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Today it’s time to ask yourself not the question “Why do I need to learn English?”, but “Where to start learning English?” If you don’t know it yet. In this article, we tried to collect useful tips to give a clear answer. The information is aimed at those who are interested in independent study, but will be useful for all students in general.

Let's immediately agree that we will proceed from the fact that you already have a minimum level of English. So, no advice like "Learn the ABCs" or "First of all, understand the difference between a and the." So, here are the most important tips that you should heed if your level of English proficiency leaves much to be desired.

Learn the Basics

It would seem obvious, but the rule is rarely followed. Mainly because it seems humiliating. Get your ego out of the way and learn what is needed so you don't have to go back to the basics all the time.

Basic grammar

And the English language has eight basic parts of speech that can be used to form complete sentences: noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, interjection, and conjunction.

There are much more temporary forms than in Russian, but the main ones are enough for a confident start. And over time, you will see that the carriers themselves do not use all of them.

There are also basic points that you simply must know. For example, when should you use any and when should you use some? What is the difference between in, to, on and at?

Basic spelling

Even many native English speakers have spelling problems, what can we say about us? Very often words are not spelled the way they are pronounced. And there is no easier way to make progress here than by reading and writing.

Correct pronunciation

This is a task that many people like to put off until the last minute, focusing more on reading and writing exercises. But the problem is that it may be too late to relearn later. Start at least by pronouncing 100-200 words correctly.

Learn commonly used words

There are different opinions about how many words a beginner in English needs to learn: 200, 250, 300, 1000, 2000, 2500 or 5000. Here, rather, it's up to the time you have. But we recommend that you find several resources on the Internet with the most popular English words.

Many people think that this limits their ability, but this is not true. The main thing in the English language is by no means words, but constructions that can be built from them. Therefore, study what is necessary, bring their pronunciation and spelling to perfection, and then focus on grammar.

Memorize Irregular Verbs

This is the very bitter pill that must be swallowed and preferably as soon as possible so as not to waste your valuable mental energy and stop reproaching yourself.

It is believed that more than half of the mistakes that people make when using the English language are associated with the incorrect use of irregular verbs.

Many students talk about irregular verbs with fear or hatred for several years. But why suffer when you can memorize them in a few days and just use them when you need them?

translate books

Of course, you should not take on Galsworthy or Joyce. Take what is simpler, you can even adapted.

Here are some other benefits of reading and translating literature:

• Improves spelling: the spelling of some words in English does not lend itself to any logic. It's best to just remember them. And if the book is also interesting, then this process turns into an exciting game.
• Increases vocabulary: this will inevitably happen. Yes, a small part will be forgotten after some time, but many of them will be engraved in memory and will remain there forever.
• Helps to study collocations - grammatically and lexically correct phrases. For example, English speakers say "high temperature" rather than "tall temperature". The exercises are good and useful, but if you also translate the book and see specific live examples, learning happens much faster.

Where to start? To get started, you need to take into account a few parameters:

• Year the book was written. It is probably not worth reading 16th century literature if you are just starting to learn English. Start with something more modern.
• Text complexity. Take the book you want to read and translate. How many unfamiliar words are on one page? If more than 30%, then, perhaps, it is not yet time for her.
• Your age and level of knowledge. It is important to honestly tell yourself what level of English you are at, because many people take care when they take a book that is too difficult.
• Format. It can be an e-book or a paper book. Moreover, in the first case, it is desirable that there be a PDF format - with illustrations. Decide in advance how you will keep notes and notes.

Here is a list of fiction books that can be translated with a basic knowledge of grammar and a small vocabulary:

• "Theater" Somerset Maugham ("Theatre" Somerset Maugham).
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).
• "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway ("For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway).
• "Harry Potter" Joanne Rowling ("Harry Potter" Joanne Rowling).
• "The Catcher in the Rye" by Jerome Salinger ("The Catcher in the Rye" by Jerome Salinger).

What is the meaning of book translations? In the context. These are not isolated phrases from textbooks (although they are of great use). You can translate the book, then put it aside for a month, and then re-read it. It turns out that most of the words are already familiar, because they were repeated many times in the text in various situations.

Translation of a book is a complex and lengthy process. So be patient and get started. Experiment with genres to build up your vocabulary from different sources.

We also recommend that you translate movie scripts that you can download on the Internet without any problems. A huge amount of colloquial speech will help you learn idioms, slang and simply show which word is appropriate in which situation.

Make a study plan

Why is this advice given only now? Because in order to draw up a plan, you need to at least have a small idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhere to go. After all, you want to start learning English on your own, which means you need to collect all the necessary information.

A syllabus is usually a table where you determine what and when you will study. For example, on Monday it is grammar, on Tuesday it is pronunciation, on Wednesday it is vocabulary replenishment.

It is important to stick to the plan, no matter what happens. The main problem with most English learners is that they take "temporary breaks" that stretch out over several months. As a result, you have to repeat everything that you managed to forget. Therefore, you need perseverance, patience, discipline and motivation. They are included in the curriculum.

The following tips are not as voluminous as the previous ones, but can take a fresh look at learning English.

• Practice the four basic skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening. Many specialists in the teaching of English (as well as other languages) agree that these are four different worlds. You can learn to translate written text and even speak, but without understanding speech by ear, it will be very difficult.
• Keep a notebook for new words you are learning. Use them in sentences and try saying them three times before writing them down.
• Practice every day. Even if there is a lot of work and other things to do today, schedule at least 15-20 minutes. For example, repeat words or rules.
• Take our course on and. The first one will help you memorize words better using mnemonics, while the second one will give you a lot of valuable advice, especially for those who have just started learning.
• Constantly test yourself. This is the best way to consolidate knowledge.
• Create an environment where you want to learn, not forced to.
• Review what you have learned in the past regularly. Once a week, flip through all the grammar and words that you have learned so far.
• Do not rush to quickly move to the next level. This is the main problem of all beginners: without learning the basics, they choose Intermediate tutorials, and then make ridiculous mistakes.
• Newspapers and news sites are a great chance to look for passive designs.
• When working with text, read it first to get the general meaning. And only when you repeat write out words and phrases.
• If you find it difficult to remember a word, memorize the whole sentence at once. The advantage is also that it will be in context.
• When learning a new word, think about all its language forms: beautiful (beautiful), beauty (beauty), beautifully (beautiful).
• Use English wherever you can.
• Use stickers - it's a great way to memorize new words.
• Remember that if it is difficult for you, then you are on the right track. At this stage, you need to stop and spend as much time as necessary, and not jump to the next topic. Otherwise it will backfire in the future.

Services for learning English

We bring to your attention the most popular services for learning English. It should be said right away that you should not get hung up on one of them: combine several at once. After all, each service has both its advantages and disadvantages.

• Busuu. Developers have challenged the traditional way of learning that they have always found boring, difficult and costly.
• LinguaLeo. The service is built according to all the rules of gamification. It is considered one of the most voluminous resources in terms of the amount of information: video, audio and text. Basic functionality is free, but for a fee, you can expand the capabilities.
• Duolingo. The developers guarantee that the service will always be free. Each lesson has an element of play. For example, there are hearts: you lose them when you answer incorrectly. If they run out, you'll have to start over. The resource is ideal for beginners.
• learn english. This site is available in English, so it immediately raises the barrier to entry. Here are collected materials for learning English in different formats: games, lessons, chatting, etc.
• BBC English. A very popular and high-quality resource that allows you to learn living and modern English. Mass of materials, including video, audio and texts.
• Quora. On the site you can learn about the grammar of the English language, as well as about individual cases of using certain vocabulary. There is a large community ready to answer any, even the most stupid questions.
• Situational English. Despite the discreet design, the site provides very interesting information about what words and phrases are appropriate to use in different situations. For example, you can learn the slang used in business. Or find out what exclamations to use in a particular position.
• engvid. An excellent resource for those who already know how to understand at least a basic level of English by ear. You can watch a wide variety of videos in which teachers explain various grammar topics.

Books

If you are a big fan of books, even if you can't do without them, here are some works that may be useful:

• "You can't be taught English" Nikolay Zamyatkin. This book is a must for anyone who wants to succeed in learning English. The author is trying to destroy all the misconceptions that interfere with mastering a foreign language.
• Building your vocabulary Marvin Terban. Great textbook for learning new words. You can replenish your supply by playing a variety of games.
• «English vocabulary in Use». Level: Elementary. "Oxford Word Skills". Level: Basic. If you are taking your first steps in English, then you cannot do without these books. They will help to replenish the vocabulary with frequently used words through games and exercises.
• "Tree or Three?" Ann Baker. The sooner you start working on your pronunciation, the more success you will achieve. In this manual you will find diagrams showing the correct position of the organs of speech, as well as hundreds of exercises to practice the pronunciation of similar sounds.
• New English File. Level: Beginner. "New Total English". Level: Starter. « upstream". Level: Beginner. This list of three books is good because it allows you to work on all the skills at the same time. All textbooks are in English, but beginners should not be afraid of this, because the vocabulary in them is chosen as simple as possible, and the pictures help to understand the meaning of the task.
• English Grammar in Use(red, blue and green books) Raymond Murphy. The three books are respectively divided into Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced. This is a cult textbook that will suit both schoolchildren and students, as well as adults. According to the form of presentation of the material - a thematic reference book with exercises.
• Oxford Practice Grammar. There are three levels: Basic (Norman Coe, Mark Harrison and Ken Patterson), Intermediate (John Eastwood) and Advanced (George Yule). The guide is suitable for students of all ages. Each textbook has more than 100 lessons, each of which is aimed at studying one of the aspects of grammar. The theory is explained in great detail, there are many illustrations.
• "Grammarway". There are four levels: Basic Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate (all textbooks written by Virginia Evans and Jenny Dooley). Each manual contains from 12 to 20 lessons. The advantage is that there is a Russian-language version, and the manuals themselves have bright graphic content.
• "Round Up". There are six levels: Beginner Elementary, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Intermediate Upper-Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate. Textbooks boast a convenient structure of presentation of the material, the presence of a Russian version, simple explanations and vivid illustrations.
• "Collection of English Grammar Exercises" Krylova I. P., Gordon E. M. In it you will find various exercises on the course of modern English grammar. The material for the assignments are individual sentences and coherent passages from the works of Anglo-American authors of the 19th and 20th centuries.

And finally, one video in which the teacher tells how to start learning English. Humor and meaning are included.

We wish you good luck!

It is a known fact that the most popular language in the world is English. Knowing him, you can communicate with a resident of almost any country. All this is possible due to the fact that English is an international language and is spoken in 106 countries of the world. It is not difficult to guess that in order to be a successful person, you need to expand your language boundaries. Learning English from scratch is not so difficult if you know where to get the information from and how to use it. This article will help you learn everything you need to learn English on your own absolutely free.

Once you have realized the need to learn English, it's time to take action. Modern technologies of the 21st century allow you to learn a new language on your own without teachers. Thanks to the Internet, you can learn a language quickly and effectively. To do this, it is enough to find sites and video lessons in English, sign up for online courses or take online lessons. In addition, you can find a lot of material where English for beginners is intelligibly explained.

Before you start learning a language, you need to understand where to start learning.

If you have at least some long-forgotten English skills, then it will be easier to learn the language on your own. After all, if you once learned grammar and words, then you already have some basics of the English language and everything you need will pop up in your subconscious, you just have to start going through the program.

If you have never touched English or foreign languages, it does not matter. Find an English tutorial that you can understand. In such books, as a rule, basic rules and words are written, which are enough for a foreigner to understand your speech, and you can conduct an elementary dialogue.

If you are interested in a deeper and more effective study of the language, then here you will have to look for special literature or find a site on the Internet that tells how to learn English from scratch, for free. Such sources exist in large numbers, so learning a whole foreign language on the Internet will not be difficult and you can be sure that your knowledge will be at the level.

So, if you decide to learn English from scratch, this article will help you step by step to figure out how to organize your studies without involving expensive specialists and at the same time get up-to-date information about the language.

if desired, available to everyone at home

How to organize self-study in English?

How long do you plan to study English?

Learning English on your own is easier than you think. To begin with, determine how much you plan to study and for what period of time you plan to learn the language. Honestly decide for yourself, if you have enough superficial knowledge, then in 3 months it is quite possible to learn basic words and basic grammar. If you want to master an intermediate level of English, get ready to set aside 3 days a week for this for at least a year. And, of course, if your goal is to know English perfectly, then when you start learning English, get ready to practice the language every day, learn something new and improve your knowledge every year.

What do you need to learn a language?

Stock up on materials and tools depending on your needs. To learn the basics of English for tourism purposes, a self-instruction manual and a dictionary with basic words and phrases will be enough. If your goal is more global - you need a good and high-quality dictionary, a grammar book and various audio and video lessons in English. It is a well-known fact that communication with a native speaker is the best way to acquire speech skills. If you have the opportunity to communicate with a native English speaker, take advantage of it. Alternatively, watching English films without translation (subtitles are acceptable) or reading English fiction in the original is also suitable. Be sure to get a notebook in which you will write down new words and always have it with you so that you can repeat the words while in traffic, on the way to visit or at any other time.

Set yourself a goal

Once you decide what level of English you need and how much time you are ready to learn new words and rules, set yourself goals. By reaching each new small goal, you overcome the path of learning English from scratch step by step. Each new step is a new level for you. It will be relevant if you set yourself approximate deadlines:

1. Learn the entire alphabet in 2 weeks;
2. Learn the correct pronunciation in 3 weeks;
3. Learn the main tenses in 1 month (present, past and future);
4. Learn in 50 days the minimum vocabulary - 300 words or more;
5. Learn to make complete sentences in 1.5 - 2 months.

Schedule your classes

Once you have decided on all the main points, it's time to organize your work. Decide which day you study grammar when you watch instructional videos, solve tests, or read. At least you need to spend an hour of time studying, learn about 5 new words every day. On Saturday evening, watch episode 1 of your favorite English series without translation, believe me, this will help you a lot in learning the language. Over time, you can switch from TV shows to films, and there you can already start and read books in English.

Surround yourself with English

In addition to the specially allotted time for learning the language, it is necessary to fill the space around you with English speech and words. For example, hang leaflets with new words in the apartment, listen to the news in English (again, everything is available on the Internet). Find a foreign friend with whom you can chat every day on Skype or chat. There are special sites where oral and written practice of a foreign language is possible. If you have the opportunity to go abroad, where they speak English, for 1-2 months, this will be the most informative and interesting trip for you, as you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself entirely in the English atmosphere without creating it artificially.

will pass quickly and successfully if you learn to read English text, master vocabulary and grammar, listen to speech, learn to write and train pronunciation

Free websites and online programs for learning English from scratch

So, the Internet can be your main assistant in learning English. The main thing is to find useful sites and video courses and look at them daily, looking for new words, interesting videos and grammar rules. The program for learning English at home can be based on ready-made online courses, or you can combine watching helpful videos, reading books, and even using chat rooms to communicate with native speakers. You can learn English easily and quickly if you choose the way and method that you like. Below you will find various resources for learning English from scratch, from which you can choose what you like best.

Learning to read correctly and quickly in English

1. Reading English consonants - alphabet and sounds
2. Alphabet and Basics of Reading in English- video, part 1, basic knowledge;
3. "A" in a closed syllable, sh pronunciation and more- video, part 2, pronunciation of the article and some sounds;
4. Reading rules and pronunciation ar, are, air, y, e, ch- video, part 3, rules for reading complex sounds.

It is also good to read magazines (britishcouncil.org) in English aloud or silently. You can find any material that interests you.

Memorizing new vocabulary

So that new vocabulary is not hard labor for you, the best way is to download and install special applications for your phone in order to be able to learn vocabulary even outside the home, when you can just get your phone and not waste time in a traffic jam / subway / queue, but learn the language.

The channel will be useful for business negotiations Business English Pod.

Another good way to learn new words is to solve crossword puzzles from English words:

Listening to English speech

To understand English, it is important to listen to foreign speech as often as possible. These can be songs (lyrics.com), audio recordings and audio books (librophile.com). To constantly expand your vocabulary, it is useful to watch news in English (newsinlevels.com), foreign TV programs, films and series in English. But first, you should take a small online course on understanding English speech. YouTube will help you with this.

1. English with Jennifer. There is a special section on the page “understanding rapid English speech”, where in 20 lessons you can acquire good skills.
2. You can also use the link to the channel Real English, where you can find many videos of real people speaking English, each video has subtitles.
3. Another useful channel british council, where you can find a selection of educational cartoons with various situations in which people communicate in English.
4. No less useful would be comprehensive study of English with the BBC on the YouTube channel.

Learning and improving grammar

The main thing to learn is grammar. Tenses, verb forms, pronouns and much more can be learned using the English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy, which describes tenses, English verbs and sentence structure in a very accessible way. This tutorial can be easily found on the Internet and downloaded for free. Any free grammar books that you can download that you can understand will also work.

But you can learn grammar using any resource for adults and children. One of the most interesting ways for beginners is to subscribe to one of the YouTube channels:

Also, you can start learning English grammar on the following web resources:

And do not forget to solve English proficiency tests, some can be found here - englishteststore.net , begin-english.ru , english-lessons-online.ru .

We read adapted texts in English

Adapted texts are very useful when learning English, especially at a beginner level. You can download them. So, we learn to read and immediately understand the meaning of the text, avoiding cumbersome sentences and unnecessary constructions. On this site envoc.ru you can find both easy texts and more difficult ones to improve your reading technique. Here, in each work, simple phrases are used and translations are given. Also, simple texts can be found. In addition to the texts themselves on the site, you can repeat the rules of reading and some words. Remember, to read even adapted literature, you need basic knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and knowledge of reading rules.

Improving speech skills

Perhaps the biggest problem for a person who wants to master English is to find English interlocutors to practice speaking. Communication is a very important part of learning, as communication helps you learn the right tone, pronunciation and learn new words. To find English interlocutors, you can use one of the sites below. It is enough to register and the doors to the world of English speech will open for you.

1. Learn with interest

Any teacher will confirm: abstract language learning is harder than mastering a language for a specific purpose. Therefore, at first, learn things that will be useful to you in your work. Another option is to read foreign language resources related to yours.

2. Remember only the right words

There are more than a million words in the English language, but in everyday speech, at best, several thousand are used. Therefore, even a modest vocabulary is enough for you to talk with a foreigner, read online publications, watch news and TV shows.

3. Post stickers at home

This is an effective way to improve your vocabulary. Look around the room and see which items you don't know the names of. Translate the name of each subject into English, French, German - whatever language you want to learn. And paste these stickers around the room. New words will gradually be deposited in memory, and this will not require any additional effort.

4. Repeat

The technique of spaced repetitions allows you to better memorize new words and concepts. To do this, run the studied material at certain intervals: first, repeat the learned words often, then return to them after a few days, and fix the material again after a month.

5. Use new technologies

6. Set realistic goals

Be careful with the load and do not overwork. Especially at the beginning, so as not to lose interest. Teachers advise starting small: first learn 50 new words, try to apply them in life, and only then take up grammar rules.

Learning English from scratch requires hard work, attention and patience. If you are determined to master English, then allocate time for this, be patient, connect maximum attention. And the most important thing is your desire. After all, it is not in vain that they say that it is worth wanting something very much and everything will work out. There is a desire - there is also a will, a desire, the main thing is to make efforts for this.

How to learn English on your own from scratch?

If you studied English at school, then you are lucky: you already have a certain basis, some basics, you speak fluently and can make up a dialogue on an everyday topic. We want to give some tips and rules to beginners, those who have taken up English from scratch. Following these recommendations, you yourself will not notice how within a short time you will be able to read and translate, and then speak English fluently.

Most importantly, once you've made a decision, don't hesitate and don't back down. Everything will surely work out. And in order not to scare away your desire to learn a foreign language, start simple. A small number of words every day, reading short texts, making simple sentences. But the most important thing is to clearly follow some rules:

• Tip #1: Regularity

At school, only two hours a week are allotted for learning a foreign language. This is very little, because from one lesson to another, the student has already forgotten everything. To really learn a foreign language, and even more so English, you need to study every day for an hour. Something to read, something to listen to, translate, etc. Therefore, take at least 5-10 minutes a day for reading and exercising.

• Tip #2: Complexity

Learning English should be complex: read the text, translate it with a dictionary. With a dictionary, not in google translate! Listen to the audio with the text or with the exercise. If you don't understand a word, rewind it again. Pause and repeat the words after the speaker. Do some writing assignments. And so every day.

• Tip #3: Working with a dictionary

This is a very important point. Do not try to translate words or the whole text in google translator, this will not do you any good. The dictionary gives us the transcription of the word, that is, its pronunciation, it also trains our visual memory. In schools, translation from English into Russian is most often practiced. The translation from Russian into English is almost completely overlooked, but it is such a translation that allows you to open the dictionary more often and learn more words.

• Tip #4: Working out loud

It is important to hear foreign speech so that it is deposited in memory, in the brain. Watch programs in English, listen to exercises and dialogues, watch movies and series, preferably with subtitles. It is also important to hear yourself when learning a language. This means that you must read aloud, repeat words and sentences after the speaker aloud, and you can even write by dictating aloud to yourself.

• Tip #5: Reading

This is a very important element. Read aloud not only the texts from the textbook, but gradually move on to stories (Short Stories), and then to more voluminous works by English authors. Thus, you will get acquainted with English literature and get used to the so-called "real" English. Arrange for yourself tasks for the census of the text, this trains visual memory.

So, these are the main tips that we wanted to give to beginners in the English language. Follow them and you will succeed.

What do you need to do to learn English effectively?

What should beginners do on their own?

Of course, any language, even your own, is better to learn with someone. This is necessary in order to easily master the language. Classes together or in a small group allow you to compose dialogues, therefore, to talk, hear yourself and another, develop speech. But if you are forced to study on your own, it does not matter. Follow our tips above and also let me give you a few more recommendations.

Learning English from scratch requires clarity and regularity. As we have already said, give each day an hour or at least half an hour of your time. Make your own schedule for each day. Divide each lesson into sections: the first 10 minutes are reading and translating, the next 10 are writing, another 10 are listening, etc. Over time, you will develop a system, and this system will help you in your regularity.

Use textbooks. If you have the opportunity, then get not only ours, but also English language textbooks. Complete the tasks and exercises that are offered there. Diversify your classes by listening to English-language music. Try to catch the words of the song, translate the lyrics.

Why is vocabulary work important?

It is clear that any language consists of words. The more words we know, the richer our speech. Therefore, pay maximum attention and time to this aspect of your studies. Do not try to learn 30-40 words in one lesson. It's hard and it's useless. Because then in your memory there will be no more than two or three words. It is better to take up to ten words, so there will be more benefits.

How easy is it to learn new words?

• Rewrite them in a notebook
• Translate with a dictionary
• Read aloud several times
• Find sentences with these words in the text; translate these sentences
• Make sentences with these words
• Make sentences with these words
• repeat words
• Repeat the words with the notebook closed.

Everyone, you already know them! Start the next lesson by repeating the learned words, thus reinforcing them once again.

To make it fun and interesting, get bright notebooks with views of London and other cities in the UK. Use bright stickers. Keep a bright diary in which you will record what you have already learned and what you still have to learn. Read texts and dialogues with intonation, as in the theater, it will cheer you up.

Make your classes bright and you will succeed! Good luck to you!