Effective English Learning Apps (Part 2)
3. Reading practice apps:
- Kindle
This is a book-reading app that has a mobile app version letting users read and take notes. When you come across a new word, you can look it up in English or Vietnamese.
Mainstream English news sites
- Vietnamnews https://vietnamnews.vn/
- New Yorks Times: https://www.nytimes.com/international/,
- BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news
You can start with Vietnamnews since the articles are very reader-friendly and the topics relate to Vietnam, then gradually move on to New Yorks Times and BBC. If you come across a new word you need to look up, you can use the iPhone's built-in dictionary feature (those of you who use an iPhone probably know this feature)
4. WRITING PRACTICE APPS
To write well, you need to read a lot. Besides that, when writing you can use the following tools
- English – English Dictionary
Cambridge Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
Oxford Learner's Dictionary https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
Oxford Collocation Dictionary https://www.freecollocation.com/
Dictionaries will show you how words and phrases are used in specific contexts. Using a dictionary when writing helps you avoid mistakes in meaning and grammar, and lets you learn words commonly used in writing along with the nuances of those words
- Grammarly
Grammarly: https://app.grammarly.com/ is an add-in and desktop app that points out spelling and meaning errors. The free version of Grammarly is also quite useful for anyone who needs to write in English every day. If you use the Pro version, Grammarly will also suggest edits so your sentences are clearer and easier for readers to understand. This is an app I really encourage everyone to use when writing in English. I often use Grammarly when doing dictation on the WELE web app: http://wele-learn.com/
- Lugwid
Lugwid https://ludwig.guru/ is an app that lets you find collocations that commonly go together, drawn from sources like articles or mainstream written sites. I often use lugwig when there's a phrase I've written that I'm not sure about. Lugwig will give quite a few suggestions about the phrase you searched for, about how to use it in a sentence, or similar phrases.
Once you're done writing, remember to read it back over and check for grammar and vocabulary mistakes. If you have any doubts, look them up with the tools above or ask Mr. Google!