How to Increase Your Exposure to the English Language
You have already proven that you are good at languages; after all, you learned yours pretty well, didn’t you? If you were able to learn one language, you are able to learn others.
Have you ever considered how you learned your language? When you think about it, you realize that you never learned it; you just started using it when you were around two years old. You started with a few words, but rapidly moved to employing whole sentences and communicating fully.
All this happened because you can hear. During your first two years of existence, you heard people talking all around you, and this was the decisive factor for you to start speaking. This is why, if now you want to learn English, you have to hear and listen to it as much as possible.
But, how can you constantly hear and listen to English if you live in a country where the language is not spoken fully? In fact, there are many ways to do it.
1. Radio
No matter where you are, there is always a radio station playing music or talking in English. Just consider the two major international networks: BBC World Service and Voice of America. Both of these have special programs for ESL students.
2. TV
The TV is probably one of the best resources to hear and listen to English, because it offers a visual backup that helps you understand what is being said. Most people now have access to TV with English-speaking channels; however, you can also watch programs on the Internet.
3. Internet
There are thousands of radio stations on the Internet, and you can also watch all kinds of videos in hundreds of sites. Soon enough, you will have TV channels available on the Web.
4. Music/ songs
We don’t have to tell you how much music there is in English. You can listen to music on the radio, TV, Internet, or get some CD’s. Practice writing down the lyrics, or download them from the Internet to follow while you listen to the song. Start with an easy one, maybe a slow tune, and chose a singer whose voice is clear. Some songs are difficult to understand even for native English speakers.
5. Movies
Around the world, many movie theaters show movies in English, with subtitles in the country’s language. Try to watch a lot of these movies; even if you have to read the subtitles, you are listening to the words in English.
6. Video
The great advantage of videos is that you can play them as many times as you wish. You can watch and listen to a certain part, or the whole movie, as much as you need to understand the subtleties of what’s being said. Equally, you can enable the subtitles or not; these can be an aid, but you should try to avoid them little by little.
7. Friends
Try to speak English with your friends who speak the language. Here you will practice your speaking as much as your listening, and it is very helpful to hear the language from someone who is right there, standing next to you. You can also chat on the phone, which is a much more difficult listening exercise than listening in person.
As teachers have most certainly told you in your ESL program, don’t worry if you don’t understand everything you hear. The important thing is that you hear the language. Sooner than you think, the understanding will come alone.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
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