There are so many useful resources on the internet that can help you learn English, but when I speak to many learners I find that not many people make the most of what’s on offer. Below is a list of five useful websites and apps that can help you improve your skills in English.
Quizlet
This is a website and app that allows you to create ‘flashcards’ for words or phrases. A flashcard is a card that has the word or phrase on one side and the meaning on the other. This is useful to help you remember new vocabulary. You can download the Quizlet app to your phone. When you find new vocabulary you can enter it in a vocabulary list and do different activities to test yourself. The activities can test understanding of meaning, spelling and pronunciation.
Evernote
When you read or hear new vocabulary it is useful to write it down in a notebook. Instead of using a paper notebook you can now use Evernote, a notebook for your phone. The Evernote app allows you to make notes by writing, speaking or taking pictures. You can then easily look at your notes on your phone to revise the new vocabulary.
Lyrics Training
This is a website that can you help with listening and spelling. It has lots of songs in English (or other languages). You can listen to the songs and read the lyrics (the words for the song) at the same time. However, there are gaps in the lyrics where words are missing and you have to fill in the gaps by typing the missing words. If you can’t fill in the gaps then the song stops. Lyrics Training is a fun way to practise listening.
LibriVox
This is a website that has free audio books that can be used to practise listening. You could also look for the text version of the book and read and listen at the same time. Reading and listening at the same time can help you to learn how to pronounce words and help you better understand the structure of the language.
6 minute English
6 Minute English is part of the BBC’s learning English website. It has lots of recorded discussions that are around 6 minutes long. The discussions are designed to help you learn new pieces of vocabulary. You can download the podcast and listen to it on your phone. Each discussion also has a transcript, so you can read and listen at the same time.
All these tools are free to use and download. It may take some time to get into the habit of using them, but once you start making the effort to use them they will probably become part of your routine and help you improve your vocabulary and skills. Make it a goal to try using one regularly for a week or two and see what happens!