DISCLAIMER

© Ifluent English. The material in this guide may include information,

products or services by third parties. Third party materials comprise of
the opinions and products expressed by their owners. As such, I do not
assume responsibility or liability for any Third Party materials or opinions.

The publication of such Third Party Materials does not constitute my

guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products or services
contained within. Publication of such Third Party Material is merely a
recommendation and an expression of my own opinion of that material.

No part of this publication shall be reproduced, transmitted, or sold in

whole or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the
author. All trademarks appearing in this guide are the property of their
respective owners.

The purpose of this book is to assist you in reaching a high level of

English. This book and the content within reflect the personal
experiences of Ben Evans, an employee of Ifluent English, and an online
English teacher. His expertise and advice may or may not transfer
effectively to your English learning practice.

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Welcome to the English Learner’s Toolkit,

Do you self-study English in addition to taking classes?

Are you using the best resources available?

If you are eager to learn English, but you do not self-study (study English by
yourself), then you are doing yourself a great disservice. Learning a language in
a classroom or online with a teacher is all well and good, and will get you
results, but if you want to decrease the time it takes to learn English and
increase your overall English ability, then self-study is crucial.

And with such an abundance of English-learning resources available these

days, such as apps, videos, articles, podcasts, blogs and online dictionaries that
focus exclusively on the English language, there’s no excuse not to self-study.

This first part of this book is a guide to studying English, and the second part is
a compilation of the best, free English learning resources available to assist you
in reaching fluency.

Happy learning!

2
About the author…

Because you have downloaded this book and shown that you are committed
to achieving fluency in English, I would like to offer you a discount on my
conversational English course:

Fast Fluency: Master Useful English Phrasal Verbs

CLICK HERE TO CLAIM

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1: Stay motivated.

When learning any new language, it is important to

stay motivated and never give up on your goal of
fluency.

★ The best way to stay motivated and reach your English learning
goals is to remind yourself of why you first started and what you
want to achieve.
★ Think of the opportunities and experiences that will be open to you
once you have mastered English.
★ Imagine being able to communicate with English speakers all over
the world and having the ability to build new and exciting
relationships, whether they be for business or pleasure.
★ Once you have mastered the English language, you will have the
opportunity to engage with English-speaking culture more deeply
and have the potential to further your career as a result of your
English speaking abilities.
★ Remember that learning a language is not easy, and there will be
difficult times, but that is also what makes learning a language so
rewarding. You will have a tremendous feeling of accomplishment
once you can speak and use English effectively. Stay positive and
persevere and you will succeed!

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2: Practice every day.

Practicing English every day is crucial if you want to

gain fluency quickly.

★ Repetition is probably the most crucial aspect of learning a

language. If you wait too long between study sessions, you will
forget everything you learnt previously and have to relearn it - This
will waste lots of valuable time. Repeat, repeat, repeat!
★ However, do not over-study as you will soon get tired and bored of
English.
★ Try to keep things interesting by studying with a variety of different
tasks each day and with topics that interest you. For example, you
could spend one day reading, then the next day practicing listening
comprehension, and then another day studying grammar, etc.
★ Take every opportunity that is available to practice speaking
English, as it is the most important thing you can do to gain fluency.

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3: Learn to think in English.

The difference between being good at a language and

being fluent is the ability to think in that language.

★ It takes a lot of time and energy to constantly translate your native

language into English and then back again. Every language is
different, and each has its own nuances and anomalies which can
make accurate translation impossible in many instances.
★ Your spoken and written English will be much more fluent and
natural if you can learn how to think in English.
★ Think of language like a smart-phone application - You can only
have one open on screen at a time, and switching back and forth
between two different apps is time-consuming. When it’s time to
communicate in English, your brain needs to have the English
application open, and your native-language application should be
distracting you as little as possible.

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4: Make friends with English speakers.

You will never know if you are truly fluent in a

language until you’re able to hold a fluent
conversation with numerous native speakers, which
means following along and contributing effectively.

★ If you want to achieve this level of fluency in English, you will need
to make friends with other fluent English speakers and hang out
with them in various settings, such as cafes, bars and restaurants.
★ Being around friends who only speak English is a great way to
force yourself to use English, as you will need it to interact with
your peers. If you have good friends, it won’t feel like you are
studying as you will also be having fun.

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5: Lose the fear of making mistakes.

The fear of making mistakes is one of the most

significant obstacles that language learners face when
learning a new language.

★ Remember that this fear is not logical or useful - it only gets in the
way of your ultimate goal of reaching fluency in English.
★ Try your best to overcome your fear of making mistakes and
shyness. Most people understand that you are still learning English
and they do not expect you to be able to speak it perfectly from the
start. Try your best to express yourself in English even if it’s not
perfect.
★ Remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes when they are
learning anything, and especially a new language, it’s just a
necessary part of the language learning journey that you have
chosen to take.
★ It is an absolute certainty that you will encounter awkward and
embarrassing moments when you say something wrong or rude.
Try to look at these situations with humour and don’t be so hard on
yourself.
★ Progress is more important than perfection! Making mistakes is a
necessary part of learning a language, and each mistake will help
you reach fluency as you learn from it.

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1: Speak English every day.

Whether you only know ten English words or if you're

practically fluent - The fastest and most efficient way
to learn English is to speak it with another person.

★ Don’t wait until you “feel comfortable” speaking in English; you

might not feel that for a long time. Instead, try to push yourself
outside of your comfort zone as much as possible by speaking
English whenever you can. You’ll be surprised how quickly your
English skills improve.
★ If you can find a native English speaker who is willing to spend time
speaking English with you, it will benefit you greatly. It might be
possible to offer a native speaker a language exchange, where
they spend some time talking in English with you, and you spend
some time talking in your native language with them.
★ If you live in an English speaking country, you can practice by
starting a simple conversation with someone you meet, whether it's
asking a stranger for the time or just saying “hello” to someone in a
coffee shop.

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2: Improve your pronunciation.

It doesn’t matter whether you have good grammar, an

extensive vocabulary and excellent listening skills - If
your pronunciation is not very good, native English
speakers will have trouble understanding you.

★ If you really want to improve your level of English, correct, clear

pronunciation is essential. Listen carefully and try your best to
imitate the way native English speakers pronounce certain words.
★ Record yourself speaking every now and again. Find content of
interest, listen to the audio, then read the same content out loud
and record yourself. Listen for the differences between your
pronunciation and the original recording, and try to work on
specific sounds.
★ Listen for sounds that are unfamiliar and do not exist in your native
language. For example, the "r" sound does not exist in some
languages, and so people have trouble pronouncing it properly,
while others have difficulty with certain consonant clusters, such as
the "th" sound.
★ Remember that the pronunciation of certain English words can vary
greatly in different parts of the world. For example, some words are
pronounced very differently in British English than they are in
American English. If you intend to live in a particular English
speaking country, it is a good idea to study the pronunciations of
that country.

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3: Increase your vocabulary and learn
idiomatic phrases and phrasal verbs.

Having an extensive vocabulary and knowing many

English phrases will make speaking English easier.

★ Another good reason for spending time talking to native speakers

is so that you can pick up common vocabulary and phrases and
understand how to use them in the correct context. Reading,
watching and listening to different forms of media in English will
also be beneficial.
★ Even if you only have time to learn one new word per day, it is still
worth doing. If you learn one word every day for one year, you will
have acquired 365 new English words by the end of that year.
★ You should make an effort to use any new words or phrases you
have learnt - this will help you commit them to memory.
★ You should keep a notebook of any new idiomatic phrases or slang
words that you hear - Try writing a definition and an example
sentence for each new word or phrase, so you remember how to
use it when you look at it.
★ A useful tip for helping you to remember the word for everyday
household items is to make labels for them and stick them around
your house. You will then have a constant reminder of each word
as you go about your business in your home.

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4: Take English classes or private
lessons.

Learning English with an English teacher will help you

improve your English much quicker than studying
alone.

★ An English teacher will be able to teach you the more formal

aspects of English as well as the grammatically correct way of
speaking. For example, you will learn proper sentence
structure, verb conjugation and pronunciation.
★ Taking regular lessons with a teacher will give you a more
structured learning plan and will help ensure that you
continue to learn English.
★ If you have paid for lessons, you are more likely to attend
them and keep learning.
★ You can also ask your teacher to help you work on achieving
a specific goal. For example, passing an English examination
or preparing to study in an English speaking country. You
may also be able to find a class that specialises in helping
you achieve a particular goal.
★ If you can afford to take private lessons with an English
teacher, then do it. Private lessons with will give you a much
more intense and goal-focused study plan and you will reach
fluency much quicker.

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5: Carry a dictionary.

Having an English dictionary with you at all times can

be very useful.

★ Having a dictionary means that you can instantly look up any

new words that you hear and remember a word that you
have forgotten.
★ Looking up a new word and then immediately using it will
help you commit that new word to memory.
★ It is a good idea to look through your dictionary throughout
the day whenever you have some spare time such as when
you're sitting on the train or having a cup of coffee. You could
learn an extra 10 to 20 words per day using this method.
★ If you are a beginner, a dictionary that provides translations
in your native language will be more helpful.
★ However, once your English improves, it’s better to use a
dictionary that only offers English definitions for English
words.

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1: Listen to English radio shows or
podcasts.

A great way to improve your English listening

comprehension is to download English-language
podcasts or radio apps on your phone.

★ Spending at least 30 minutes per day listening to a podcast

or radio show in English will have beneficial effects on your
listening abilities. Listen at the gym, while you are commuting
to work, or whenever you have some spare time to study.
★ Make an effort to actively listen and not just passively listen
to what is being said. Try your best to understand what is
being said from context, even if you don’t know the meaning
of every word that you hear.
★ Try to pick out key words and phrases if you find it too fast so
that you can get a general idea of what the conversation is
about.
★ Make a note of any new words and phrases that you don’t
understand and look up the meanings or translations
afterwards. Then listen to the podcast or radio show again
and listen to these new words and phrases being used in
context to help you further understand them better.

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2: Watch English movies and TV shows.

Watching English movies and TV shows can improve

your listening comprehension and make studying more
enjoyable.

★ Watching movies or TV shows that you enjoy will make the

exercise feel like less of a chore. Choose movies or shows
that you are already familiar with if possible, such as
children's stories or popular films. You will find the language
much easier to pick up on if you already know the main story.
★ Try not to use the subtitles in your native language if possible
- They will only take your focus off the task of understanding
the English being used.

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3: Read English books, newspapers or
magazines.

Reading is an essential part of learning a new

language, make sure that you practice.

★ Try to find reading materials that focus on topics that you are
interested in, whether they be English novels, news articles
or a magazine about a particular hobby or interest.
★ As with listening, make sure that you are actively reading and
trying your best to understand what you’re reading. Don’t just
passively skim over the words.
★ If you come across a new word that you do not know the
meaning of, highlight it and then look it up in the dictionary.
★ Reading aloud is a great way to improve your reading
comprehension while also working on your pronunciation.

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4: Keep a diary in English.

Keeping and regularly writing in an English diary will

help improve your written English as well as help you
to remember what you have learnt.

★ Writing is often one of the more difficult aspects of learning a

new language, but it is an important one. Writing in English
will improve your sentence structure, grammar and spelling.
★ Just writing down a few sentences every day in English is
enough to help you improve. The diary doesn’t have to be
too personal; you could just write about what happened that
day, how the weather was or about a movie that you recently
watched.
★ If you have friends who are native speakers, ask them to look
at what you have written and check it for errors, or give you
advice on how to improve your writing. Learning what
mistakes you have made will help you to avoid making them
again in the future.

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5: Find an English-speaking pen-pal.

Once your written language skills have improved,

regularly writing to an English-speaking pen-pal will
help you develop further.

★ Having an English-speaking pen-pal can make writing in

English fun, as you will be excited about getting a new letter
or email and sending your response.
★ Your pen-pal could be a native English speaker who wants to
practice their foreign language skills by writing to you in your
native language - Or, it could be another English learner who
also wishes to improve their writing skills.
★ If your pen pal is from an English speaking country (for
example, Britain, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia
or New Zealand), it will also give you the opportunity to learn
more about the culture and what life is like there.

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Tips for learning English using the resources
in this book
Know your level. If the activities or lessons provided in these resources are
too easy, you will get bored, and your English will not improve as fast as it
would if you were challenging yourself. If they are too complicated, you
won’t learn. Knowing your level and being honest with yourself about what
level you are currently at is essential.

Know your best learning method. Do you prefer to learn through video,
audio and images, or do you learn better through games, quizzes and
activities? Use the resources that offer you the methods that benefit you
most.

Use a computer or phone with a microphone. Some of these websites and

apps have activities where you can practice speaking. A microphone is
recommended if you want to benefit from these exercises.

Find topics that interest you. When you study English using topics that
interest you, you’ll want to keep learning, and you'll find it much easier to
stay motivated. Use the resources that cover your hobbies and interests if
possible.

Schedule a time each day to study. You need to practice as often and
regularly as possible to get better. Schedule a set time each day to study
English, for example; you could study for thirty minutes in the morning and
another thirty before you go to bed.

Make sure you go offline as well. There is a famous saying in English: “Use
it or lose it” - While these resources will help you learn English, practising
what you have learnt is crucial to help you commit it to memory. If you have
the opportunity to speak with native speakers in English, then do it. If you
don't, then practise talking with a teacher, or to someone else who is also
learning English. If you are not using English, you may very well forget what
you have learnt.

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 Websites
In this section, you will find eight recommended websites - Some
of them focus on listening, reading, grammar and vocabulary,
and others provide a range of activities to help you improve your
English.

___________________________________________________

BBC Learning English

The BBC website for learning English has an array of resources for practice,
such as videos, radio broadcasts, quizzes, vocabulary practice, idioms,
crosswords, and much more. The videos and radio broadcasts cover various
topics like stories in the news, modern English words and phrases, and even
a series of videos that teach English pronunciation. This website focuses
mainly on British English.

British Council

Here you can find free resources for learners of all ages and at all levels,
including interactive lessons, videos, games, podcasts, articles and a
discussion forum to ask questions, find advice about learning English and
make friends from all over the world.

Duolingo
Duolingo is a website that allows you to learn vocabulary and grammar
through interactive games and quizzes. There is an emphasis on spoken
English, so it’s not the best resource to use if you need to focus more on
formal or academic English. However, it is an excellent resource if you just
want to be able to have a conversation in English.
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Flo-joe
If you’re planning to take the Cambridge First, Advanced or Proficiency exam
or the IELTS exam, and you’re looking for some extra practice, this site has
lots of practice tests and information. If you are taking the practice exams on
this website, make sure you time yourself to get used to exam conditions.

News in Levels
This site has lots of current news stories written in English, along with audio
and video clips and an explanation of the difficult words in each article. Each
article is divided into three levels so that you can catch up on what’s
happening in the world no matter what your level of English is.

Ozdic
Collocations are common word combinations such as 'fast food' or 'talk
freely'. They are essential building blocks of natural-sounding English. This
dictionary contains over 150,000 collocations for nearly 9,000 headwords.
The dictionary shows all the commonly used words in combination with each
headword: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions as well as
everyday phrases. Just type in a word in the search bar, and the dictionary
will present you with a list of standard collocations and example sentences
for that word.

25
Language Guide
The Language Guide is an online picture dictionary, covering everything
from the alphabet to kitchen appliances to farm animals. Each picture has an
audio clip so that you can also learn the correct pronunciation of each word.
The pronunciation is American English.

TED

Although TED is not strictly a website for learning English, it is an excellent

resource for English learners. This site has hundreds of interesting short
lectures given by experts in everything from psychology to art. Subtitles are
available in English for every talk, which means they are a great way for
English learners to practice listening. A transcript is also available for each
lecture.

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 Apps
Five of the best apps available that you can use for learning
English anytime and anywhere on your mobile device.

___________________________________________________

Memrise - Android | iOS

Memrise is a free-to-use app that offers a large variety of courses for English
(and a lot of other languages). These courses are constructed by other
members of the Memrise community, making Memrise something of a
user-created learning platform. The app also offers an offline mode so that
you can continue learning even when you do not have access to the
internet. It uses a game-style level-based learning system which can help to
keep some learners motivated.

Duolingo - Android | iOS

This is the app version of the useful Duolingo website. It is possible to use
this app for just 10 minutes a day and still benefit from it. Duolingo is also
one of the more fun ways to learn English.

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LearnEnglish Grammar UK Edition | US Edition -
(UK Edition): Android | iOS; (US Edition): Android | iOS

LearnEnglish Grammar is an app developed by the British Council that is

designed to help improve your grammar. Both the UK and US English
versions offer lessons for four levels, starting at Beginner level and going all
the way up to Advanced level. Each level covers 12 grammar topics, with
around 20 activities per subject. There is also a helpful in-app help service in
case you get stuck on any of the lessons.

Johnny Grammar’s Word Challenge - Android | iOS

Johnny Grammar’s Word Challenge is a fun quiz application that tests your
spelling, grammar and vocabulary. The goal is to beat the clock and answer
as many spelling, vocabulary and grammar questions as you can in each of
the 60-second quizzes. There are three difficulty levels, easy, medium and
hard, and ten different question topics including Food & Restaurants, Travel,
Idioms and Hobbies. You can earn and share badges as you progress
through the questions, and compete with other users on the global
leaderboard.

Fun Easy Learn English - Android

Fun Easy Learn English is a vocabulary app with more than 7,000 words in
its database. You can improve your vocabulary through illustrations,
recorded pronunciations and native translations. There are also seven
different games that should further help you improve your English. This app
can also be used offline when you don’t have an internet connection.

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 Online Dictionaries
The best online dictionaries that can help you understand words,
as well as discover new ones.

_____________________________________________________

Cambridge Dictionary Online

The Cambridge Dictionary is one of the most well-respected print

dictionaries available with a lot of history behind it. The online version covers
British English, American English, Business English, Phrasal Verbs and
Idioms. It’s a huge website and one of the more serious online dictionaries.

Merriam-Webster Online

One of the most popular print dictionaries also has a website for your
convenience. It’s made up of a typical dictionary, a thesaurus, a Spanish to
English translation and a medical dictionary. Its features are relatively sparse
compared to others, but it is a good dictionary nonetheless.

Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com is one of the most useful online dictionaries available. It

offers definitions, pronunciations, word origins and world history.

29
Google Dictionary

Google Dictionary is a useful dictionary that offers features like voice

pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, related phrases and more.

Visuwords
Visuwords is an online graphical dictionary that creates diagrams between
words and concepts to help you understand how words associate. It’s very
visually based, so if you happen to be a visual learner, this dictionary could
be very helpful for you.

Urban Dictionary

Urban Dictionary, which is less serious than the previous dictionaries,

focuses more on slang and often presents humorous definitions. It is a
valuable tool if you come across a new slang word that is unfamiliar. Do not
use the Urban Dictionary if you require formal English; the other dictionaries
will provide you with more serious definitions and examples.

30
 YouTube Channels
This section contains six different YouTube English channels
that each aim to help people learn English properly and
efficiently.

___________________________________________________

BBC Learn English

This is the BBC’s YouTube channel for English learners. The videos come in
various formats such as real life situations, cartoons and interviews and
they’re all fairly short, but filled with a lot of good information.

EF podEnglish

The EF podEnglish YouTube channel makes short English lessons that are
aimed at English language learners at every level. Some of the topics
covered are families, pets, weather, films and technology.

Business English Pod

The Business English Pod is a useful channel for learners who want to learn
business English. English used in the workplace or a business context can
be very different to informal English, but it can be difficult to practice by
yourself - Luckily, the Business English Pod is here to help.

31
Real English

Real English is a podcast for English language beginners, and they have a
massive library of free lessons. Each one includes two videos, one has
subtitles, and the other does not. There are also and a handful of exercises
to check your understanding and help you remember the new vocabulary. It
features real people in real-life situations so that you can get a feel for how
people really speak English.

VOA Learning English

The VOA YouTube channel offers subtitled news reports that are read out at
slower speeds than usual, and this gives the learner time to hear every word
clearly and also see how each word is physically pronounced with the mouth
by the speaker - It is great for listening and pronunciation practice. This
channel is also useful for people who like to stay up to date with current
worldwide events.

Speak English with Misterduncan

All of the videos on this YouTube channel are the work of one English
teacher called “Mister Duncan”. The channel is very popular, and this is due
to Mister Duncan’s personality, sense of humour and passion for teaching
English. His videos are easy to follow and concentrate more on spoken
English than grammar.

32
 Podcasts
English language podcasts can help you to improve your English
quickly. They can be listened to anytime and anywhere such as
on the train, in your car or even while you exercise.

___________________________________________________

Learn English

Learn English is a fantastic podcast from the British Council. The episodes
are conversational-based and cover everyday vocabulary and situations.
There are also transcripts available for every episode as well as quizzes to
test your new English knowledge.

6 Minute English

This is the BBC’s English learning podcast and, as with all of their other
English learning resources, it is a very useful for English learners. Each
episode is hosted by Nick and Alice, who have interesting discussions about
everyday situations in English. This is one of the more fun English learning
podcasts available.

Podcasts in English

Podcasts is an English learning podcast that covers a wide range of topics

and caters for every level. Most of the episodes are under 5 minutes, which
makes them perfect students who don’t have much time. The episodes are
entertaining, and most have support materials that learners can use to
practice further what they learnt.

33
The English We Speak

This is another podcast made by the BBC. The episodes are published
weekly and focus on common phrases, idiomatic expressions and slang.
Each episode is around 3-4 minutes long and features language that you are
likely to hear native speakers use in everyday English. The English is spoken
at a slower speed than normal which also makes it useful for lower level
learners.

Better at English

Better at English is a podcast that features native speakers having real

conversations. Many different topics are covered, some of them serious and
some of them silly. Each episode is conducted at normal speed, which
makes this a good podcast for intermediate to advanced speakers who want
to improve their listening skills. The native speakers on this podcast use
common phrases and idioms, and each episode comes with a transcript to
review along with vocabulary notes.

34
What to Do Now?

To truly benefit from the advice that is given in this book, you need to take
action, make the necessary changes, and commit to reaching English
fluency once and for all.

Good luck,

Ben from Ifluent English

WWW.IFLUENTENGLISH.COM

Thank you for reading this free ebook, I hope that you found it useful - If you
did, I would be grateful if you could share it.

Click this link to share it now

If you haven’t already done so, you can visit my website or follow my social
media pages by clicking the links below.

★ IfluentEnglish.com
★ Facebook
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