Learning English on your own is both challenging and interesting task, especially for those people who are used to achieving their goals in life. If you organize your classes correctly, choose the appropriate methodology and purchase the necessary dictionaries and textbooks, learning will not only be effective, but can also turn into enjoyable entertainment. This is the very case when the goal justifies the means, because along with knowledge of the language a person acquires many more bonuses: expanding his circle of friends, the opportunity to read classics in the original and navigate in an English-speaking country without the help of a translator, as well as many other advantages.

What hinders language learning?

Most people are convinced that it is impossible to learn English on their own or at least make a little progress in its knowledge. And the reason for this is stereotypes. Yes Yes! It is other people’s beliefs that force us to give up our dreams and they sound something like this:

  • Learning English on your own is an impossible task.
  • The process of learning to a certain level of knowledge (for example, advanced) drags on for years.
  • Everyone who studies a language at home does not achieve the desired result.
  • To learn English, you need to be immersed in a language environment.

In fact, all these statements are not without foundation and they mean only one thing: learning English on your own is quite difficult and thorny path. And how long it will be depends directly on what goals and means are used in the learning process.

What do you need for those who study English on their own?

English self-teacher- performs an important function - it provides information in a clearly structured form with a sequential presentation from simple material to more complex material. Good tutorial is a textbook that pays attention to every aspect of the language being studied: grammar, reading, pronunciation, listening, writing. An equally important point when choosing an English language self-teacher should be its ease of use and accessibility of presentation, the availability of practical exercises, a phonetic course and additional audio materials. Self-learning English will only give results if the classes are interesting to you, and teaching aids evoke positive emotions.

English-Russian dictionary simply necessary for classes. It is best to have one that explains the meaning of new words in simpler English words. The most popular of them are Longman, Cambridge, Oxford, as well as Webster, Collins and Macmillan, but they are all very similar to each other. Longman has more comparison articles, it is simpler and more convenient, Oxford is bright and memorable, and Cambridge has simple and understandable explanations. Which one you choose for yourself is up to you.

Grammar textbook- this is another aspect without which independent learning of English will simply be incomplete. It belongs to the timeless classics, and therefore replace it with this moment nothing is impossible. Many experts believe that Raymond Murphy's grammar textbook has proven its worth over the years. It is quite functional and easy to understand and still occupies a leading position among educational materials. Murphy's textbook is presented in the form of a grammar reference book with reinforcement exercises. It is absolutely not necessary to study in a certain sequence; you can finish in one place and start from a completely different place.

Without what is it impossible to independently study English?

Interest is important driving force human activity, and it is almost impossible to overestimate its importance in learning English. It is on this aspect that concentration of attention, richness of associations and perception of new material depend, because everything that gives pleasure comes easily and naturally. A person who practices out of inner motivation is able to achieve much greater results than someone who is charged with it.

Desire is the second powerful factor that motivates learning. If it goes in tandem with an interest in the language or with a professional need, it gives very good results.

For a desire to turn into action, you need a clearly formulated goal. First of all, decide for yourself why you need English language and to what extent you should know it, and also determine for yourself the period during which you will achieve a certain result.

Now imagine what opportunities you have to achieve this goal. These may include trips to English-speaking countries, live or virtual communication with native speakers, new techniques and modern teaching materials.

How to define a goal?

Set a goal by asking yourself guiding questions:

  • Why do you need English?
  • Do you want to read the classics in the original?
  • Do you want to participate in international conferences?
  • Maybe you need to correspond with business partners in English?
  • Or do you want to communicate via Skype with foreign friends?
  • Or maybe you are planning to work abroad?

Determine for yourself the most important principles of self-learning English:

  • Motivation (for this you need to really want to learn the language).
  • The learning process (depends on the purpose for which knowledge is needed).
  • The correct method (you need to choose best option, suitable for your temperament).
  • A positive attitude (it just doesn't hurt).

What does it take for independent English learning to be successful?

Reading is the mother of learning

Reading allows you to create a picture in your mind, this activates your brain activity and helps you learn better. educational material. When comprehending what you read, you will have to analyze and understand the author’s point of view, this will allow you to better assimilate the material presented.

Read only those texts that you understand, otherwise you will very quickly lose interest in reading.

Pay attention to new words in the text. A large number of unfamiliar expressions in the text indicate that the level of presentation of the material is too high and perhaps you should choose something simpler.

Try to write down all the new words that appear in the text. Mark them as you read, try to guess their meaning, and at the end of the process, add them to your dictionary.

It is reading that becomes the standard of competent writing. Each text contains the correct structure of expressions and sentence construction, this will allow you to subsequently use them correctly in writing.

Watching movies in English is a good combination of business and pleasure

Everyone knows that watching a movie is a real pleasure. To learn English on your own, try to choose films that are familiar to you. It would be better if they had subtitles. For each of them, get your own dictionary and, as you look through it, add unfamiliar words and expressions to it.

Talk, talk and talk!

First of all, you need to learn to speak the language. The biggest problem that befalls a person learning English is fear. Fear of not working out, fear of not knowing and fear of looking stupid when pronouncing certain things. English words. Therefore, many students, devoting a lot of time to grammar and reading, prefer not to speak English at all. And completely in vain! Any learning is useless without practice, which is why you need to work on your pronunciation every day.

Correct pronunciation is the key to success!

Pronunciation is the main component of any foreign language, it depends on the correct perception of foreign sounds. Any defects in pronunciation make a person’s speech difficult to understand. To learn how to correctly pronounce the sounds of the English language, constant training is necessary during the first months of training. Pronunciation rules can be learned by comparing them with the rules of the Russian language. Pronunciation of the most difficult sounds requires special attention, but do not forget about the small rules. In English, stress and intonation are important, so don’t forget to pay attention to these aspects.

Don't forget about grammar

English grammar is a whole system, without knowledge of which it is simply impossible to fully master the language. For this, it is most important to know its basics, rather than to superficially become acquainted with many secondary phenomena. Try to understand how and why this or that grammatical rule is used in a sentence, and also remember examples of its use.

What pitfalls await you when learning English on your own?

Almost every one of us dreamed of learning English on our own, but few have achieved success in this field. Why is this happening? The first and most the main problem self-learning is a lack of control. Anything can distract you from your studies - a phone call, an interesting movie or an invitation to go for a walk. To prevent this from happening, you will have to create a clear schedule for yourself and strictly follow it, using common sense and willpower.

Another problem with learning English on your own is mistakes that will later become your habits. To learn a language correctly, you need to be very strict and attentive to yourself. When studying with a teacher, you will not be afraid of mistakes, because he will correct you in a timely manner. If you are left alone with the language, then the uncorrected error turns into an incorrect construction, which will gradually take root in your speech and writing. Remember - relearning is much more difficult than learning from scratch!

All in your hands

So, you have firmly decided to master English on your own and are ready to start learning it. One of best practices For successful learning, you need to surround yourself with an English-speaking environment. Read books in the original, take notes in English, listen to English radio, watch movies and news in English. The more material you have around you, the faster and more natural the learning process will be. No less important aspect speaking is what most often lags behind among those who study English on their own. In fact, communication with native speakers and those who learn it is not a problem today. You just need to register on sites where participants practice pronunciation and find people to talk to. Remember that everything depends only on you.

You've probably already read hundreds of articles on the Internet about how to learn English on your own and for free. Still not able to achieve the desired level of knowledge? The thing is that many offer theoretical advice without backing it up with practice. Therefore, we decided to compose practical guide self-study. In this article we will tell you whether it is possible to learn English without anyone’s help, we will explain what materials you MUST use during self-study and what resources you can use additionally so that you don’t get bored learning English at home. You can save yourself a free PDF of all 156 resources, and at the end of the article we'll give you our Editors' Choice "best of the best" list.

Is it possible to learn English on your own?

Let's first find out whether it is realistic to learn English on your own or whether it is not worth wasting time and effort on this activity. Let’s say right away that learning English on your own and for free is quite possible, because there are thousands of learning resources on the Internet that will help you do this. Why doesn’t everyone manage to master the language at the desired level? You probably know people whose self-study has turned into a waste of time. Or maybe you yourself have tried to learn English more than once without success?

We can say with confidence that only three factors determine whether you can learn English on your own:

  1. Your desire to learn the language.
  2. Willingness to work.
  3. An effective way to learn a language.

If both the first and second factors are present, then it’s only a matter of the third link - the ability to find the most suitable one for yourself. effective method learn English on your own. This article is designed to solve the problem of the third factor: we will tell you how to organize an effective learning process and what materials you will need.

At the same time, we would like to immediately warn you: self-study is an interesting process, but not easy, and it is especially difficult for beginners. We still advise those learning the language “from scratch” to use the services. Under his watchful supervision and experienced guidance, you will get ahead faster than if you taught yourself. Do you want to walk this path without anyone's help? We have already written an article on this topic “”, but it is aimed specifically at beginners. In this same article we will talk about resources for all English learners, so for beginners it is better to start by studying the first article and then return to this material.

How to learn English on your own

We have compiled 6 for you simple recommendations about how best to learn English on your own. These tips are based on the experiences of our teachers and students. To make self-study effective for you, follow all the recommendations, then positive results will not keep you waiting.

1. Set a specific goal

All further actions to independently study English depend on your learning goal. Consider whether you want to master general conversational or business English, want to reach an intermediate level, or want to reach the top. You can look and choose a similar goal for yourself. Also, an excellent correct goal is to reach the intermediate level, this way you will build a good knowledge base. Find out 8 more reasons to get to this level from the article “”.

2. Create a class schedule

It would seem that the beauty of self-learning lies precisely in the fact that your English classes are not tied to any specific moment: you learn the language when it is convenient for you. However, in reality it turns out as in the famous joke. Your conscience torments you: “When are you going to start learning English?” And you answer her: “Well, no, I can’t do it today, I’m so tired. Let's never. Will it never suit you? Agree, it is impossible to learn English with this approach. Therefore, take control of yourself and make a specific schedule, for example, study for an hour every day or 3-4 times a week for 1.5 hours. Of course, having a schedule will not protect you from procrastination, but you will already know that you didn’t just “legally postpone the lesson, I’ll study later,” but missed it. A gnawing conscience is a good motivator!

3. Select the resources you need

As we have already said, you and I have many sources of knowledge, and such an abundance useful resources does not always have a positive effect on learning. Thus, many people decide to learn English and in one day buy all available textbooks, add 541 English learning sites to their bookmarks, and install 37 language learning applications. On the one hand, such zeal is commendable. On the other hand, each textbook and each website has its own principles for presenting the material, so if you study on different resources every day, you risk creating a mess in your head and within a week or two you will realize that you do not know what to take on. Below we will offer you a list of good time-tested resources for learning English in the context of English skills. Spend a couple of days choosing no more than 1-2 resources for each skill.

4. Look for someone to talk to

Some people think that English can be learned "offline" using only books, audio and video materials. However, it is not. You can read Agatha Christie in the original and listen to BBC news, but what good is that if you have trouble speaking English? You can speak the language you are learning only with the help of an interlocutor. Read on to find out how to find a partner to practice speaking with.

5. Track your achievements

This is an important point for those who decide to learn English on their own at home. Be sure to complete test assignments to track your progress. You can take various online tests, such as knowledge tests. It is important to check your mistakes. This is quite difficult when teaching yourself, so we have written an assistant article for you “”. From it you will learn how to control your learning process.

6. Don't take long breaks from studying.

Everyone has days when it seems like there is no time to learn English. In this case, we recommend finding literally 5-10 minutes and doing one of the exercises from the article “”. If you do have to take a break from studying, try not to prolong it, otherwise the accumulated knowledge will begin to fly out of your head and you will completely abandon your studies.

How to learn English at home for free: 156 useful materials

Now we will present you with the resources that you will definitely need to effectively study English on your own. You will see the entire list of resources in a PDF file, which you can save to your computer for free:

  • Grammar Guide

    • Those who learn English on their own often complain that they are unable to learn English grammar. In this case, we recommend taking an additional textbook with grammar exercises in addition to the main textbook. When choosing such a book, be guided by our article “”. Go through the manual from the first lesson to the last, without skipping anything, then the material will be easier to understand.

  • A textbook to expand your vocabulary

    • A good vocabulary will allow you to express your thoughts accurately, so try to constantly learn new words. It is advisable to take new vocabulary not only from your main textbook, but also from specialized manuals. A reliable source of the necessary words will be one of. The practical exercises in these books will teach you how to correctly use the words you have learned in your speech.

  • Pronunciation guide

    • Correct pronunciation is necessary for the interlocutor to understand you, so this skill also needs to be developed. If, when learning English with a teacher, you can do without a special manual, because the teacher will teach you how to pronounce sounds correctly, then when self-study English home you will need a textbook. You can take one of the following manuals: English Pronunciation in Use, New Headway Pronunciation Course, Tree or Three? , Ship or Sheep? , How Now, Brown Cow? , Elements of Pronunciation. In them you will find many tasks for listening and correct pronunciation.

  • Dictionary

    • A good dictionary is an indispensable attribute for learning English. We recommend first using an online Russian-English dictionary, such as multitran.ru or lingvolive.ru. When you reach an intermediate level of knowledge, start using an English-English dictionary, such as macmillandictionary.com or dictionary.cambridge.org.

    Would you like to use teaching aids? We recommend reading our article “”, in which we talked about the advantages of using aids, and also indicated who can learn English without them.

    Additional Resources

    The listed textbooks will be enough for you to improve your English skills, but sometimes you want to take a break from books and diversify your learning with some interesting materials. We have made for you a large selection of the best resources that will help you learn English on your own.

    1. We speak English

      2. To learn to communicate in English, you need to try to speak it as often as possible. Where to find a communication partner? On one of the language exchange sites, such as italki.com or es.coeffee.com. You will find even more ideas and resources for finding an interlocutor in the article “”.

    2. Learning new words

      New vocabulary can be learned not only from the manual, but also using more modern and exciting methods:

      • Install applications for learning words: Anki for Android and iOS, Easy Ten for and iOS or Fun Easy Learn English for Android and iOS. Learning 10 words will take no more than 5-7 minutes; we think even a busy person will find time to study with applications.
      • Learn words with visual dictionaries such as online-languages.info or oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. An association with a picture is remembered better and faster than a separate word.
      • Take tests at englishteststore.net and esl.fis.edu. You will be able to check how well you remember the new vocabulary and see how it is used in speech.
      • Solve crosswords: .
    3. Improving perception English speech aurally

      Improving your listening comprehension of English on your own is quite simple. We recommend the following methods:

      • Listen to audio materials: .
      • To watch news: . You can first watch a video with subtitles, and then without them.
      • Watch fascinating educational videos and video lectures: .
      • Listen to interesting audiobooks: .
      • Listen to music: .
    4. Improving your grammar knowledge

      5. Remember: without knowing grammar, it is impossible to speak English normally. Therefore, let's see what methods, in addition to exercises from the textbook, can be used to deal with grammar once and for all.

    • Learn grammar using understandable articles in Russian: engblog.ru.
    • Run tests: . Performing at least one debriefing test every day will help you gradually eliminate your mistakes.
    • Watch training videos: . Also visit the wonderful resource engvid.com. Pay attention to the videos with teacher Ronnie: her fiery sense of humor and fascinating lessons will appeal even to those who hate grammar.
    • Use grammar learning apps: Johnny Grammar for iOS or Learn English Grammar for Android and LearnEnglish Grammar for iOS. These simple programs for the gadget they diversify the way to work or a trip to the country.
  • Reading in English

    • Reading is the easiest skill to work with on your own. How to do it:

    • Read adapted literature: . Such books can be read by people with Beginner level and above.
    • Read books in original: .
    • Read fascinating articles: . A small interesting article - the optimal “dose” for those who want to learn English at home on their own.
    • Read the news: install the Yahoo News Digest or BBC News application on your smartphone or tablet, then you will be up to date and can improve your English every day.
    • Read magazines: .
  • Improving pronunciation

    • Improving pronunciation through self-study is not very easy: in order to analyze your speech and find errors in it, you need to have experience in learning English and know exactly HOW all sounds should sound. But this difficulty can be overcome if you use the following techniques:

    • Learn to pronounce sounds correctly: .
    • Practice speaking tongue twisters: the website download-esl.com has tongue twisters voiced by native speakers. Say at least a couple of them every day, and within a couple of months your pronunciation will improve, and pronouncing difficult English sounds will become much easier.
  • We write in English

    • You can learn to write in English without the help of a teacher. The catch is that if you decide to learn English on your own, there will be no one to check your written work. There are services for communicating with foreigners; these sites offer something like a language exchange: you check the text in Russian, and a native English speaker checks your written work in English. However, keep in mind that such sites can also be used by illiterate people, so no one can guarantee the authenticity of the verification. In addition, your reviewer will, at best, simply correct your mistakes, but not explain them. Therefore, if it is important for you to learn to write well in English, you should think about lessons with a teacher. In addition, the following will help you:

    • Learn to write correctly: ...
    • Working on pronunciation - .
    • Online dictations - dictationsonline.com.

      • We've provided you with a detailed, practical guide on how to learn English on your own for free, and the best resources to help you succeed in this field. Now it's up to you. This path can be difficult at first, because learning something new is never easy. Remember when you first got on a bike, you probably fell more than once before learning to ride. “Steering English” will also not be easy, but gradually you will be able to pick up speed and master it masterfully. We wish you success in your studies!

      © 2019 site, copying materials is possible only if you provide a direct active link to the source.

    There are really many ways to learn English, and understanding their effectiveness can be difficult. Unfortunately, " magic pill“There is no such thing as a perfect fit for everyone, because all people are different. Here are tips on how to find the way to learn English that works best for you.

    Warm-up before classes

    Just as you need to warm up before playing sports, you also need to warm up before learning a language. Here are some simple exercises:

    Stage I: Brush up on your vocabulary

    Brush up on your vocabulary by thinking about or briefly describing the topic you are going to study. For example, if this is , think about your last vacation - what you did, what you remember, etc. This simple exercise will help revive your memory of words that you may encounter when working on this topic.

    Stage II: Brush up on your grammar

    Brush up on your grammar by remembering general outline the desired grammatical area. For example, if you are, try to describe in English what you did last weekend, where you went, etc.. As is the case with vocabulary, such a warm-up is necessary to prepare for further study of English grammar.

    Stage III: Sing a song

    Before your English lesson, sing an English song. It should be a song that you know and understand well (you will find English-language songs with translations).

    This short and easy exercise will help you tune into the English language and relax at the same time. Singing also activates the creative activity of the brain, which will help you choose words more creatively when conducting a dialogue or when composing an impromptu story on a given topic.

    Step IV: Type a short paragraph in English

    If you work on a computer, as a kind of self-tuning, type a paragraph of simple text in English. You can describe your day, your activities, your friends—anything. This helps activate the kinesthetic activity of the brain, responsible for remembering through physical actions. It's also helpful to type out the rules while learning grammar. Movement will help you consolidate your knowledge.

    Stage V: A Thousand Words

    There is a saying in English: “A picture is worth a thousand words” (“A picture is worth a thousand words” or “It’s better to see once than to hear a hundred times”). By describing a photograph or drawing, you engage the areas of the brain responsible for creativity. While you're at it, you can brush up on your vocabulary by choosing a picture that's relevant to the topic you'll be studying.

    Practice English every day

    It is important to practice English every day. However, don't overwork yourself. It's better to exercise for 30 minutes every day than two hours once a week. Short, regular sessions are much more effective than long hours of studying with long breaks. Getting into the habit of studying every day will help keep your language skills active.

    Learn English with friends

    There is nothing better than learning English in good company. You can do exercises together, conduct dialogues (in English!) and help each other with what is more difficult. If among your friends you do not find like-minded people,...

    Learn English in different ways

    Don't limit yourself to just one way to learn a language. Use a variety of methods that involve different areas brain For example, when you memorize new words, you can draw a mnemonic map, describe the picture, and type the word you are learning several times. Together, all these methods will help strengthen your knowledge.

    Idea Hunter Method

    After school, my English was at zero level: I only knew “ah like” and “hello”. Now the problem is obvious to me: we were punished for mistakes! Moreover, the class mocked me when I made a mistake, the more advanced students constantly made satirical jokes about my accent, and the teacher gave unsatisfactory grades. All these factors gave rise to the desire to speak a foreign language as little as possible. But this closeness is the main enemy of the student.

    From 5th grade high school up to 3rd year of university my English remained at the same low level, but I really wanted to just talk to foreigners on the streets of my native St. Petersburg! Instead, I just smiled at them, and that was the end of our communication.

    In my third year, I started traveling, first through student programs, then on my own. Now I’m telling you how to quickly acquire new knowledge in my video course “33 steps to become more successful in life.”

    I remember the very first experience of communication. I tried to talk about myself and made a lot of mistakes: I didn’t use prepositions, I used tenses incorrectly, and all this was covered in a “Hard Russian accent.” What happened next? What happened when kids from other countries heard me speak? Instead of generating jokes, they tried to understand me! They just asked: say it differently, explain to us what you want to say! Then I realized what I was losing.

    In the first year, my English improved tenfold! I began to understand! Understand most of what is said to me. There were so many emotions. It's a new world!

    to talk easily and not be embarrassed:


    1) Stop taking English courses! They are useless!
    2) Learn meaningful words, especially verbs
    3) Stop being ashamed of your mistakes. Based on the set of words, they will definitely understand you, but with competent sentences, but with a meager vocabulary, you will feel defenseless.
    4) Watch your favorite TV series and movies in English! Try to understand first with subtitles, and then without. Don't try to translate every word - understand the general meaning
    5) Practice! Surround yourself with interesting people who don't speak Russian ( international organizations, communities on the Internet, for example, online chat with foreigners Verbling).
    6) And, of course, travel!

    What are the advantages of knowing English?

    You can understand not only 300 million people from the CIS, but more than 5 billion interesting people from all over the planet!
    + You will travel and explore world without borders and fears of getting lost
    + You can watch films in the original language (and the original intonation is the main thing in the film)
    + You will be able to lead international Business
    + You can make friends all over the world!

    Moreover: learning a language forces the brain to work hard, but the brain, like the whole body, needs constant charging.

    You will also be interested in the bright moments of my life, which I publish in juicy videos on your YouTube channel.

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