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7 Tricks To Help Remember New Words Quickly & Easily

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7 Tricks To Help Remember New Words Quickly & Easily

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7 Tricks To Help Remember New Words Quickly & Easily

BY PAUL TURNER
https://www.tefl.net/elt/articles/teacher-technique/7-tricks-to-help-remember-new-words/

Words, words, words…so many to learn and it’s so hard to remember them all, let alone use them, right? Well, today I’ve got seven tips that should make learning & remembering new vocabulary easier, faster, more fun, and more effective.

1. Make word association webs – our brain takes what we read and makes it into images, ideas, and feelings etc. and then makes connections between what we knew before and the new information (words and ideas). This is how we remember things. The “new” stuff is fitted into the “old” stuff. Think of a tree. It is easier for you to see a big tree with lots of branches and leaves than it is to see a small tree with very few branches and leaves, right? Well, it’s the same for your brain. When you connect a new word or idea to things you already know you make it easier for your brain to find (see) it when you need to remember it. How can you do this? Easy. Make an Idea Web. Start with the thing you want to remember (words, ideas, sentences) in the middle of a piece of paper. Then draw lines from it like a spider’s web. At the end of the line write down any ideas or words or even pictures that you think of when you say the word or idea in the middle of the page. Anything you think of is ok…just write it down.

This only takes about 2 minutes. Now all the words/ideas are getting connected in your mind. If you see or hear one of them it will help your brain remember all of the others. To make this work really well, you can talk to yourself about how each word/idea fits together with the others. The more you do this, the more connections you make. Lots of connections makes it very easy for your brain to “see” the word you want to recall when you are trying to remember it.

2. Remember in Chunks (collocations) – Remembering the word is important but English, like Chinese, is a language and languages are NOT just facts to be remembered – they are tools for people to USE to express their ideas and communicate. So, find examples of how each word is used in your text. Write a few words before and after the word so that you remember how it is used. For example: if your word is “arrogant” write something like this….”the tall, arrogant man” … This will help you to remember that “arrogant” is an adjective and that it describes people. The next thing to do is to make 3 full sentences with the word to practice using it.

3. Use pictures – Draw small pictures that show the meaning of the word if you can. Sounds crazy, right? That’s why it works. Our brains have so much normal information coming in every moment that a crazy image is a nice surprise – and you always remember surprises, don’t you? Our brains are also specially designed to catch and understand visual information quickly. So, make a funny picture that shows the meaning of the word you want to remember and your brain will remember it easily.

4. Tell a tall story – I always hear my students say that there are too many new words to remember. There’s a memory trick you can use to do this. Just make a crazy story that uses all the words. Picture it in your mind as you make the story. We remember stories easily, especially crazy stories that we can imagine in detail in our minds. Repeat the story and you will remember the words. When you make the story connect the words in funny ways. For example, if you want to remember these 20 words:

shoes, piano, tree, pencil, bird, bus, books, driver, dog, pizza, flower, basketball, door, television, spoons, chair, jump, dance, computer, stone….you could make a story like this:

There is a piano wearing shoes and sitting in a tree. The tree is strange because someone has stuck a giant pencil through it. On the pencil a bird is sitting and watching a bus full of people reading books. Even the driver is reading a book which is bad because he isn’t paying attention to driving. So, he hits a dog that is eating a pizza in the middle of the road and kills it. The driver digs a hole and buries the dog in it and then puts a flower on it. He notices that there is a door in the dog’s grave and opens it. Inside he can see a television with 2 spoons for antennas on top of it. No-one is watching the television because they are all watching the chair. Why? – Because the chair is jumping and dancing and throwing stones at the computer.

Try it. You’ll be surprised!

5. Recycle the pieces – Use roots, prefixes and suffixes to guess what a word means. For example:

Maybe you don’t recognize this word “microbiology” but may be able to guess what it means. First, look at the prefix “micro”. Micro means very small. You may also remember that “ology” means a subject, the study of something. Already we know that part of this word’s meaning is “the study of” + “something small”. Now, you will probably remember that “bio” means living things. So, we can figure out that microbiology probably means the study of very small living things. This is correct. English is like a puzzle – we put the pieces together to make new words. So if you make a list of word beginnings that you often see (un-, dis-, con-, micro-, etc.) and word endings that you often see (-able, -ly, -ent, -tion, -ive, etc.) and remember what they mean, you will be able to guess what many new words mean.

6. Think & learn in opposites – Learn words with opposite meanings (antonyms) and words with similar meanings (synonyms) together. For example, learn angry/happy (antonyms) and angry/cross (synonyms) at the same time. We can remember similar and opposite things more easily because they “stick together” in our minds.

7. Timing is everything – According to psychologists who study how we remember anything, there is a better way to learn things quickly and permanently. Use the new word immediately. Use it 10 minutes later. Use it 1 hour later. Use it 1 day later. Use it 1 week later. After that, you’ll rarely have to review – the new vocabulary is yours forever.

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10 Proven Ways to Learn Faster

Neuroscience has taught us a lot about how our brains process and hold on to information.

Deep Patel

Serial Entrepreneur

November 21, 2018 8 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/323450

Learning new things is a huge part of life -- we should always be striving to learn and grow. But it takes time, and time is precious. So how can you make the most of your time by speeding up the learning process? Thanks to neuroscience, we now have a better understanding of how we learn and the most effective ways our brains process and hold on to information.
If you want to get a jump start on expanding your knowledge, here are 10 proven ways you can start learning faster today.

1. Take notes with pen and paper.
Though it might seem that typing your notes on a laptop during a conference or lecture will be more thorough, thus helping you learn faster, it doesn’t work that way. To speed up your learning, skip the laptop and take notes the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper. Research has shown that those who type in their lecture notes process and retain the information at a lower level. Those who take notes by hand actually learn more.

While taking notes by hand is slower and more cumbersome than typing, the act of writing out the information fosters comprehension and retention. Reframing the information in your own words helps you retain the information longer, meaning you’ll have better recall and will perform better on tests.

2. Have effective note-taking skills.
The better your notes are, the faster you’ll learn. Knowing how to take thorough and accurate notes will help you remember concepts, gain a deeper understanding of the topic and develop meaningful learning skills. So, before you learn a new topic, make sure you learn different strategies for note taking, such as the Cornell Method, which helps you organize class notes into easily digestible summaries.
Whatever method you use, some basic tips for note taking include:
Listen and take notes in your own words.

Leave spaces and lines between main ideas so you can revisit them later and add information.

Develop a consistent system of abbreviations and symbols to save time.

Write in phrases, not complete sentences.

Learn to pull out important information and ignore trivial information.

3. Distributed practice.
This method involves distributing multiple practices (or study sessions) on a topic over a period of time. Using short, spaced-out study sessions will encourage meaningful learning, as opposed to long “cram sessions,” which promote rote learning. The first step is to take thorough notes while the topic is being discussed. Afterward, take a few minutes to look over your notes, making any additions or changes to add detail and ensure accuracy.

Do this quickly, once or twice following each class or period of instruction. Over time, you can begin to spread the sessions out, starting with once per day and eventually moving to three times a week. Spacing out practice over a longer period of time is highly effective, because it’s easier to do small study sessions and you’ll stay motivated to keep learning.

4. Study, sleep, more study.
You have a big project or a major presentation tomorrow and you’re not prepared. If you’re like many of us, you stay up too late trying to cram beforehand. Surely your hard work will be rewarded, even if you’re exhausted the next day… right? However, that’s not the most efficient way for our brains to process information.

Research shows a strong connection between sleep and learning. It seems that getting some shut-eye is an important element in bolstering how our brains remember something. Deep sleep (non-rapid-eye-movement sleep) can strengthen memories if the sleep occurs within 12 hours of learning the new information. And students who both study and get plenty of sleep not only perform better academically; they’re also happier.

5. Modify your practice.
If you're learning a skill, don’t do the same thing over and over. Making slight changes during repeated practice sessions will help you master a skill faster than doing it the same way every time. In one study of people who learned a computer-based motor skill, those who learned a skill and then had a modified practice session where they practiced the skill in a slightly different way performed better than those who repeated the original task over and over.

This only works if the modifications are small -- making big changes in how the skill is performed won’t help. So, for instance, if you’re practicing a new golf swing or perfecting your tennis game, try adjusting the size or weight of your club or racket.

6. Try a mnemonic device.
One of the best ways to memorize a large amount of information quickly is to use a mnemonic device: a pattern of letters, sounds or other associations that assist in learning something. One of the most popular mnemonic devices is one we learned in kindergarten -- the alphabet song. This song helps children remember their “ABCs,” and it remains deeply ingrained in our memory as adults. Another is “i before e except after c” to help us remember a grammar rule.
Mnemonics help you simplify, summarize and compress information to make it easier to learn. It can be really handy for students in medical school or law school, or people studying a new language. So, if you need to memorize and store large amounts of new information, try a mnemonic and you’ll find you remember the information long past your test.

7. Use brain breaks to restore focus.
Information overload is a real thing. In order to learn something new, our brains must send signals to our sensory receptors to save the new information, but stress and overload will prevent your brain from effectively processing and storing information.

When we are confused, anxious or feeling overwhelmed, our brains effectively shut down. You can see this happen when students listening to long, detailed lectures “zone out” and stop paying attention to what’s being said.

They simply aren’t able to effectively conduct that information into their memory banks, so learning shuts down. The best way to combat this is by taking a “brain break,” or simply shifting your activity to focus on something new. Even a five-minute break can relieve brain fatigue and help you refocus.

8. Stay hydrated.
We know we should drink water because it’s good for us -- it’s good for our skin and our immune system, and it keeps our body functioning optimally. But staying hydrated is also key to our cognitive abilities. Drinking water can actually make us smarter. According to one study, students who took water with them to an examination room performed better than those who didn’t.

Dehydration, on the other hand, can seriously affect our mental function. When you fail to drink water, your brain has to work harder than usual.

9. Learn information in multiple ways.

When you use multiple ways to learn something, you’ll use more regions of the brain to store information about that subject. This makes that information more interconnected and embedded in your brain. It basically creates a redundancy of knowledge within your mind, helping you truly learn the information and not just memorize it.

You can do this by using different media to stimulate different parts of the brain, such as reading notes, reading the textbook, watching a video and listening to a podcast or audio file on the topic. The more resources you use, the faster you’ll learn.

10. Connect what you learn with something you know.
The more you can relate new concepts to ideas that you already understand, the faster the you’ll learn the new information. According to the book Make It Stick, many common study habits are counterproductive. They may create an illusion of mastery, but the information quickly fades from our minds.

Memory plays a central role in our ability to carry out complex cognitive tasks, such as applying knowledge to problems we haven’t encountered before and drawing inferences from facts already known. By finding ways to fit new information in with preexisting knowledge, you’ll find additional layers of meaning in the new material. This will help you fundamentally understand it better, and you’ll be able to recall it more accurately.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
8 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Learning new things is a huge part of life -- we should always be striving to learn and grow. But it takes time, and time is precious. So how can you make the most of your time by speeding up the learning process? Thanks to neuroscience, we now have a better understanding of how we learn and the most effective ways our brains process and hold on to information.

If you want to get a jump start on expanding your knowledge, here are 10 proven ways you can start learning faster today.

1. Take notes with pen and paper.

Though it might seem that typing your notes on a laptop during a conference or lecture will be more thorough, thus helping you learn faster, it doesn't work that way. To speed up your learning, skip the laptop and take notes the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper. Research has shown that those who type in their lecture notes process and retain the information at a lower level. Those who take notes by hand actually learn more.

While taking notes by hand is slower and more cumbersome than typing, the act of writing out the information fosters comprehension and retention. Reframing the information in your own words helps you retain the information longer, meaning you'll have better recall and will perform better on tests.
Related: Your Lousy Handwriting Might Actually Make You Smarter
2. Have effective note-taking skills.

The better your notes are, the faster you'll learn. Knowing how to take thorough and accurate notes will help you remember concepts, gain a deeper understanding of the topic and develop meaningful learning skills. So, before you learn a new topic, make sure you learn different strategies for note taking, such as the Cornell Method, which helps you organize class notes into easily digestible summaries.

Whatever method you use, some basic tips for note taking include:

Listen and take notes in your own words.

Leave spaces and lines between main ideas so you can revisit them later and add information.

Develop a consistent system of abbreviations and symbols to save time.

Write in phrases, not complete sentences.

Learn to pull out important information and ignore trivial information.

3. Distributed practice.

This method involves distributing multiple practices (or study sessions) on a topic over a period of time. Using short, spaced-out study sessions will encourage meaningful learning, as opposed to long "cram sessions," which promote rote learning. The first step is to take thorough notes while the topic is being discussed. Afterward, take a few minutes to look over your notes, making any additions or changes to add detail and ensure accuracy.

Do this quickly, once or twice following each class or period of instruction. Over time, you can begin to spread the sessions out, starting with once per day and eventually moving to three times a week. Spacing out practice over a longer period of time is highly effective, because it's easier to do small study sessions and you'll stay motivated to keep learning.
Related: 3 Ways to Become a More Effective Learner
4. Study, sleep, more study.

You have a big project or a major presentation tomorrow and you're not prepared. If you're like many of us, you stay up too late trying to cram beforehand. Surely your hard work will be rewarded, even if you're exhausted the next day... right? However, that's not the most efficient way for our brains to process information.

Research shows a strong connection between sleep and learning. It seems that getting some shut-eye is an important element in bolstering how our brains remember something. Deep sleep (non-rapid-eye-movement sleep) can strengthen memories if the sleep occurs within 12 hours of learning the new information. And students who both study and get plenty of sleep not only perform better academically; they're also happier.
Related: Study Finds the Less You Sleep the Less People Like You
5. Modify your practice.

If you're learning a skill, don't do the same thing over and over. Making slight changes during repeated practice sessions will help you master a skill faster than doing it the same way every time. In one study of people who learned a computer-based motor skill, those who learned a skill and then had a modified practice session where they practiced the skill in a slightly different way performed better than those who repeated the original task over and over.

This only works if the modifications are small -- making big changes in how the skill is performed won't help. So, for instance, if you're practicing a new golf swing or perfecting your tennis game, try adjusting the size or weight of your club or racket.

6. Try a mnemonic device.

One of the best ways to memorize a large amount of information quickly is to use a mnemonic device: a pattern of letters, sounds or other associations that assist in learning something. One of the most popular mnemonic devices is one we learned in kindergarten -- the alphabet song. This song helps children remember their "ABCs," and it remains deeply ingrained in our memory as adults. Another is "i before e except after c" to help us remember a grammar rule.

Mnemonics help you simplify, summarize and compress information to make it easier to learn. It can be really handy for students in medical school or law school, or people studying a new language. So, if you need to memorize and store large amounts of new information, try a mnemonic and you'll find you remember the information long past your test.
Related: 5 Apps to Boost Your Brain Power
7. Use brain breaks to restore focus.

Information overload is a real thing. In order to learn something new, our brains must send signals to our sensory receptors to save the new information, but stress and overload will prevent your brain from effectively processing and storing information.

When we are confused, anxious or feeling overwhelmed, our brains effectively shut down. You can see this happen when students listening to long, detailed lectures "zone out" and stop paying attention to what's being said.

They simply aren't able to effectively conduct that information into their memory banks, so learning shuts down. The best way to combat this is by taking a " brain break," or simply shifting your activity to focus on something new. Even a five-minute break can relieve brain fatigue and help you refocus.

8. Stay hydrated.

We know we should drink water because it's good for us -- it's good for our skin and our immune system, and it keeps our body functioning optimally. But staying hydrated is also key to our cognitive abilities. Drinking water can actually make us smarter. According to one study, students who took water with them to an examination room performed better than those who didn't.

Dehydration, on the other hand, can seriously affect our mental function. When you fail to drink water, your brain has to work harder than usual.

9. Learn information in multiple ways.

When you use multiple ways to learn something, you'll use more regions of the brain to store information about that subject. This makes that information more interconnected and embedded in your brain. It basically creates a redundancy of knowledge within your mind, helping you truly learn the information and not just memorize it.

You can do this by using different media to stimulate different parts of the brain, such as reading notes, reading the textbook, watching a video and listening to a podcast or audio file on the topic. The more resources you use, the faster you'll learn.

10. Connect what you learn with something you know.

The more you can relate new concepts to ideas that you already understand, the faster the you'll learn the new information. According to the book Make It Stick, many common study habits are counterproductive. They may create an illusion of mastery, but the information quickly fades from our minds.

Memory plays a central role in our ability to carry out complex cognitive tasks, such as applying knowledge to problems we haven't encountered before and drawing inferences from facts already known. By finding ways to fit new information in with preexisting knowledge, you'll find additional layers of meaning in the new material. This will help you fundamentally understand it better, and you'll be able to recall it more accurately.

Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, uses this method. He said he views knowledge as a "semantic tree." When learning new things, his advice is to "make sure you understand the principles, i.e., the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to." When you connect the new to the old, you give yourself mental "hooks" on which to hang the new knowledge.

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8 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Learning new things is a huge part of life -- we should always be striving to learn and grow. But it takes time, and time is precious. So how can you make the most of your time by speeding up the learning process?

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Mobile Learning Trends To Follow In 2021

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Mobile Learning Trends To Follow In 2021

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https://wplms.io/mobile-learning-trends-to-follow-in-2021/
Mobile learning is becoming increasingly popular among learners for knowledge sharing and skills training.

With its flexibility and widespread adoption, mobile learning is becoming the dominant form of eLearning.

In this article, I want to share my list of top mobile learning trends that you should adopt in 2021 to influence your training.

Mobile Learning In 2021

Modern learners do not like the traditional training formats that tend to be prescriptive and want training to be easily accessible or instant access to the training. The year 2020 marks the acceleration of this learning and its adoption among the learners due to the COVID-19 global pandemic to a must-have learning or training platform.

With the increasing demand for continuous learning and building skills, mobile learning seems to be a great platform for modern learners. Let’s see the top trends of this learning.

Mobile Apps For Learning On-The-Go

Today’s learners prefer learning on the go and mobile learning apps are able to provide instant courses, microlearning training, quizzes, and many more to facilitate active learning. Mobile apps are easily accessible over smartphones by the learners. These native mobile apps help learners to access their courses and training from remote locations or on-the-go to improve their skills. Native apps can be easily customized to reinforce learning and provide training to the learners. Thus, mobile apps are perfect for modern learners.

Personalized Mobile Courses

Most L&D teams have to struggle to provide personalized courses for the learners. Personalized courses are essential for any type of training, and more so for skills building. This learning is designed to make the training and courses more personalized for the learners. L&D teams can generate personalized courses due to their short learning format. Thus, mobile learning due to its personalized courses can be used for on-the-job training. This is why mobile learning with personalized courses are going to be popular in the future.

Chatbots In Mobile Learning

We all have come across chatbots. Remember…a customized bot is always ready to help you whenever you visit a site or an app. The same chatbots are being used by the L&D professionals to answer specific questions of a learner. These AI chatbots can be transformed into a virtual coach that can provide specific question answers to provide more ease in the training and guides the learners in building skill sets.

AR & VR In Mobile Learning

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are the latest technologies that add a more digital touch to your mobile learning. These two elements are helping the professionals to simplify their training needs. It adds more specific and real-life objects with computer graphics to present the training in a more simplified way. Thus, AR and VR are becoming more important in providing training to the learners in a more illustrating way.

Better Learning Experience From Mobile Learning

This learning is designed to provide a better learning experience to the learners. If your learners are not engaging with your courses then designing a better learning experience can help you in providing a better engagement to the learners. Enabling your learners to provide instant learning even in the offline mode is the key aspect of designing mobile learning courses for the learners. Thus, a better learning experience can make your mobile learning more popular among the learners.

Conclusion

Mobile learning is turning dreams into reality by delivering a variety of skill-based training to the learners on-the-go. Following these trends in your training strategy, this year can be more helpful to reach your training goals. We at WPLMS provide you with the best mobile training platform for your eLearning courses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Do you want to increase learner's performance or achieve a high ROI on your training?

Mobile learning is becoming increasingly popular among learners for knowledge sharing and skills training.

With its flexibility and widespread adoption, mobile learning is becoming the dominant form of eLearning.

In this article, I want to share my list of top mobile learning trends that you should adopt in 2021 to influence your training.

Mobile Learning In 2021

Modern learners do not like the traditional training formats that tend to be prescriptive and want training to be easily accessible or instant access to the training. The year 2020 marks the acceleration of this learning and its adoption among the learners due to the COVID-19 global pandemic to a must-have learning or training platform.

With the increasing demand for continuous learning and building skills, mobile learning seems to be a great platform for modern learners. Let's see the top trends of this learning.

Mobile Apps For Learning On-The-Go

Today's learners prefer learning on the go and mobile learning apps are able to provide instant courses, microlearning training, quizzes, and many more to facilitate active learning. Mobile apps are easily accessible over smartphones by the learners. These native mobile apps help learners to access their courses and training from remote locations or on-the-go to improve their skills. Native apps can be easily customized to reinforce learning and provide training to the learners. Thus, mobile apps are perfect for modern learners.

Personalized Mobile Courses

Most L&D teams have to struggle to provide personalized courses for the learners. Personalized courses are essential for any type of training, and more so for skills building. This learning is designed to make the training and courses more personalized for the learners. L&D teams can generate personalized courses due to their short learning format. Thus, mobile learning due to its personalized courses can be used for on-the-job training. This is why mobile learning with personalized courses are going to be popular in the future.

Chatbots In Mobile Learning

We all have come across chatbots. Remember...a customized bot is always ready to help you whenever you visit a site or an app. The same chatbots are being used by the L&D professionals to answer specific questions of a learner. These AI chatbots can be transformed into a virtual coach that can provide specific question answers to provide more ease in the training and guides the learners in building skill sets.

AR & VR In Mobile Learning

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are the latest technologies that add a more digital touch to your mobile learning. These two elements are helping the professionals to simplify their training needs. It adds more specific and real-life objects with computer graphics to present the training in a more simplified way. Thus, AR and VR are becoming more important in providing training to the learners in a more illustrating way.

Better Learning Experience From Mobile Learning

This learning is designed to provide a better learning experience to the learners. If your learners are not engaging with your courses then designing a better learning experience can help you in providing a better engagement to the learners. Enabling your learners to provide instant learning even in the offline mode is the key aspect of designing mobile learning courses for the learners. Thus, a better learning experience can make your mobile learning more popular among the learners.

Conclusion

Mobile learning is turning dreams into reality by delivering a variety of skill-based training to the learners on-the-go. Following these trends in your training strategy, this year can be more helpful to reach your training goals. We at WPLMS provide you with the best mobile training platform for your eLearning courses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mobile Learning Trends To Follow In 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you want to increase learner's performance or achieve a high ROI on your training? Mobile learning is becoming increasingly popular among learners for knowledge sharing and skills training. With its flexibility and widespread adoption, mobile learning is becoming the dominant form of eLearning.

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By Ali Hale
https://www.dailywritingtips.com/best-apps-to-learn-english/

If you’re learning English as a second language, you might want some extra help and support beyond your regular lessons.
Alternatively, you might decide to dispense with lessons altogether and learn from websites or apps.
There are loads of great apps out there, whether you want an entire course of tuition or simply a bit of help.
Some are free (and all will at least have a free trial), so do try out a few different ones: they all take slightly different approaches, and some are great for specific styles or learning or for different needs.

#1: Babbel (Android and iOS)
Babbel offers bite-sized English lessons, which are connected to one another and work progressively to build up your knowledge. The lessons are engaging and aimed at beginner to intermediate students.

Cost:
Varies, but if you want to pay monthly, it’s $12.95/month.

Pros:
Great way to learn the basics, without spending a huge amount of time.
Works by getting you to match words to the appropriate images, and will repeat words the next day if you make a mistake (or immediately if you make a mistake more than once).
Has lots of conversational language that you’re likely to use in real-life situations.
Cons:
A bit more expensive than many other alternatives.
Free trial is restricted to just one lesson, which you may not feel is enough to get a good sense of whether you’ll get on well with the app or not.

#2: Beelinguapp (Android and iOS)
This app is designed to help you to read English texts (and to some degree to help you with listening to spoken English). It takes an innovative approach, compared with most other language-learning apps: it shows books and other texts in your native language plus English, side by side, and reads out the English for you too.

Cost:
Free, but you’ll need to pay for access to many of the longer texts. (You can pay about $1 per text, or $1.99 for monthly membership, or $24.99 to remove all ads and unlock all current and future texts.)

Pros:
The audio recordings are from native speakers: they’re not machine-generated.
If you want to improve your pronunciation, this is a great and fun way to do so. The texts include novels, but also fairy tales, news stories, and science papers.
If you’re studying English literature or other texts, this app could help you feel more confident reading in English. You might even find it helpful if you’re learning to translate from your native language into English, or vice versa.
Cons:
Pricing plans are a little complex, and it might be tricky to work out the best deal.
Focuses on reading comprehension; you may want to pair this with another app to help you with speaking English.

#3: BBC Learning English (Android and iOS)
The BBC Learning English app simply brings together lots of different lessons into one place. It includes transcripts and quizzes, and you can watch the videos with subtitles. The lessons appear on the app before they arrive on the website, and there’s new content every weekday.

Cost:
Free, with no ads.

Pros:
Great way to watch the BBC’s most popular programs aimed at English learners (you can find the full list, and the publishing schedule, on their website here).
If you already enjoy the BBC’s content online, this is a handy way to get it on your mobile device.
Lessons are short and bite-sized (normally 2 -6 minutes), so they’re easy to take in.
There are no ads or “pro” options: this app is completely free.
Cons:
The quizzes are scored, but there aren’t other “game” type elements, so if you’re used to apps like Duolingo, you might find this harder to stick with.
Some users reported difficulties with the interface of the newest version of the app.

#4: Duolingo (Android and iOS)
You’ve almost certainly heard of Duolingo, which can help you learn a large number of languages, including English. It’s designed to be fun (and addictive!) with bite-sized lessons and a system where you earn points for correct answers and “level up” once you’re doing well enough. You can earn virtual coins, unlock new levels, and see your “fluency score” rise.

Cost:
Free, but if you want to remove ads and download courses to use offline, you’ll need to pay for Duolingo plus, which is $6.99/month.

Pros:
It’s designed to be fun and work like a game, so if you enjoy playing games on your mobile phone, this could be a great way to learn while you’re doing so.
The interface is slick and well designed.
Many, many people use Duolingo — it’s hugely popular around the world and is even used in many classrooms for language learning.
Cons:
A number of people have criticised it for using unrealistic computer-generated sentences that won’t particularly help you in real life situations.
Duolingo is monetized, in part, by selling user translations of web content — you may not feel happy about this.

#5: FluentU (Android and iOS)
FluentU takes a different approach to language learning, using videos sourced for YouTube with captions so you can immerse yourself in hearing and understanding the language. It’s available for a number of other languages as well as English, too.

Cost:
Free trial, then $30/month (which includes all languages).

Pros:
It’s easy to use, and you can commit as much or as little time as you want … many videos are just a minute or two long.
You can easily pause the video player to look up words or even get example sentences.
If you enjoy watching YouTube videos, then this is a great way to do so while also learning English.
Cons:
No requirement to speak or write the language: this is fine for passive learning but you’ll want to use another app or method to do more active learning.
FluentU is expensive compared with other apps, especially if you want to learn just English (rather than several of the other languages included too).

#6: Hello English (Android and iOS)
This beginner-friendly app has instructions in your native language (with 22 different languages to choose from here). It’s easy to get started with, and you can select your level of English from “beginner”, “intermediate”, or “advanced”.
Cost:
Free; the pro version is $59.99/year. You can also make in-app purchases for a wide range of advanced features (e.g. access to live tutors.)

Pros:
Like many other English-learning apps, it uses features like ranks and levels to keep you motivated.
Encourages you to complete lessons and activities each day, which are assigned to you. If you complete all the lessons, you can get bonus coins from extra lessons.
Helpline is responsive, even on the free version.
Cons:
The free version, while extensive, has a lot of ads that you may find quite intrusive.

#7: Lingbe (Android and iOS)
Lingbe takes a very different approach to most other language learning apps. Instead of watching videos or matching photos to words, the app connects you with a real native speaker of the language you want to practice (i.e. English).

Cost:
Free, so long as you’re happy to act as a teacher of your own language too! You can purchase coins to buy minutes to talk with native English speakers.

Pros:
Really simple to use: press the call button and wait for someone to answer!
Great way to practice speaking English if you don’t know any native English speakers.
You can use it completely free of charge, so long as you’re willing to reciprocate by talking to people who are learning your language.
Cons:
Not ideal for complete beginners, as you’ll already need to know at least a bit of English in order to hold a conversation.
Only allows voice calls: if you want video calls or the option to text, then try HelloTalk instead.

Whatever app you choose, you’ll need to put in the time in order to get good results: you can’t learn English (or anything else) by simply installing an app on your phone and then only using it once or twice a week for a few minutes.

Commit to spending at least 10 minutes a day using one of these apps … and see how you get on. If you feel the app isn’t enjoyable for you, try a different one: there really is an option out there to suit every English learner. You might even want to try out some Alexa Skills that can help you learn English, too.

Good luck!

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If you're learning English as a second language, you might want some extra help and support beyond your regular lessons.

Alternatively, you might decide to dispense with lessons altogether and learn from websites or apps.
There are loads of great apps out there, whether you want an entire course of tuition or simply a bit of help.
Some are free (and all will at least have a free trial), so do try out a few different ones: they all take slightly different approaches, and some are great for specific styles or learning or for different needs.

These are ten of the best, ordered alphabetically:

Babbel offers bite-sized English lessons, which are connected to one another and work progressively to build up your knowledge. The lessons are engaging and aimed at beginner to intermediate students.
Cost:
Varies, but if you want to pay monthly, it's $12.95/month.
Pros: Cons:

A bit more expensive than many other alternatives.

Free trial is restricted to just one lesson, which you may not feel is enough to get a good sense of whether you'll get on well with the app or not.

#2: Beelinguapp (Android and iOS)

This app is designed to help you to read English texts (and to some degree to help you with listening to spoken English). It takes an innovative approach, compared with most other language-learning apps: it shows books and other texts in your native language plus English, side by side, and reads out the English for you too.
Cost:
Free, but you'll need to pay for access to many of the longer texts. (You can pay about $1 per text, or $1.99 for monthly membership, or $24.99 to remove all ads and unlock all current and future texts.)
Pros: Cons:

Pricing plans are a little complex, and it might be tricky to work out the best deal.

Focuses on reading comprehension; you may want to pair this with another app to help you with speaking English.

#3: BBC Learning English (Android and iOS)

The BBC Learning English app simply brings together lots of different lessons into one place. It includes transcripts and quizzes, and you can watch the videos with subtitles. The lessons appear on the app before they arrive on the website, and there's new content every weekday.
Cost:
Free, with no ads.
Pros:

Great way to watch the BBC's most popular programs aimed at English learners (you can find the full list, and the publishing schedule, on their website here).

If you already enjoy the BBC's content online, this is a handy way to get it on your mobile device.

Lessons are short and bite-sized (normally 2 -6 minutes), so they're easy to take in.

There are no ads or "pro" options: this app is completely free.

Cons:

The quizzes are scored, but there aren't other "game" type elements, so if you're used to apps like Duolingo, you might find this harder to stick with.

Some users reported difficulties with the interface of the newest version of the app.

You've almost certainly heard of Duolingo, which can help you learn a large number of languages, including English. It's designed to be fun (and addictive!) with bite-sized lessons and a system where you earn points for correct answers and "level up" once you're doing well enough. You can earn virtual coins, unlock new levels, and see your "fluency score" rise.
Cost:
Free, but if you want to remove ads and download courses to use offline, you'll need to pay for Duolingo plus, which is $6.99/month.
Pros: Cons:

A number of people have criticised it for using unrealistic computer-generated sentences that won't particularly help you in real life situations.

Duolingo is monetized, in part, by selling user translations of web content - you may not feel happy about this.

FluentU takes a different approach to language learning, using videos sourced for YouTube with captions so you can immerse yourself in hearing and understanding the language. It's available for a number of other languages as well as English, too.
Cost:
Free trial, then $30/month (which includes all languages).
Pros: Cons:

No requirement to speak or write the language: this is fine for passive learning but you'll want to use another app or method to do more active learning.

FluentU is expensive compared with other apps, especially if you want to learn just English (rather than several of the other languages included too).

#6: Hello English (Android and iOS)

This beginner-friendly app has instructions in your native language (with 22 different languages to choose from here). It's easy to get started with, and you can select your level of English from "beginner", "intermediate", or "advanced".
Cost:
Free; the pro version is $59.99/year. You can also make in-app purchases for a wide range of advanced features (e.g. access to live tutors.)
Pros: Cons:
The free version, while extensive, has a lot of ads that you may find quite intrusive.

Lingbe takes a very different approach to most other language learning apps. Instead of watching videos or matching photos to words, the app connects you with a real native speaker of the language you want to practice (i.e. English).
Cost:
Free, so long as you're happy to act as a teacher of your own language too! You can purchase coins to buy minutes to talk with native English speakers.
Pros:

Really simple to use: press the call button and wait for someone to answer!

Great way to practice speaking English if you don't know any native English speakers.

You can use it completely free of charge, so long as you're willing to reciprocate by talking to people who are learning your language.

Cons:

Not ideal for complete beginners, as you'll already need to know at least a bit of English in order to hold a conversation.

Only allows voice calls: if you want video calls or the option to text, then try HelloTalk instead.

Memrise is another app with a bit of a difference: it's a learning platform which has thousands upon thousands of different courses related to language and vocabulary. Most of the courses are created by users, rather than being provided by Memrise itself.
Cost:
Free (and doesn't even have ads) at the basic level. You can pay for a Pro version if you want more features, though, which is $9/month.
Pros: Cons:

There's not any quality control on courses, so you might need to look through a lot before figuring out which you want to take.

Only useful for getting a fairly basic vocabulary: beyond that, you'll want to move on to another app.

#9: MindSnacks: SAT Vocab and Kids' Vocab (iOS only)

While it's aimed at US college students rather than people learning English as a second language, mindSnacks is a great app to try out if you're already reasonably good at English and you want to improve your vocabulary. Like Duolingo, it takes a gaming approach. The SAT Vocab and Kids' Vocab apps are both fun ones to try.
Cost:
$4.99 per app (or $19.99 if you want all the MindSnacks apps).
Pros: Cons:

The Kids' Vocab app is designed for children, so you might find the interface a bit garish.

The free level only gives you access to a small amount of content, so you can't try it out in any amount of detail before paying.

#10: Rosetta Stone (Android and iOS)

Once the most popular language learning software out there, Rosetta Stone has been displaced for many English learners by other software. Many users still find it really useful, though, especially if they're travelling. The app links with the full version of Rosetta Stone, which isn't cheap.
Cost:
Varies, but Pros:

Designed for use by travellers, so if you're going to be visiting an English-speaking country, this is a great app to use to pick up lots of greetings, phrases, expressions, and so on.

Good for learning to speak English: you get the option for live face-to-face time with a tutor, and the app will also correct you on your pronunciation as you practice speaking English.

Cons:
The main idea behind this mobile app is to allow children and adults alike to learn English while having fun. The content is a structured as a futuristic game where you need to complete tasks along with Prof. Max after a comet hits Earth. It already has more than 400,000 users.
Cost:
You can download the app free of charge but there are some in-app purchases if you want to expand its features.
Pros:

Given the app is structured as a game it can be especially appealing to children and young adults who get bored easily with traditional courses

Despite being an educational app the graphics and production are exceptional and certainly help to engage the user in the learning experience

Cons:

Adults who want to learn in a faster pace, for example because they have professional requirements, might not adopt to this mobile app

You will not be able to access to all the features using a free account

-

Whatever app you choose, you'll need to put in the time in order to get good results: you can't learn English (or anything else) by simply installing an app on your phone and then only using it once or twice a week for a few minutes.

Commit to spending at least 10 minutes a day using one of these apps ... and see how you get on. If you feel the app isn't enjoyable for you, try a different one: there really is an option out there to suit every English learner. You might even want to try out some Alexa Skills that can help you learn English, too.

Good luck!
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If you're learning English as a second language, you might want some extra help and support beyond your regular lessons. Alternatively, you might decide to dispense with lessons altogether and learn from websites or apps. There are loads of great apps out there, whether you want an entire course of tuition or simply a bit of help.

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100 New English Words And Phrases in 2020

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100 New English Words And Phrases in 2020

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100 New English Words And Phrases in 2020
by IDP IELTS — August 1st, 2020
https://ielts.com.au/articles/100-new-english-words-and-phrases-updated-2020/

How are new English words discovered? And how do you use new words?
The English language keeps changing and new English words are added to the dictionary. There are lots of new English words you can learn to improve your understanding of English. Whether you are a native speaker or learning English as a second language, this list of 100 new English words and their meaning will help you expand your vocabulary.

A new English word gets into a dictionary when it is used by many people. And all these people agree that it means the same thing. New words are used in conversation first. One person uses a word, then others pick it up. As a result, its use spreads. The more people use it, the more likely it will be noticed by dictionary editors, or lexicographers. The people work at dictionaries like Merriam-Webster or the Oxford English Dictionary.

So, that doesn’t mean that all the new words in English are widely used in everyday life. Some are, many of them are not. For example, some new words are very specific to a particular occupation. Dentists might use the new word amelogenesis which means “the formation of tooth enamel by ameloblasts.”

There are also words you already know. For instance, the latest update of the Oxford English Dictionary added new English words like banana bread, LOL and plant-based.

Sometimes even slang, like LOL, makes it into the dictionaries as a new English word. Slang is very informal language or specific words used by a group of people. Usually you’ll hear slang in spoken language. You can also come across it in SMS or social media. However, you don’t use slang in formal written work. But, when a word is added to the dictionary as an official English word, you can also use it in written form, for example in your IELTS Writing test.

New English Word | Meaning
A-game | One’s highest level of performance
ambigue | An ambiguous statement or expression.
Anglosphere | English-speaking countries considered collectively (the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Ireland).
anti-suffragism | Opposition to the extension of the right to vote in political elections to women; the political movement dedicated to this.
Aperol | A proprietary name for  an orange-coloured Italian aperitif flavoured with gentian, rhubarb, and a variety of herbs and roots.
April Fool’s | April Fool’s Day (1 April), a day on which tricks or hoaxes are traditionally perpetrated
ar | Used to express a range of emotions or responses, esp. affirmation, assent, or agreement.
arr | In humorous representations of the speech of pirates expressing approval, triumph, warning, etc.
assault weapon | A weapon designed for use in a large-scale military assault, esp. one used to attack a fortified or well-defended location.
athleisure | Casual, comfortable clothing or footwear designed to be suitable for both exercise and everyday wear
Aucklander | A native or inhabitant of city or region of Auckland, New Zealand.
awedde | Overcome with anger, madness, or distress; insane, mentally disturbed.
awe-inspiringly | So impressively, spectacularly, or formidably as to arouse or inspire awe.
awesomesauce | Extremely good; excellent.
awfulize | To class as awful or terrible
awfy | Terrible, dreadful; remarkable or notable.
awfy | As simple intensive; very, exceedingly, extremely.
bidie-in | A person who lives with his or her partner in a non-marital relationship; a cohabiting partner.
bigsie | Having an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance; arrogant, pretentious, conceited.
bok | A South African
broigus | Angry; irritated
bukateria | A roadside restaurant or street stall with a seating area, selling cooked food at low prices.
by-catch | A catch of unwanted fish
cab sav | Red wine made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape
cancel culture | Call for the withdrawal of support from a public figure, usually in response to an accusation of a socially unacceptable action or comment.
chicken finger | A narrow strip of chicken meat, esp. from the breast, coated in breadcrumbs or batter and deep-fried.
chicken noodle soup | A soup made with chicken and noodles, sometimes popularly regarded as a remedy for all ailments or valued for its restorative properties
chickie | Used as a term of endearment, especially for a child or woman
chipmunky | Resembling or characteristic of a chipmunk, typically with reference to a person having prominent cheeks or a perky, mischievous character.
chuddies | Short trousers, shorts. Now it usually means underwear; underpants.
contact tracing | The practice of identifying and monitoring individuals who may have had contact with an infectious person
contactless | Not involving contact (physical and technological meanings of contactless are being used much more frequently).
coulrophobia | Extreme or irrational fear of clowns
Covid-19 | An acute respiratory illness in humans caused by a coronavirus, which is capable of producing severe symptoms and death, esp. in the elderly
deepfake | An image or recording that has been convincingly altered to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said
de-extinction | The (proposed or imagined) revival of an extinct species, typically by cloning or selective breeding.
deleter | A person who or thing which deletes something.
delicense | To deprive (a person, business, vehicle, etc.) of a license providing official permission to operate
denialism | The policy or stance of denying the existence or reality of something, esp. something which is supported by the majority of scientific evidence.
denialist | A person who denies the existence or reality of something, esp. something which is supported by the majority of scientific or historical evidence
destigmatizing | The action or process of removing the negative connotation or social stigma associated with something
dof | Stupid, dim-witted; uninformed, clueless.
droning | The action of using a military drone or a similar commercially available device
e-bike | An electric bike
eco-anxiety | A state of stress caused by concern for the earth’s environment
enoughness | The quality or fact of being enough; sufficiency, adequacy.
Epidemic curve | A visual representation in the form of a graph or chart depicting the onset and progression of an outbreak of disease in a particular population
e-waste | Worthless or inferior electronic text or content
fantoosh | Fancy, showy, flashy; stylish, sophisticated; fashionable, exotic. Often used disparagingly, implying ostentation or pretentiousness.
forehead thermometer | A thermometer that is placed on, passed over, or pointed at the forehead to measure a person’s body temperature.
franger | A condom.
hair doughnut | A doughnut-shaped sponge or similar material used as the support for a doughnut bun or similar updo
hench | Of a person having a powerful, muscular physique; fit, strong.
hir | Used as a gender-neutral possessive adjective (his/her/hir watch). In later use often corresponding to the subjective pronoun ze (he/she/ze wears a watch).
hygge | A Danish word for a quality of cosiness that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, baking, or spending time at home with your family
influencer | Someone who affects or changes the way that other people behave:
jerkweed | An obnoxious, detestable, or stupid person (esp. a male). Often as a contemptuous form of address.
kvell | Meaning to talk admiringly, enthusiastically, or proudly about something
kvetchy | Given to or characterized by complaining or criticizing; ill-tempered, irritable.
LOL | To laugh out loud; to be amused.
macaron | A confection consisting of two small, round (usually colourful) biscuits with a meringue-like consistency
MacGyver | To construct, fix, or modify (something) in an improvised or inventive way, typically by making use of whatever items are at hand
mama put | A street vendor, typically a woman, selling cooked food at low prices from a handcart or stall. Also a street stall or roadside restaurant.
mentionitis | A tendency towards repeatedly or habitually mentioning something (esp. the name of a person one is infatuated with), regardless of its relevance to the topic of conversation
microtarget | To direct tailored advertisements, political messages, etc., at (people) based on detailed information about them
misgendering | The action or fact of mistaking or misstating a person’s gender, esp. of addressing or referring to a transgender person in terms that do not reflect…
next tomorrow | The day after tomorrow.
oat milk | A milky liquid prepared from oats, used as a drink and in cooking
onboarding | The action or process of integrating a new employee into an organisation, team, etc
patient zero | Is defined as a person identified as the first to become infected with an illness or disease in an outbreak
pronoid | A person who is convinced of the goodwill of others towards himself or herself
puggle | A young or baby echidna or platypus.
puggle | A dog cross-bred from a pug and a beagle; such dogs considered collectively as a breed.
quilling | The action or practice of bribing electors in order to gain their votes, especially by providing free alcohol
rat tamer | Colloquial meaning for a psychologist or psychiatrist
report | An employee accountable to a particular manager
sadfishing | Colloquial the practice adopted by some people, especially on social media, of exaggerating claims about their emotional problems to generate sympathy
sandboxing | The restriction of a piece of software or code to a specific environment in a computer system in which it can be run securely
schnitty | Colloquial a schnitzel, especially a chicken schnitzel
Segway | A proprietary name for a two-wheeled motorised personal vehicle
self-isolate | To isolate oneself from others deliberately; to undertake self-imposed isolation for a period of time
shero | A female hero; a heroine.
single-use | Designed to be used once and then disposed of or destroyed
skunked | Drunk, intoxicated. In later use also under the influence of marijuana
slow-walk | To delay or prevent the progress of (something) by acting in a deliberately slow manner
social distancing | The action of practice of maintaining a specified physical distance from other people, or of limiting access to and contact between people
stepmonster | Colloquial (humorous) (sometimes derogatory) a stepmother
tag rugby | A non-contact, simplified form of rugby in which the removal of a tag attached to the ball carrier constitutes a tackle
theonomous | Ruled, governed by, or subject to the authority of God
thirstry | Showing a strong desire for attention, approval, or publicity.
title bar | A horizontal bar at the top of a program window, used to display information such as the name of the program in use, the file or web page that is active.
topophilia | Love of, or emotional connection to, a particular place or physical environment
truthiness | A seemingly truthful quality not supported by facts or evidence
UFO | UnFinished Object: In knitting, sewing, quilting, etc.: an unfinished piece of work
unfathom | To come to understand (something mysterious, puzzling, or complicated); to solve (a mystery, etc.)
weak sauce | That lacks power, substance, or credibility; pathetic, worthless; stupid.
WFH | An abbreviation for “working from home.”
WIP | Work in progress
zoodle | A spiralised strand of zucchini, sometimes used as a substitute for pasta

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How are new English words discovered? And how do you use new words?

A new English word gets into a dictionary when it is used by many people. And all these people agree that it means the same thing. New words are used in conversation first. One person uses a word, then others pick it up. As a result, its use spreads. The more people use it, the more likely it will be noticed by dictionary editors, or lexicographers. The people work at dictionaries like Merriam-Webster or the Oxford English Dictionary.

So, that doesn't mean that all the new words in English are widely used in everyday life. Some are, many of them are not. For example, some new words are very specific to a particular occupation. Dentists might use the new word amelogenesis which means "the formation of tooth enamel by ameloblasts."

There are also words you already know. For instance, the latest update of the Oxford English Dictionary added new English words like banana bread, LOL and plant-based.

Sometimes even slang, like LOL, makes it into the dictionaries as a new English word. Slang is very informal language or specific words used by a group of people. Usually you'll hear slang in spoken language. You can also come across it in SMS or social media. However, you don't use slang in formal written work. But, when a word is added to the dictionary as an official English word, you can also use it in written form, for example in your IELTS Writing test.

A-game

One's highest level of performance

ambigue

An ambiguous statement or expression.

Anglosphere

English-speaking countries considered collectively (the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Ireland).

anti-suffragism

Opposition to the extension of the right to vote in political elections to women; the political movement dedicated to this.

Aperol

A proprietary name for an orange-coloured Italian aperitif flavoured with gentian, rhubarb, and a variety of herbs and roots.

April Fool's

April Fool's Day (1 April), a day on which tricks or hoaxes are traditionally perpetrated

ar

Used to express a range of emotions or responses, esp. affirmation, assent, or agreement.

arr

In humorous representations of the speech of pirates expressing approval, triumph, warning, etc.

assault weapon

A weapon designed for use in a large-scale military assault, esp. one used to attack a fortified or well-defended location.

athleisure

Casual, comfortable clothing or footwear designed to be suitable for both exercise and everyday wear

Aucklander

A native or inhabitant of city or region of Auckland, New Zealand.

awedde

Overcome with anger, madness, or distress; insane, mentally disturbed.

awe-inspiringly

So impressively, spectacularly, or formidably as to arouse or inspire awe.

awesomesauce

Extremely good; excellent.

awfulize

To class as awful or terrible

awfy

Terrible, dreadful; remarkable or notable.

awfy

As simple intensive; very, exceedingly, extremely.

bidie-in

A person who lives with his or her partner in a non-marital relationship; a cohabiting partner.

bigsie

Having an exaggerated sense of one's own importance; arrogant, pretentious, conceited.

broigus

Angry; irritated

bukateria

A roadside restaurant or street stall with a seating area, selling cooked food at low prices.

by-catch

A catch of unwanted fish

cab sav

Red wine made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape

cancel culture

Call for the withdrawal of support from a public figure, usually in response to an accusation of a socially unacceptable action or comment.

chicken finger

A narrow strip of chicken meat, esp. from the breast, coated in breadcrumbs or batter and deep-fried.

chicken noodle soup

A soup made with chicken and noodles, sometimes popularly regarded as a remedy for all ailments or valued for its restorative properties

chickie

Used as a term of endearment, especially for a child or woman

chipmunky

Resembling or characteristic of a chipmunk, typically with reference to a person having prominent cheeks or a perky, mischievous character.

chuddies

Short trousers, shorts. Now it usually means underwear; underpants.

contact tracing

The practice of identifying and monitoring individuals who may have had contact with an infectious person

contactless

Not involving contact (physical and technological meanings of contactless are being used much more frequently).

coulrophobia

Extreme or irrational fear of clowns

Covid-19

An acute respiratory illness in humans caused by a coronavirus, which is capable of producing severe symptoms and death, esp. in the elderly

deepfake

An image or recording that has been convincingly altered to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said

de-extinction

The (proposed or imagined) revival of an extinct species, typically by cloning or selective breeding.

deleter

A person who or thing which deletes something.

delicense

To deprive (a person, business, vehicle, etc.) of a license providing official permission to operate

denialism

The policy or stance of denying the existence or reality of something, esp. something which is supported by the majority of scientific evidence.

denialist

A person who denies the existence or reality of something, esp. something which is supported by the majority of scientific or historical evidence

destigmatizing

The action or process of removing the negative connotation or social stigma associated with something

dof

Stupid, dim-witted; uninformed, clueless.

droning

The action of using a military drone or a similar commercially available device

eco-anxiety

A state of stress caused by concern for the earth's environment

enoughness

The quality or fact of being enough; sufficiency, adequacy.

Epidemic curve

A visual representation in the form of a graph or chart depicting the onset and progression of an outbreak of disease in a particular population

e-waste

Worthless or inferior electronic text or content

fantoosh

Fancy, showy, flashy; stylish, sophisticated; fashionable, exotic. Often used disparagingly, implying ostentation or pretentiousness.

forehead thermometer

A thermometer that is placed on, passed over, or pointed at the forehead to measure a person's body temperature.

hair doughnut

A doughnut-shaped sponge or similar material used as the support for a doughnut bun or similar updo

hench

Of a person having a powerful, muscular physique; fit, strong.

hir

Used as a gender-neutral possessive adjective (his/her/hir watch). In later use often corresponding to the subjective pronoun ze (he/she/ze wears a watch).

hygge

A Danish word for a quality of cosiness that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, baking, or spending time at home with your family

influencer

Someone who affects or changes the way that other people behave:

jerkweed

An obnoxious, detestable, or stupid person (esp. a male). Often as a contemptuous form of address.

kvell

Meaning to talk admiringly, enthusiastically, or proudly about something

kvetchy

Given to or characterized by complaining or criticizing; ill-tempered, irritable.

LOL

To laugh out loud; to be amused.

macaron

A confection consisting of two small, round (usually colourful) biscuits with a meringue-like consistency

MacGyver

To construct, fix, or modify (something) in an improvised or inventive way, typically by making use of whatever items are at hand

mama put

A street vendor, typically a woman, selling cooked food at low prices from a handcart or stall. Also a street stall or roadside restaurant.

mentionitis

A tendency towards repeatedly or habitually mentioning something (esp. the name of a person one is infatuated with), regardless of its relevance to the topic of conversation

microtarget

To direct tailored advertisements, political messages, etc., at (people) based on detailed information about them

misgendering

The action or fact of mistaking or misstating a person's gender, esp. of addressing or referring to a transgender person in terms that do not reflect...

next tomorrow

The day after tomorrow.

oat milk

A milky liquid prepared from oats, used as a drink and in cooking

onboarding

The action or process of integrating a new employee into an organisation, team, etc

patient zero

Is defined as a person identified as the first to become infected with an illness or disease in an outbreak

pronoid

A person who is convinced of the goodwill of others towards himself or herself

puggle

A young or baby echidna or platypus.

puggle

A dog cross-bred from a pug and a beagle; such dogs considered collectively as a breed.

quilling

The action or practice of bribing electors in order to gain their votes, especially by providing free alcohol

rat tamer

Colloquial meaning for a psychologist or psychiatrist

report

An employee accountable to a particular manager

sadfishing

Colloquial the practice adopted by some people, especially on social media, of exaggerating claims about their emotional problems to generate sympathy

sandboxing

The restriction of a piece of software or code to a specific environment in a computer system in which it can be run securely

schnitty

Colloquial a schnitzel, especially a chicken schnitzel

Segway

A proprietary name for a two-wheeled motorised personal vehicle

self-isolate

To isolate oneself from others deliberately; to undertake self-imposed isolation for a period of time

shero

A female hero; a heroine.

single-use

Designed to be used once and then disposed of or destroyed

skunked

Drunk, intoxicated. In later use also under the influence of marijuana

slow-walk

To delay or prevent the progress of (something) by acting in a deliberately slow manner

social distancing

The action of practice of maintaining a specified physical distance from other people, or of limiting access to and contact between people

stepmonster

Colloquial (humorous) (sometimes derogatory) a stepmother

tag rugby

A non-contact, simplified form of rugby in which the removal of a tag attached to the ball carrier constitutes a tackle

theonomous

Ruled, governed by, or subject to the authority of God

thirstry

Showing a strong desire for attention, approval, or publicity.

title bar

A horizontal bar at the top of a program window, used to display information such as the name of the program in use, the file or web page that is active.

topophilia

Love of, or emotional connection to, a particular place or physical environment

truthiness

A seemingly truthful quality not supported by facts or evidence

UFO

UnFinished Object: In knitting, sewing, quilting, etc.: an unfinished piece of work

unfathom

To come to understand (something mysterious, puzzling, or complicated); to solve (a mystery, etc.)

weak sauce

That lacks power, substance, or credibility; pathetic, worthless; stupid.

WFH

An abbreviation for "working from home."

zoodle

A spiralised strand of zucchini, sometimes used as a substitute for pasta

When you've read of list of new English words, you may have found some that you already know. Sometimes we hear these words a lot in the media before they make it into a dictionary. Like "contact tracing." Yet, other words are less well-known. So, how do you use these words in a sentence?

Let's start with a strange one: MacGyver. We always capitalise the word MacGyver because it derives from the name of a character in an American television show. You guessed it: the main character's name is Angus MacGyver. This show ran from 1985 to 1992. MacGyver always managed to get himself out of tricky or dangerous situations by making an object or repairing an item with only the items at hand. So, when you MacGyver something it has been thrown together in an ingenious and improvised fashion. Have a look at the YouTube video below and try to remember the last time you MacGyvered something.

Within the past five years, the rise of "cancel culture" and the idea of cancelling someone have become topics of debate. But what exactly does it mean? So, remember when a celebrity or other public figure does or says something offensive? A public backlash, often fuelled by politically progressive social media, ensues. After this, people call to "cancel" the person - that is, to effectively end their career. This can be done through boycotts of their work or disciplinary action from an employer. In 2019 alone, the list of people who faced being cancelled included alleged sexual predators like R. Kelly; and comedians like Kevin Hart and Shane Gillis, who each faced public backlash after social media users unearthed homophobic and racist jokes they'd made in the past.

So, cancel culture refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for ( cancelling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.
IELTS is available across Australia
We all know the traditional meaning of the word thirsty: that feeling you have when a need to drink. Easy, right? But, it is also meaning something else. More recently, people started to use the word thirsty to mean "having or showing a strong desire for something." Also, you can use it when you see people who need to gain fame and admiration through social media such as Instagram by posting "selfie" pictures to boost the self-esteem. They are thirsty for attention. Or, those suggestive, desperate-to-please selfies that people post to social media to elicit the certain response. We know this type of image as a "thirst trap."

But wait: you've heard "thirsty" use in this way well before 2020? You're right. The New York Times shows that this meaning of the word thirsty goes back a while. However, lexicographers only added this meaning of the word to dictionaries only recently.

The experts at the Merrian-Webster dictionary explain that new words like "hashtag" and "selfie" get a lot of attention as new words. But, many of the new words are just new meanings of words that are already in our language. For example, think of the recent meanings of "mouse" and "cookie." They have nothing to do with rodents or baked goods. A verb that we use every day, "access," was first entered in dictionaries in 1973. And they added a specific reference to computers was in 1993. These words may not make headlines, but they're just as important as words that are newly coined.

We've shown you the 100 New English Words. But, most words don't start off in dictionaries around the world. Some of these new international words we use in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and the UK (and even in non-English speaking countries) originate from slang or popular usage.

Slang words or phrases develop over time. Some die out because nobody uses them anymore. Others don't get used because people move on to a new slang word. Sometimes, slang words are so popular that they are absorbed into the common language. So, that's how language grows and evolves over time. New words are added to the dictionary. At the same time, old ones disappear. What about new slang words in 2019 and 2020? Check them out.

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List of 100 New English Words & Phrases | Updated 2020

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A new English word gets into a dictionary when it is used by many people. And all these people agree that it means the same thing. New words are used in conversation first. One person uses a word, then others pick it up. As a result, its use spreads.

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5 ways to improve your English by yourself

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5 ways to improve your English by yourself

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Five ways to improve your English by yourself

Shivali Nayak and Allison Chan, ABC Education

Posted Thu 26 Oct 2017, 11:51am

Updated Tue 30 Jan 2018, 9:42am
https://www.abc.net.au/education/learn-english/five-ways-to-improve-your-english-by-yourself/9085604

Learning English by yourself can be a challenge but it is possible. There are ways you can improve your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills — even though there is no-one physically around you to help you practise.

Virginia Lang, an Australian English teacher, shares her tips on improving your English by yourself:

1. Place labels around your home

Whether it be grammar or vocabulary, memorisation is a part of learning English. Memorisation can also be hard and boring, so Virginia Lang has a number of creative solutions for students.

"Get post-it notes and label everything in your house. Every time you associate that object with the word, you’re more likely to remember it."

English has a number of grammar rules, which students often find difficult to remember.
"You can put them in a place where you’re going to spend a lot of time — possibly the bathroom or your bedroom — where you can remind yourself of those rules," says Virginia.

"It’s one thing to learn it; it’s another thing to retain it."

You can write vocabulary and grammar rules on post-it notes and put them up around your home.

2. Start a blog

Starting an online blog or journal can be a simple (and free) way to develop you writing skills.

"Start small. Maybe start with some photos and a caption."

Once you have become comfortable with small writing tasks, such as captions, you can then move onto sentences and then hopefully paragraphs.
Virginia also suggests that you find ways to proofread or edit your writing: "You can use spellcheck, you can check it yourself, you can get another English speaker to help you."

You can start a blog by yourself and improve your English at the same time.

3. Change your phone settings

We all use our phones and other devices (such as laptops or computers) multiple times a day.

Virginia advises students to change the default language settings on their devices and apps to English.

"It forces you to think in English all the time."

"It will help you to improve more quickly," explains Virginia.

Could you still use the apps on your phone if they were all in English?

4. Read for interest

Reading is an important skill and it also helps your writing skills as well. In order to sustain your learning, Virginia recommends connecting reading with your passions.

"Read something you’re interested in. If you’re into sport, read a sports magazine."

When you read, do it actively and consider the tools that you can use while reading.

"Highlighters are great for highlighting new words that you don’t know. Have a good online dictionary or have a good paper dictionary as you’re reading, so you can check the definition and put it to memory as well," suggests Virginia.

Reading English articles and magazines on topics that interest you.

5. Write summaries

Listening to podcasts and watching videos and television in English are all useful ways to improve your English by yourself. Virginia recommends extending your learning by either writing down or saying aloud summaries of what you have heard or watched.

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Learning English by yourself can be a challenge but it is possible. There are ways you can improve your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills - even though there is no-one physically around you to help you practise.

Virginia Lang, an Australian English teacher, shares her tips on improving your English by yourself:

1. Place labels around your home

Whether it be grammar or vocabulary, memorisation is a part of learning English. Memorisation can also be hard and boring, so Virginia Lang has a number of creative solutions for students.

"Get post-it notes and label everything in your house. Every time you associate that object with the word, you're more likely to remember it."

English has a number of grammar rules, which students often find difficult to remember.
"You can put them in a place where you're going to spend a lot of time - possibly the bathroom or your bedroom - where you can remind yourself of those rules," says Virginia.

"It's one thing to learn it; it's another thing to retain it."

2. Start a blog

Starting an online blog or journal can be a simple (and free) way to develop you writing skills.

"Start small. Maybe start with some photos and a caption."

Once you have become comfortable with small writing tasks, such as captions, you can then move onto sentences and then hopefully paragraphs.
Virginia also suggests that you find ways to proofread or edit your writing: "You can use spellcheck, you can check it yourself, you can get another English speaker to help you."

3. Change your phone settings

We all use our phones and other devices (such as laptops or computers) multiple times a day.

Virginia advises students to change the default language settings on their devices and apps to English.

"It forces you to think in English all the time."

"It will help you to improve more quickly," explains Virginia.

4. Read for interest

Reading is an important skill and it also helps your writing skills as well. In order to sustain your learning, Virginia recommends connecting reading with your passions.

"Read something you're interested in. If you're into sport, read a sports magazine."

When you read, do it actively and consider the tools that you can use while reading.

"Highlighters are great for highlighting new words that you don't know. Have a good online dictionary or have a good paper dictionary as you're reading, so you can check the definition and put it to memory as well," suggests Virginia.

5. Write summaries

Listening to podcasts and watching videos and television in English are all useful ways to improve your English by yourself. Virginia recommends extending your learning by either writing down or saying aloud summaries of what you have heard or watched.

"Summarising what you're learning is a great skill. It's quite a difficult thing to do as well."
Learn English Hacks is a Facebook Live series featuring Australian teachers where they discuss challenges learners face and how to overcome them. For daily English language lessons and tips, like our Learn English Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Five ways to improve your English by yourself

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Learning English by yourself can be a challenge but it is possible. There are ways you can improve your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills - even though there is no-one physically around you to help you practise.

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7 Creative Ways to Learn English Offline

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7 Creative Ways to Learn English Offline

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7 Creative Ways to Learn English Offline
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/learn-english-offline/
Experiment with these activities. Your learning success also depends on how well you match your offline learning activities to your individual learning style. Not sure what your learning style is? This article identifies 13 different learning styles and the activities that work best for each one.

1. Start a Vocabulary Log
This is a great offline learning technique for people who are visiting or studying in an English-speaking country. With a vocabulary log, you can turn everyday experiences into language learning opportunities.
Every day, you’ll encounter unfamiliar vocabulary. Make it a practice to quickly write the word or phrase in a small journal or notebook. Then, every evening, spend some time looking up the definitions of the words and phrases. Record those definitions in your journal.
There’s strong evidence that the act of physically writing something helps us to remember it, so your vocabulary log should help you quickly memorize these new words. The best part of this method is that you’ll end up with a personalized dictionary with vocabulary that’s relevant to your experiences.
Take this one step further and create flashcards for additional practice (here are some free flashcard templates that you can print out).

2. Take Advantage of the “Offline Learning” Mode on Your Apps
If you like using online English learning apps, you can get some “off screen” time by taking advantage of the “offline” mode. For apps where this mode is available, it’ll allow you to listen to audio lessons, stories or dialogues even if you aren’t connected to the internet. You can use this when you’re out for a walk or commuting to work. For example:

Duolingo made an offline learning mode available in 2013, offering most of the app’s functionality without an internet connection.
The learning website and app 50Languages also offers MP3 audio files that can be downloaded and shared on any device.

FluentU offers awesome, authentic English audio dialogues for offline listening.
You’ll get to hear how English is used by native speakers, along with dedicated lessons on English vocabulary and grammar. Just download and listen while you’re driving, doing chores or hanging around the house! You can also download PDF transcripts of FluentU’s videos and audios for further offline learning.

3. Join a Meetup or Conversation Group
Take a courageous leap toward language immersion! Too often, fear of embarrassment holds us back from using a new language in real-life scenarios.

At the same time, real-life scenarios often provide the most effective and meaningful places to learn, as any new phrases that you learn are connected to a situation or context that is relevant to your life.

The only way to get over the fear of embarrassment is to practice. If you join a conversation group, you’ll be able to interact with others who are also making mistakes and learning from them.

How do you find English conversation groups? Here are a few tips:

Public libraries often organize language exchange groups.
Look for groups on Meetup or on social media (local Facebook events are often a good place to start) by searching for an English conversation group. Use search terms like “Adult English Conversation Group,” “ESL Meetup” or “Language Exchange.”
Of course, you can always start your own! Recruit members for your conversation group by advertising at local coffee shops, bookstores and language schools. If you’re not sure what to talk about, start with a few simple small talk conversation topics.
You can also hire a local tutor or teacher to meet up with you. If you live in the United States, Wyzant is an excellent option for finding a local tutor or teacher online—then arranging a time and place to meet up in person. Since they’re professionals, they can teach you full English lessons. But they can also spend time with you having casual English conversations.

4. Start Reading English Books Regularly
Dedicate time to reading a real book—not just social media posts and quick online news articles. Reading an entire English book will increase your stamina—in other words, you won’t get overwhelmed or tired so easily the next time you try reading in English. This is especially important if you plan to study English in an academic setting.

You can increase your motivation with fun, exciting materials to read.

Reinforce your learning by marking unknown words and making your own vocabulary list as you go. You can take this activity to the next level by starting an English book club (either online or in-person) with other English learners to help you stay motivated.

5. Visit a Museum
Wherever you are, museums generally have information provided in English. Challenge yourself to read the English descriptions. They’re often written in an accessible, straightforward way, so they’re a good resource for learners. Plus, with pictures and physical examples to guide your understanding, you’ll be surprised to see how much you can understand!

You can always compare with the museum descriptions written in your own language if you need some help.

6. Download English Music for Offline Listening
That’s right! There are plenty of popular English songs that are great for learning the English language. Using music is a powerful way to learn English, because matching the vocabulary with a familiar tune can help you memorize it more easily. The repetition in music makes its a good resource for practicing specific vocabulary or particular grammar structures.

Have a look at a few popular English songs that are excellent choices for learning English vocabulary and grammar. To download for offline listening, here are some options:

Spotify Premium lets you download thousands of songs on up to three devices.
YouTube Red also lets you easily download songs if you’re a member.
Of course, you can always go the old-fashioned route and get CDs or records!

7. Play a Board Game
Board games create an environment where you can focus on specific vocabulary and grammar structures. There are usually key phrases that need to be repeated throughout the game, which can teach you important English words and phrases (for example, “go fish” in the game Go Fish! or “do not pass Go, do not collect $200” in Monopoly).

If you already have a favorite game, challenge yourself (and a few friends) to play it in English. Here’s a list of fun board games that work well for reinforcing your English practice.

Whatever you do, it’s never too early (or late!) to start the habit of learning offline.

Offline learning isn’t always easy, but it’s a surefire way to improve your language skills—and you’re likely to improve your social life as well!

With these offline learning ideas, you’re ready to create your own personal curriculum to keep learning English unplugged and off the grid!

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Want English skills that don't need an internet connection?

Want to talk clearly and understand English speakers IRL (in real life)?

If you're hitting that moment in your online English studies when your eyes begin to glaze over, and you realize you've been reading the same sentence over and over again, it's time to turn off your Wi-Fi connection.

Although there are countless web-based English resources that provide many benefits to language students, online learning isn't the only way to get fluent.

There's a wide selection of creative English learning offline activities you can do that are also convenient, inexpensive and relevant.

Some of them still even involve your favorite language apps!

Let's take a look at why offline learning can be valuable for English learners, plus seven creative ways you can incorporate it into your life.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Why Make the Effort to Learn Offline?

With online resources constantly available at your fingertips, why make the effort to learn English offline?

For one thing, while online learning can be incredibly helpful for language learners all over the world, it's won't necessarily make you fluent on its own.

Educators, researchers and learners are all researching whether it's possible to successfully learn a language just online -the answer is still uncertain. Some view the lack of real-world, human interaction in online learning as a barrier to fluency.

That's why it's important to diversify your learning tools and make sure you're getting some offline time along with those language learning apps and websites.

What Are the Benefits of Offline Learning?

Offline interactions can provide a sense of connection with other people who speak your target language. Real-world conversations can also provide exposure to important body language and nonverbal cues that accompany language.

Physical learning experiences reinforce your memory by linking new phrases with experiences and relevant context.

Freedom from the internet eliminates problems with connectivity and other technical difficulties.

Experiment with these activities. Your learning success also depends on how well you match your offline learning activities to your individual learning style. Not sure what your learning style is? This article identifies 13 different learning styles and the activities that work best for each one.

1. Start a Vocabulary Log

This is a great offline learning technique for people who are visiting or studying in an English-speaking country. With a vocabulary log, you can turn everyday experiences into language learning opportunities.

Every day, you'll encounter unfamiliar vocabulary. Make it a practice to quickly write the word or phrase in a small journal or notebook. Then, every evening, spend some time looking up the definitions of the words and phrases. Record those definitions in your journal.

There's strong evidence that the act of physically writing something helps us to remember it, so your vocabulary log should help you quickly memorize these new words. The best part of this method is that you'll end up with a personalized dictionary with vocabulary that's relevant to your experiences.

Take this one step further and create flashcards for additional practice (here are some free flashcard templates that you can print out).

2. Take Advantage of the "Offline Learning" Mode on Your Apps

If you like using online English learning apps, you can get some "off screen" time by taking advantage of the "offline" mode. For apps where this mode is available, it'll allow you to listen to audio lessons, stories or dialogues even if you aren't connected to the internet. You can use this when you're out for a walk or commuting to work. For example:

FluentU offers awesome, authentic English audio dialogues for offline listening.

You'll get to hear how English is used by native speakers, along with dedicated lessons on English vocabulary and grammar. Just download and listen while you're driving, doing chores or hanging around the house! You can also download PDF transcripts of FluentU's videos and audios for further offline learning.

When you're back on Wi-Fi, you'll have access to FluentU's library of native English videos.

FluentU takes real-world videos-like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks-and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

Unlike traditional language learning sites, FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the English language and culture over time. You'll learn English as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a variety of engaging content from popular talk shows, nature documentaries and funny commercials, as you can see here:

FluentU makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you'll see this:

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you're learning and recommends examples and videos to you based on the words you've already learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they're learning the same video.

You can start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, by downloading the app from the iTunes or Google Play stores.

3. Join a Meetup or Conversation Group

Take a courageous leap toward language immersion! Too often, fear of embarrassment holds us back from using a new language in real-life scenarios.

At the same time, real-life scenarios often provide the most effective and meaningful places to learn, as any new phrases that you learn are connected to a situation or context that is relevant to your life.

The only way to get over the fear of embarrassment is to practice. If you join a conversation group, you'll be able to interact with others who are also making mistakes and learning from them.

How do you find English conversation groups? Here are a few tips:

Public libraries often organize language exchange groups.

Look for groups on Meetup or on social media (local Facebook events are often a good place to start) by searching for an English conversation group. Use search terms like "Adult English Conversation Group," "ESL Meetup" or "Language Exchange."

Of course, you can always start your own! Recruit members for your conversation group by advertising at local coffee shops, bookstores and language schools. If you're not sure what to talk about, start with a few simple small talk conversation topics.

You can also hire a local tutor or teacher to meet up with you. If you live in the United States, Wyzant is an excellent option for finding a local tutor or teacher online-then arranging a time and place to meet up in person. Since they're professionals, they can teach you full English lessons. But they can also spend time with you having casual English conversations.

4. Start Reading English Books Regularly

Dedicate time to reading a real book-not just social media posts and quick online news articles. Reading an entire English book will increase your stamina-in other words, you won't get overwhelmed or tired so easily the next time you try reading in English. This is especially important if you plan to study English in an academic setting.

You can increase your motivation with fun, exciting materials to read.

Reinforce your learning by marking unknown words and making your own vocabulary list as you go. You can take this activity to the next level by starting an English book club (either online or in-person) with other English learners to help you stay motivated.

5. Visit a Museum

Wherever you are, museums generally have information provided in English. Challenge yourself to read the English descriptions. They're often written in an accessible, straightforward way, so they're a good resource for learners. Plus, with pictures and physical examples to guide your understanding, you'll be surprised to see how much you can understand!

You can always compare with the museum descriptions written in your own language if you need some help.

6. Download English Music for Offline Listening

That's right! There are plenty of popular English songs that are great for learning the English language. Using music is a powerful way to learn English, because matching the vocabulary with a familiar tune can help you memorize it more easily. The repetition in music makes its a good resource for practicing specific vocabulary or particular grammar structures.

Have a look at a few popular English songs that are excellent choices for learning English vocabulary and grammar. To download for offline listening, here are some options:

Of course, you can always go the old-fashioned route and get CDs or records!

7. Play a Board Game

Board games create an environment where you can focus on specific vocabulary and grammar structures. There are usually key phrases that need to be repeated throughout the game, which can teach you important English words and phrases (for example, "go fish" in the game Go Fish! or "do not pass Go, do not collect $200" in Monopoly).

If you already have a favorite game, challenge yourself (and a few friends) to play it in English. Here's a list of fun board games that work well for reinforcing your English practice.

Whatever you do, it's never too early (or late!) to start the habit of learning offline.

Offline learning isn't always easy, but it's a surefire way to improve your language skills-and you're likely to improve your social life as well!

With these offline learning ideas, you're ready to create your own personal curriculum to keep learning English unplugged and off the grid!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos.
Experience English immersion online!

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7 Creative Ways to Learn English Offline

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Want English skills that don't need an internet connection? Want to talk clearly and understand English speakers IRL (in real life)? If you're hitting that moment in your online English studies when your eyes begin to glaze over, and you realize you've been reading the same sentence over and over again, it's time to turn off your Wi-Fi connection.