Showing posts with label vocabulary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vocabulary. Show all posts

How to improve your writing

Writing well in English can be a really useful skill to develop. Increasingly web-based communication for international business is done in English and much of that includes things like writing emails, reports and sending text messages.

Improving your writing in English can be challenging, especially if you don’t have a teacher to help you, but luckily there are some free web-based digital tool that can help you.


In this task we'll be looking at how you can use https://www.languagetool.org/ to help you.

Task

For this task you can use any existing text that you have written and see how you can improve it.

Improving your vocabulary

One tool that most good writers use is a thesaurus. This can help you to develop your vocabulary while you improve your writing. You can access the Macmillan Online Dictionary and Thesaurus for free at: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/


Just type in some of the words you are using in your text and you can check the to see what other words have a similar meaning. You can also check the pronunciation of the words. Just click on the speaker icon and you’ll be able to hear the word.

Finding and correcting errors

Of course it’s also important to get some feedback on your writing once you have finished it. LanguageTool https://www.languagetool.org/  is a free website you can use to check your spelling and grammar.

Just copy and paste your text into the field and then click on ‘Check Text’.

The site will highlight any spelling problems in pink and any possible grammar errors in yellow.


Click on the the highlighted word and you’ll see a suggestion for how to correct the error. You can then either use the correction, ignore it or find a link to check the grammar rule.

Once you’ve finished checking through your work you can simply copy and paste it back into your original document.

Using a tools like these regularly will help you to improve your English as well as developing your vocabulary and helping you to feel more confident about your written communication skills. 

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Nik Peachey- Pedagogical Director - PeacheyPublications Ltd
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Build your vocabulary while reading the news

Reading has and will probably always be one of the best ways to develop and broaden your vocabulary. By reading more you get more exposure to new words in context and develop the skill of learning what the words mean from their context.

Today's activity use a website which can help you speed up that process and also provide your with interesting reading materials at a level which is appropriate for you.

Task:

Go to http://knowble.eu/ and click to sign up.

Choose a username


Then click on 'Start knowble'. You can then register on the site. Once you have registered, you are given a short test with 40 test questions. This helps to find your level so that the site offers you texts at the appropriate level.
When you have finished the test, Knowble will find texts for you and sort them into five categories.
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Sport
  • Science

Just click on the heading that interests you most.

Then select an article. You will then see the article with words highlighted. You can get a definition and example pronunciation of the words by placing the cur or over the highlighted word. You can also select a support language to get translation and see examples of the word used in other contexts.
On the right side of the screen you also have a drag and drop activity using some of the words from the text, so you can check your understanding of the words before or after you read.
Knowble also creates a profile for you so you can revise the articles you have read and go back and check the words you have learned each time you log in.
Knowble is a great way to support the development of your reading skills and vocabulary learning. If you use the site regularly your reading and vocabulary are sure to improve.

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Nik Peachey
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Play Word Games to Improve Your Vocabulary

Having a wide vocabulary is really important to push the level of your English. This activity shows you how to push the level of your vocabulary and revise some of the words you already know while playing a simple online game similar to Scrabble.

In this task you'll also learn how to use an online tool to help you find new words to use your letters.

Task:

Go to: http://wordsquared.com/. You don't need to register, just click on 'Start Playing'

You will see your row of letters at the bottom of the screen. Choose any letter on the board that you can join your letters onto and make a complete word.
Drag the letters onto the board the click on 'Add Word'. If the word is correct it will be added to the board and you will get a score and some new letters.

The next word you make must join onto the previous one and you can only build on the words you have added. Each word you add increases your score.

If you can't think of a word, go to Scabble helper at: http://www.wineverygame.com/ Type in your letters and in either the 'Prefix' or 'Suffix' box type in the letter that you want to join onto from the board and click on 'View words'.

You will then see a list of possible words that you can make with your letters. Add the one you want, but be sure to check the meaning of the new word if you don't already know it.

Continue with the game until you have at least 100 points. Keep a list of any new words and their meanings as you play.

Try to play the game every day and build up your score and your vocabulary.
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Nik Peachey
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Create your own vocabulary tests

Developing your vocabulary is one of the quickest ways of improving your English, but remembering new vocabulary can take time and effort.


In this task you find out how to use an online dictionary to find synonyms and antonyms and how to use this to create your own interactive tests to help you remember the words.

Task:

Find an article that you are interested in or that you have recently studied. Choose some 8 or 10 the newer or more difficult words from the text.

Next got to: http://www.en.wrds.eu/user/create and register (it's free). You just need to create a user name and password and give an email address.
Sign in and then click on 'Create a new list'.

Give your list a title (it could be the title of the text the words come from) and then type your new words into the column on the left.

Now go to: http://www.synonym.com/. Here you can type in your new words then click to find synonyms, antonyms or definitions of the words.
Once you find the antonym etc, copy it into the column next to your new word on the Wrds site.


Once you have added all the words and definitions, click on 'Save' and then click on 'Test'.



You can the choose the type of test you would like to take. The tests vary so try them all.



Each time you come back to the site you can add more word lists and revise old ones. You can even share lists you have created with friends. I hope you find this a useful way of revising your vocabulary.

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Nik Peachey
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Learn to Put Your Make Up on in English

YouTube offers you so many opportunities to learn English and also to learn how to do new things, learn how to do things better or teach others how to do things.

In today's activity we'll look at some 'home' produced YouTube channels and learn a bit more about how to use make up and other cosmetics and develop your vocabulary in this area. We'll also look at how you can enter into a dialogue with the people who create the videos.

Task:
  • You are going to watch 3 short videos showing you how to apply make up. The first video is by Andrea and has no words, just text and images. Pause the video to make notes of any new words you see in the text.

  • Now look at the new words you noted down and check to find a definition for them on this site: Make Up USA Vocabulary.
  • Just click on the word to the left of the screen and you will find images of the kinds of products in the video.


  • Now that you have a bit more vocabulary, you can watch this second video and listen as Michelle Phan describes how she puts on her make up.



  • The vocabulary in these videos and the range of accents can be very challenging, but if you watch and listen to a number of different ones you will find they become easier to understand, and if you do have a problem with understanding some of the things that they are saying or doing, remember that you can leave a comment or ask a question by going to the video on YouTube.
  • Here's one more video for you to watch. In this one Elle describes the make up used in the 'Blockbuster' movie 'Twilight'.




One of the great things about people who produce these kinds of videos is that they welcome communication with the people who watch their videos, so you can either go to their channel on YouTube and send them a comment or question or you can follow them on Twitter and see what they have to say and ask them questions.
I hope you enjoy watching these videos, learn a little more vocabulary and have some practice at understanding different US accents.

Here you can find more video based activities for EFL ESL students

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Nik Peachey
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Learn About Science in English

Learning English can help to make knowledge available to you in so many fields of study, especially science. So today's task looks at how you can learn more about science and improve your listening, reading and vocabulary at the same time.


This is quite a challenging task, so I'm also going to include a link to a dictionary site called Ninjawords which will help you.

Task:

  • Choose one to listen to. Here are some suggestions.
  1. The Myth of Multitasking
  2. Movie Magic (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs), Part 1
  3. Fish Shrink to Beat Heat
  • Get a pencil and some paper ready, turn up your volume and click the small button to play the audio. As you listen try to make notes about some of the facts. You can listen two times if you are finding it difficult.

  • Now scroll down the page and you will see the text that you heard. Read it and check how much of the information you noted down was correct. It may also help to listen again as you read.



  • Once you made notes about the new words listen to the podcast once more and this time try to read along copying the pronunciation of the speaker if you can.

If you are really interested in science and you found this activity useful then you can subscribe to the podcast using i-tunes or download the audio to your computer and print a copy of the text. This will be useful for revising the texts in a few days time.


Spending just a few minutes each day doing this activity will help to improve your listening, reading and vocabulary, so why not give it a try?

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Nik Peachey
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Images for Vocabulary Revision

Vocabulary is the key to expressing yourself well in any language and the key to learning and improving your vocabulary is constant revision. Luckily there are lots of sites which can help to make this easier and more fun.


Today's activity is based around the PhotoMunchrs website that combines words and images into a simple game.

Task:



  • To play the game you simply use your arrow keys to go to images that are connected with the word. Each time you find an image press the space bar.
  • If you are correct the image will disappear and you will score a point. If you are wrong you will loose one of your 3 lives.


  • You will have to find 7 example images to move to the next level and a new word.
Good luck. I hope you enjoy this game. You can find more activities to improve your vocabulary here.

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Nik Peachey
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Find Idioms in Everyday Language

The English language has a huge number of idioms and this number seems to be constantly growing. You have to be careful how and when you use these idioms, as many are used in very specific contexts.


Today's activity will help you discover how and where new idioms are used.

Task:

  • Go to the IdiomSite at: http://www.idiomsite.com/. Here you will see an index of idioms. You can either scroll down the idioms or select a letter from the alphabet.


  • The idiom site tells you what each idiom means, but it is really useful to find out how these are used in context.
  • Go to: http://www.americancorpus.org/ and click enter. Type in your idiom to the 'Words' field then click on 'Search' You will then see the idiom appear on the right.


  • Click on the idiom and you will get a list of example sentences that use the idiom.


  • If you click on the source of the sentence, you will be able to see it in a complete paragraph.

  • This is a great way to find examples of idioms in use that you can copy and add to your vocabulary notes. Try to find 4 new idioms each day along with an example for each one.
I hope you enjoy this activity and it helps you to learn and remember new idioms. Here you can find more vocabulary activities.

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Nik Peachey
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Find Words that Express Your Thoughts

There are times when you know what you want to say, but you just don't know the right word in English. This can be very frustrating, but it is good to practice explaining the words you want so that you can get the word you want.
Today's activity will look at a website called OneLook Reverse Dictionary which can help you with this. You can also practice using the site by doing an online crossword puzzle.

Task:
  • To try out the OneLook Reverse Dictionary got to: http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml
  • Type in the definition for a word (e.g. 'a bird tat can swim') and see if what the dictionary offers you. You will get a list of related words and the most likely matches will come first (my example got 'duck' at 3).

  • Click on the words and you will find definitions and examples of pronunciation.



  • Find a word that matches the number of letters for the clue and then type it in.


  • Soon you will be solving crossword puzzles, developing your vocabulary and developing your ability to explain words in English rather than relying on translation.
I hope you enjoy this activity. Here you can find more vocabulary building activities.

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Nik Peachey
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Revise your Vocabulary with Images

Sometimes you know the word you want to use, but you just can't say it when you are in a situation that is putting you under pressure. This can be very frustrating.

So today's activity is going to use a timed image game to put you under some pressure to recall your vocabulary.

Task:


  • You will be paired with another person to play the game. You will then see a series of images. When the images appear you have to type as many words as you can to describe the image.
  • For this image, you could type a variety of word like, bird, fly, sky, soar etc.
  • You will get point every time your word is the same as your partner. Try to score as many points as you can.
  • At the end of two minutes, you can see the images again and see the words your partner suggested.
  • This is a great way to revise your vocabulary and put yourself under pressure to remember words. You can easily play this for a few minutes every day to improve your ability to recall vocabulary.
I hope you enjoy it. Here you can find more vocabulary activities

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Nik Peachey
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