Working on pronunciation

Recently I’m quite concentrated on developing my pronunciation. I’ve been trying a few things which you can find interesting.

Today I’m going to tell you about the first I tried.

I used an interesting app prepared by British Council and called LearnEnglish Podcasts.

 

It took my attention because it’s about podcasts – as you know I use them a lot.

The app includes three Series with ten episodes each. Every podcast lasts 30 minutes, so we have plenty of audio materials to listen to.

But with the app you can not only download podcasts to listen to them, but also to see scripts synchronised with audio.

How can you use it to practise pronunciation?

First of course you can listen to the whole episode. Without looking at text. After that you can check your understanding by doing some exercise.

Then you can listen to it once again with reading the text. You can also try to read aloud with native speakers if you like. But first just listen to the native pronunciation.

The next step is to use pause button – Listen to a short part of the podcast and try to repeat it, recreating sounds as aright as it’s possible.

And the last step – read the text first and that listen to the recording to check if your pronunciation was OK.

The app has some other useful tools for listening and repeating sentences. You can set an appropriate recording speed. So the app is both for more or less advanced learners.

Although the podcasts can look a little bit too easy for advanced English speakers I thing it’s perfect for pronunciation  exercises.

Day #30 - Why Memrise is not actually Quizlet rival

As you can already know Quizlet and Memrise are tools which help to memorise and revise new words. The first and the second have some advantages and disadvantages. Because of that I usually use both of them for learning the same sets of words. And so far it’s working for me. Maybe it can be a solution for you too?

I like Quizlet for its:

• Possibility of finding the definitions of the terms among those added by other users
• Added audio with the pronunciation of the words – it’s American and it’s not natural human voice and yet it’s very helpful
• Possibility of collecting sets in folders
• Possibility of exporting and importing whole lists of words

I like Memrise for its:

• More interesting and more suitable for me exercises
• Algorithm of revising
• Gamification which brings fun and motivate
• More efficient mobile app

But how to use both tools without unnecessary additional effort? 

I usually create my sets in Quizlet – because of its automatic terms adding possibility.

And then I export the set of words to Memrise.

Click More and Export

I use defoult options

Click Bulk add words

Paste words and click Add button - that's it.

Day #27 - How to find time for English?

Everybody knows that regularity in learning languages is crucial. But how to find time when you are snow under?

The answer is simple. You don’t need more that just 15 minutes a day to learn. It’s not much but it’s far better than spending a few hours in one section but only ones a week or less often. But how to find this 15 minutes? Use mobile devices:

to have all the word you want to memorise or revise always with you,

to read English e-books or articles (kindle devise can be very useful here, but you can use your phone as well),

to listen to some podcast or radio broadcasts,

to communicate with other English users by Facebook, Skype, etc.,

You can do the tasks from the list when you commute  to  work, when you are waiting in a queue or when you are doing your dishes. All you really need is motivation and good will.

If I can do it you can do it as well.

Maybe you have some other tips? Please feell free to add them in a comment section.

Day #12 - How to read to improve your English?

When I’m thinking about my learning I realise that reading take an important part in it. But it can bring about less or more benefits. It depends on how you read.

photo by Martin, www.flickr.com, Some rights reserved

If you are interested in improving your English by reading use this tips and strategies. I tried them all. They work for me so they can be as good for you:

• You can read only for fun, only to learn or for both reasons. It’s good from time to time read for two of them.
• Find text which are interesting for you. Your favourite novel, article about your idol or striking piece of contemporary writing.
• Make sure that the text is on the right level, that it is not too difficult or too easy for you. I think that short contemporary texts are the best for the start.
• At the beginning read the whole text quickly. Try to understand it without using the dictionary. It’s not so important to understand every word in the text. You just need to understand its context.
• Underline words. Sometimes I do this to highlight new words, which should be translated. However first I try to guess their meaning by reading the whole paragraph once again. I’s a good exercise for your brain, and very often it really helps you to find out what the word means without opening the dictionary.
•  “Pause and think” method. Sometimes I use texts to concentrate on grammar, spelling, already memorised words. Just to remember better how to use them in different situations, how the words were used in real texts. I usually can find something interesting, worth to remember in every text. Then I try to use it in action – sometimes just to talk to myself or by writing a note with the new phrase.
• Analyse text. If the text is very important for me I try to not only understand it better but also remember it. In this case I read the text part after part, summarizing each paragraph in one sentence or retelling it. If it’s possible I discuss it with other people. Another method of learning with text is asking the questions. I write them down for later use or ask them other people.
• Regularity. I read in English a lot. It’s a good for being immersed in the language, because it doesn’t need a lot of effort. Sometimes, when I’m pressed for time or tired  I read only for fun. However I’m try to read regularly no meter what.
• Read and listen. When I started to learn understanding spoken English I listened to podcasts a lot. At the beginning it’s good to listen to a podcast and read its transcript. You can do this simultaneously or one after another. There are plenty of podcasts on the BBC learning English website – they are great for a start and are published with transcripts. This kind of materials is also great for practising your pronunciation. First hear the recording and then try to read the text laud imitating the right pronunciation.    
• Talk or write about it. The best way to learn using English texts is to use them to have an interesting subject for communicating with others. So read a lot and talk about things you read about or write what you learnt from texts.