Supplemental Materials Can Help Adults Become More Fluent in English
When studying a new language, there’s no shortage of recommendations on what’s the best strategy. Many advocate immersing yourself in the new language until your brain begins to comprehend what you’re hearing. Listening to radio broadcasts, watching movies and videos, even joining chat groups are great ways to help develop receptivity in your ear. However, this method may not be the best for everyone. Immersing yourself in a new language is most helpful if a person is primarily an audio learner. Many people learn through visual or kinesthetic methods and need supplemental materials to aid in learning retention.
When studying a new language, there’s no shortage of recommendations on what’s the best strategy. Many advocate immersing yourself in the new language until your brain begins to comprehend what you’re hearing. Listening to radio broadcasts, watching movies and videos, even joining chat groups are great ways to help develop receptivity in your ear. However, this method may not be the best for everyone. Immersing yourself in a new language is most helpful if a person is primarily an audio learner. Many people learn through visual or kinesthetic methods and need supplemental materials to aid in learning retention.
A skilled tutor will incorporate all kinds of language into his or her program of study, but if you’re choosing to study on your own or looking for supplemental resources, I have reviewed the myriad of workbooks available and have come up with a list of my top 7 choices below. These are excellent supplemental material to help fill in the gaps or give needed practice in target areas.
7 Supplemental Workbooks and Resources to Increase Fluency in English
English the American Way: A Fun ESL Guide to Language & Culture in the U.S. by Sheila MacKechnie Murtha and Jane Airey O’Connor
While not technically a workbook, this excellent resource covers situations that everyone encounters in everyday life. It provides engaging presentations about important topics in American culture and life such as making friends, dining out, purchasing a home, doctor visits, and job interviews. It goes beyond the basics by providing phrases and vocabulary terms that will help build your understanding of everyday English as well as give you a basis for understanding the English grammar that is used in each situation. The book includes many example dialogues and conversations and comes with an audio CD or MP3 which you can listen to. And unlike many other programs, the conversations in “English the American Way” are natural and realistic and not stilted or unnatural. This gives the learner the opportunity to hear and practice speaking like Americans do, and is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn American English. Plus, an additional bonus is that the audio tracks can be downloaded to mobile devices making it practical for listening and practicing on the go!
English Made Easy Volume One: A New ESL Approach: Learning English Through Pictures by Jonathan Crichton and Pieter Koster
Particularly appropriate for beginners, English Made Easy uses pictures and text that work together to create an understanding of everyday situations and help students learn and use language in everyday social settings. This series uses imitation of modeled language that is presented in a manner that all learners can easily comprehend. By using pictures, it encourages learning through the detection of patterns. Each topic guides the learner through progressively more independent activities to mold the learner’s responses and understanding and encourages the use of the language as a native speaker might use it. Starting at a basic level, it covers topics and situations that might otherwise be skipped over in other classes or workbooks. And, although I’ve only listed Volume One here, it comes in three volumes, each presenting more advanced topics. The best part of this series is that it is actually written by native speakers which means there are no mistakes to confuse or mislead the learner.
The Advanced Grammar Book by Jocelyn M. Steer and Karen A. Carlisi
The Advanced Grammar Book contains clear explanations of complex grammar structures accompanied by ample opportunities for students to practice each topic. This book uses a reading passage to introduce each concept followed by an explanation of the grammar. It includes exercises and charts to aid in understanding and comes with an included workbook. The workbook contains additional practice exercises.
This resource presents the material with highly relevant and up-to-date content making it particularly helpful for students preparing for exams like the TOEFL or for those prepping for college studies.
Learn English Through Stories Series (Volume 1) by Donald Wells
This series helps students to learn or improve their English skills using a process that native speakers use. By reading the stories, students not only improve their reading skills, but increase their vocabulary and grammar knowledge. Each story has specific vocabulary and grammar concepts. Study questions are included to guide and evaluate student understanding for each story. Students are encouraged to use context to decipher new vocabulary.
Useful for all levels, this series is a great supplement to any program of English studies. The stories help to reinforce understanding of vocabulary and grammar concepts that may have been encountered elsewhere.
Once you finish Volume 1, Volumes 2-5 are also available in paperback as well as audiobook format. Check out Volume 2 here! Click here to learn more about a FREE 30-day trial of Audible.
The Perfect English Grammar Workbook: Simple Rules and Quizzes to Master Today’s English by Lisa McLendon
A straightforward presentation of English grammar, this workbook gives students the opportunity and knowledge to learn how to compose sentences. Each grammatical concept includes an explanation plus practice exercises and quizzes to test the learner’s comprehension. It is an excellent reference by itself, but is also great as a refresher for more advanced speakers as well as a study guide for those new to English.
English for Everyone by D.K. Publishing
The English for Everyone series is described as a “comprehensive self-study course for adults learning English as a foreign language. It includes listening, speaking, reading and writing exercises, starting at a beginner level and working up to advanced. The series includes four levels, each with a course book and practice workbook. It also has additional resources for students such as Business English, vocabulary building, and an English Grammar Guide. Audio recordings are provided for each level, and are available at the DK website. These recordings are downloadable in both Android and iOS formats so that students can practice on the go.
This program is great for personal study or as prep for TOEFL/IELTS exams. However, because each book and workbook must be purchased individually, and with each book priced at $10-$18, it could end up being a large investment over time.
The Great Book of American Idioms: A Dictionary of American Idioms, Sayings, Expressions & Phrases by Lingo Mastery
For a student to truly master the English language (or any language for that matter) it is necessary to develop a knowledge regarding the use of idioms. Therefore, no list of learning materials would be complete without “The Great Book of American Idioms”. This book includes a comprehensive and relevant list of over 1300 idioms with examples of conversations that illustrate the meaning and context of each one. It demonstrates the correct definition and usage of each expression, ensuring that you know exactly when to say them during a conversation. Making it “easy as pie” to begin understanding and effectively using English idioms, this little guide is a definite confidence booster for non-native speakers! Plus, this book is available as an Audible audiobook. Click here to learn more about a FREE 30-day trial of Audible.
There you have it! My top seven recommendations for supplemental materials to help improve your English fluency. Check out my tips to help you learn English faster here, or if you want some ideas to help your kids learn English, check out this article!
The best way to increase your fluency in English is to have a great English coach. Click here to get more information about American English Instructor and how to set up online private English classes.
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