Hi, thank you for clicking my blog post. Today, I'm going to be talking about how to study English independently as an ESL student. ESL means English as a second language, so an ESL student is anyone for whom English is not their primary language. In this article, I'm going to discuss reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills and approaches for how improve these.

Reading comprehension textbooks

Reading comprehension simply means understanding what you're reading. As an ESL student, one way in which you can improve your reading comprehension is by searching for textbooks that test this skillset. Google "reading comprehension textbook pdf" (and you can adjust the keyword phrase by saying - "beginner english" or "intermediate english" or grade 1, grade 2, etc) and you'll be able to find links to various books online that have plenty of reading comprehension exercises. References to grades 1 and 2 above refer to the Ontario grade school system (grade 1 is for 6 year olds, grade 2 for 7 year olds, etc). I find that searching for textbooks for grade 1, 2, 3, (etc) is more effective for acquiring reading comprehension than searching for beginner English books. You're not looking here to pay for resources (remember you're a broke student, you don't have money for such things). There are plenty of free (well reproduced and pasted online with or without the legal owner's permission) resources to find online.

Literature

There are many literary forms that a student can study. Don't limit yourself and try to Google (use pdf in keyword searches) different genres for short stories, novels, and novellas (romance, crime, detective, sci fi, and others). You can also read poetry, myths, folklore, fairytales (and anything else I may have missed that falls under the category of literature). Test yourself by asking yourself whether you understand the vocabulary of what you're reading. If you're an advanced student, test yourself by asking yourself questions about text itself. You can Google how to analyze literature and ask yourself questions about themes, characters, plot, symbolism, and other literary elements.

Non-literature

There's plenty of stuff to read in English that isn't literature. Give these a shot as well. Texts like reports, letters, recipes, greeting cards, print advertisements, religious texts, philosophical texts, textbooks, biographies, historical texts and others are all rich in different vocabulary and meaning. Google how to analyze each text type and make sure you understand what you're reading before you move on to the next type.

Vocabulary textbooks

Off of reading now - another way to learn vocabulary is by looking at vocabulary textbooks. Similar to reading comprehension, you put (pdf) in your search query on Google and you look for vocabulary textbooks for your level of English. Open a book, see if you understand it. If it's confusing, if you aren't able to solve the questions in the text without significant effort, or if its dreadfully boring, it may not be the right book for you. There's no shortage of free textbooks online.

Grammar textbooks

Next to vocabulary, we have grammar. Same idea. It's helpful to find a book and follow it along as the grammatical concepts get more and more complex and build on each other. Start a book. Is it too easy? Start another. Keep reading until you feel confident in your comprehension of English grammar.

Writing textbooks

Writing textbooks can be a pretty great way to put together vocabulary and grammar acquisition with production. These textbooks ask you to produce sentences, paragraphs, and whole essays based on the knowledge acquired in earlier pages. Sample keyword search term: "writing textbook for grade 2 pdf."

Conversational YouTube channels

YouTube has several channels similar to https://www.youtube.com/@EnglishSpeakingCourses where animated or real characters/actors talk to one another and have conversations. Watch them, try and understand what they're saying.

Pronunciation YouTube channels

YouTube has channels like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9_aaq2v3yc&list=PLZ44c0WXiNvTzDOmejVa9ee5c_DkT73cI where students can learn how to pronounce different English words in a structured, and easy to understand way.

Working with a learning partner

Two exercises come to mind. Grab your poor friend, partner or parent and try these two exercises out. Exercise 1: roleplay - pretend you're in a common Canadian setting (a library, a bar, a car dealership, etc) and pretend to be the characters in the situation, try out your English with the other person. Then, for homework, do the real thing - go to a library, a bar, or a car dealership and strike up the conversations that you practiced for (or just call them over the phone). Exercise 2: teach them - okay, so you've learned a new grammar concept - the transitive and intransitive verb, now grab that same poor friend, partner, or parent and teach them in 5 minutes using your skills, examples, and your computer or on paper, what the concept is and how to use it. If you can teach it to them, it means you understand it.

Give yourself writing exercises

If the exercises you find in textbooks and on YouTube aren't challenging enough, make up your own exercises. Learned a new piece of vocabulary? Write a paragraph and use it 5 times. Learned a new grammatical concept? Write a poem using it. Do something that challenges you to think and apply the concept in interesting ways.

Learn about different written texts

There are as many types of text (novels, biographies, etc) to read as there are to write. That sounds silly, but it's an important acknowledgement. If you can learn to read a biography, why not write one? Finish your reading exercise - understanding a biography, and then challenge yourself to write a short one yourself. There are lots of guides online, and you don't need pdfs for this one as much. You can just Google "how to write a biography" and adjust keyword search terms until you find the resources you need to succeed.

Listening skills websites

I like ELLLO and ESL-Lounge. These resources will help you hone in on your listening focus and improve your note taking skills.

Podcasts and audiobooks

Again, there are online resources like Leonardo English that provide slow, transcribed English podcasts that are ideal for students looking to improve their listening skills in an engaging, interesting way. It's important to find podcasts initially that are transcribed, so that you can understand all of the vocabulary and look it up if you have difficulties. The same goes for audiobooks. Try different genres of podcast and audiobook of varying degrees of difficulty and use search terms like (podcast suitable for grade 1, podcast suitable for beginner english learners, etc) to find resources until you find the right stuff.

Songs

Listening to English songs and Googling their lyrics is a fun, engaging way to learn metaphors, understand deeper meanings behind songs, and train your listening skills. It's a multi-skill ability that is best done once you have a stronger grasp on not only the language, but the ability to navigate the internet and find and comprehend the resources you need to understand music lyrics.

Entertainment media

Shows and films of various genres provide ESL learners the opportunity to learn new vocabulary, hone listening skills, and understand the cultural meanings behind words and phrases with easy to follow visuals and transcriptions in front of them. It's an immersive experience. Watch entertainment media, stop frequently to understand the meanings of subtitles, and try out different types to challenge yourself. If you're an advanced learner, much like with literature, Google questions to ask yourself for analytical purposes - think about character motivations and how music and camera angles elicit emotional effects from the viewers. Netflix is a great source of entertainment media and provides great transcripts in various languages.

Non-entertainment media

Commercials, advertisements, infomercials, news channels, documentaries etc. These are your non-fiction media. Check these out and analyse them. YouTube may be good for some things, but transcriptions and captions isn't one of those things. Look around and find non-entertainment media with solid transcriptions