Fun Ways to Learn English

It is holiday in British English and vacation in American English. Is it true or false? The situation is a bit more complicated: In America: holidays (="Holy Days"): eg. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Independence Day. Not official national holidays (although most people do not work). vacations : breaks from work once or twice a year In Britain: holidays : Christmas, Easter, etc. They are official national holidays (so called bank holidays). holidays : breaks from work once or twice a year So the British call both type of days holidays. And have you heard of the term staycations ? More holidays ... More vocabulary ...

Here's a game to practise the most problematic numbers for most students: 11-20. (Click on the picture) Instructions: click on the number you hear, then on the letter at the end (by Oxford University Press) More online practice .         More games

Then read on your compuer! Anything. Blogs, for example. To keep yourself motivated, it is extremely important to find ones that you can understand and like at the same time. If you have no idea what to look for, I'll recommend you one with simple language: Bodri the Pooh - the daily life of stuffed animals... They go on vacations , organize their Plush Olympic games , hold elections , go to school , watch Formula 1 , etc. More on reading skills .

Don't use dictionaries! Or at least don't overuse them. It is important to find a book that you can read relatively easily (see previous post about graded readers). While you read don't look up words in the dictionary, because it will spoil the fun of reading! Try to guess the words from the context! Only look it up if it is holding you up or you really want to know what it means. You'll remember that word for life! However, it can help to pause from time to time and look back, just to check you are clear about what is happening. More on reading skills .

One of the best ways to build your vocabulary is reading . Not only your reading skills are developed by reading, but all 4 basic skills: reading, writing, speaking and even listening. However, it is a hard job for a language learner to understand a book written for native speakers. This is why graded readers have been found out: these books are specially designed for esl, efl learners: the idea is that they are graded according to the level of grammar and vocabulary used in them, so that every learner can find books to his or her own level. They are designed to get students read, so there is a variety of motivating topics available. It's good to know that most libraries have them, in case you do not want to spend too much on them. What level to choose? It is important that you should read easily. If the book is too difficult for you, you'll give up. It doesn't matter if it is too easy - you can move on to a higher level next time. Here's an example of an easy one...

Try 6 Minute English on BBC Learning English: a short reading, listening and vocabulary practice on an up-to-date topic. (Do you know what staycation means? I didn't.) There is also a quiz to check how much you can remember. A good practice for learners of English. More for building listening skills ...

Have you ever wanted to have the basic conversations together at the same place? Oxford University Press has these cool downloadable mini phrasebooks for their New English File series. They are okay to use without the coursebook as well. Download them, print them take them with you: elementary (buying things, checking in and out, ordering a meal, asking for directions) pre-intermediate (at immigration, asking for info, making phonecalls, buying tickets, etc.) You can also practise them at the Practical English sections: elementary pre-intermediate More on holidays