Learning British English Online
Even if you speak English, it can be difficult to understand the exact meaning of particular words, idioms and other figures of speech of British English speakers. Most misunderstandings students of British English have in learning it stem from not having the insider knowledge of British culture necessary to make sense of what British English speakers are saying. Online English-language resources geared toward learning British English, and English media sources from Great Britain, can make your quest to learn British English a bit easier.
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Instructions
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Watch British television online. Listen to and watch British television shows and movies online. You can watch clips of movies and sitcoms on YouTube. Search for "British television programs" or "British movie clips." When you watch and listen to the full situational context of what is going on in the program, you will be able to pick up words and phrases that are used in those particular types of circumstances, as well as why they are used. You will begin to understand the humor behind the jokes that, at first, do not seem to make sense.
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Listen to the BBC online. Listen to the BBC online. Listen to the radio and news broadcasts. The reporters speak clearly, so you will be able to identify words and phrases more easily that are unfamiliar to you. Listen for what the news story is about so that you can pick up on why the reporters choose to use particular words or figures of speech and what they mean.
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Join an online language exchange. Join an online language exchange such as italki or My Language Exchange. If English is not your first language, you can meet up online on a regular basis with someone who is a native British English speaker who wants to learn your native language from you. You will use voice and text chat to have conversations online. Exchange emails with your conversation partner as well. Ask your partner to help you identify where you use British English words incorrectly and to help you learn new words and idioms.
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Compare British and American spellings online. Compare British English spelling of words with the American spelling of the same words by looking at comparison charts, such as the one on Susan Jones' American vs. British Spelling Differences website. According to EnglishTest.net, many of the differences come from the British keeping the spelling of French-derived English words and Americans dropping letters and spelling words as they sound.
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Compare spellings of British and American words online. Learn British vocabulary that differs from the vocabulary you know by comparing lists of words such as those found at EnglishClub.com.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit great britain image by Franz Metelec from Fotolia.com future television image by Nicemonkey from Fotolia.com radio image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com headset image by Dron from Fotolia.com dictionary image by robert lerich from Fotolia.com magnifying glass image by .shock from Fotolia.com
