Hi, I'm Arnel from Arnel's Everyday English and, I'm going to give you 20 tips to improve your English
when you're alone. At the end of this video, I'm going to give you some homework. So keep watching!
Tip number one: You need to have mini goals.
Mini goals you can divide up every week. Keep a record,
so as you continue in your studies,
you can see what am I doing? Do I need to do more of something? You have something very visual.
You need to visualize what you've been doing in English.
Mini goals and visualize!
Tip number two: You need a
book. This can be a grammar book, a vocabulary book, or
an exam preparation book. If you don't have a teacher, if you're alone,
you need a book.
Study one unit at a time and do it step by step.
Don't get discouraged see what you can do. There's always the answers at the back. You can check yourself.
Give it a try. Tip number two
was get a book, that brings us on to tip number three: Use YouTube!
Once you study something from a book you can confirm the information by watching a video. There's so much great content online.
Use that to help assist you from what you've already studied.
Use YouTube,
there's great material out there.
Tip number four: Use everything you've learned from tip number two and tip number three
to write example sentences. Use the grammar, use the vocabulary.
You don't need to be 100% Correct. You need to get comfortable. The more comfortable
you are, the more confidence you have
the more you practice, the more you improve.
Number five: Watch TV and films with subtitles!
Never feel guilty about using subtitles. They're excellent. You can see new vocabulary,
you can see grammatical structures. Use subtitles and enjoy the film.
Tip
number six:
Decide whether you're going to study with English or relax with English.
It's very important you separate the two. If you want to watch a film and
relax, watch a film and relax.
If you want to study pause the video whenever you can, look at the subtitles, have your dictionary ready!
You don't want to combine the two. Are you relaxing? Or are you studying?
Make sure it's clear. Tip number seven: is very closely related to tip number six,
this time with the reading. If you're reading, are you trying to relax? Or are you trying to study?
If you try to combine the two you can get frustrated. Separate them,
and you'll have more fun.
Number eight: Do things you enjoy in English. If you like cooking,
use a recipe that's in English. If you like sports, watch sports with English commentary.
Do things you love and you really enjoy,
switch it to English, and you'll enjoy studying a lot more! And it won't really feel like you're studying.
Number nine:
Change your phone and PC settings to English.
I'm sure you're always on your phone and you're always looking at some type of screen. Make sure the settings are in English.
It's an easy way to boost your vocabulary and to become more familiar and comfortable with English!
Okay, number ten: How are you feeling?
Keep a diary.
Write what you do every day. If you do the same things every day with your job and your friends,
challenge yourself. Try to write about specific things. Did you see someone interesting at a bus stop?
Did your coffee taste a bit strange when you were in a cafe?
Challenge yourself and write in your diary every day. The English does not need to be perfect.
Get familiar.
Eleven: Start to learn phrase level vocabulary. You don't really want to learn word-for-word.
For example,
take a nap,
It's up to you, on a number of occasions.
Start to memorize vocabulary in phrases.
That's a very natural way to do it and they'll make learning prepositions and different grammatical structures easier.
Phrase level vocabulary.
Tip number twelve: Record yourself speaking. I know it's not very nice hearing your own voice,
but it's one way to improve your English.
Speak about anything. It can be a friend. It can be a film you watched. It can be about
pineapples. Speak for one minute, record yourself.
Can you self correct? Do you notice any errors? How's your pronunciation? How's your intonation?
Use a recorder as a tool. Tip number thirteen: Highlight things in newspapers and magazines.
People don't really buy newspapers or magazines anymore, but you should. They're very cheap study materials. Get your highlighter
Highlight phrasal verbs, highlight the present perfect,
highlight new vocabulary.
Use these paper resources and be proactive.
Tip fourteen: Don't get distracted.
If you have things like your phone or the TV...
Just got a message...
It can stop you from doing what you're trying to do. If you're studying,
don't turn your phone on.
Don't have a TV on, don't have your PC on.
It's your time to study don't get distracted.
You're doing a very good job. We've done one through fourteen. Let's look at number fifteen.
Number fifteen: Be consistent. Do something English related every day.
You don't want to study for five hours in one day, and then don't do anything for the rest of the week.
Do something every day. If you're tired, stressed, or really busy,
only do five minutes.
That's good, be consistent,
step-by-step.
Sixteen: Be patient. It takes a long time to learn different things in English.
It takes a long time to understand prepositions, phrasal verbs,
tenses, present continuous, past continuous.
Everything takes time and it takes practice.
If you're more patient the less frustrated you get and the more comfortable you are studying.
Especially alone.
Tip number seventeen:
Be aware that at every level of English, you'll probably have a plateau. You might feel like you're not improving.
This is normal. Remember tip number fifteen, be consistent?
Keep going, and eventually you will reach that next level.
Eighteen: Take a break when you need a break. Okay!...
A break means something different for everyone.
Maybe you need a week with no studying. Maybe you need five minutes.
Take a break if you start to feel frustrated or you start to feel discouraged. Take that break,
relax, and continue fresher and
more motivated. Number nineteen:
Don't feel guilty about taking a break.
If you need a break really pause and don't think I should be studying now, I have my homework, I should be studying.
That's just causing more stress.
Don't feel guilty if you really need that break because that break is going to help you in the long run.
Tip number twenty: Don't forget maintaining is just as important as improving.
Keeping your level the same without losing a level is just as important as
improving your English.
There you go
20 tips
Hopefully you can incorporate them into your life. I'm so happy to have you here with me. Now it's time for your homework!
Here's your homework, in the description below there's a link to a free pdf.
This will help you get organized with your English and help you accomplish your goals.
Each sheet has your main objectives and mini objectives.
You need to write what you do every day,
tick the resources you've used, and add new vocabulary in the vocabulary box.
It's really important to keep a record of what you do in English.
Because after every week you might notice I do too much of this, I don't do enough of this
After a few weeks send me a message. Send me an email. Let me know how you're getting on.
I'm very curious and I can't wait to hear from you. I will see you soon in my next video!
Don't forget to follow me, I'm on
Facebook, I'm on Quora, I'm on Instagram, I'm on YouTube.
I cannot wait to see you you again!