The famous 8 tips to learn English that everyone loves to hate

Read to your children

Parents and children can both benefit and improve vocabulary from reading bedtime stories snuggled under the covers. “The words in many children’s books are often outside the realm of adults’ day-to-day discourse, so parents can learn more words just by reading to their children,” says Susan B. Neuman, professor of Childhood and Literacy Education at Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University in New York City.

Watch movies

Watching the movie version of your favorite book isn’t just a guilty pleasure, it’s also a vocabulary booster. “If you see the movie version of your favorite book you’re likely to have a deeper understanding and knowledge of the words in it,” says Neuman. “Seeing and reading something on the same topic is really important.”

Make good use of your tablet

Next time you’re reading an e-book and come across a word you don’t know, try highlighting it with your finger and looking for the option to look it up. Many tablets provide a dictionary definition in a little bubble, so you wont lose your place or have to switch between Google and your novel

Read magazines

Vocabulary is one of the most important aspects of language learning, but it’s often the most overlooked skill. Even though we all want to speak with eloquence, the average person doesn’t consider improving their vocabulary to be a priority. So, how do you learn new words when you can’t seem to find the time? One way is through words that are used in context, like magazine articles.

The great thing about magazine articles is that there is a lot of information and vocabulary packed into a small space. It’s much easier to understand and remember new words when they are used in context rather than simply being presented on a list or flashcard. Whether you are a beginner or advanced learner, here’s how you can set up your own personal vocabulary course:

Step 1: Find magazines that interest you. There are hundreds of magazines for English learners, but not every one will be useful for your purposes. Look for high-quality magazines that have topics that interest you and tend to use lots of English words (for example, lifestyle or news magazines).

Listen to how words sound when you speak

Many people won’t remember tricky words unless they come across them frequently. Record yourself. Listen to it as painful as it may seem to you, it is great for your pronunciation. To improve your vocabulary, try using flashcards. This is a very effective way of increasing your vocabulary if you use them regularly and take the time to study and test yourself.

You can create your own flashcards or use some that are already made. If you want to find pre-made sets, simply do an internet search and you will find plenty. If you can’t find any that suit what you need, make your own. There are various websites online where you can do this for free

Get out of the house

Going places and having new experiences are great ways to build new knowledge. When you open your eyes to new experiences and people, you also get new words. Here are some places you can go in your hometown for some fun language learning:

Your local library. The library is a great place to find books written in English or with bilingual versions. Plus, the people at the front desk can often help you find more books or other resources that would be helpful in your language learning journey.

Your city’s parks and recreation department. Many cities have programs specifically geared toward kids and teens whose first language isn’t English. Check online to see if your city has any programs like this—sometimes they’re listed on the city’s website and sometimes you can call the Parks Department directly. Your city might also have teen centers that offer different types of activities, such as arts and crafts, video game nights and more.

If your school has a foreign exchange student program or an international club, these are good starting points as well! You’ll meet lots of other students who are interested in learning a language, and you will likely find someone who speaks the same native language as yours.

Join a book club

What’s a book club? Great question! It’s a group of people who meet to discuss books—usually fiction, but that’s not always the case. Book clubs can include friends, family members, or coworkers, and they can be loosely structured or highly organized. Some book clubs read only one book at a time—a few chapters per week for a month, for example.

Others read books in one genre or by the same author. Still others (like ours) rotate between several books so everyone has an opportunity to share their thoughts about different titles. What’s great about book clubs is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re reading at a grade-school level or beyond. There are many ways to participate:

1. If you’re ready to read independently but need help understanding some of the vocabulary, ask a friend or adult family member to listen while you read aloud.

2. Grab your dictionary and look up words you don’t know as you come across them.

3. Find stories on your level by using reading level finders like Lexile® measure and Guided Reading Levels™ in Scholastic Book Wizard™.

4. Read with someone else—a parent or sibling, friend, or even neighbor—and take turns reading aloud

Listen to the radio

The best way to learn new words is by being in the moment and listening for them. Tune into news or talk radio, or podcasts that keep your attention. If you’re commuting to work, you’re already in a captive environment. If you’re at a stoplight, listen instead of zoning out. This can help you to hear words and phrases that may be difficult for you to understand initially, but will make more sense as they are repeated throughout the program.

Other ways to expose yourself to new words:

Turn off subtitles when watching movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos in English. Listen only for the dialogue. Watching English-language movies with subtitles can help you become aware of some of the language patterns and vocabulary used in everyday conversation in English. But if you rely on subtitles too much, you won’t experience the flow and rhythm of natural conversation.

Use technology with adaptive learning programs that allow you to select words or phrases that are unfamiliar to you, then record yourself saying them correctly (and incorrectly). This helps increase your exposure to proper pronunciation of certain words and phrases and can be just enough personalization to help integrate them into your vocabulary.