So, you are learning English with us, but you want it to go a bit quicker. What can you do? Well, the one thing you can do to guarantee a quicker progression is to practise! There really is truth in the phrase ‘practice makes perfect’ and learning English is no different. So where can you go to get more practice?
Start by looking online, as there are a huge number of resources you can use alongside your course materials and tuition. You can, for example, make use of the thousands of English websites out there. But trawling through them can be time consuming and it’d be much easier if you knew which were worth a look. So, here are some great websites to get you going. Try them, see what you think, and if you know of better ones, let us know:
Babbel – this a free website that lets you practise your language using pictures.
‘Babbel is based on a combination of educational methodology and state-of-the-art technology that makes learning languages easy. Lively multi-media courses and exercises are not only fun, but make for enduring success. The learning system determines your level and offers you a selection of courses appropriate to your abilities and interests.’
Elllo – this website focuses on listening skills and uses scenes with native speakers and transcripts to help you improve quickly and easily.
Busuu – another great website for learning English. Here’s how they describe what they do:
‘With our free English language course, you can learn by talking to native English speakers around the world!As well as learning directly from other users, you can use our interactive language learning materials to practise and improve your language skills.The materials are arranged into learning units. Each one is based on a certain topic and contains all of the most important vocabulary and phrases.’
Lang-8 – this is great idea – a language-exchange based on social networking and it’s free. This is what you do:
‘Just write a journal in any language you’re learning, and it will appear to native speakers of that language. They’ll correct it and leave useful comments and feedback. In return, you check other users’ journals written in your native language. By checking each other’s journals, you can improve your skill in any number of languages, help others to master your native language, and make a lot of friends along the way.’
Livemocha – another community driven learning site.
‘Livemocha fuses traditional learning methods with online practice and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled learning experience that promises conversational fluency. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to over 16 million members from over 195 countries, highlighting the international demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning.’
There you go! You should have more than enough to help you improve your skills in no time. And, as I mentioned earlier, if you know of any other good websites, please do let me know.
