Everyone knows that immersion is key to learning a language. But it’s not always an option, especially nowadays when you can’t exactly jump on on the next flight to another country.
Luckily, the internet provides plenty of opportunities to improve especially if you use an easy to remember method.
The method: pick a focus point for the day. It could be a verb tense, or vocabulary, or an idiom, or the way native speakers use tag questions (it’s a nice day, isn’t it?), etc.
You’re going to immerse yourself in the various media below and then wait for the focus point to come up.
Here’s how:
Podcasts: There are a huge number to choose from all over the web. Some specifically English-related podcasts are here: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/esl-english-podcasts/
But there are many all over the net for a wide variety of English.Plus, iTunes boasts many beginner to advanced level podcasts.
While listening to the podcast, when you hear the focus point come up, copy it into your digital or analog notebook. Practice it later – use it in other contexts – if it’s a verb tense, practice it with other verbs!
Watch movies: Same thing goes for movies and this one is easy because you can use the subtitles to help you catch new vocabulary or figure out contractions and the like.
Read newspapers online: Check out the app for Atlantic Monthly, the New Yorker, your local newspaper etc. Read articles on any topic that interests you and write down sentences or phrases that contain the focus point you’re working on.
At Omni we’re also big advocates of downloading scripts from TV shows and movies – there are a ton out there: https://www.simplyscripts.com/tv_all.html
Scripts contain language the way native speakers actually use it and therefore a great resource. You can also learn slang, unfamiliar expressions and up to date ways of using English. Good luck!
