Imagine you had unlimited time and unlimited money. Would that make it easier to master English? I would argue that it wouldn’t. To understand why, you have to look closely at one particular English word: easy.

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Practice Questions plus Listening and Speaking English Practice! English Quiz for Beginners – #1. Listening and Speaking Practice 1 (more speaking and listening practice coming soon!) Grammar Practice Questions. English Usage. Grammar practice. Sentence Completion. Present Perfect Tense Practice. Reading Comprehension.

Even if you have money to spend and time to burn, is it truly if you have to study all day and spend tons of money? That doesn’t sound like the definition of “easy” to me. Luckily, thanks to the internet, there are plenty of without using up your whole day or spending lots of cash. And just as importantly, most English study on the internet is unscheduled. On the web, you can study English on your own time, without having to cut into. Study Online English Materials for ESL Students “Self-studying” English seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? Isn’t language supposed to be used with others?

Well yes and no. It’s best to work with other people when you practice English writing and speaking. Writing and speaking are known as “productive” skills because you are producing language.

But the “receptive” English skills—listening and reading—can be self-studied easily and conveniently online. Below is a list of some top websites and web services that allow you to learn English reading and listening on your own time, free of charge. Websites for free English listening practice Free websites for English listening practice usually fall under one of three categories:. Sites for conversational English listening.

Is a typical website for conversational English listening. The site contains conversations in every kind of English accent, including non-native accents.

Sites for practical “daily life” English listening. Is a good example of the second type of English listening website. It’s full of listening exercises related to shopping, travel, school and other daily situations. Sites where people can listen to academic/educational talks in English.

Just might be the most famous source of English listening practice. It’s a collection of educational monologues (presentations with one speaker). TED is so popular among English learners that there’s a TED site just for ESL students:.

Websites for free English reading practice (or so I’ve heard). There are three major types of English reading websites, too:. Self-study courses.

Some websites offer very organized courses in English reading that you can complete by yourself, free of charge., which includes diagnostic tests, daily lessons and ways to track your learning progress, is a typical “guided English reading” web service. Graded readings. Other sites offer “graded readings,” which are English articles that have been edited and simplified for English learners. And are two good places to start looking for simpler texts like these. English learner newspapers. These are sites with regular news reporting, but which are written with ESL students in mind. The (an abbreviation of “Student Weekly”) is a good example of this kind of newspaper. Practice English Anytime with Mobile Apps While we’re looking at self-study resources on the internet, let’s not forget “the internet of things.” What’s the internet of things?

It’s the special parts of the web that you can access through your mobile devices—the apps that you can use on your phone and tablet. The scene for has absolutely exploded in the last ten years. Some English lesson apps, such as, are completely free.

Duolingo offers well-organized self-study courses. The courses focus primarily on reading, writing and listening skills. Plenty of other apps out there offer of one kind or another. Check your own phone’s app store and you should be able to find free English instruction that works for you. Takes real-world videos and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You learn English while watching popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials, as you can see here. FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It recommends examples and videos to you based on the words you’ve already learned. You have a truly personalized experience. With (as well as online on your computer), it’s the perfect option for immersive English practice anywhere. Take a MOOC What is a MOOC, you may ask? The name may sound like a weird insult or the hiccup of a cow, but it’s actually a short version of the phrase Massive Open Online Course.

Those of you who are gamers may already understand what that means. Just as a massive online game like Starcraft or Guild Wars allows unlimited players in a game, so a MOOC allows unlimited students in an online class. However, MOOCs are generally available free of charge, unlike most massive online multiplayer games. English learning MOOCs are taught by real teachers who communicate with students through online MOOC message boards, pre-recorded video lectures and a limited number of live web broadcasts. As you can imagine, there isn’t much individual student-teacher interaction in a MOOC. Still, this is a good way to learn English from a real instructor, and you’ll have chances to join online study groups with classmates.

Most of these massive online English courses can be found through MOOC specialty websites. Some sites, such as, include ESL MOOCs. Other sites like allow you to search for these kinds of English courses. Is an especially great site that lets you learn through the MOOC of your choice. There are a lot of courses to choose from, and you can complete them at whatever pace (speed) you like.

Courses include learning tools like instructional videos and exercises you can use to test your understanding. Is another great MOOC site that offers actual college courses. You can even earn college credits, through Arizona State University. You can also earn certificates for courses, though you often have to pay for these. However, you can check out all the options and details for a course beforehand, including the number of hours the course will take each week and how long the course lasts. Connect with Other English Learners How many English learners are on the internet?

And when all of those English learners want to talk to each other online, they flock to online English Learner forums, which are also sometimes called message boards. They’re places where learners can talk to each other.

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Most major ESL websites have busy message boards. And are two of the biggest examples.

You can also find specialized forums to help you prepare for English exams. Major forums include the or the. But maybe the most obvious way to meet other English learners online is to do something you’re probably already doing. That’s right, I’m talking about using social media. You may already know about the biggest, including,.

Of these sites, Facebook has the most active users, with countless pages and groups for English learners. Don’t get Facebook in your country? Have no fear! For students in non-Facebook countries, there’s a good alternative: a social media website called. Because VK is based in a non-English speaking country (Russia), it has a really good range of English learning resources. Popular VK pages for English study include, and even that coordinate live English conversation via webcam and phone. Speak with Native English Conversation Partners Speaking of live English conversation, there are plenty of free websites just for that.

If you look at our article on, you’ll find seven places on the web where you can practice English conversation free of charge. In addition to the fine websites listed in that blog post, I’d like to recommend. The italki platform offers the opportunity for English conversation practice by helping people. In a language exchange, you teach your own language to a native English speaker, and they teach you English. It’s a very rewarding way to learn English and to get a better understanding of language learning in general. If you’re willing to spent a little money, you can focus entirely on English practice.

Follow Educational Websites in English “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” This common English expression means that when you’re trying to adjust to a new place, you should behave like the people who live there. So, who “lives” in the online English-speaking world? Native English speakers do, that’s who.

And you too can live comfortably on the English internet, if you do as the native English speakers do. Do what they do by browsing. There are also a few categories for these sites. Informative websites If you’re preparing to study in English or simply like to keep up with what’s going on around the world, informative websites are a good form of English practice.

News websites like, and can be your go-to for English-language breaking news in current events as well as science and technology. Other educational websites such as, and focus entirely on science news in English. All of these sites help you build up your “book smarts” and “world smarts” as you also build English reading skills. There are also informative sites that are made for younger English speakers. One example of this is, which has lots of short, interesting articles about how the world works.

It also includes vocabulary lists, comprehension quizzes and suggestions for activities related to the topics. Infotainment websites News and science aren’t the only educational topics in English cyberspace. The English web also has countless sites that fall under the category of “infotainment” (a combination of “information” and “entertainment”). Infotainment websites are educational, but exist mostly to entertain. These sites feature weird news stories, fun and interesting true facts, and funny commentary. Some of the top English infotainment sites include,.

Podcast websites Boing Boing and Cracked in particular are known for one of the web’s top forms of infotainment:. And the feature informative talks and conversations by English speakers. You should follow (and also see how!). You can also find many other great ones through specialized podcast websites like,. Have Fun with Online TV, Music and Movies The main “native English” countries in North America, Europe and “” sure do export a lot of things, don’t they? But perhaps the biggest export from the English speaking world is entertainment. English speakers make films and music that are loved by people around the world.

Television shows and movies If you’re one of the many global citizens who loves English language TV, entertainment websites are a fun, motivating way to practice English for free. You can by watching all kinds of content, including full movies, TV episodes and music videos. There are also alternatives to YouTube for people in countries where YouTube isn’t available. And are nice global alternatives. Other free TV and movie websites include,.

Music If you just want to listen to music, English cyberspace has you covered there, too. Web services such as and allow you to make your own English music playlists.

Other websites like or let you listen to music on English-language radio stations from around the world. If you’re a music lover and want to make the most of the free English practice you get through music, be sure to also check out our. Entertainment news Last but not least, if you’re going to use entertainment as a free source of English practice online, don’t forget about famous people and celebrities. There are tons of entertainment news sites—, etc.—that provide lots of English reading and listening practice. English-language entertainment fan communities also give you a chance to interact with other TV, movie and music fans in English.

At places like or the, you can write English posts about the shows and albums you love. Other fan forum sites are more comprehensive.

Remember when I told you that there’s a message board for everything, somewhere online? To see what I mean, check out the for movies, TV, music, comics, video games and other areas of popular culture. Whether you’re rich or poor, whether you have lots of time or a little, the internet is your best source for easy-to-access English practice that won’t cost you a thing. Jump in, and get ready to learn English any way that you want to, without having to reach for your wallet or rearrange your daily schedule.

Amy: What have you been pulled over 1 for? Curtis: I’ve been pulled over for tailgating 2 an ambulance. Amy: Oh, my God. I didn’t think that was the story he was going to pick.

Curtis: No, this is a very, very bad thing to do. I don’t recommend you doing this.

What’s tailgating? Curtis: Tailgating is following somebody too close.

So usually you have to leave a car length in between the car in front of you and your car. And I at that point Amy: Had a very, very bad habit of driving way too close. Curtis: Right. And in between–or I was in between the emergency ambulance vehicle in front of me and a police car behind me.

But I didn’t know it was a police car because it didn’t have the lights. Amy: Oh, it was a ghost car 3. Curtis: It was a ghost car. Amy: Sneaky 4. Curtis: Or an unmarked car. An unmarked car.

Curtis: And right away, he turned on his lights that were on his dashboard and the front of his car and his siren. And he was mad. Curtis: But I got lucky 5 on that one too.

Even though he was mad, he didn’t give me a ticket. Sometimes they let you off. They–like they let you off the hook 6 or I don’t know.

They give you, what is it? Curtis: A warning 7 Amy: Yeah, they give you a warning. Don’t do it again. It’s a written warning.

And it goes on record that you’ve been warned about this. But they don’t actually give you a fine. Curtis: Yeah. He kept track of it for sure. Phrase Explanations:. Pulled over: Stopped by the police. Tailgating: Driving very closely to the vehicle in front of you.

Ghost car: A police car with no lights or markings. Also known as an unmarked car. Sneaky: Doing something in a secret, unfair or not obvious way. I got lucky: To have good luck unexpectedly. Let you off the hook: When you get caught doing something wrong or illegal and you don’t get punished for it.

‘Let you off’ is the short way of expressing this. Warning: An official notice that you have been warned not to do something again The full of lesson of ‘Driving’ is available when you join as a Free Member! Listen to Smith’s Experience Here My name is Smith and I am from Haiti. I am really happy to have signed up for Real English Conversations because it has really helped me improve my listening and speaking skills. And thanks to the teacher, Amy Whitney, who also acts as a researcher on how to learn a foreign language more efficiently.

So, thanks to her good advice and methodology about how to deeply work out my listening and how to stick with my speaking practice, even without having someone to talk to, I have been able to gradually improve my English in many ways. About the Teachers on Real English Conversations Curtis and I (Amy) are from Canada in North America. We have a passion for traveling and teaching real English to help students improve their communication skills. Learning a language as an adult is challenging. I have first hand experience learning a second language to fluency. After taking vacations in several countries in Central and South America, we decided to follow our dreams and move to another country. Now, we live in Mexico.

Even after moving to this country, I realized that living here and breathing in the Mexican air was not helping my Spanish skills. After all, I work from home teaching online and I don’t spend the entire day speaking to people. The truth is that improving a language takes practice, consistency and a desire to improve. In our, I teach students effective ways to practice English to improve speaking and listening skills using the techniques and unique methods I have discovered or created. The same methods that helped me reach fluency and maintain my current conversation abilities my new language, even though, I don’t have much time to practice. To get started with one of our lessons now, signup here to receive an interesting conversation lesson here. Let us show you how you can use naturally spoken English conversations to:.

Learn the vocabulary native speakers actually use. Understand more of what you hear.

Practice speaking to use the new words you learned. Learn Using Real Conversations Have you ever noticed that there are many ESL lessons for beginner students but there is hardly anything available for intermediate and advanced students? The truth is that most people that try to learn conversational English don’t make it to this level, most websites are focused on beginners.

Everything on this website was created for intermediate and advanced students that need to get exposed to ‘normal’ everyday Conversations. Our lessons are different because we have also learned another language as an adult and know better tools and techniques that we can show you. Learn English faster, with the resources we have created to study and learn from conversation lessons. If your goal is to be able to have enjoyable English Conversations, you should be studying conversational English. Why would you waste time studying a textbook with more rules or learn words by studying lists of words that no one uses in real life?

Grammar rules are for beginners. Intermediate and advanced students need to listen to lots of topics and learn to speak about those topics without worrying about the ‘rules’. At REC, we know exactly what you need to learn fast.

Naturally Spoken Dialogues When you study a naturally spoken conversation, you will start to see it is very different than what you read. Real conversations are full of pauses to think and small words or sounds to keep the ‘fluency’ of the conversation.

Listening to scripted audio will not teach you how people Most courses don’t give enough emphasis to or give you the opportunity to do speaking fluency exercises. These are the 2 skills that are the most difficult for people to learn when they need to interact with real people in real life. A Method Taught From Personal Experience Amy, who now knows Spanish, realized during her first conversation attempt that she did not know enough of the everyday vocabulary that people use when they chat with each other. She started to study conversational transcripts and MP3 audio lessons. This taught her the right vocabulary, and speaking patterns that helped her to understand much more from every conversation she heard It is natural that you want to study the things that are easy.

Reading, writing and passive listening are EASY. If you want to be fluent in English, you need to put the same amount of effort into speaking and listening comprehension. Our website gives you techniques and activities you can use to improve your speaking skills and finally have a better experience when you communicate. English Speaking Exercises We have created this website for people just people like you.

Someone who wants to speak easily, understand what they hear and learn new vocabulary in a natural way. It is important that you start using the words and grammar rules that you know And you have to practice speaking with them A LOT.

The harder it is for you to speak, the more you need to practice. Each conversation lesson has exercises to help you practice what you have heard in the English conversation. You can listen to conversational English questions that you have to answer by speaking. This resource in our premium section is the most important part that will help you speak with more fluency. The harder it is for you to speak, the more you need to practice. Our speaking course has dozens of techniques and exercises to help you practice speaking even if you do not have a speaking practice partner. Learn the techniques and exercises you can do to become a fluent, confident speaker fast.

Improve your English Listening Amy knows from personal experience how it can be difficult to develop your in a new language in the beginning. This is something she has had to work at very hard to improve. She found that listening to slower audio while reading a transcription helped her to improve her listening skills very quickly. This is why we have created a full transcript of each one of our American English Conversations.

The truth is that ‘hearing’ the words is one skill but being able to understand everything you hear is another thing. It takes practice and patience. The truth is that ‘good listening’ takes time and practice.

Not everyone develops great listening skills automatically. We’ve got all the resources you need including MP3 downloads and PDF English transcriptions to read while listening.

If you are ready to start improving your English Conversations, especially your listening skills. Thanks to Real Engish Conversations, I learned a lot of new things, your website is great. I like it so much, they have so much helpful information for people who want to learn English and with their methods of teaching they make so easy to understand all the information that they provide.

Thanks to their everyday conversations, I feel more confident when I need to talk, I have a better flow while speaking and that is so important because my profession demands a good level of English, I’m a professional pilot, thanks so much to Amy and Curtis for taking your time to help people to learn, you are awesome people. Keep up the good work and thanks for everything! Alfredo Pilot in Argentina. Hello, my name is Manel. I’m from Mallorca, Spain.

I’m just writing to thank you for your amazing podcast. I’m studying to pass the TOEFL exam and it’s really helpful to hear you talking about different topics which are very enjoyable. I love the language, that is one of the main reasons why I decided to become a primary school teacher. I’m thinking about moving to USA in order to improve my level and discover a new culture, new places and also live new experiences. Congratulations and thank you very much for everything you’ve done for all of your listeners to understand more from each conversation!