Ten Tips to Improve Your English

I encounter many people on the internet who are wanting to learn English. While it might not be difficult to learn English, there are certainly some frustrations that go along with learning this language. While people do not have to worry about verbs and adjectives that change with a person's gender, there are other challenges that English presents. Here are some tips to learn English more quickly. Of course, the best way is to

1. find a native speaker! This is crucial. Native speakers will assist in your pronunciation, fluency and understanding of slang or out-dated sayings. If you can't find someone to speak with face-to-face, join an internet group and try to have regular contact in emails, text chats and/or voice chats with a native speaker. Some sites on the internet include: www.thelanguageexchange.com and www.phrasebase.com If you can't find someone to speak with face-to-face, join an internet group and try to have regular contact in emails, chat and/or voice chat with a native speaker. When you get confident, try to use your English in simple situations.

2. be consistent! Make a commitment to practice your English daily. Decide to either speak daily, or do another English activity.

3. listen to English. The BBC and the Voice of America are two sites for you to listen to spoken English. There are many other sites to hear short stories and news items.

4. write English. It is always a good idea to write English on a regular basis. Write some phrases that you may want to learn. Even when you feel inadequate, continue to write.

5. Be Specific! It is important to decide exactly "what" you want to learn. Do you want to understand an English newspaper? Are you more concerned with English conversations? Make your desires and goals specific and attainable. You might have to break your goals up into smaller sections. .

6. Make flashcards. Study those flashcards when you are waiting and other times throughout the day.

7. Search the internet for games, quizzes and any other strategies that will help hold your interest. There are many internet sites that have free English lessons.

8. Find articles on a subject that you might enjoy. It does not matter if you don't understand the entire article. Try to pick out the familiar words. Sometimes you can find stories and other forms in both English and your native language. Compare the two.

9. Utilize your resources. Keep a dictionary with you and look up any word that you encounter that you don't understand. When you find that you are using one word abundantly, look through your dictionary and/or thesaurus to find a word with the same meaning.

10. Note your progress. Sometimes it is easy to think about your goal and not realize how much you have already learned. Celebrate when you learn something new and can use that skill to communicate more effectively.