Here’s a great pronunciation chart for you. You can play it straight from the website, or download it onto your computer. It’s even better than the one I posted earlier, because not only can you listen to the sounds, but you’ll also hear an example of a word with that sound with each one. As before, you’ll need to install the free Flash player first.
Using “standard” English 6 August 2007
Here in Singapore, there’s been a lot of discussion regarding the use of Standard Singapore English vs the use of Singlish. Singlish is a fun and interesting language to use, but for work and studies, and to communicate with non-Singaporeans, it’s important to know when and how to switch to a standard English that most English speakers in the world can understand.
The Speak Good English Movement website has lots of interesting tips, games and downloads that every learner (not only those of you in Singapore) would find informative. Check it out!
Reading and listening to the news online 6 August 2007
A really good way to read extensively is to keep up with the daily news online. The great thing about doing this is that, very often, you can also listen and/or watch the news online. Sometimes, you can even download them onto your iPod or media player, and listen/watch while you’re on the go.
In addition, it is much easier to pick and choose what you like, than if you were reading print newspapers, listening to the radio or watching the news on TV.
These sites were not designed especially for English language learners, and so may be more challenging than what you’re used to. If you find a lot of the materials designed for learners too easy, this is for you!
BBC (UK English)
BBC News
CNN (US English)
CNN
Channel News Asia (for Singapore news)
Channel News Asia
The Guardian newspaper online (UK English)
Guardian Unlimited
Time magazine online (US English)
Time magazine
Grammar practice online 14 June 2007
Some students have asked me about additional grammar practice they can do at home. My feeling is that the best way is to get a good grammar practice book like Grammar in Use, but those who find it too expensive can try this excellent website written by teacher Bob Wilson. The Grammar Aquarium has an extensive collection of notes and exercises for students to try. Answers are provided.
Chatting in English 17 May 2007
A frequent complaint by Chinese-speaking English learners in Singapore is that they don’t get enough practice talking in English, since such a large number of locals are bilingual. I feel that you really find as many opportunities to use English as you look for. As a student in the UK and Australia, I noticed that many students from non English-speaking countries tend to stick to people with the same first language as theirs. This is only natural, but it does explain why many of them do not make much improvement in their English even after years of study in the UK or Australia.
Bilinguals tend to switch to the language they feel is most appropriate for the situation, so it’s not surprising that they would choose to speak Mandarin to you if they know you’re from China. If you want to practise your English, then you have to speak English to them, even if they continue to talk to you in Mandarin. If necessary, explain to them that you want to improve your English. I think most people would be sympathetic.
That said, if you really want somebody you can practise English with regularly, consider chatting online. Today, I found a networking service, italki, that connects people who are learning another language with speakers of that language.
The idea is to find a language partner who wants to “exchange” languages with you. So if you want to learn English, and you speak Mandarin, you could look for somebody who speaks English and wants to learn Mandarin. It’s a great way to make friends online too.
You can also find “study buddies” - people who are learning the same language as you - whom you can share what you’ve learnt with. Study buddies can also keep each other motivated.
Another thing you can do on italki is to find a language teacher who gives online classes. The teachers don’t do this for free, but after taking a class, you can rate the teacher so that other italki members will have an idea of the quality of his/her classes.
You can choose to communicate with your new friend by e-mail, live text chat or live voice chat (e.g. Skype). You can also offer to meet up in person, but I wouldn’t really advise that you do that.
The italki website is not difficult to use, but if you’re confused, it’s currently also available in Chinese and Spanish, with more languages to come. Scroll right to the bottom of the page and you’ll find the links there.
italki was co-founded by Chinese entertainer, David Wu, whom you might know. You can find his blog here. David speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese fluently.
Making use of “Hidden moments” 16 May 2007
Mark is an English language teacher in Taiwan who’s learning Chinese (Mandarin). Recently, he blogged about a good way he’s found for learning languages. See his post here.
The trick is to use those short periods of time you have everyday when you can’t do much anyway (such as when you’re travelling to school). I think his method can be easily adapted to learning English, at least here in Singapore.
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Get a copy of a free newspaper, like Today.
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Read an interesting article (just part of it if it’s long). Highlight the difficult words and put them on cards (flash cards), with the definitions on the back. Remember to include the English definitions too, if you want to use translations. You can put other information, like pronunciation, grammar, examples, etc., if you’ve got a good dictionary. Mark puts 5 words on each card, but it’s up to you how many you want to put on yours. You may not be able to squeeze much in if you’ve got a lot of information for each word.
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The next day, bring your flashcard(s) out with you, so that you can use it for revision while travelling on the bus or MRT. Test yourself by only looking at the words and trying to remember their definitions. Then flip the card over to check if you’ve got it right.
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When you get home, read the same article again (it should be easier now), and the rest of the article if you haven’t finished it.
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At times when you can’t read (e.g. when you’re walking, or doing housework, or travelling on the bus - personally, reading on the bus makes me feel sick), listen to mp3 recordings (e.g. podcasts) for English language learners, or just any English language recording (e.g. radio programmes) available on mp3. I think most of you will have a portable mp3 player. I’ve listed a few websites on this blog where you can download suitable recordings, and I will continue to blog about them as I find more.
Try it and let me know how it works for you!
News for English language learners 15 May 2007
If you would like to improve your English by listening to and reading the news, you might be interested in these two websites.
VOA (Voice of America) Special English News uses clear and simple American English, and the stories are read at a slower speed. There are lots of stories and different topics to choose from, but most of them tend to be about the USA.
For something more challenging, try News English from BBC Learning English. The English used is UK English, but the topics are more international. The vocabulary is more difficult, but there is always a list of definitions at the end to explain the more difficult words. The news is not read at a slower speed, so it’s more natural and realistic. Sometimes, there is a link to a quiz or an exercise that you can do after listening to and reading the story.
For both websites, you can use either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player (which your computer should already have), but I have had better results with Windows Media Player.
Online dictionaries 14 May 2007
A really good way to improve your English faster is to use a monolingual dictionary (i.e. an English-English dictionary). If you are reading on or near your computer, you could consider using an online English-English dictionary.
My favourite online dictionary is the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (follow the link, then click on the logo shown above to start). You can’t listen to all the words (you can only do that if you buy the CD-ROM version), but otherwise it’s an excellent dictionary with lots of examples and information on usage.
Another good online dictionary (though I prefer Longman’s) is Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Try this one if Longman’s doesn’t give you the information you need.
The Flatmates 14 May 2007
The BBC World Service has a really good site for learning English. I particularly like The Flatmates, which is an on-going series about a few friends who live together. There is a new episode every week, and each one is quite short, so it doesn’t take long to listen to.
You can listen to the episode right from the site if you have RealPlayer installed (free if you choose the “basic setup”). Or you can download it as mp3, to be played on your computer or portable mp3 player. Test your listening skills by clicking on “hide the text“.
Each episode has a “language point” section where you can learn a new grammar point. There’s also a quiz which you can use to test yourself on what you’ve learnt from the episode. And you can discuss the episode with other learners by clicking on “talk“. Finally, after listening to each episode, you can vote for what you want to happen next.
As I write this, The Flatmates are on their 92nd episode. Read the background section first for an introduction to the characters. Then click on “archive” for old episodes.
Enjoy!
Flash pronunciation chart 13 May 2007
There are many “talking” pronunciation charts online where you can click on a symbol and listen to the sound it represents, but this is the nicest and easiest to use. Plus, you can download it for offline use (scroll down and click on “Pronunciation chart >> 1.6 MB exe”). You will need the free Flash player version 8, but they’ve provided you with the link to download it.
Try it out now! It’s great for anybody who wants to improve their pronunciation and is confused by English phonemic symbols.
Pronunciation chart from the British Council
