10 FUN WAYS TO PRACTICE ENGLISH AT HOME
In today’s current situation, we are all spending more and more time at home. We’re working from home, spending the weekend at home, exercising at home… However, this doesn’t mean our English has to take the back seat! Read on for 10 easy ways to practice English at home!
- Read, read and read some more!
Yes, you are reading this blog post which is a step in the right direction, but one of the best ways to improve your English is by reading. If you’re a bookworm, you can find books in english either in shops around Barcelona ( the big book shops like Casa del Llibre and Laie have a great selection) or look online on Amazon or Book Depository is great and it has free worldwide shipping!
- Get surfing!
No, don’t worry, we don’t mean actually surfing, we mean surfing the web! If books aren’t your thing, read articles online! It can be about anything you like, what interests you? It could be current affairs, music, sport or even celebrity gossip – if it interests you, reading in English will really help!
- Have a series or movie marathon!
Do you love watching series? Start watching in English! Start off with the audio in Original Version and with subtitles in your language, then as you get a bit more confident, switch the subtitles to English. Keep a notebook handy or use the Notes app on your phone to note down any vocabulary or phrases you don’t understand, and you can search it later or ask your teacher. That goes for movies too!
- Sing it out!
Do you count yourself as a music buff? Pick out your favourite songs (in English) and look at the lyrics online. Are there parts you don’t understand? Treat it like a reading assignment, note down words you don’t know and find the meaning. This is also a great way to practice pronunciation – soon you will be singing “this is the rhythm on the night” and not “esas son reeboks or son nikes?”…!
- Beat the boredom with board games
Playing board games with flatmates or family is a great way to get everyone involved. Board games like Scrabble and Pictionary are ideal, but even playing Cluedo or Monopoly in English will do the trick!
- Get chatting!
Just because you can’t meet with your English classmates IRL, doesn’t mean you can’t chat with them! Swap phone numbers and video call each other! Or have a Zoom meeting! Why not jump on the quiz bandwagon and have a Zoom quiz night in English?
- Don’t worry, be APPy!
There are a lot of great apps out there to keep your English ticking along nicely. For example, DuoLingo is ideal for beginners learning vocabulary and basic grammar in a fun way.
- Get busy in the kitchen
If there is one thing we all learnt this year is either a) what amazing or b) what terrible bakers and cooks we are!! If you’re the former then roll up your sleeves and whip up some delicious British recipes. The BBC Good Food website is great, with classic dishes such as Shepherd’s Pie or Victoria Sponge. And, if you’re the latter, well, make a cup of English tea and buy some Walkers Shortbread from El Corte Inglés…
- Have a hoot with Kahoot
Nothing says a fun night like some friendly competition! Now I know what you’re thinking, isn’t Kahoot just for the classroom? Well why not use it at home? Connect it to the TV, find a fun quiz theme and the whole family can get involved!
- Learn online with Oxford
Finally, the tips above will only get you so far, it’s important to join your online classes! If you’re not a student already, what are you waiting for? Enroll to a course here!
GLOSSARY – what does that mean?!
- Takes the back seat – to become less important
- Bookworm – somebody who loves to read
- To surf the web – to browse the internet
- Music buff – somebody who loves music
- Do the trick – be sufficient for
- IRL – acronym for “in real life”
- The former and latter – former is the first of two things mentioned, and latter is the second
- A hoot – something fun
