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Homework suggestions

Lots of students ask me what they can do to practise English at home. My best suggestion is read and listen to English as much you can, with materials you are interested in! That could be books, articles, films, series, Youtube videos, or podcasts. The more you are exposed to English, the more you will naturally learn. 

I also have some more specific recommendations to help you with different skills. Click on the links to go to the skill you are interested in practising at home:

Reading

As I mentioned, the most important thing is to read things you are interested in, so it doesn’t feel like homework but like a fun activity. 

If you feel that ‘real life’ English books and news articles are a bit advanced for you at the moment, you can try some of these easier materials, made especially for English learners:

– News articles: Engoo daily news. This website publishes many news articles every day. You can choose articles by level (intermediate-advanced) and by topic, so there is something for everyone! The articles are short, but help you learn new vocabulary and pronunciation. 

– Graded readers. Graded readers are classic books that have been made easier for English learners. If you want your reading process to be easy and enjoyable, select a level below your current level. For example, if you have a B2 level, try reading books at B1 level. If you want to challenge yourself to learn new vocabulary and structures whilst reading, select books at your current level. 

To find physical copies of graded readers in your country, just search Google for “graded readers adults English”. You can also download free (very short) graded ebooks here. 

Writing

To practice writing, there are lots of different things you could try. Have a think about which of these options you would prefer:

– Writing a diary. This could be daily or weekly, and as well as writing about what you do, you could write about more complex thoughts and feelings. 

– Writing me emails. You could try to write me an email every week about what you have been doing, or about any topic at all!

– Ask me for writing prompts. I can give you prompts based on the type of writing you want to practise (e.g. essays, emails, etc.). 

In all of these cases, you can correct your writing with me in class to see how to improve. 

Listening

It is a great idea to look for films, series, Youtube channels, TED talks, and podcasts that are interesting for you. 

But if you feel these are a bit advanced for you at the moment, you can try podcasts and resources which are especially created for English learners:

– BBC Real Easy English. (Beginner level: A). This podcast has conversations about common topics (e.g. travel, food, jobs) and teaches you related topics. All podcasts have a transcript, so you can read and listen at the same time.

– BBC 6 minute English. (Intermediate level: B+) This podcast talks about a wide range of more advanced topics and teaches you lots of useful vocabulary. All podcasts have a transcript, so you can read and listen at the same time. They have a new episode every week.

– Voice of America podcasts. These podcasts read news articles in slow English. You can read and listen at the same time.

– British Council listening classes. In these mini-classes you listen to real-life listening situations, and do practise activities afterwards to check understanding and develop skills.

General speaking

Speaking is a little harder to practise alone as homework. But there are things you can do to practise! Here are some ideas:

– Thinking and speaking out loud. Talk to yourself in your head or out loud in English. When you aren’t sure of the right word or phrase, look it up later. 

– Record and analyse. Record yourself talking on your phone and listen back. Listen for grammar or pronunciation mistakes, and look up any words or phrases you aren’t sure of. You could also try these exercises for more specific practice:

1) Diary exercise (easier). Each day, record yourself speaking about what you’ve done and thought about that day for 5 minutes. The first time you record, if you don’t know a word, just say it in your native language. Then, listen to your recording and look up the words and phrases you didn’t know. Next, record yourself talking about your day again. Repeat this process several times, until you feel happy with your performance. 

2) Story-telling exercise (harder). Think of a story from your life that you know very well. Then, record yourself telling the story in 5 minutes. The first time you tell it, if you don’t know the word or phrase in English, say it in your native language. Listen to your recording, and look up how to say the parts that were difficult for you. Then, record yourself telling the story again. Repeat this process until you feel more comfortable telling your story. If you’d like me to check your story, you can then tell it to me in class!

You can also watch videos online to learn what to say in different situations in conversation. Some good websites to do this are:

–The British Council. In their speaking skills section you can watch real conversations, and do exercises to practise the vocabulary.

–My Youtube channel. My playlist “conversation skills” teaches you vocabulary to use in different situations in conversation.

Pronunciation

To improve pronunciation at home, you could do the speaking exercises above and listen out for pronunciation mistakes in your recording. You can also try the following:

– Listen to correct pronunciation of words online. If you are struggling to pronounce specific words, you can look up their pronunciation in Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary. You could also search them in Youglish, to see them pronounced in whole sentences.

– Listen and repeat exercises to practise difficult sounds. If you are working on specific sounds, ask me for some listen and repeat sentences to practise and record in your own time. For example, if you are working on the /w/ sound, I might send you sentences like ‘Where was William?’ to practice. 

– Shadowing for more natural speech. Shadowing is where we talk along with a video or audio, and try to copy the pronunciation of the speaker. There are some steps you can follow to try shadowing:

  1. Select a video/audio with a script. 
  2. Listen to the material and become familiar with it. Look up any vocabulary you don’t know. If you are working on pronunciation with me in class, look for the features we are studying and highlight them (e.g. specific sounds, connected speech, weak forms)
  3. Select a short section of the audio (around 1 minute) and try to speak along as closely as you can with it, copying how the speaker sounds. You won’t be able to talk at exactly the same time, so there will be a little delay. 
  4. Repeat with the audio around 5 times. 

Grammar

You can practise grammar at home in a few different ways:

– Using grammar books for extra exercises. English Grammar in Use is one of the most famous ones. 

– Using online websites for extra exercises. Test English has lots of exercises for different grammar points. 

– Ask me for more exercises. I can give you controlled exercises like gap fill exercises, or more creative exercises where you have to use grammar in a particular situation or to make sentences. 

– Real examples. Try to look for real examples in your life where you could use different grammar points. You can check your ideas with me in class. 

Vocabulary

There are a few ways to work on vocabulary. Here are some of my favourites:

– Notice words in real contexts. One of the best ways to learn new words is seeing them in real contexts, and to do this we need to read and listen as much as possible. Look out for the words you are learning, and pay attention to how they are used in sentences. 

– Flashcards with spaced repetition. Flashcards can help you learn vocabulary more efficiently. Some flashcard apps use spaced repetition, meaning the app shows you words periodically to help your long-term memory. These apps are especially helpful to learn vocabulary. One good one is Anki app. This can be a good way to practise vocabulary on your phone when you have a few minutes with nothing to do (e.g. waiting for the bus, waiting for your dinner to cook). 

– Making sentences. When you are using your vocabulary lists or flashcards, try to make a sentence with each word. This helps you learn it in more realistic contexts. If you aren’t sure about your sentences, ask me to check them in class!

Summary

Doing extra work at home is key to success in language learning, so I hope that these activities and resources are helpful for you! If you have any questions about how to use them, just ask me in class. Good luck with your learning!

Function words in English

English is a very musical language, with some words said very strongly and others very softly

When speaking English, we need to destress function words. Function words are little grammatical words that don’t give us the key meaning of the sentence.

We destress these words by using their weak forms, which often contain a schwa sound (/ə/). A schwa sound is a very weak vowel sound that we make with a flat tongue and very relaxed lips and jaw. Watch and listen to how to make the sound:

Weak forms list

Below is a list of some of the most common weak forms in English (but not all of them!).

Look at how to pronounce them, then practise with the audio files. Pay attention to schwa sounds!

Articles

Word: a

Sounds like: ə

Example sentence: It’s a nice day.

Word: an

Sounds like: ən

Example sentence: That’s an excellent idea.

Word: the

Sounds like: thə

Example sentence: That’s the guy.

Prepositions

Word: to

Sounds like: tə

Example sentence: Let’s go to Spain

Word: from

Sounds like: frəm

Example sentence: I’m from the UK.

Word: for

Sounds like: fə *

Example sentence: It’s for my sister.

Word: of

Sounds like: əf

Example sentence: It’s the 9th of December.

Word: at

Sounds like: ət

Example sentence: We’re at the park.

Conjunctions

Word: and

Sounds like: ənd/ən

Example sentence: Rock and roll. Fish and chips. Bubble and squeak.

Word: because

Sounds like: bəcos

Example sentence: We cancelled because of the rain.

Word: or

Sounds like: ə *

Example sentence: Tea or coffee?

Word: so

Sounds like: sə

Example sentence: So that’s why.

Word: as

Sounds like: əs

Example sentence: I didn’t finish as it was too hard.

Verbs

Below are some of the weak forms of different conjugations of “to be”, “to do”, “to have”, and auxiliary verbs. I’ve included the weak forms that are most different to the spelling of the words, so most challenging for students.

To be

Form of verb with weak form: am

Sounds like: əm

Example sentence: I am so happy!

Form of verb with weak form: are

Sounds like: ə

Example sentence: You are such a great friend!

Form of verb with weak form: was

Sounds like: wəs

Example sentence: It was a fantastic film.

Form of verb with weak form: were

Sounds like: wə *

Example sentence: We were lost.

To do

Form of verb with weak form: do

Sounds like: də

Example sentence: Do you want some more?

Form of verb with weak form: does

Sounds like: dəs

Example sentence: Where does he want to go?

To have (as auxiliary verb)

Notice that the “h” often disappears in spoken English.

Form of verb with weak form: have

Sounds like: həv/əv

Example sentence: I have done it.

Form of verb with weak form: has

Sounds like: həs/əs

Example sentence: She has finished

Form of verb with weak form: had

Sounds like: həd/əd

Example sentence: They had already eaten.

Other auxiliary verbs

Form of verb with weak form: can

Sounds like: cən

Example sentence: We can try it.

Form of verb with weak form: shall

Sounds like: shəl

Example sentence: Shall we go out?

Form of verb with weak form: will

Sounds like: wəl

Example sentence: She will go there next year.

* sounds like this in Standard Southern British English, as we drop the “r”. In other accents the “r” may be pronounced.

Vocabulary learning tips

To listen to this article, click the button below.

Learning vocabulary is a big part of learning a language. However, it can certainly be challenging! To truly learn a word, we need to know lots of different things: how it’s spelt and pronounced, what it means, and how it is used with other words. 

So, to help you with your vocabulary learning, I’d like to share a few tips with you. 

They are based on what I’ve learnt in a module on vocabulary teaching and learning at the University of Oxford, and on the book Learning Vocabulary in Another Language (Nation, 2001/2011). 

Let’s dive in!

1. The importance of multiword units

When using a language, very little of what we say and write is completely new. Instead, research suggests that native speakers store “strings” or “chunks” of words that commonly go together in their minds. They then use these pre-made “strings” when talking or writing. 

These strings are often called multiword units, and in English could include things like phrasal verbs, for example “to be fed up with”, or expressions like “take a chance”, “make a mistake” or “on the whole”. Multiword units are incredibly important for sounding natural and appropriate in a new language. 

As a learner, paying attention to multiword units is essential for learning vocabulary more effectively. So, instead of learning individual words, try to learn “chunks” of language, e.g. phrases like “as far as I know”. You can also focus on collocations, words that commonly go together, e.g. “a bright idea” or “fierce competition”. 

It can be really helpful to keep a notebook for these chunks and collocations. And be sure to practise them as much as you can with your teacher to make sure you are using them correctly!

2. The importance of word families

Research suggests that native speakers also store related words together in their minds. These groups of related words are often called “word families”. Word families could include things like:

Write

Writer

Written

Writing

Rewrite

Or 

Help

Helper

Helping

Helpful

Helpless

Unhelpful

To boost your learning, start to pay attention to word families, and how prefixes (e.g. things like un-, re-) and suffixes (e.g. things like -less, -er, -ful) can be added to the root of the word family to create new words. 

3. The importance of both active study and exposure to the language

According to studies, both active study of vocabulary and exposure to the target language are important for learning vocabulary. 

So, use of flash cards, dictionaries, and other aids to help remember vocabulary are useful. 

However, this shouldn’t be all you do to learn vocabulary! It is very important to read and listen to a large amount of material in the language you are learning, so that you repeatedly meet the words you are learning in context. 

To truly learn a word, we need to meet it repeatedly, in a wide range of contexts. 

4. The importance of noticing and using words

Finally, noticing, or paying attention to, particular language features is very important for language learning in general. And it is particularly important for learning vocabulary. To learn more deeply about the meaning and use of a word we must begin to notice it when we come across it. 

So, when you are reading and listening in English, keep an eye or an ear out for words or expressions you have been working on! This will help you improve your sense of the meaning of the word, and how to form and use it. 

Also, if you want to actually use new words, rather than just recognise them, it is essential to practise them productively. What that means is, to add new words to your active vocabulary, you need to practise them in your writing and speaking! This helps strengthen your memory of the word, and also deepens your understanding of how to use them. 

A summary

To sum up, there are a few things you can do to learn vocabulary more effectively. 

One thing you can do is try to focus on groups of words. This could be words that commonly occur together, in set expressions or collocations. Or it could be word families. 

Another tip is to combine active review of vocabulary with exposure to the language you want to learn and lots of reading and listening. Make sure to read or listen actively, keeping an eye out to notice new words that you are working on!

And finally, if you want to build your active vocabulary, make an effort to use new words in your speaking and writing. This is where a teacher can help, as they can check you are using the words correctly. 

I hope that these tips are useful to you, and happy vocabulary learning!

Reference:

Nation, P. (2011). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 2001)

5 language learning tips

Language learning can be challenging, so let’s look at how to make it more successful!
To listen and read, click play

If you’ve ever tried to learn a language, you will know that it can be a challenging task! It requires patience, consistency, and lots of practice.

So, how can we make this process a little easier? Here are 5 language learning tips to help set you up for success.

1. Find a way to enjoy the process

Often people become very focused on a big end result for their language learning, like “become totally fluent”. End results are important, but they can take a long time to achieve, and it can be frustrating for us when we aren’t getting there as quickly as we would like.

A healthier way to approach language learning can be focusing on enjoying the process itself. If we enjoy the process, we are more motivated to learn and spend more time learning. We also usually get to the end result quicker! So, find a way to enjoy your English learning. If you like cooking, read recipes in English. If you love sports, watch them in English. If you love podcasts, find some in English.

Reflect: What do you enjoy doing? How could you link English to this interest?

2. Set small goals for yourself and celebrate them

As “big” results take a long time in language learning, focus on smaller results. Rather than aiming for “fluency”, try setting a more manageable goal like “improve my understanding of the present perfect” or “work on my pronunciation of the /v/ sound”. You could also set a particular communication goal, like talking with a native speaker for 15 minutes about your interests. Or a listening goal like “improve my ability to understand the news in English”. 

These kind of goals are much easier to meet, and make it much easier to see your own progress. This helps us stay motivated, rather than feeling that we are very far away from our big goal of “fluency”.

Reflect: What kind of small goals would be useful for you?

3. Little and often

Repetition and consistency is really important for learning a language. Rather than trying to study for one huge three hour session per week, it can be much more beneficial to study for 15 minutes per day. The more you study the better, of course, but set a manageable amount for yourself and try to study several times a week if you can.

Reflect: What would be a manageable study schedule per week for you?

4. Active, meaningful, contextualised practice

When we are learning a language we often end up with pages of lists of new words or notes. It’s great to review vocabulary lists, or our notes about grammar and pronunciation. But it’s even more effective if we actually try to use the words, grammar, or pronunciation in a meaningful example.

So, when you are reviewing your notes, don’t just look at words or grammar structures on their own. Try to say or write a sentence with them! Or think of an example from your life that helps you remember them. If you’re working on pronunciation, record yourself speaking. And always be ready to put what you’ve learnt into practise with your teacher. They can give you feedback about whether you are using what you’ve learnt correctly or not.

To make your practise even more meaningful, find people that you really want to communicate with. That could be a teacher, a friend, a partner, or a language partner. Using your language in a meaningful, real-world context can be motivating and exciting, and helps us learn more naturally and quickly.

Reflect: How could you practise what you learn in class? Is there anyone in your life you could practise English with?

5. Don’t be afraid of mistakes

Language learning can be scary. It can feel embarrassing to make mistakes, and to be unable to be ourselves in another language. Some people even prefer not to speak because they are afraid of saying something wrong. But if we avoid using a language out of fear it means we don’t practise. And we all know “practice makes perfect”. Mistakes are an inevitable part of the learning process. So, as we can’t avoid them, perhaps we should embrace them! Mistakes are a great way to learn, as with gentle feedback we can start to notice how to improve in the future. And remember, no one speaks any language perfectly- even their mother tongue!

Reflect: How do you feel about making mistakes in another language?

So, those are our 5 tips for today. What do you think of these tips? Which are the most and least important for you? Are there any others you would add to the list?