition/picture onto the word/phrase. Which one did I find first?

When you have matched all of the vocabulary, you will see your time and the list of fastest times.

You can click play again and try to be faster. You can see your fastest time in the top left corner, near the Quizlet logo. You can also see your time for the game you are playing.

If you sign up with Quizlet, it will remember your fastest time so that next time you log in you can try to be faster.

When you are ready to play another game, click ‘Back to Set page’ in the top right corner.

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Play a typing game

Click on the ‘Space Race’ button underneath the flashcards.

Click ‘Start Playing’:

You will see a definition/picture. Write the matching word/phrase into the box at the bottom of the page and hit return/enter on your keyboard. If you are right the definition/picture will disappear. If you are wrong, it won’t, so keep trying!

If you really don’t know a word/phrase, you will see a box with the correct answer for you to copy. You will also lose a life in the bottom right corner:

For every word/phrase you write correctly, you will get points and go up levels, as well as gaining extra lives. As you go up through the levels the pictures move faster, so you have to type more quickly.

Don’t worry if you’re a slow typer though: the computer learns this and will go more slowly on level 1 to give you more time to write.

When you have lost all of your lives, you will see the high score board. If you want to see your name on it, you need to sign up with Quizlet.

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How to join Quizlet

With Facebook

If you use Facebook and don’t mind attaching it to other websites, joining is very easy.

Click ‘Login with Facebook’, then complete your information in the pop-up window:

Finally, click ‘Allow’ in the next box which appears.

Without facebook

Click ‘Sign Up’ in the top right corner of the window.

Complete the information in the boxes and click ‘Sign Up’:

The next page will tell you about the difference between free Quizlet and Quizlet Plus. Everything I have shown you on this post can be used on free Quizlet. You need to pay if you want to use your own pictures to make flashcards or if you don’t want to see advertising while you are using the site. If you don’t want to pay, click ‘Continue to Free Quizlet’ at the bottom of the page:

You need to go to your email and confirm your email address to remove this message:

When you click on the confirmation link in your email, you will see this window:

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Your dashboard

Once you have joined the site, your dashboard will show you all of the sets which you have studied in the past or which you have created yourself. To see it, click ‘My dashboard’ at the top of the page:

You can click on the name of any set to see the set page again.

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Groups

To help you out, I have created groups of flashcards for different levels of English learners. All of these groups contain only English, sometimes with pictures to help you understand the words.

• A1 beginner
• A2 elementary
• A2+ pre-intermediate
• B1 intermediate
• B2 upper intermediate/FCE preparation
• C1 advanced/CAE preparation
• C2 proficiency/CPE preparation

After you have joined Quizlet and confirmed your email, you can click on any of the groups above and go to the group page. If you want to, you can click ‘Join Group’ on the right to get emails every time I add flashcards to the set.

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Make your own flashcards

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this is how you make your own flashcards…

Click ‘Make Flashcards’ in the menu bar at the top of the page:

This is what you will see:

Write a title and a description for your set. If you want to make it easier for other people to find, add some words in the ‘Subject’ box. For example, ‘English’ or the name of the book you found the words in.

Choose a language for each side of your flashcards. Of course, the language on both sides should be English but you could put translations in the definition box if you feel you need to.

Next, add some words and definitions. If you can’t think of a definition, click ‘auto-define’ and the computer will help you. You could also look at an online dictionary. If you have more than 5 words, click on the ‘Add Row’ text or press the ‘tab’ (->|) button on your keyboard and it will give you more boxes.

Sometimes, definitions aren’t the best way to learn a word – my definitions in the picture above aren’t great! Tick the box next to ‘Add Images’ then click ‘Search Images’:

Quizlet searches Flickr to find pictures which match the word you typed in the first box. Sometimes these are suitable, sometimes not, so you might have to type different words in the search box to find a suitable picture. When you find a picture you like, click ‘Use this image’ underneath the picture.

It will then appear above your definition, like this:

When you have added all of the text and images you need, click ‘Create Set’ at the bottom of the page:

You now have a set with all of the words you want to learn:

If you want to correct a mistake or add more words later, you can easily do this in two ways. In the menu bar on the left, click on ‘Edit this set’:

OR Go to the bottom of the page and click ‘Add or remove terms from this set’:

Both of these links will take you to the same page where you made the flashcards.

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Go mobile!

If you have a smartphone or a tablet computer you can download apps to help you practise words on Quizlet.

Go to the bottom of any page on Quizlet and click on ‘Mobile‘:

Then choose your operating system and choose an app. If you have an app which you like using for Quizlet, please tell us about it in the comments.

I hope you enjoy using Quizlet and find this guide useful!

English Central

(Sorry, no recording to listen to while you read this blog post at the moment as I’m losing my voice! I will add it when I feel better)

English Central is a website which allows you to watch videos, read the dialogue and record yourself saying it. It analyses your pronunciation and compares it to the original video, offering advice on how to improve. It also helps you to expand your vocabulary.

This video shows you how it works.

For me, the best thing about this website is the ability to work on your pronunciation. When you log in to the site (for free!) it will track your progress and show you how you are improving. It also records how many times you have seen pieces of vocabulary in the videos and shows you which areas of pronunciation to focus on. Here are some testimonials from students and another teacher who use the site. They describe why they find it interesting/useful.

How to sign up

You don’t have to sign up to use the website, but I think you should, as you can personalise your experience on the site and it will remember things for you!

Go to the home page.

Click ‘Register Now’ in the top centre. You will see this window.

You can enter your details or join via facebook. Click ‘Register’.

Choose your main reason for learning English. You can change this later (see ‘How to manage your topics’ below)

Next, choose your level. At our school we use levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. These are part of the CEFR.

Finally, personalise your English Central experience by telling it your native language, country and if you are male/female.

When you have finished registering, you will be welcomed to the site with this box.

Click ‘Get Started’.

How to manage your topics

When you first join English Central, you can choose a reason for studying English. This helps the site to choose videos which you might be interested in. You can edit this list at any time.

On the ‘My English’ page, look for ‘My Topics’. Next to it, click ‘Manage’.

Then, tick the boxes next to the topics you are interested in.

Watching the videos

Click on a video which you are interested in. One of my favourites is ‘Do you speak English?‘

Click on the image from the video in the top left corner.

Watch the video and read the words.

If you want a puzzle, you can set a challenge. Click in the bottom right corner of the screen and tick the box next to ‘Hidden Challenge’.

The programme will remove some words for you to write in.

If there are any words you don’t understand, you can click on them to see a definition and example sentence and see and hear the pronuciation.

Click on the snail to hear any line more slowly.

Practising your pronunciation

When you have finished watching the video, it will take you to the ‘speak’ mode. Click ‘Start’.

Listen to the line again, and click on words if you are not sure about their pronunciations.

When you are ready, click on the microphone.

Read the line as accurately as you can. The computer will analyse your pronunciation, give you points, and show you something like this:

The green words are pronounced perfectly. There is a problem with the yellow word. Click on it to compare your pronunciation to the native speaker and to see what the problem is.

I got 33/44 points for this line. I am a native British English speaker, so sometimes some of my pronunciation isn’t exactly the same as the American system. Don’t worry if you don’t get 100% – aim for 80-90% if you can. You can record each line as many times as you want to.

All of the points for the videos go into your progress bar at the top of the page. The more videos you do, the more progress you will make. Eventually, you will move to the next level.

A freemium service

So far, everything I have told you about is completely free. If you want to get more vocabulary practice, or listen to specialist pronunciation videos allowing you to focus on particular sounds, you need to pay. I haven’t tried the full paid version, so I won’t tell you more about it here, but if anybody does, please add your experience to the comments.

 

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Listen while you read:

How do you find out the meaning of words which you have never seen before? Do you translate them? While this is quick and easy, it is probably not the best way to improve your English. Instead, you can use a monolingual English-English dictionary. This will take you longer, but it will improve your English more in the long run.

My favourite monolingual learner’s dictionary is from Oxford, so that is what this post is about. There are also dictionaries available online from Macmillan, Cambridge (Essential/Intermediate/Business) and Longman. Each of the dictionaries is also available in paper form, often with a CD-ROM. Many of them are also available as apps. Try a few out and see what works best for you. The advice below should apply to all of them.

Why you should use a monolingual dictionary

By looking up words in an English-only dictionary you:

• practise your reading skills;
• practise your writing skills (when you copy the definition/write an example);
• can check the pronunciation of the word;
• see the word in context;
• find common collocations;
• find out how important the word is;
• learn about common problems for English learners and how to avoid them;
• spend time with words, instead of rushing, so that your brain has more time to take them in;
• expand your vocabulary by learning synonyms, opposites, and words you don’t understand in the definitions.

I have studied many languages, and I always arrived at a point where my teachers told me to stop translating everything into English. Each time, it was very difficult at first, and when I was feeling lazy I always went back to my English-Spanish/German/French dictionary, but in the end I got used to it, and all of my language skills improved as a result.

Find the definition of a new word

Go to the homepage of the dictionary and type the word into the ‘search’ box.

If you are not sure about the spelling, guess and the dictionary will help you. You can then click on the correct spelling. For example:

Understanding the dictionary entries

Here is the definition for different. In the picture, I have explained the information you can find in the dictionary entry. Click on the image if you want to make it bigger.

If you are using a computer (not a mobile device), you can double-click on any word in the dictionary and it will take you to the entry for that word. This is very useful if you don’t understand the definition completely. All of the definitions are given using the Oxford 3000, the 3000 most common words in English, all of which are marked with the red key symbol.

Some advice

• Make sure you know which form of the word you are looking for. There are different entries in the dictionary for the noun, verb etc form of each word. You can find a box like the one below underneath the ‘search’ box in the top-left corner of the page.
  
• Try to learn words from a context, not from a list. This will help you to remember them, but more importantly, it will help you to decide which definition is the one that you need. For example, there are thirteen definitions including the phrasal verb ‘put up’, and without a context it would be impossible to know which one to choose.
• When you take notes about new vocabulary, use the dictionary to help you write a definition in English, as well as an example sentence. This is a much more useful way of recording vocabulary than just translating it, and because it takes you longer, you are more likely to remember the word/phrase.

Do you have any other advice? Do you know about any other online dictionaries for English learners? Feel free to share in the comments.

Postcrossing

You can listen to this post while you read:

What is postcrossing?

Through the Postcrossing website you can send postcards to people all over the world, and get them in return. Here are some of the postcards I have received through the website:

They come from several countries, including the USA, Russia, Australia, Germany, Finland and China.

It’s a great way to practise reading and writing in English with real people from around the world.

Joining postcrossing

To send and receive postcards, first you need to join the website, like this:

1. Click ‘Sign up’
2. Complete the information, including your full address. If you don’t normally use the Roman alphabet (like the English alphabet), you need to use it here so that everyone can write to you, not just people with the same alphabet as you. Don’t forget to include your name and your country! When you have finished, click ‘sign me up’.
   
3. Next, you can edit your profile to say something about you. Don’t forget to include ‘English’ in the list of languages which you speak! You shouldn’t include your address on this page. For example, here is my profile:
   The mailbox map is automatic, but only shows the town you are from. Only people who will send you postcards will be able to see your address.

Sending a postcard

Once you have joined, login and click ‘send a postcard’

Read the information, then tick the box at the bottom and click ‘request address’.

Postcrossing will give you an address for you to write to. When you first join the site, you can only send 5 postcards at one time, but as you send more your limit will increase. This is what you will see:

At the bottom of the page you will also find information from the other person’s profile, normally telling you what kind of postcards they like. This can help you to choose something to send them.

The most important things are the address and the postcard ID. Don’t forget to write this unique number on the card you send!

Then, sit back and wait for your postcards to arrive. When the person you send a postcard to registers it, another postcrosser will receive your address and send you one.

Receiving a postcard

When you get a postcard, go to postcrossing.com and click ‘Register a postcard’

Write the postcard ID and a short thank you message to the person who sent it to you, then click ‘Register postcard’

That’s it! Happy postcrossing

Podcasts

(You can listen to this blog post while you are reading. Just click below.)

Part 1:

Part 2:

podcast (noun)

a recording of a radio broadcast or a video that can be taken from the Internet

• To listen to the podcast, click on the link below.
• I download podcasts of radio shows and listen to them in the car.

[Definition from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary]

Although the word podcast was originally taken from ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast’, you don’t need an iPod to listen to one. In fact, you don’t even need an mp3 player; a computer with internet access is enough. They are freely available from a wide variety of sources, some designed for native speakers and others for language learners.

Image by @carlaarena from http://flickr.com/eltpics

Why should I use podcasts?

As you listen to more and more English, you will understand more. Podcasts give you the chance to listen to English from around the world, including both native and non-native speakers. Even if you are not concentrating 100% on what is being said, your brain is becoming familiar with the rhythms of English and you are learning without noticing. You will improve your language ‘instinct’ and get a better feeling about what sounds right.

How can I use podcasts?

You can download podcasts from some of the places listed below and listen to them as you are doing other things. For example, I listen to podcasts on my way to and from work or when I am cooking. It doesn’t matter if you are not listening attentively and you don’t need to understand everything. You will find that you understand more as you get used to the speakers in podcasts you listen to regularly.

Here are some activities you can do using podcasts if you want to use them for studying:

• Choose a podcast on a subject you are interested in. Before you listen, read the summary telling you what is in the programme. Predict 10 words which you think will be used/3 ideas which you think will be mentioned. Then listen to find out if you were right.
• Listen to a podcast. Choose one topic covered to find out more about on the internet.
• Choose a podcast on a subject you would not normally listen to. Listen and write down vocabulary/ideas that could help you understand more about the topic.
• Find a short ‘article’ in a podcast (about one minute long) and use it as a dictation exercise. Listen and write what you hear as accurately as you can. You can play it again as many times as you like.
• Find a ‘study buddy’ and both listen to the same podcast. Afterwards, meet and see how much you can remember about what was discussed.

If you have any other ideas, please share them in the comments.

How do I choose a podcast to listen to?

Look at the list below to help you find podcasts. Try one episode of a podcast, and if you like it, listen again. If you don’t, there are plenty of other podcasts which you can listen to!

You could also ask your friends or your teacher (if you have classes); maybe they have some favourite podcasts which they can recommend to you.

Where can I find podcasts?

Almost all of these podcasts are free to download. You can go to the website, right-click on the ‘download’ link and click ‘Save as…’, then upload it to your mp3 player if you have one. If not, you can listen to the file on your computer too.

For English learners

The BBC Learning English page has a range of podcasts designed for English learners of all levels. Each podcast can be downloaded and also has a tapescript so you can read while you listen.

• The English we speak is a series of very short 2-3 minute episodes, each looking at one phrase in English.
• Words in the news introduces vocabulary based on up-to-date news stories. News English Extra looks at the use of words and phrases which often appear in the news.
• Ask about English podcasts answer questions from learners about confusing parts of English. Grammar Challenge helps you with difficult areas of English grammar.
• How to… gives you instructions on how to do lots of different things in English, like congratulate people or complain about something.
• Keep your English up-to-date helps you to understand words which have recently entered the English language.
• Express English asks short questions to Londoners. You can hear their answers, then add your own.
• 6 minute English is like a podcast magazine. Each week, the presenters talk about one topic and teach you vocabulary to help you discuss it too.

The British Council also have various podcasts designed for English learners.

• Elementary Podcasts is designed for elementary learners. It also has activites to help you practise the vocabulary.
• Big City Small World is a story about a group of young people living in London.
• Word on the Street looks at the lives of young British people.
• The Professionals podcasts are designed to help you improve your English for your career and at work.

Other podcasts for English learners include:

• Listen to English has new podcasts every week, each with a transcript and some linked activities. You can listen by clicking the arrow > at the top of the blogpost, or go to the bottom of the post and click ‘Download’.
• Podcasts in English and ESLpod: you can listen to the podcasts for free, but you need to pay if you want to read the transcripts or get activities to do with the podcasts.

‘Real’ English

The BBC has a huge library of podcasts taken from their radio broadcasts in the UK and abroad. Some podcasts may only be available in the UK, but most are available around the world. Some of my favourites are:

• Witness: 10-minute documentaries about historical events from people who were there;
• Science in Action: 20 minutes of up-to-date science news;
• Drama of the Week: radio plays telling great stories, normally about 80 minutes long;
• Friday Night Comedy: 30 minutes of comedy based on the week’s news (good for cultural knowledge);
• Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s film reviews: 90 minutes of reviews and interviews about the latest films.

At the moment, there are 329 pages of podcasts on the BBC, so if you don’t like these programmes, I’m sure you can find something you do!

Some of my other favourite podcasts include:

• Stuff you missed in history class: 20-30 minute episodes looking at history from around the world. How Stuff Works also have lots of other podcasts. (American English)
• Reduced Shakespeare Company: 25-minute episodes about the life of a very funny theatre company. (American English)
• This American Life from National Public Radio tells stories, both real and imagined, about American life (American English)
• Focus magazine: a monthly podcast summarizing the contents of the science magazine, as well as interviews related to the topics covered in the magazine
• History magazine: a weekly podcast including interviews with historians about different parts of history

If you have iTunes you can search for podcasts in their library using the ‘podcasts’ tab in the iTunes store.

Other podcast ‘directories’ (lists of podcasts) include podbean and podomatic.

Most of the podcasts on this list are things which I listen to, so of course they reflect my interests. If you find other podcasts you like, why not recommend them in the comments?

And don’t forget, if you’re feeling very adventurous, you can even record your own podcasts!

Happy listening!