How can you achieve English fluency where you live?
Today, find out why you don’t have to live in an English-speaking country to become fluent in English!
Beth Donaghue taught herself Chinese without ever having visited China. Her experience has shown her that it’s possible to learn a foreign language without leaving home. But to do it, you need to get yourself “stuck”, or immersed, in the language. That can be difficult when you’re not surrounded by native speakers. But it’s not impossible.
Here are 3 ways to get stuck in English wherever you are:
- Read English: Spend as much time as possible doing this, whether it’s books, magazines or online articles. It’s great for your vocabulary and your grammar, and allows you to explore not only the language, but the culture.
- Small vocabulary list: Try focusing more intensely on ten words instead of loosely on fifty words. Don’t just learn new words – learn to use them! You have to really know a word so you can use it.
- Use online tools: Consider something like Anki. It’s a space repetition software that can tell how well you’re remembering vocabulary, and force you to revisit it. Anki would also be useful to help you build vocabulary for the IELTS Speaking test.
Beth’s Bio:
“I’m Beth, 37 years old and I’m from a little village in South England called Knaphill, where I currently live. I have also lived in London and Manchester. I live with my 2 boys and I teach English and Chinese as second languages on Italki. I started tutoring on Italki in 2011, and I have taught over 1000 lessons in that time. I majored in Chinese studies at the world renowned School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, and use many of the techniques I learnt there studying Chinese in my English and Chinese classes. I’m a keen student of languages and can speak to varying degrees: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, and Spanish. ”
How are you getting stuck in English?
Tell us what you’re doing in the comments section below!
