Showing posts with label read. Show all posts
Showing posts with label read. Show all posts

Text Helper -- Make Your Own English Glossary

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

 

You can make a quick vocabulary list or glossary created from any text with a helpful tool called Text Helper. Test Helper is a feature on the Extensive Reading Central website (https://www.er-central.com/text-helper/) and it works like this: 

When you open Text Helper, you first see a blank box into which you cut & paste your desired text. You then select the language, a level, then click "Get Meanings." 

Text Helper highlights the difficult words in your text on the left side of the page. On the right side of the page is your personally created vocabulary list with definitions for each highlighted word.

You decide the level of word difficulty (beginner, elementary, intermediate, advanced) and the program chooses the words in your text based on that level. Lower level difficulty results in more words (words used at a higher frequency); advanced difficulty words are less frequent because they are probably outside the knowledge of a typical student at that level. 

Text Helper saves a lot of time looking up words in the dictionary and it’s incredibly useful because it automatically creates word lists related to the text you choose.  Below is an example of an advanced level using a sample text from the book, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.



Book Recommendation: The Old Man and the Sea

Friday, March 3, 2023

 

Reading an English novel is a big achievement in the processing of mastering a new language. The thought of committing to a book (a novel!) may be a little intimidating but the feeling of satisfaction you will have after completing it will motivate you to read more books in English.  

The Old Man and the Sea is short novel about a three-day struggle between an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago and the greatest catch of his life, a giant marlin. It is considered a classic, written by American author Ernest Hemingway. 

I’ve included a link where you can read The Old Man and the Sea here online. There is also the option of listening to the story in two different speeds (slow or fast) while you read along with the text, which is great for pronunciation. 

You will enjoy The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.