English learning module

• Read something every day
  Children's books, simplified readers (Penguin), newspapers, magazines, Internet sites, novels, and much much more...
• Read what interests you.
  Remember that you learn better when you are having fun.
• Read at the appropriate level
  You want to learn new vocabulary, but you also want to understand what you are reading. If you are looking up every word, the reading is too difficult.
• Review Who, What, Where, When, Why for each story you read
  You can do this for almost any type of reading. Who is it about? What happened? Why did it happen? Where did it take place? When did it take place? This is very useful when you have no comprehension questions to answer. You can write or speak your answers.
• Always have an English-English dictionary nearby
  It is a bad habit to always rely on a translation dictionary or electronic dictionary.
  Think of your English-English dictionary as your life line.
  Use online dictionaries when you are using the Internet (keyword online dictionary).
• Record vocabulary in a personal dictionary
• Keep this notebook separate from other work
• Record vocabulary in alphabetical order (an English address book works well because it has letters of the alphabet)
• Record the part of speech (sometimes there is more than one)
• Write a sample sentence for yourself (don't use the one from the dictionary)
• Review your personal dictionary (especially new entries) every night before bed

• Useful Reading links:
  EnglishClub.com English Reading
  EnglishClub.com English Vocabulary
  More reading tips

• Talk to yourself
  Talk about anything and everything. Do it in the privacy of your own home. If you can't do this at first, try reading out loud until you feel comfortable hearing your own voice in English.
• Record your own voice
  This might feel very uncomfortable, but it will help you find your weak pronunciation points. Listen to yourself a few days later. Which sounds do you have difficulty hearing?
• Use the telephone.
• Participate in class
• Learn common idioms
• Understand the sounds that your language doesn't have
  For example, many languages don't have the "r" sound. These sounds require extra practice.
• Recognize that teachers are trained to understand you
  When you get out into the real world, average people will have a more difficult time understanding you unless you practise speaking slowly and with proper pronunciation.
• Practise minimal pairs
• Study word and sentence stress
• Practice tongue twisters
• Useful Speaking links:
  EnglishClub.com English Speaking
  EnglishClub.com English Pronunciation
  Speaking tips
  More speaking tips

• Listen to the radio
  Don't always have a pen in hand. Sometimes it helps to just listen.
• Watch English TV
  Children's programming is very useful for ESL learners.
  Choose programs that you would enjoy in your own language.
  Remember that much of what you hear on TV is slang.
• Call Automated Answering Machine recordings
  You can find these numbers at the front of telephone books in many English-speaking countries. Before you dial, make sure that you are calling the free numbers.
• Watch movies
  Choose ones with subtitles, or one from ESLNotes.com (provides useful notes on popular movies).
• Use Internet listening resources
  Every day there are more and more places to listen to English online.
• Useful Listening links:
  EnglishClub.com English Listening
  More listening tips

Most students want to communicate better in English. If this is one of your goals, it is important to study a balance of the four major skills. Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing are the main (macro) skills you need to communicate in any language. Being very good at only one of these skills will not help you to communicate. For example you need to be able to read well before you can write well. You also need to be able to listen before you can speak. It helps to think of these communicative skills in two groups.

• INput <<<
• Listening (in through your ears)
• Reading (in through your eyes)

• OUTput >>>
• Speaking (out through your mouth)
• Writing (out through your hand)

It's simple. Think of it this way. First you have input. Next you have output. First you listen to someone ask you a question. Second you speak and give them your answer. First you read a letter from someone. After that you write back to them. These are examples of communicating.

Input and output don't necessarily go in a specific order. Sometimes you speak first and then you listen. Sometimes you write about something you hear. During communication, the person you are communicating with uses one of the opposite skills. Therefore, in order to understand each other, everyone must be skillful in all four areas.

Some students want to know which skill is the most important. Since all of the skills rely on each other, they are all important. However, to communicate we do use some skills more often than others. For example, about 40% of the time that we spend communicating we are simply

listening. We speak for about 35% of the time. Approximately 16% of communication comes from reading, and about 9% from writing. These statistics are for an average communicator in English. Depending on someone's job or situation, these numbers may vary.

Each of these main skills have micro skills within them. For example, pronunciation is a type of speaking skill that must be practised in order to improve communication. Spelling is a skill that makes understanding the written word easier. Grammar and vocabulary are other micro skills. Micro doesn't mean they are unimportant. Macro skills such as listening are very general, while micro skills are more specific. (More about input and output)

For the best results, create an agenda that combines all four areas of study. Allow one type of

studying to lead into another. For example, read a story and then talk about it with a friend. Watch a movie and then write about it. This is what teachers in an English class would have you do, right? EnglishClub.com has lessons in all 4 key skills (and all minor skills), as well as many outside links to help you study further. (ESL Internet resources)

Why do you want to learn English?
Before you begin (or go back to) studying English, ask youself one question. Why do I want to study English? Is it because you want to, or because someone else wants you to? Like every decision in life, studying English must be something you want to do.

Set goals
If you know why you want to study, setting goals is easy. For example, maybe you want to travel to an English-speaking country. Great. Your goal might be to learn "Survival English". Perhaps you already know many useful phrases, but you want to improve your listening skills and pronunciation. Whatever your goals are, write them down.

Make an agenda
How long do you need to study to achieve your goals? This answer is different for every student. The important thing is to be realistic. If you work 60 hours per week, don't plan on spending another 40 hours a week studying English. Start off slow, but study regularly. Use material that is challenging, but not too difficult. Find out what works for you. After you have studied for a few weeks, adjust your study schedule accordingly. Do you study best at night, or on the bus on

your way to work? Do you like to study alone in a quiet place, or with friends and background music? Click here for a sample 4 week agenda.

Make a commitment
Learning English requires a lot of motivation. Nobody is going to take your attendance when you aren't in class. If you are sure you are ready to begin studying, make a commitment. Click here to sign a contract with yourself.

Have fun learning English!
The things we do best in life are the things we enjoy doing. If you aren't having fun learning English, you're not studying the right way! You can be a serious student who has fun at the same time. Make up your own rewards program to give yourself incentives to stay on task.

Tips and ideas on the best ways to learn English faster.

Tips for Beginners

1. You are like a new baby
   Babies learn their language slowly.
   First they learn to listen.
   Then they learn to speak.
   Finally, they can read and write.
2. Listen to English every day
   Listen to English radio.
   Watch English TV.
   Go to English movies.
   Use online lessons.
3. Make an English/ESL friend
   Make up conversations.
   Practise dialogues.
   Use beginner textbooks.
4. Read English stories
   Start with children's storybooks.
   Try ESL readers.
   Read advertisements, signs and labels.
   Try EnglishClub.com for Young Learners.
5. Write down new words
   Start a vocabulary (new word) notebook.
   Write words in alphabetical order (A...B...C...).
   Make example sentences.
   Always use an English-English dictionary first.
6. Keep an English diary
   Start with one sentence.
   How do you feel?
   How is the weather?
   What did you do today?
   Write another sentence tomorrow.
7. Visit an English speaking country
   Learn English more quickly.
   Stay with an English family.
   Hear native speakers talk.
   Have a fun experience.
   

By Philippa Jones, eHow Contributor

Minimize distractions by using headphones to listen to English dictations.

Learning a new language is time-consuming, requiring patience and plenty of practice. To make the process quick and easy, it is best to learn English the smart way. This means taking advantage of the resources you have available, dedicating time to understanding grammar and practicing pronunciation regularly. It will also be helpful to immerse yourself in English language films and music so you can absorb English words and phrases more effectively.

Read more: How to Learn English in a Smart Way | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7906130_learn-english-smart-way.html#ixzz1y9aLsVuu

Instructions

1 Assign at least half an hour per day to reviewing vocabulary, watching an English-language tutorial or working through a chapter of your study guide. Be smart by putting time aside and creating a routine to learn English quickly.

2 Start at the beginning by grasping the elements of basic vocabulary, grammar rules, punctuation and pronunciation. Once you are familiar with how sentences are formed and verbs are conjugated, you can build up your knowledge and English-speaking ability. For example, visit the learnenglish.de website and learn the alphabet, numbers and topic-specific vocabulary.

Sponsored Links

3 Make the most of free resources and save money. Go to the library and borrow study guides or English language books. Alternatively, log onto the Internet and use English-language tutorials. Learnenglish.de, the British Council or BBC World Service provide dictation exercises, grammar explanations and vocabulary lists.

4 Practice speaking, listening, reading and writing to educate yourself in different language skills. Use dictation exercises to listen to English speakers and then write down what is heard. For example, play audio clips from BBC World Service news bulletins and write down the key points. Try reading a newspaper or English book aloud to improve your speaking and reading skills.

5 Find English-speaking friends and practice conversational skills. This introduces you to slang, different accents and an English-speaker's sense of humour. Practicing this way keeps you one step ahead when visiting English-speaking countries, as you will already be familiar with the language.

6 Submerge yourself in English-speaking media. For example, visit the website RadioTower to hear radio stations or spend some time watching English-speaking films. Be smart by introducing English into your daily life, so you can become fluent with less effort.

7 Use a variety of tools to focus your attention and keep you motivated to learn English. Films, music, books, poetry, newspapers and speaking with English speakers can provide alternative sources of stimuli to develop all your language skills.

Sponsored Links

Learn English for freewww.Busuu.com

Learn English online and completely for free!

Free games for learningwww.zondle.com

All subjects, Age 4-16. Play now! Choose your game, choose your topic

Improve Your Englishwww.ApplyESL.com

Study English and Make Friends! Apply for Top English Course in USA

Read more: How to Learn English in a Smart Way | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7906130_learn-english-smart-way.html#ixzz1y9aTjc1r