Have you ever wondered why your English hasn’t improved much despite years of studying grammar? Learning a language is like cooking a meal. You might have the best ingredients in the world at your disposal and still end up struggling to make a winning dish. Clearly, mise en place and turning everything into something palatable are two different things. Once the skillet is hot enough, that’s when the real test begins.
The same goes for language learning. You’ll never know what you’re made of until the moment of truth hits you right in the face. Theoretical understanding can only take you so far. It’s the application that matters—how you would handle an actual conversation with a stranger, for example. That’s exactly why the learning initiatives here in Englishire are all driven by that simple vision to help you develop those language skills—speaking, listening, reading and writing—so that you can make better use of the stuff you’ve learned about the English language.
Called Skilletro, which is essentially an outlet for you to practice and refine those skills, this holistic approach to English learning covers 21 hands-on activities in total.
Askpreso
It doesn’t matter how much there’s on the platter
unless you have the mettle to grab the offer.
(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)
Unsure of how to sound more natural when speaking English or whether a sentence you’ve written is free from grammatical errors? Never ever let these humps and bumps faze you. Sometimes, all you need is just an assured voice to guide you through the maze. If we only have class once a week, though, does that mean you’ll have to hold your questions till the next session? Why wait if help is just a click away? Take your learning beyond the classroom with Askpreso. Just text me on WhatsApp—anytime, anywhere—and get my thoughts on any doubts that are stopping you in your tracks.
Readventuro
Mastering a global language lets you see
the world through the lens of possibility.
(Image by Octavian Rosca from Unsplash)
Given the sheer amount of clickbait and attention-grabbing content you have to comb through these days, finding stuff that’s worth reading remains a challenge. Imagine how nice it would be to have those interesting, informative articles on every topic imaginable sort of handpicked for you so that you could save yourself tons of time searching for things to read. That’s exactly what you get from Readventuro, a reading list like no other that seeks to make life easier for you—turning your reading routine into something to look forward to any day of the week.
Vistengram
Active listening is not a function of
your ability to catch every word.
It is a reflection of how well you can
empathize with those who want to be heard.
(Image by Eric Nopanen from Unsplash)
Did you know that the presence of visual information is crucial to helping you get used to hearing and feeling the sounds of an unfamiliar language? The ability to interpret both verbal and nonverbal cues is an intrinsic part of your listening skills. Vistengram, a curated list of informational, educational documentaries and features that discuss issues close to your heart, is all about bridging that gap between what’s said and what’s heard.
Readkord
When reading aloud, always do so with verve
to give those little words the sound they deserve.
(Image by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)
Practice your prosody with Readkord—by recording yourself reading out a given passage, and then getting some feedback on your performance in terms of phrasing, stress, intonation, rhythm and tempo. Prosody, which is basically how you vary your voice to convey different meanings, is an essential ingredient of fluency. Good prosody allows you to speak English with confidence and conviction. And reading aloud is one of the most effective ways to develop strong prosodic skills.
Queriositi
Curiosity killed the cat,
but saved the chat.
(Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay)
Do you usually shy away from breaking the ice just because you don’t really know what to say? Throw off the shackles of social awkwardness and unleash your curiosity with Queriositi, a speaking activity that centers around the art of using open-ended questions to drive a conversation forward. Though you should never feel intimidated by the idea of telling someone what you want to know, ultimately the ability to push the right buttons to get the interaction going in a meaningful direction is a skill that requires training and mentoring.
Texthrift
To elevate your writing,
you must emulate the things that work
and eradicate those that do not.
(Image by Ana Benet from Pexels)
What makes writing such a difficult skill to master is that you can’t just pour everything out without knitting those individual words in a way that’s easy for the reader to follow. Knowing what to say is one thing; writing it out with clarity and creativity is another. The problem is, most language classes seem to be more interested in telling you what to do than working with you from the ground up on how to pull off those writing tricks. The thinking behind Texthrift is to let you imitate the craft first before you learn to innovate. By using the highlighted keywords in a mentor sentence to write your own version, you’re getting valuable exposure to those intricate elements—the various styles and techniques—that so often elevate one’s writing.
Slice It My Way
To speak with greater conviction,
you must first silence the tension.
(Image by Elena Leya from Unsplash)
Psychologically it might seem hard enough to articulate your thoughts in English, let alone share them with conviction. The truth is, all you need to set the ball rolling is a change of perception. Forget perfection. What matters at this point is finding that inner courage to voice your opinion. That’s basically the idea behind Slice It My Way—choose a topic you’re most comfortable with and start the conversation. But keep in mind that it’s not about whether your argument packs the intellectual heft to attract attention. The ultimate question is, do you have the confidence to truly express yourself in any situation?
Ritelier
Though creativity can win you a battle,
it’s the consistency that earns you the title.
(Image by Marcelo Dias from Pexels)
Call it a writing face-off between you and me. There are two parts to it. The first lets us use the keywords in a mentor sentence to write as many sentences as possible. The second gives us free rein to write any sentences we can think of. One point will be awarded for each error-free sentence. Be creative as a more descriptive sentence may potentially earn you extra points. The one with the highest score wins it all. That’s Ritelier, a writing activity designed to hone your ability to write under pressure and a chance to test your mettle in a no-holds-barred friendly duel for linguistic supremacy.
Scriptalog
What sets native speakers apart
is not necessarily the technique.
It’s their uncanny ability to
promptly write the script as they speak.
(Image by Zen Chung from Pexels)
Have you ever spoken with someone and felt you could’ve done better? Let me guess. The main culprit must be that nagging doubt as to whether you’re choosing the right words to get your message across. The ability to speak English that sounds natural is something that only comes from constant exposure to colloquial and idiomatic expressions used by native speakers—precisely what Scriptalog wants to help you with. By watching clips from a TV show or a movie, going through the dialogue and role-playing the conversation, you get to practice your conversational English in the most intuitive and interactive way.
Pictionisa
Caption your imagination
to capture readers’ attention.
(Image by Ajay Kumar Singh from Pixabay)
Chances are you’ve had to do a picture description task in school at some point and struggled to come up with something of note. It’s not that there was nothing to say. The real problem is, those images were simply not intriguing enough to get the creative juices flowing. If I had to put that right, my answer would be Pictionisa—a speaking/writing activity that uses the power of visuals to nurture your storytelling skills. Why state the obvious when you can see things that others can’t? Tell me how the picture makes you feel. Link it to your past experiences. Set your imagination free and let the inspiration do the talking.
Lightrivia
Inadequacy is actually an edge as it gives you
a timely hedge against your complacency.
(Image by Lysander Yuen from Unsplash)
Every activity in Skilletro is geared toward helping you develop a closer affinity for the English language. Since half of today’s web content is presented in English, what better way to achieve that lofty goal than to let you do an activity based on searching the net for some interesting facts to share. Lightrivia is essentially a mutual exchange of information that matters—so, gossips and rumors are out of the question. Just talk about something that’s worth sharing. Whether it’s a useful piece of knowledge or an insightful tidbit, be sure to liven up the discussion with articles, videos, pictures or things that can make your presentation more convincing and compelling.
Redkemend
To truly fix what’s broken,
you must first nix what’s not broken.
(Image by Richard Reid from Pixabay)
Have you ever made a sentence thinking everything was perfect, only to be told that it didn’t sound natural to the native ears? Knowing what works and what doesn’t is an underrated skill—something that might seem out of reach for the time being merely because you have absolutely no idea where to start. Fret not as you can now add that to your locker with Redkemend—a writing activity that lets you tinker with sentences that are literally begging for some much-needed surgery. English is littered with little quirks that can be a handful even for advanced users. Aim beyond fixing what’s wrong. Expand your boundaries, and explore the plethora of ways in which you can play with these linguistic choices to build something bolder and better.
Cinedimmer
There’s more to movies than meets the eye.
(Image by Mason Kimbarovsky from Unsplash)
Many turn to movies hoping for a quick fix, only to throw in the towel after finding it difficult to follow the story. Without tangible results, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture here—which is to train your mind to work out what’s being said despite the language barrier. As you can see in Cinedimmer, an activity where we set out to discuss the narrative elements (story, plot, characters and themes) of a movie chosen from the list, it takes more than one’s vocabulary to overcome those listening challenges. Given that it’s practically impossible to learn every single word in the English lexicon, the ability to figure things out by relying on context clues, visual cues and prior knowledge is integral to improving your listening comprehension.
Esalysis
Writing is about treading that fine line
between expressing what matters
and impressing your readers.
(Image by Nick Fewings from Unsplash)
Just because one’s English is good, it doesn’t mean they can write like a pro. Writing is an art. As a writer myself, I know every trick in the book that can make your writing tick. Esalysis, as the name suggests, is an in-depth analysis of a sample essay—showing you in real time what usually goes through the writer’s mind when writing those sentences, the various techniques you may use to engage the readers, the reasoning behind these choices and whether there are any potential pitfalls to avoid.
Synersation
It’s the way you articulate your thoughts
that overcomplicates the simplest of ideas.
(Image by Mohamed Nohassi from Unsplash)
Out of all the speaking activities in Skilletro, Synersation is perhaps the most challenging. Basically, you’ll have to read/watch a given article/video, analyze the main points, combine those observations with your own thoughts to form conclusions and then present everything in a detailed discussion. As daunting as that may sound, it’s a great opportunity for you to learn how to explain complex ideas in a structured, logical and coherent manner—a skill that is invaluable to you while presenting at meetings or conferences.
Tweetalki
Use your voice with poise,
and never let the noise of doubt
crowd and drown you out.
(Image by Etienne Girardet from Unsplash)
Although Twitter’s (ruthless and perhaps needless) rebranding as X is now official, don’t expect the term “tweet” as most people know it to fade out of contemporary lexicon anytime soon. I’d love to do my part in preserving history, so I decided to name this activity Tweetalki—a microblog for you and me to post some quick updates, thoughts and ideas. It can be a voice message (less than 2 minutes) or a text (fewer than 50 words). Throw in a picture or a video too if you like. Assuming you might not feel comfortable sharing stuff on your own social media accounts in English at this juncture, just do it here without the fear of being judged by those in your circle but not in your corner.
Grammaresque
All grammar does is suggest the best direction.
It's up to you to decide the destination.
(Image by Deva Darshan from Unsplash)
The traditional approach to teaching grammar places too much emphasis on preaching what is right and bleaching anything that strays from the norm. Grammar, at its essence, is a reflection of how native speakers use the language. It’s a set of rules that should be seen as linguistic choices rather than something rigid that must be followed at all times. What matters most is knowing how to pick the best option for each situation, and that depends a lot on how you want others to interpret your message. By shifting the focus to the practical side of things, not only does the Grammaresque way help you get a grasp on those fundamentals, but it also puts you in a position to see the whys and hows of English grammar.
Spot the Lot
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that grammar is only
a means of expression, not a mode of oppression.
(Image by Teng Yuhong from Unsplash)
What’s the point of learning grammar if you're not adept at using it to your advantage? Take the first step to developing your grammatical competence with Spot the Lot. The idea here is to observe how others do it by identifying those patterns or structures that experienced writers use in their writings. If our focus is the present simple tense, show me examples of that. And ask yourself why the author made these choices in the first place. Grammatically, is there another way to write that sentence? Question what you see and put what you know to the test. That’s how you make it click and stick.
Jilly or Billy
Whether it’s the red pill or the blue pill,
just make sure you’re doing it of your own free will.
(Image by Mei-Ling Mirow from Unsplash)
What’s the difference between “historic” and “historical”? Should you use “datum” when referring to a particular piece of information or go with the safer choice, “data”? Would you say “take a look” or “have a look”? “What about…?” and “How about…?”—are they the same? Is it “continuously” or “continually”? Well, the list is endless. If you can’t tell which is which, why not let Jilly or Billy show the way and keep these head-scratchers at bay?
Recapbulary
You’ll only feel the power that words emit
once you start exploring the world that codes it.
(Image by Tim Mossholder from Pexels)
Studying those vocabulary lists, which are mostly compiled as a one-size-fits-all antidote to test anxiety, doesn’t really make a whole lot of difference. It’s rather pointless to memorize a bunch of unfamiliar words without any context. To make a new word stick in your mind, think about it within a real-world setting you can relate to. By breathing some relevance and purpose into what you’re learning, you have a much better chance of remembering it. That’s something Recapbulary hopes to instill from the outset as you’ll have to talk about at least five newly acquired words/phrases every month.
Journoval
Greet every triumph with humility,
but meet each challenge with tenacity.
(Image by Devraj Bajgain from Pixabay)
The path to mastering English, or any language for that matter, is riddled with ups and downs. Track your progress with Journoval, an online journal that documents my observations and yours throughout this demanding journey. To stay motivated, celebrate those little victories that strengthen your stride. And to stay grounded, contemplate how you can avoid repeating the mistakes that threaten to derail the ride. To navigate the unpredictable terrain, it’s absolutely essential to do both just to stay the course while riding the tide.
Get Your Hands on These English Learning Activities Today!
Initially the quest for knowledge
often feels like a long and arduous journey,
but ultimately it is only
as difficult as your mind allows it to be.
(Image by Diego Jimenez from Unsplash)
There you have it. 21 learning activities, 7 days a week. Best of all, each of them can be tweaked to meet your needs—whether you’re a student hoping to take your English to the next level, an exec planning to shake things up or just someone looking to make a personal breakthrough.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today and see for yourself how Skilletro can help you break out of your comfort zone to master the English language!