Using the Internet to learn English

Tips and useful websites

Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash

Hello everyone!

The Internet is a fantastic resource for learning English! In fact, I don't think it has ever been so easy for people to learn from home. This post will give you some suggestions for how to use the Internet and some useful websites and apps to try.

I come from the generation who used the Internet before smartphones and apps came along! Most of this blog post is about things you can do without an app, just using your web browser, but a lot of these things have apps as well.

​1. Online lessons
If you can't have lessons face to face, find a teacher who can give you lessons on Skype, Zoom or another video chat service. Try a website like italki or verbling to find a teacher or tutor. (Please note: this is my affiliate link for italki, which means I get paid a small amount if you sign up with my link.)

2. Language partners
You can also use Messenger, Telegram or WhatsApp, for example, to practise with a friend. Alternatively, you could look for a language exchange partner. This is someone who wants to learn your language as well as help you with English. There are many websites and apps for this including italki, Tandem and the HelloTalk app. 

3. Music
Do you like music? Find a video of a song you like, perhaps on YouTube. Also, search Google for the lyrics (the words). Listen to the song and read the lyrics. Maybe even sing along! You could also try lingoclip.com. On this site, you listen to a song and fill in the missing words. Songs are good for listening practice and building your vocabulary but they are not so great for grammar.

4. Videos
YouTube has loads of videos made by teachers for students of English. The BBC Learning English videos are really good. Watch these but also watch anything in English, whether for students or not!

5. Free online dictionaries
Find a good online dictionary. If you want an English-only dictionary, I recommend Longman, Cambridge or Oxford. If you want to translate to and from your language, search for a good dictionary with Google (eg. "Korean English dictionary") but remember that some are better than others. Ask a friend what they would recommend. Collins is good for many European languages. Be very careful with Google Translate! It's OK if you know how to use it but it often gives only one translation when there are other possibilities. Don't use it to translate whole sentences or texts into English. It can sometimes cope with European languages but if you try it with some other languages, it will give you nonsense! I also like Word Reference.

6. Duolingo
Try Duolingo. I prefer the website to the app as it gives more challenging exercises. It's good for reviewing basic vocabulary and grammar up to a low intermediate or intermediate level. It's not good for developing speaking skills or for more advanced students. There are many other websites you could try, such as Busuu (which has some free content and some you pay for) or Rosetta Stone (which I think you have to pay for), but Duolingo is free.

7. Language settings
Change the default language on your phone, computer and social networking sites to English. You'll learn some new vocabulary this way!

8. So much free reading material
There is a lot of reading material online of course! Read the news (eg. BBC news), read blogs, or look things up on Wikipedia (in English of course). There's a simple English version of Wikipedia too. Read anything you like but the best thing to read is something that interests you! If your English is a low level, search for "easy English reading" on Google to find many websites, eg. News in Levels or Engoo Daily News. I always say that reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary.

9. Improve your writing
You can post writing online and get it checked. On italki, Busuu and HiNative, you can get feedback from a native speaker. Write & Improve by Cambridge English uses artificial intelligence to give you feedback.

10. Improve your grammar
If there is a particular grammar point that you want to practise, search for it online and you can find many websites with information and exercises, such as the British Council website.

11. Review vocabulary
Use Quizlet or other similar sites and apps to review vocabulary. You can make your own sets of flashcards or search for a set that somebody else has made.

12. Online courses
Look for online language courses on websites like FutureLearn or Udemy. Futurelearn has some great courses written specifically for learners, including courses about IELTS, culture and English for Work. If your English is advanced, why not take a course on another subject but in English.

You might like this post as well about useful apps for learning English.

I hope you found something useful in this post about how the Internet can help you learn English.

See you next week!

Katie

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Thanks for reading my Substack post! I’m Katie Salter and I teach British English online.

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