101 Ways to Improve Your English

[Volani14]

Having English as a second ********, I played kids vocabulary games, watched English TV shows with captions on, read English books aloud, and thought in English all day—all so I can be fluent in English. How hard can that goal be? Hard but fun!
And as if those “hard-but-fun” activities are not enough to accomplish my goal, I created my own word games, made bike riding an educational activity, and tested myself on how many English words I could spell correctly in an hour.
The last one sounds overboard, don’t you think? But I did it. Let’s say it was the product of too much enthusiasm (and free time?) Ha! That activity made me a better speller though and it is just one of a few examples of what you can do to improve your English too. In fact, at the end of this article is a 101 list of activity ideas, so be ready to fill your to-do lists and desks.
No need to do all the activities listed at the end of the article. No rush too. Just pick out those that match your learning style, personality type, or level of proficiency. You can even just select the ones that use materials commonly found online, at home, at school, at work, or in the library. And if you want to do it with your family and friends, choose the activities that require interaction with other people.
Now, enjoy reading the 101 activity ideas to improve your English and do not forget to take notes of those activities you want to do.
For your convenience, you can download and print the pdf version of this article so you can write your notes on it.
By using images and drawings
1Use an English visual dictionary to learn words referring to people, animals, places, and things.
2Use images to learn descriptive words.
3Take photos or draw scenes and items you see every day, then write their captions in English.
4 Label images indexed in Google Image search.
5 Use Google Translate and Google Images together to learn names of places and things.
By using your first ********
6 Keep and use English dictionary with you that translates to your first ********.
7 Translate words, phrases, and sentences you always use in your first ********.
8 Translate questions you commonly ask in your native ******** to English.
9 Translate your local TV shows to English at Viki.com.
10 Translate songs written on your native ******** to English.
11 Fill a jar with strips of paper containing random sentences written on your native ********. Then once a day, draw a strip of paper from the jar and translate the sentence to English.
By using real items
12 Learn new words from reading English texts printed in product labels or packaging.
13 Label things found in your house or in your office.
14 Hold or point to the actual item when you are describing it.
By using videos
15 Watch English TV shows.
16 Watch English TV shows with English captions on.
17 Watch news from English-speaking news channels.
18 Watch English videos that teach you how to do things.
19 Watch movies and shows without English subtitles.
20 Watch free lectures that interest you at AcademicEarth.org.
21 Watch English video lessons online.
22 Watch free English documentaries online.
By listening
23 Listen to English radio shows, commentaries, and advertising.
24 Listen to the correct pronunciations of words online.
25 Listen to English audio books, which you can probably find in your local libraries.
26 Listen to English podcasts.
Through Lists
27 Master the 1000 most commonly used English words.
28 List and memorize new English words and phrases you think you will be comfortable using.
29 List and group words that are in any way related or similar to each other.
Through music
30 Learn from singing popular English songs like those from the Beatles and Abba.
31 Sing English nursery songs.
32 Listen to songs made for teaching English grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Through games
33 Play Scrabble.
34 Play Boggle.
35 Answer English crossword puzzles.
36 Play word guessing games.
37 Play English typing games.
38 Choose English as the default ******** of computer games you play.
By reading
39 Keep and use an English dictionary with you that has sample sentences.
40 Read English books and magazines regularly.
41 Read English webpages that write about topics that interest you.
42 Read book and product reviews in Amazon.com.
43 Read comments written by English native speakers online.
44 Take the meaning of the word from how it is used in the text you are reading.
45 Read blogs that publish tips on English usage, grammar, and vocabulary.
By learning English patterns and word usage
46 Learn and master the basic patterns in English grammar.
47 Compare English grammar with that of your first ********.
48 Learn the rules of parallelism and practice using it.
49 Learn how to use modifiers, and practice using them.
50 Learn how to use phrasal verbs and idioms, and practice using them.
51 Get any copy of the best grammar books.
52 Learn English spelling patterns.
53 Spell English words on paper or spell it out loud, over and over again.
54 Research and familiarize yourself with slang words and phrases.
By speaking
55 Spend an hour reading English texts out loud.
56 Recite English words and phrases while exercising.
57 Tell everyday stories in English.
58 Describe everyday situations and events in English.
59 Record yourself speaking in English and listen to it.
60 Talk in English with a friend who is also working on their English.
61 Participate in English discussions at school.
62 Work as a customer service representative who supports English speakers over the phone.
63 Join the conversations in public Google Plus hangouts with mostly English-speaking people.
64 Find a native-English speaker to practice speaking English with one-on-one.
65 Participate in ******** exchange activities.
66 Participate in English club activities.
67 Join English book clubs in your area.
68 Speak in English when you have a chance.
69 Publish a YouTube video where you share topics about your country, culture, and ********.
By thinking
70 Commit yourself to at least one day of thinking in English.
By writing
71 Write in English for at least an hour a day.
72 Blog in English regularly.
73 Write tweets and statuses in English.
74 Write on Microsoft Word without the spelling and grammar checker features on.
75 Write your own English descriptions when you bookmark web pages online.
76 Use correct spelling and grammar when sending text messages to or writing messages online.
77 Write English skits.
While traveling
78 Collect English reading materials as you travel so you can use these as study materials.
79 Read the English public signs and notices wherever you go.
80 Listen to conversations of English-speaking people in public places.
By using other computer and web technologies
81 Use English apps that help you improve your English.
82 Use English as the default ******** on your browser, search engines, and websites.
83 Answer English usage tests and quizzes online.
84 Use English when searching online.
85 Use search engine operators.
86 Participate in English forums and Q&A site.
Through drama, demonstration, and directions
87 Role play everyday scenes using English in the dialogues.
88 Do a monologue in English.
89 Demonstrate how to do things in English.
90 Practice giving directions in English.
By using other memory techniques
91 Use flash cards for English words and phrases you want to master.
92 Use a mind map to organize English words related to each other.
93 Use a four square to increase vocabulary learning.
94 Recite English words or sentences you want to remember before going to bed.
95 Create your own English practice worksheets or download some from here (soon).
Through Continuous Practice
96 Answer English textbook exercises diligently on separate sheets.
97 Rephrase English sentences in your own words.
98 Practice making your own sentences using the English words you just learned.
99 Describe yourself and your interests in English.
100 Memorize common transitions in English and use them in writing or speaking.
101 Keep your English essays, notes, and audio/video recordings to use as materials for comparison in the future.

[fille algerie]

Thank u so much sis

Best Regards
http://up99.com/upfiles/png_files/rJy83374.png

[university4english]

really, it's interesting all that!!!!

[amineMr]

thanks you so much it's very interesting

[Olly Amal]

Thnx a lot Allah bless u !!

[♫مريومة♫]

thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks a lot i'm really working to improve my english
my dream is to be an english teacher at the university
may god bless you

[Mohamed ali Eng]

thanks a lot my freind..

[silver3100]

Thnx a lot

[khouloud louda]

Thank youu

[madine123]

thank you so much

[Hamza944]

thank you very much

[wikinfo]

English is awesome. ...

[Karim-Rap-4-Life]

Thanks a lot my brother
I'm going to bookmark it and read it
sa7a ramdankom

[imen03]

thank u so much

[sara roseblanche]

so thankful for your interesting topic !!

[Bouchra mimi]

Thanks a lot
i'll try do them as much as i can

Peace upon u

[yacine mj]

Thank you so much for the useful tips

[احمد باى]

thank's........very intersting way

[احمد باى]

thank you ..very interesting way

[thabetbob]

Allah bless you ^^

[younesok]

Thank u so much sis

Best Regards

[زهراء1998]

thank you so much.....

[yosef86]

thanks for your sharing

[sammi2015]

Very intersting, Thanks a lot

[saimoh76]

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Be confident. People can only correct your mistakes when they hear you make them.
Surround yourself in English. Put yourself in an all English speaking environment where you can learn passively. The best way to learn is through speaking.
Practise every day. Make yourself a study plan. Decide how much time a week you are going to spend studying and stick to it. Establish a routine.

[saimoh76]

Tell your family and friends about your study plan. Get them to push you to study and also don’t let them interrupt you.

[saimoh76]

Practise the 4 core skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. They all need to be worked on for you to improve.

[saimoh76]

Keep a notebook of new words you learn. Use them in sentences and try to say them at least 3 times when you speak.

[saimoh76]

Do a lesson at least once a day.

[saimoh76]

Memorisation of lists is one of the most common ways of learning vocabulary for a test. It’s only a good exercise for short term studying because you often do not retain the information that you have learned for a test.

[saimoh76]

Use your body clock. If you’re not a morning person, study in the afternoon.

[saimoh76]

You will find words easier to remember if you try to remember an example sentence using that word rather the word on its own.

[saimoh76]

Plan to take a test. You’ll find that you work harder when you need to study for something.

[saimoh76]

Saying that, it’s better not to study just to take a test. Think of the bigger picture. What can you do when you have a good command of English? How will the quality of your life improve?

[saimoh76]

Give yourself a long term goal. Focus on working towards it.

[saimoh76]

Give yourself short term goals too and reward yourself when you achieve each one.

[saimoh76]

Create an atmosphere in which you want to learn, not because you have to. You’ll learn more when you’re learning because you want to.

[saimoh76]

Know what works best for you. Think about what methods have been successful for you in the past and stick with them.

[saimoh76]

Figure out how you learn. It can be by memorising, reading, speaking, summarising or other methods. Find out how you study best. It can be in a quiet place by yourself or with a group.

[saimoh76]

Get help! If you don’t understand something you’ve got to ask someone. Ask your teacher, classmates or friends for help.

[saimoh76]

Review! Review! Review! Make sure that you take the time to review things you have studied in the past.

[saimoh76]

It’s not a good idea to study on your own for more than 30 minutes at a time. Take regular breaks, get some fresh air and stretch your legs.

[saimoh76]

Don’t be in such a hurry to move up a level. Concentrate on the level you are at now.

[saimoh76]

Watch DVDs rather than TV. It’s better to use something that you can watch over again to catch information you might have missed the first time.

[saimoh76]

Watching TV only gives you the chance to hear something correctly first time. This is better for high level students. It can be great practice for speaking to native English speakers so you don’t have to ask them to repeat themselves!

[saimoh76]

Read graded readers. These books are especially written for your level. Read a whole novel. You can do it! You’ll feel great afterwards.

[saimoh76]

Children’s books have easier words and are a good alternative to graded readers.

[saimoh76]

Newspapers are a good place to find passive constructs. Read through an article and see if you can find the passive sentences.

[saimoh76]

Read for the general meaning first. Don’t worry about understanding every word, then go back and look up new words.

[saimoh76]

For a word you don’t understand in a sentence, look at the other words around it. They will give you a hint. Try to guess the meaning from the context.

[saimoh76]

Learn root words. They’ll help you guess the meaning of words. For example:scrib = write, min = small

[saimoh76]

When you learn a new word, think of all its other forms: Beautiful (adjective),beauty (noun), beautifully (adverb).

[saimoh76]

Learn prefixes (dis-, un-, re-) and suffixes (-ly, -ment, -ful), these will help you to figure out the meaning of words and build your vocabulary.

[saimoh76]

English, unlike Japanese or French, uses word stress. For new words, count the syllables and find where the stress is. Only one stress per word and always on a vowel. Two syllable verbs have a stress on the second syllable (beGIN). 2 syllable nouns (TEAcher) and adjectives (HAPpy) stress the first.

[saimoh76]

Use English whenever you can. It’s as simple as that!

[saimoh76]

Don’t translate into English from your own ********. Think in English to improve your fluency. Talk to yourself…but not on the bus otherwise people will think you have gone crazy!

[saimoh76]

You can’t learn English from a book. Like driving a car, you can only learn through doing it.

[saimoh76]

The most natural way to learn grammar is through talking.

[saimoh76]

Keep an English diary or journal. Start by writing a few sentences a day and then get into the habit of writing more.

[saimoh76]

Why not start an online blog and share your writings with the world?

[saimoh76]

To become a better writer brainstorm as many ideas and thoughts onto paper without worrying about grammar or spelling. Then think about the structure. After that, write your piece using good grammar and spelling. Finally, read it through or give it to someone else to check for mistakes.

[saimoh76]

Keep an eye on your punctuation as it can totally change what you’re trying to say. Check out the difference in meaning between these two sentences: “A woman without her man is nothing” and “A woman: without her, man is nothing”.

[saimoh76]

Sing your heart out! Show the world your beautiful voice! Learn English songs and sing along with them to improve fluency and intonation… anyone for Karaoke?

[saimoh76]

Get a penfriend or use chat-rooms, forums and community sites. If you can’t speak to someone in English, this is the next best thing.

[saimoh76]

Shadow English CDs. Listen to a few sentences then repeat what you heard. Focus on the rhythm and intonation.

[saimoh76]

Have English radio on in your house. Even if you are not actively listening to it, you will still be training your ears.

[saimoh76]

Mirror CDs. Read out loud along with a CD. Again, this is great for intonation, pronunciation and rhythm.

[saimoh76]

Dictation. Listen to a CD or friend and write down what you hear.

[saimoh76]

Nobody likes to hear their own voice, but be brave and try it! Record your voice and listen to your pronunciation and intonation. It will help you to identify your problem areas.

[saimoh76]

Ask your helpful teacher if you can record his lesson. This is a great way to review. You can also listen to your teachers speaking speed and intonation.

[saimoh76]

Use an English/English dictionary as it will help you to keep thinking in English and not translating.

[saimoh76]

If an English/English dictionary seems scary, there are learner’s dictionaries for English students of your level.

[saimoh76]

Don’t become too reliant on your dictionary. Your dictionary should be an aid, not your main teacher. Try to guess the meaning of words rather than going straight for your dictionary.

[saimoh76]

Don’t give up! Stay positive! Sometimes you will feel that you aren’t learning quickly enough. Everyone feels like this, don’t worry about it. You’ll get there in the end.

[saimoh76]

Enjoy it! We learn more when we are having fun!

[saimoh76]

If you get nervous when speaking, take two deep breaths before you say something. You’ll speak better when you feel relaxed.

[saimoh76]

Keep yourself motivated by looking back at the textbooks and CDs you used in the past. You’ll be surprised at how easy they seem to you now! Congratulations, your level is improving!

[saimoh76]

You are never too young or too old to start learning English. Don’t make excuses not to learn. What are you waiting for?

[saimoh76]

Procrastination can stop you from being successful. To stop procrastinating, it’s important you understand if your procrastinating is to avoid studying, or if it is your bad habit.

[saimoh76]

If you haven’t gotten the results you wanted yet, it’s not because you’re bad at ********s, it’s because you haven’t found your own special way of learning yet.

[saimoh76]

Use resources which match your level. Don’t use texts/listening exercises which are too difficult or too easy. Use materials which challenge you but don’t frustrate you.

[saimoh76]

Don’t worry about making your accent perfect. It’s an important part of your cultural identity to keep your accent. Native English speakers enjoy hearing English spoken with an accent.

[saimoh76]

There are many types of English: British, American, South African and so on. None of these are wrong or not as important. English is English.

[saimoh76]

Instead, be aware of the differences in American and British English and use your words accordingly. For example: Elevator (US) / Lift (British).

[saimoh76]

Carry cue cards with you. These are small cards which you can write new words on. You can pull them out and look at them whenever you a free minute.

[saimoh76]

Use post-it notes and stick them around your home. You can use them to label things. Stick one on your pet dog!

[saimoh76]

You can’t ignore phrasal verbs (two words verbs), there are hundreds of them in English and they’re widely used. The more you focus on their meaning, the more you’ll be able to guess the meaning of new ones. You’ll start to recognise their patterns.

[saimoh76]

Use your intuition. Go with your gut feeling, you’ll be surprised how often your first guess is the right guess. Like we said before, be confident.

[saimoh76]

Gather your thoughts. Take a second to think about what you’re going to say. You know the grammar, but maybe you don’t use it correctly when you speak.

[saimoh76]

Meet new people. Make the effort to mix with English speakers in your town. You could join a club or go to bars where foreigners hang out. Buy one a drink, they love that!

[saimoh76]

Be the person to start conversations in English. Try to keep the conversations moving and use listening words (‘really?’ / ‘go on…’/ ‘what happened then?’) Don’t wait for others to speak to you. Get in there!

[saimoh76]

Debate. Discuss topics in a group. Each person should choose a viewpoint (even if you don’t agree with it) and debate it within the group. Make sure you get your point across. Learn to listen actively. Active listening will help in the classroom and it will help you get more out of, and contribute more to, group study sessions. Focus on the person who is talking. Don’t fidget or become distracted by other people or events. Concentrate on the speaker with your ears and eyes. Follow the movements the speaker makes in an effort to hear more. It may help to repeat what you hear others say in an effort to understand their thoughts.

[saimoh76]

It’s not enough to only learn English words. You can teach a parrot English words but that doesn’t mean it can speak English! You still need to have an understanding of grammar.
Verb tenses are used by English speakers to talk about the timing of actions. You might not have the same expressions in your own ********. It’s important that you know these tenses and when to use them.
English has many irregular verbs. You should drill yourself on them.
Keep it up! If you take a break from speaking English, you will find that your level decreases and all your hard work has been wasted.
Don’t be put off by a bad test score. Sometimes students have the ability to pass an English test, but can’t communicate well with English speakers. If you can speak freely in English, you should be proud of yourself.

[saimoh76]

Remember that as long as you have tried your hardest, you have succeeded!
Learn English with a friend. You’ll have someone you can practice with and you can motivate each other to study.
Remember, the way we write English is not the same as how it’s pronounced. For example ‘Ough’ has over 6 pronunciations. Familiarise yourself the Phonetic Alphabet. It will help you correctly pronounce words in the dictionary.
Get used to the ‘schwa’ sound [أ‰™] — an unstressed and toneless neutral vowel sound. ‘Schwa’ is the most common vowel sound in English. For example, the ‘a‘ inabout and the ‘u‘ in supply.
Keep in mind that it takes longer to improve when our level is high. Usually the fastest progress is made when we are beginners. Don’t think that you’re suddenly not learning anymore, it’s just a less noticeable progress.

[saimoh76]

Make sure that your English matches the occasion. It’s OK to use slang with friends but not in a business meeting. Decide in which situation it’s appropriate to use the words and phrases you have learned.
Textbook English is often different from the way we casually speak. To learn casual ‘slang’ watch movies.
Idioms can be difficult to memorise, but they are great fun to use and they’ll make your English more colourful.
When talking we usually link words together so that two words can sound like one. Simply put, we link words ending with a consonant sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (consonant > vowel). We link words ending with a vowel sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (vowel > vowel). Practice these to improve your listening and pronunciation.
Make use of the internet. It’s full of resources to help you learn: BBC Learning English (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/) ; learnenglish.ecenglish.com (http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/)

[saimoh76]

Think about your strong and weak points. Write down which areas you want to improve on and work on improving them. Of course, don’t ignore your strong points. Congratulate yourself on how well you’ve done!
Unlearn your mistakes. You probably make the same grammar mistakes over and over again. Use English tests results as a study tool. Go over your mistakes and choose one or two that you want to focus on. Use your favourite grammar book to check rules.
Use the correct article (a/an, the). Be aware that there is more to this rule than a/an= non specific, the=specific. For example: A university (not an university because it begins with a consonant sound). An hour (not a hour because the ‘h’ is often silent).
For fluency, try image training. Before you go to that restaurant think through what the waiter is likely to say to you. Think of what phrases you are going to use.
Much communication comes through body ******** and gesture. These can be different between cultures and countries. For example, the two-fingered “V” for victory symbol is fine palms-out. If you make it with you palm facing toward you, you’ll offend a British person. It means…well, you ask a British person and find out for yourself!

[الحمزاوي متصرف]

.Thanks for the tips to learn English

[saimoh76]

The easiest one — Sleep! You’ll learn more after a good night’s sleep. You’ll be able to concentrate more.
Take an English course (http://www.langports.com/study-options/ufo/) in an English speaking country.
If you studying abroad, mix with people from other countries not only people from your own country. It’s not a good idea for you to live in a shared house with people from your own country. Enjoy a more cultural experience by spending time with other nationalities.
Have you thought about getting a job or doing an internship abroad?
Get yourself a qualified teacher. Who wants to learn wrong things?

[saimoh76]

Nobody can learn all of the English ********. No need to worry about trying. A useful shortcut to learning is that in English we have lots of words that have the same pronunciation, but a different spelling and meaning. For example, ‘come here’ has the same pronunciation as, ‘I can hear the birds’. You might find it easier to build vocabulary by knowing the different meanings.
Once you have a basic level of English explore the different ways you can say the same thing. This makes your English more interesting to the listener and it shouldn’t be too difficult for you because you already know the basics. For example, how many ways can we say, ‘Goodbye‘ in English?
When you are on your English course, be prepared for your class. Do your homework as soon as possible and hand it in on time. Review your notes and your last lesson a few minutes before the class. Doing this will ******* your memory and you’ll be warmed up for lesson.
Don’t get distracted in class. Focus on the lesson, don’t stare out of the ******** Don’t be late, arrive a few minutes before the start of the lesson. Don’t sit next to people who won’t speak to you in English. Switch off your phone. Be organised, remember to take your textbook, notebook and pen.
Find a comfortable, peaceful place for quiet study. You need somewhere where you can focus 100%.

[بلال88]

Thank you
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