Five Principles to Learning English as a Second Language

The internet is a major asset when it comes to learning ESL or English as a Second Language. While it may be useful to move to and English speaking country and get work there this may not always be practical. You can listen to music CD s or watch a movie on DVD, perhaps there are local community classes offering English lessons or educational books with lessons in your local library.

Q) So what is the best source for English learning?

A) The internet. There are many websites you can log on for free that will give you online experience and expose to the English language. The five steps below are a guide to help develop and build your knowledge on a daily basis, making you more confident and relaxed about speaking. Confidence is always the greatest fear when learning any language.

1) Evaluation - what is your level of current understanding. This will make sure you are not trying to learn things that are too difficult or not progressing at a sufficient pace.

2) How do you personally learn? Visually, some people prefer pictures and movies to stimulate learning, others respond better to technical grammar exercises. Confident individuals may enjoy role playing or acting out scenarios, while some people achieve their best results with drills and rhymes. What style do you like?

3) Practice - reading English articles, newspapers, stories or other peoples blogs. There are literally hundreds of sites where you can practice reading. You can find people who regularly publish articles about topics that are of interest to you, or comic books, these are a great way to come into contact with very simple and understandable dialogues.

4) Listen - find audio sites and listen to how the language is spoken. Concentrate on the pronunciation, vocabulary and colloquialisms. Search for online English language radio and TV stations, download Youtube clips, log onto a chatroom or watch a film in English. Exposure to how people speak will make it easier for you to understand what native speakers are saying.

5) Games, crossword puzzles, scrabble and word search. It is commonly acknowledged that people learn best when they are playing and enjoying themselves. There are lots of online games and traditional word games that you can use to practice and improve your understanding and vocabulary in a simple and fun way.