Video transcript

Here is another frequent comment that visitors to OnTargetEnglish.com make:

I can understand some of the English in the videos but not all of it. How can I understand more?

Here are three things that you can do to understand more of the English spoken in our videos:

1. Watch the video again. Or watch the part of the video that you did not understand. The great thing about online video is that you can go back and watch it again.

2. Read the text while you listen. Use the closed captions for YouTube videos. Do you see the letters CC at the bottom of this video? If you click those letters, the words that I speak in the video will appear near the bottom. Videos that you purchase from OnTargetEnglish.com do not have closed captions, but you can read the script of the video while you listen to the video. When you listen to the words and see them at the same time, you can understand more, and you might also improve your vocabulary.

3. Avoid distractions. Tell yourself that learning English is really important. There are some practical things you can do to help you concentrate. What is something that you do to help you concentrate while you read or study? Add a comment below this video.

Again, follow these three tips. Watch the video again, read the text while you listen, and avoid distractions. If you follow these tips, you will be able to understand the speaking in our videos better.

Do you have a question about learning English? Post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

Links from the video:

• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
• About.com phonetic symbols

Video transcript

After watching our video on Improving Your English Vocabulary, a visitor with the nickname “justreal” asked, “thank u 4 giving me the ways to improve my words. And my question is; what the best dictionary should I use?”

I recommend the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. It’s online, it’s free, and it’s a great dictionary.

Visit ldoceonline.com. Type the word or phrase that you want to look up. Click search, and you will get your result instantly. We will include a link to the Longman Dictionary below this video.

Before I finish, I want to answer another question.

A visitor named “sally” asked, “how can i learn the symbols of pronunciation in the dictionary?”

About.com has a helpful guide to phonetic symbols. Do a Google search for “about.com phonetic symbols”; the first search result will lead you to a really helpful resource for understanding pronunciation symbols in the dictionary.

Thank you, “justreal” and Sally for your questions. If anybody else has a question for us, please post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

Now, I have a question for you. Do you have a dictionary that translates words from your language? What dictionary do you use? Add a comment below this video.

Links from the Video:

• More tips on learning vocabulary: Improving Your English Vocabulary
• The 2,000 most frequently used words in English: General Service List
• Download flashcards for your app: Quizlet.com
• Learn English vocabulary with pictures: English Success
• Post your question: bit.ly/askmyquestion

Video Transcript

One of the videos in our series on Improving Your English Skills focuses on improving your vocabulary.

A visitor named Suman wrote this: “thanks for the video…….but there are so may new words to learn.” He continued by asking how to start improving his vocabulary. And he wanted to know where he should start.

Well, I do recommend watching the video on improving your vocabulary. It’s only three and a half minutes long, and it is full of great tips on improving your vocabulary. We will include a link to that video in the text below this video.

But what else can you do? I recommend using a picture dictionary. On one page, you can see pictures of many different things with labels. Some picture dictionaries use only English.

Now I have good news for English learners, and I have bad news. The bad news is that there are 1 million words in the English language. The good news is that if you know just 2,000 words and their word families, you can understand 90 to 95 percent of everyday English usage. The 2,000 most frequently used words make up a list called the General Service List.

We’re going to include a link to that list below this video. I recommend that you know the words in that list.

Flash cards can be really helpful, too. Put the English word on one side, and put the same word in your language on the other side. You can make your own flash cards, or you can use a flash card app for your phone that downloads flashcards from Quizlet.com. It may be that Quizlet.com already has flash cards in your language for learning English. I use an app for learning French vocabulary, and it’s really helpful.

Flash cards are great, but you also need to learn a word in its context. That’s why our video on improving your vocabulary recommends seeing and hearing the word in sentences and conversations. Watch that video for more tips. Of course, our series of videos in English Success also includes several videos on vocabulary that allow you to hear the word, see the word, and see a picture that represents the word. To learn more, visit ontargetenglish.com/success.

Suman, thank you for your question about improving your vocabulary. If anybody else has a question about learning English, you can post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

Did you know that English Success teaches more than grammar? Get English Success, and improve your vocabulary, pronunciation, listening, speaking, grammar, and more.

http://bit.ly/practicemyenglish

http://bit.ly/askmyquestion

Video transcript

In the series on Improving Your English Skills, one of my videos was on improving your grammar. In that video, I talked about hearing examples, learning the grammar rule, and using the grammar in your own communication.

One of our visitors named Manish viewed my video and responded with a comment. Manish wrote this: “Speaking english and learning grammer are different things.” Manish continued by saying that you need to know more than just grammar in order to speak English. Maybe you have learned English grammar, but people still don’t understand you when you speak English. How can we help Manish?

It’s true that you need to know more than grammar to speak English. You need to learn vocabulary. It’s helpful to learn some idioms, especially if you are trying to understand a native English speaker. And you need to use English. You need to practice it.

Now, there are some people who say that studying grammar actually hurts your English speaking. I disagree. To learn any language, you need to learn its grammar. So, yes, I recommend studying grammar. But you need to learn vocabulary, too. And you need to use English. Practice speaking. Practice writing it. Get on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ and practice chatting in English. By the way, you can find someone to help you practice your English by visiting bit.ly/practicemyenglish. We will include a link to that address below this video.

You do need to learn grammar. But you also need to learn vocabulary, and you need to keep using English.

Manish had a great comment that I discussed in this video. Do you have a question about learning English? Post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

I also want to know what area of study or practice helps you learn English the most. Is it grammar, vocabulary, listening, practicing with a friend, or something else? Add your comment below this video.

Click the image below to learn how you can meet someone who will help you to practice your English.