Like any other language, learning English requires a long time of studying, continuous practice, and most importantly self-motivation. For many international students whose first language is not English, this process can be slow and tedious, especially if they don’t practice often. Some English teachers recommend spending between 2 hours of personal study time for each 1 hour of classroom time; however, we know that finding time to study a new language can be difficult. Fortunately, there are many funny, easy, and fast ways to make English part of your regular life, and one great example is by using English learning apps. Here are our recommendations of the best 5 apps that will help you nail your English language skills.
Duolingo
Duolingo is one of the best and most popular English learning apps, such is its popularity that many Colleges are accepting Duolingo scores to prove your English language proficiency. Its game-like lessons are so engaging that by just spending 20 to 30 minutes per day you will see meaningful progress. Once you download the app you can set your language learning goals including speaking, reading, listening, writing, learning new vocabulary, or building up your grammar skills and start tracking your progress
Grammarly
Grammarly it’s going to be your best ally to take your writing to the next level. You can download and use it in your Chrome browser, desktop, or mobile to proofread all your texts. This app gives you real-time writing suggestions according to your audience, formality level, tone, and intent. However, if you want to go beyond correctness and clarity, with the premium version you will have access to advanced suggestions to make your writing more professional, engaging, and English-coherent
EWA
No more boring vocabulary and grammar exercises, with the free EWA app you won’t even feel like you are taking English classes. Its gamified interface enables you to learn from your favourite films, TV shows, and audiobooks, at the same time you are collecting stars to unlock the next levels. A plus point is that it contains a games section with easy-to-learn brain games. This app is the best option if you are a visual learner and want to improve your vocabulary, reading skills, listening comprehension, and pronunciation regardless of your English level.
Magoosh
Magoosh has a group of apps that will get you prepared for the IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT, and GRE certification exams. For instance, the Magoosh IELTS Prep App will provide you with video lessons divided into grammar and exam topics. In the grammar section, you can learn sentence basics, punctuation, conjunctions, and parts of a speech. On the other hand, the exam topics videos will teach you about the format of the exam, how to skim and scan, and how the IELTS is scored. A similar learning structure is followed in the other preparation courses.
Babbel
Babbel will mainly help you to improve your speaking skills as it is strongly focused on vocabulary and grammar. This app has sophisticated speech recognition technology that can listen to your voice and help you with your pronunciation. Its 15-minute lessons will allow you to learn and practice with real-life conversations for every situation including school, travel, and work. Moreover, in the case you are too busy during the day but don’t want to stop your progress, you can set up scheduled reminders within the app to practice on your commutes or lunchtimes.
As you can see each app has its strengths and is designed for different learning styles. Once you find the right one for you, we recommend you to be consistent and practice whenever you have a little free time. Remember that practice makes perfect.
