Do you find it tiring to sit down and do your ‘homework’ or study verbs again? Would you like to find a new way of improving your English without studying?
To learn English more quickly here are some materials you can use regularly throughout your week.
English Revealed
https://englishrevealed.co.uk/ - in PET the vocabulary and grammar exercises are listed below the exam papers, for FCE and CAE there is a separate section for grammar and vocabulary. If you are preparing for an exam this website is amazing to practise with.
One Stop English News Lessons
https://www.onestopenglish.com/adults/general-english/news-lessons - news
https://www.onestopenglish.com/adults/business-and-esp/business-news-lessons - business
One Stop English works with the Financial Times and The Guardian to provide students with worksheets and exercises based on real-life news stories. Most lessons have an intermediate, and an advanced option. You need to register, but free access lets you access the news lessons.
Guardian Crossword
https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/series/quick - I love doing these crosswords in the morning with some tea or coffee if I’m not at home (staying at someone's house or at a festival etc). They always help me to wake up. The crosswords are quite difficult but just take it easy - don’t stress over a crossword.
Social Media
Why not spend an hour investigating social media platforms for channels which share content in English (or your target language). Having new stories and articles pop up in your feed will help to greatly increase your exposure to English.
Bamboozle
https://www.baamboozle.com/ - this is more like a game to be used in the classroom, but you can use the ‘study’ feature to practise vocabulary. Just search for a topic, ‘animals’ for example, and then click ‘Study’ to practise. Say, or write the name of the animal and click the magnifying glass to reveal the answer.
Kahoot
https://create.kahoot.it/profiles/d59dc40a-08f1-46f3-9398-21b865fd9051 (Dorling Kindersley publish encyclopaedias) - Kahoot is another resource used a lot in classrooms, but you can use it to practise specific vocabulary. Search for a topic and try out the quiz. It looks like you need a mobile and a computer to complete a quiz.
Other Language Learning Apps
Some other free, and paid apps can be found on the App Store, and on Google Play; including Drops, Duolingo, Busuu, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone. I would always recommend that people don’t use apps as their sole source of language, but as a great way to pick up new words and phrases while you’re away from home. A great way to get the most from apps, is to use your phones ‘notes’ apps and keep a log of all the useful phrases and expressions you see.
You can also search Cambridge in your phone’s app store and test out some of their apps.
The most important thing is that you find ways that work for you. There's nothing worse than feeling like what you're doing is a chore, so take the time to try out different means and methods and incorporate them into your routine. Scrolling through some social media during your morning commute, doing a quiz during your lunch break, listening to a podcast during your evening run - all of this will quickly add up and you'll start to see great progress in your learning.
