2015년 12월 15일 화요일

3) Listening Part

For the listening section, I believe there are not many ways to improve them instead of just listening to English constantly.

Here are some great applications you can download. You have your smartphone near you almost 24/7. Make great use of those smartphones instead of only texting and doing facebook. Make a habit of listening to these when you have time. Listen to them when you commute, eating breakfast etc.

It is important to listen to English everyday!

(1) CNN

Download Here

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cnn.mobile.android.phone&hl=ko

(2) BBC

Download Here

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bbc.mobile.news.ww&hl=ko

(3) 6 Minute English

Download Here

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=flee.android.eng6minute&hl=ko

4) Speaking Part

For speaking, I'm going to address on pronunciation. There are various applications that can help you check if your pronunciation is correct or not. If you are prerparing for an exam such as TOEFL, this application will be very helpful.

(1)

Download here

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kj.check.pronunciation&hl=ko

(2)

Download here

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=talkenglish.com.standard&hl=ko

With this application, you can record your voice and compare with the native speaker's one.

* Online Dictionary

There are too many online dictionaries online. It is important as a learner and a teacher to know which dictionary features are the best. Here I've compared several types of online dictionaries for yout benefit!

1) According to the definition
Most dictionaries offer the same definition and are mostly accurate. It is important for the learner to see how the vocabulary is used to enhance their memory of the learned vocabulary. So, I've compared the dictionaries that offer the best usage of the searched vocabulary.

  1. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
This dictionary offers diverse definition. English words' meaning is not bound to one. The definition vary according to context. This dictionary provides various definitions according to different contexts and provide examples. Also, it provides referneces used in periodicals, literature etc. Learners can see how the word is used. Moreover, this dictionary provides the recorded voice of the word which enables the learners to also study the pronunciation of the word.

    2. http://dictionary.reference.com/

This dictionary is one of the dominant online dictionary. This dictionary provides accurate word, usuage in web articles. This is better for learners than thefreedictionary.com because it is convenient. Thefreedictionary.com offers various word definitions according to context, however, it involves too much information for the learners to comprehend. It is important in recent days to be succinct to attract the learners' attention.

Eventhough these dictionaries all have significant advantages, I believe dictionary.com is more beneficial for the learner.

2) According to synoyms

Whenever I write an essay, I'm always trying to use different vocabularies. Unfortunately my vocabulary is limited and I need to find other synoyms online or through smartphones. However, the another unfortuante about finding synoyms is that I can't find the right one that fits in the context. So, I've compared some dictionaries that offer good synoyms.

  1. http://www.thesaurus.com/
The most dominant dictionary that people use is thesaurus. However, for me this dictionary is not that convenient as it does not offer the right synoyms that needs to fit in a particular context.

    2. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

This dictionary provides diverse synoyms according to the diverse context. Freedictionary.com is much better than thesaurus.com because this dictionary provides the context and the appropriate synoym in that particular context.

Here's an exmaple. I've searched "account"
See the difference? Thesaurus.com does not really help when it comes to actual use.

                                                      <Freedictionary.com>





























<Thesaurus.com>