Everywhere I go and meet people who know my background, they always ask me one question: “Can you give me tips to whizz in English?”. If you can guess what my answer is, yes, it’s always “learn, practice, and repeat”; and they always frown after hearing that.
The main problem why most people are struggling learning English is they don’t like it. Being forced to learn English at school, experiencing boring methods in learning English, or even being in an unsupportive environment are the common reasons which make them dislike English. For whatever reasons, the first thing you must ensure if you want to excel in English is that you are interested in it! Similar to dating, when you are interested in someone, you will make an effort and find a way to get closer to each other. And that’s exactly the needed attitude in your journey of mastering English! Chill. Learning English is fun if you know how.
Before going further into English grammar and tenses rules, your main weapon to kick off your English learning journey is VOCABULARY. Don’t know where to begin? Start by reading this article. Here are 5 fun tips for Learners to build your English vocabulary!
- Listen to songs and sing along
With the support of technology and various apps, listening to English songs is very handy for us. Here, you should take your curiosity to the next level in order to gain knowledge from listening to English songs. When you hear a song that enchants you, look for the lyrics and sing along. You’ll find abundant words that are new to you. Don’t stop there! Get to know what those words mean by looking at their definitions in online dictionaries.
- Read stories and articles
This is for you who loves reading! Without any excuses, reading has already felt like heaven for us. Now, it’s the time to take it to the next level! Challenge yourself by reading stories and articles in English. Start slow. Begin with reading micro-blog, short stories, or articles that pick your interest. Note down all new words you’ve found and look for the meaning in online dictionaries. Who knows that it’s actually something you’ve known but said in a different way?
- Watch movies
Who doesn’t love to watch movies? Finding English movies is like flipping a hand nowadays. So easy and convenient. Take advantage of that! Watch your favorite English movies and turn on the English subtitles. Why? You’ll learn new vocabulary through two receptors; by listening to the sound and by seeing the words in the subtitles. After you’re getting used to the words, challenge yourself by watching the movies without any subtitles. If you do it everyday, your vocabulary will improve in no time.
- Play online games
Yes! This is for you, my online gamers fellow! What’s more fun for you than learning English while playing your favorite games? All instructions, missions, and quests in almost every online game are in English. What do you do if you don’t know what the missions ask you for? You’ll put an effort to look for the meaning of those words or else you’ll fail the mission. That’s exactly how you gain new vocabulary while playing! Want something more challenging? Make conversation with other players from different countries through the chat room. You’ll need English to communicate and can put your newly acquired vocabulary into practice. Killing two birds with a stone, right?
- Travel!
Travelling brings you many benefits. Other than giving you time to relax and refresh your mind, travelling is a good opportunity to learn foreign languages. Want to improve your English vocabulary and skills? Travel abroad then. You’ll be forced by the situation to be able to communicate in English. You’ll also be exposed to various accents of English speakers which will make your hearing more sensitive to grasp the words. Believe it or not, you’ll discover many new words just by travelling to an English speaking country for a week! The first time is always the hardest one. But, the second and the third time will be much easier until you find yourself able to communicate in English decently.
Those are the 5 fun tips to build your vocabulary in order to improve your English skills. Exciting, right? Now you know that learning English isn’t always stiff and boring, you can pick which one is more suitable for you. Looking for the more substantial grammar and tenses materials? Try our General English lessons on our app!