I have to improve my English skills, I want to go to a US College. I have to study math, physics &… and I will go to school too. What is the best way to improve my English?
- read books in English. Read easy children novels.
- Watch fun sitcoms or shows.There are plenty out there. I would recommend American Dad, Family guy, Bob's burgers, Big Bang Theory.
- Stop watching shows in your language.
Read in English every day, short form AND LONG form.
Find a library from which you can borrow books in English.
At first : Borrow kids’books, especially documentaries/ non fiction. Read your favorite English books in the original version. Follow along even if you don’t understand everything. A good way to gauge if the level’s appropriate is to read the first page: if there were fewer than 10 words you didn’t know, it’s good!
Then pick books that were just released and that you’re dying to read even though they haven’t been translated yet. To motivate yourself,pixk the first volume in a trilogy, read it in your language… The cliffhanger will mean you’ll just have to read what comes next.
Read online (or paper) magazines and newspapers. USA today is easy to start with. Fivethirtyeight is math based so it may help.
Find forums on your favorite subjects and look for good discussions. (previously TV is good for all TV shows, in that there’s no ‘I heart main character’ flamewars but thoughtful discussion. And it reinforces point number two, which is to watch shows in English).
Pick a serialized drama. Since you’re interested in science, I’d recommend Person of Interest (bear with me, why I recommended it will become clear by the end of the first season in terms of emerging themes.) in addition, the English subtitles are easily found (and DVDs with English subtitles are available) and Mr. Finch speaks very distinctly.
Keep comedies for when your English is better, because getting jokes is quite difficult. Once you’ve reached that level, I agree Big Bang Theory is a good pick, as are the Simpsons (not sure about qbob’s burgers). For slices of life in the US, Modern Family, Black-ish , The Middle, Jane the virgin, Fresh off the boat all speak about family life from various points of view and with different styles.
If you can get books on CD, read the book, then listen to the book, then read it again. This will help with pronunciation and vocabulary. You will also find out which words you only know by their sounds, and which you only know from hearing them. Reread books and articles two or three times. You will understand them better each time.
Watch TED talks, and practice taking notes. Or watch the TED talk, then read the text version, and watch it again.
You can also friend American English at State and the British Council on Facebook to get new activities every day. So check those out too.
English language films/TV shows with English subtitles are a great way to improve your understanding AND reading.
DON’T translate anything to your native language, Never. If you want to know the meaning of something use the Oxford learner’s dictionary website instead of Google translate just read whatever you like to read, newspapers, books, and magazines. The new York times and VOA are a good start.
^actually, research shows that until an advanced level is reached, reformulation in the native language is necessary to create the neuronal ‘pathways’ that make the vocabulary easy to find, retrieve, and use.
Surrounding oneself with the language is a first step but it’s not sufficient.
In the same way, starting It USA today for students, moving to USA today, and then trying the NYT is a more progressive and efficient way to work, building from one level to another, rather than trying to grab the 3rd floor fire ladder by jumping up and down on the ground outside your window, vs. Taking the stairs.
At one point, OP will understand everything and will surprise himself/herself, but until then all tools at his/her disposal should be used.