Online English Skills

A Guide to
Perfecting Your
English Skills

Improve your speaking, listening, reading &

writing with this easy to follow guide written
by experienced native English teachers.

Becky Aspinall & Matthew Didonato

Online English Skills
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A Guide to Perfecting Your

English Skills

You’ve taken the step to downloading our

fantastic eBook – Here’s what you will find inside.

Part 1
How to improve your speaking & communication skills.

Part 2
How to improve your listening skills.

Part 3
How to improve your reading skills.

Part 4
How to improve your writing skills.

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Do you have problems when speaking &

communicating in English?
Don't worry, this eBook will help you!

Over the past few months we have been doing some

research by asking English learners from around the world,
what they find the most difficult when learning the English
language.

With this information we've gathered, we have used our

knowledge and experience as teachers and researched into
these problem areas, so we can help solve these problems
for English learners around the world.

As you can probably guess, one of the biggest problems we

found was speaking and communication.

If you follow our 8 useful tips, you will see a huge

improvement in your speaking and communication skills
within weeks.

So, here you go.....

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TIP 1
Don't worry about sounding like a native!

There are 400 million native English speakers in the world

and they all sound different. All you need to do is speak
clearly and confidently so people who speak English can
understand you.

TIP 2
Speak out loud!

When you can, try to speak out loud and talk about what you
are doing or speak about what you can see etc. (like a
running commentary). Also, speak out loud when you are
reading in English, any chance you have, try to say it out
loud!

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TIP 3

Slow down your speaking speed!

It is very important to be accurate and understood, so speak

slowly and clearly. The more you practise this, the faster you
will become.
When you are speaking in your mother tongue, it is very easy
for you to speak quickly and to be understood. Remember, in
another language this is much more difficult.

TIP 4
Learn sentences not just words

It is very easy to learn new vocabulary and have lists of

different words, the problem is how do you use them and in
what context?
So, when you learn a new word use it in a sentence and
repeat it to yourself so you can remember it.

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TIP 5

Give yourself time to think!

You must try to relax when people are speaking to you, take
your time to speak and try not to panic. People will be
patient with you and understand you are not a native
speaker.
When you are thinking about what to say you can use
different phrases for example;

 'that's a good question.’

 'well, I suppose.’
 'let me think for a moment.'
Learn more useful phrases to give you more time to think.

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TIP 6
Remember, listen to what others are saying

This sounds obvious, but many people don't listen in a

conversation because they are either thinking about what
they've just said or what to say next. You must listen to them
as they may use words or certain grammar you need later on.

TIP 7
Practise interrogatives

When having a conversation, you need to ask questions to

the other person or people. Remember it's a two-way
process!

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TIP 8
Produce, produce, produce

The best way to improve, is to practise and produce the

language you know. You can do this in many different ways
(via Skype, language exchange online, speak with friends,
Google plus etc.)
The best way to practise if you can, is to practise with native
speakers. This is the best practise you can get as they can
correct your mistakes, prepare you for an exam and help you
improve your pronunciation and also teach you new
vocabulary including slang and idioms.

If you are ready to commit and would like to improve your

speaking, then join our conversation classes via Skype and
speak with a native teacher.
You will be amazed in how quickly you progress with just a
few classes. Click here to learn more and book your
conversation class.

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How to improve your listening

skills.

We know how you feel, you have probably studied English for
quite a long time now. You can read, write and even speak,
but when you watch TV in English or listen to native speakers
you just can’t understand!

Why is it difficult to understand native speakers?

It's difficult because native speakers speak too fast, shorten

words, use too much slang and they don’t follow all the
grammar rules correctly. It’s probably the same in your
language too, right?

So, here are our most effective tips & strategies

to improve your listening ability!

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Tip 1
Listen to native English speaking podcasts and
online radio.

Podcasts are limitless and they are an excellent way to

expand your awareness of accents, new words and phrases.

Tip 2
Take advantage of online resources to develop
your listening skills.
Here's are some resources you should check out:
Fantastic mini video lessons which are proven to help your
listening comprehension:
http://www.onlineenglishskills.com/mini-lessons.html

www.esl-lounge.com/student/listening.php

www.breakingnewsenglish.com/listening.html

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixmi
nute/

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Tip 3
Learn the lyrics to your favourite songs.

Music is another excellent way to listen in English and it's

fun! Get the lyrics, read them and look up any new words
you don't know and make it a habit!

YouTube is a great resource for this!

Tip 4
Watch lots of TV and films in English (with and
without subtitles.)

Watch what interests you and try watching a TV series as

they are short. You may be able to get the transcripts online
too.

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Tip 5
The most important
 Make listening a fun daily habit.
 Whatever you do in life, to be good at something you
need to do it every day.

With these 5 easy to follow tips, you should now be on your

way to becoming a great listener!
Watch, listen and learn with our great mini video lessons –
try a video lesson now.

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5 simple steps to improving your

reading skills.

Reading in English is an important skill to develop because it’s

a great way to improve in different areas of your English.
Reading in English for just 10 minutes a day can help you
increase your vocabulary and make you become aware of
different sentence structures and the use of grammar.

There is an incredible amount of material to read online such

as newspaper articles, blogs, E-books and much more. So,
take ten minutes to read our guide to reading in English and
start improving your skills now.

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Tip 1
Find something to read

First of all, choose a topic that you are interested in whether

it's music, art, food etc. Next, make sure what you are about
to read is graded to your level of English because you don't
want to be reading material that is too difficult to understand
or too easy for you. Newspaper articles and blogs are a good
suggestion as these are shorter and less time consuming.
There are also plenty of these available online. (see resources
and the end of eBook.)

Tip 2
Use titles, headlines and images to gain
understanding.

Use the titles, headlines and the large print in the text to help
understand the context of the material you are reading.
Images can also help you visualise the context and this will
help you gain further understanding. Don't worry about
understanding every word as long as you get the general
meaning of the material.

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Tip 3
Make notes on new words or phrases.

Reading varied material can help improve your vocabulary as

you are constantly being introduced to new words and
phrases. It's a good idea to take note of these and expand
your vocabulary. Why not use a dictionary to look up
unfamiliar words! Remember to record them for future
reference. There are many audio books available online,
where you can listen and read which can help you
with pronunciation of new words and phrases. (see
resources).

Tip 4
Make reading fun and make it a habit.

As we said earlier find a topic you are interested in and this

will make reading fun, and when things are fun, you tend do
them more frequently. Regular reading is the best way to
boost your vocabulary. Reading different words in various
contexts multiple times is the best way to learn their
meanings and correct usage.
Reading will also naturally improve your writing ability, at the
end of the day, learning to write is a very complex process.
But with enough reading, you will be able to learn these rules
for writing and you will naturally develop a feel for what
looks right. We would suggest to take at least 10 minutes a

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day for reading in English.

Tip 5
Read material twice.

It is very important to read things twice because when we

first read something we can miss information and not fully
understand the context of what it is we are reading. The first
time you read the material try not to worry about certain
words that you may not understand and just try to read for
the general gist. Then, the second time you read you can
highlight new words and vocabulary and look up their
definitions, this will increase your English vocabulary and
help you understand the material better.

Thank you for taking the time to read these tips and we’re
very confident they will help you improve your English skills.
We have created some great blogs for English learners to
read and learn about Great Britain.
Read our blogs here.

Useful resources where you can find reading material;

Oxford bookworms
English magazine
A2Z Home's Cool

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Start writing better in English

Many English students forget about writing in English as they

don't see it as an important skill to practise.

Well, it is just as important as reading, listening and speaking.

Writing in English can really help you to express yourself

more. You can use a variety of expressions, learn lots of new
vocabulary and also new phrases.

As well as speaking this gives you another way to

communicate with people in English, whether it's for an
exam, a job application, an email to a friend, to write a blog
or to chat on forums.

So here are some useful tips which you should follow to

improve your English writing!

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Tip 1
Plan

It is important to think about what it is you are writing and

what type of writing is required. Remember to also think
about who is going to read your writing.

Do you need to use formal or informal language?

Before you start writing you need to make some notes. For
example; if you are writing a letter; what is the reason for the
letter, is it a complaint, a letter to a friend, or a request etc.?
This will then help you to decide what form of writing you
need to be thinking about.

Tip 2
Make a rough copy

Once you have planned and made notes on your piece of

writing then it is a good idea to make a rough copy, making a
rough copy is a good idea because it gives you the
opportunity to go over any errors, such as spelling,
punctuation, grammar etc. and you can make changes where
necessary.
You should always check your first copy thoroughly before
making a final copy.

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Tip 3
Use a good dictionary and check your
punctuation.

Using a good English dictionary can be very helpful when you

are writing as you can check for spelling, check meaning of
words, find synonyms and also check the pronunciation of
words. Punctuation is very important when producing a
piece of writing, different templates for layouts can be found
online for emails, letters, stories etc. Ensure you use capital
letters at the beginning of sentences, make sure you use
commas and full stops correctly so your writing can be read
easily.

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Tip 4
Have somebody check or go over your work.

So, you have made a rough copy, checked for any errors and
used a good dictionary. Before you make your final copy it is
a good idea to have somebody take another look at your
work such as a teacher, a friend, a family member or even
someone online as they might find something you
overlooked and identify any other mistakes that you may
have missed. They can also give you a general opinion on
how it reads.
Now you have a solid piece of writing that has been checked
thoroughly and all mistakes identified, you are now ready to
make your final copy!

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Tip 5
Read more in English

Reading more in English can help you improve your writing,

as you will notice the different styles and formats of
writing. In fact, reading and writing work well together and it
is a good idea to make them part of your daily life. Make
writing fun and practise often, practise writing stories,
poems, review products etc. anything that you are interested
in.
Practise, practise, practise!

What you can do now?

Thank you for downloading and taking the time to read our
eBook from us at Online English Skills.
We are confident that if you follow & implement these useful
tips, you will most certainly improve your English skills.
If you would like to meet and speak with our experienced
teachers, who can work with you personally and help you
achieve your English goals. Click here book a trial
conversation class today!
We wish you all the best in your success here at Online
English Skills!

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