Whether you are preparing for an exam or learning for fun, your mobile phone is a great tool to help you improve your English. If you have a smartphone, you probably know about all the apps you can download, but you can also use your phone in lots of other interesting ways.
1. Change your settings
Change your smartphone settings to English. This will give you instant daily reading practice. Watch films, stream a movie or TV programme onto your phone. Make sure you watch it in English – with or without subtitles. Try it – you’ll be surprised how quickly you will pick up new vocabulary.
2. Taking pictures
To help you learn the English vocabulary of the world around you, take pictures of items, objects and actions that you see on the street. Then when you go home you can review the pictures you took and you can use dictionaries or the internet to find out how to describe them in English. If you have English lessons, you can also ask your teacher.
3. Recording pronunciation
When you find words that are difficult to pronounce, make a list and then ask your teacher or a friend with good English to say them for you. You can record their pronunciation on your phone and can practise and repeat the words in your free time.
4. Making lesson notes
Sometimes in your lessons there is a lot of writing on the board. Instead of copying it down in class, why not ask your teacher if you can take a photo? Then you can copy it from the photo and into your notebook when you get home. This is a very useful way to help review the lesson content.
5. Be social
Use social media in English. Find a page on a topic you are interested in and comment in English. You can practise your writing skills, your reading skills and be part of a global community all at the same time.
Cambridge English
Cambridge English Language Assessment is part of the University of Cambridge. We provide the most valuable range of qualifications for learners and teachers of English in the world including Cambridge English: First (FCE) and Advanced (CAE).
Useful links
– For a fun English language community, join us on Facebook
– Free online activities to practise for each of the Cambridge English exam skills
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