Think outside the Box

Alternative ways to improve your English

Carolina Gonzalez

 

 

There are many fun and interesting ways to improve your English. Sometimes it is not enough just to study at school. Here are some different activities that will help you with your English.

 

Watching movies is one way. You can start with subtitles and listen to the correct pronunciation of the words. That will increase your vocabulary and improve your pronunciation while having fun watching the movie.

 

While listening to songs in English, if you don’t understand some words, looking them up in the dictionary is a good idea. The beat and rhythm of your song helps you remember more words. At the same time, it teaches you how to pronounce words in a less formal manner.

 

But if you don’t like watching movies very much or listening to music, another option is to read a newspaper or a book. Some books have an audio version on line to follow the text, making it easier to read and learn pronunciation.

 

ILSC teacher Sheila Russell advises going on school field trips. In this case, you will be with other students that don’t speak your language and so you all have to speak English. Also, you may have to interact with members of the public, and being in a group will give you more confidence.

 

Listening to the radio is more of a challenge than watching TV because it is not visual. However, if you listen to a podcast (a recorded radio program), you can go back and repeat anything you didn’t catch the first time.

 

The most interesting idea is to eavesdrop—which means listening in on conversations—for example, in a café, trying to understand what people are talking about.

 

Mark Dallas, a teacher at ILSC, thinks that having a boyfriend or girlfriend from Canada is a great way to practice your English. This is a good idea because you can practice vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and all the main factors to improve whenever you’re together.

 

With regular activities in your life, learning at least five new words a day is possible. Your knowledge grows, and your English improves. By using alternative methods and not just learning through the school, you will benefit. The more extra curricular activities you do the better.