Using AI to learn English?

The world of English learning is changing fast. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and speech recognition software can help learners practice and improve their English skills like never before. These tools are easy to access and can give learners instant feedback. However, AI is not perfect, and learners should know its limits. In this blog post, we will explore how English learners can use AI effectively, some of AI's drawbacks, and how combining AI with a live tutor can lead to the best results.

How AI Can Help English Learners

AI tools offer many benefits for English learners. Here are some of the most useful ways to use AI to improve your skills:

1. Instant Writing Feedback

Tools like Grammarly and QuillBot check your writing for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. They also suggest ways to make your writing clearer and more natural. This is helpful for students who need quick corrections before submitting assignments or sending emails.

For example, use Grammarly to check email or short essay for errors. I do. You can also compare AI suggestions with your original writing to learn from your mistakes. Try to find patterns or weaknesses in your writing, such as verb tense or not using enough adjectives. Apps such as QuillBot or your AI app can find different ways of expressing your ideas to make your writing more varied.

How can AI help you reach your English Goals?

2. Speaking and Pronunciation Practice

Many apps, such as Elsa Speak, Google Assistant, and Speechling, use AI to analyze your pronunciation. These tools can tell you how close your pronunciation is to that of a native speaker and suggest ways to improve. Remember that your goal here is to be more understandable rather than trying to sound just like a native speaker.

This method involves speaking a sentence into the app and listening to how AI pronounces it. Repeat the sentence until your pronunciation improves. The AI can even use conversations to practice speaking naturally.

3. Expanding Vocabulary

AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, can help you learn new words by explaining their meanings and providing example sentences. You can also ask AI to give you synonyms, antonyms, or idioms related to a word.

You can check an online Thesaurus or ask AI, “What are some synonyms for ‘happy’?” and expand your vocabulary. For more complex words, request example sentences to show more context. Ready for a challenge? Have AI generate a vocabulary quiz for you. If you work in a specialized field (e.g., business, nursing, engineering) ask AI to create a list of words specific to your field to build up your vocabulary. Quiz yourself often.

4. Reading and Listening Practice

AI tools can simplify difficult texts, making them easier to understand. Websites like Rewordify or tools like ChatGPT can rewrite complex articles into simpler English. In fact, I used AI to keep the vocabulary in this blog post simple! Moreover, you can use AI to summarize long texts to help understand the main ideas.

How to take advantage of these features? Simply copy and paste a difficult article into Rewordify to get a simpler version, or use AI-generated summaries to understand long news articles quickly. Your AI app will gradually get to know you, and can recommend podcasts or audiobooks based on your English level. And if you're up for a challenge, you can even use AI to generate comprehension questions based on an article or podcast that you just read/heard.

5. Conversation Practice

AI chatbots can act as conversation partners. They can respond to your messages, correct your grammar, and introduce you to new expressions. Although they are not real people, they can be helpful for practicing casual conversations. This is critical for building your fluency and comfort with speaking English. Conversation practice (even small talk) can be started with an AI chatbot. For more serious talks, ask your AI to act as a job interviewer or travel guide for role-playing exercises (e.g. ordering food in a restaurant or making a reservation). Remember, if you feel the language is not at your level, you can request AI to simplify it or to go longer and deeper into topics of your choice.

The Drawbacks of AI in Language Learning

While AI can be a powerful, convenient tool, it is not perfect. We need to keep in mind a number of AI's limitations when we use it. First of all, AI can make mistakes. AI is not always 100% accurate. Sometimes, it provides correct but unnatural sentences. A famous example sentence by linguist Noam Chomsky would be "Colourless green ideas sleep furiously." Thus, it is always wise to double-check with a teacher or another reliable source.

Secondly, there is somewhat of a lack of human interaction. While AI can help you with practice, it cannot replace real conversations with real people. Human communication includes emotions, tone, and cultural understanding, which AI cannot fully imitate. Real human communication is sometimes messy, indirect, subtle, and unclear.

Knowing the Strengths and Weaknesses of AI-guided learning

Next, one needs to be careful of an over-reliance on AI. If learners depend too much on AI, they may not develop their own critical thinking and problem-solving skills in English. When faced with real-life communication problems, stay sharp and well-practiced (not reliant) upon an app.

Likewise, despite the depth of AI, you may experience limited creativity in your interactions with AI. After all, it is just a machine-learning app that follows patterns and therefore may not always provide creative or original ways to express ideas.

Best of Both Worlds: Combining AI with a Live Tutor

AI is a great tool, but the best way to learn English is to use AI with a live English tutor. A tutor can provide deeper explanations, correct mistakes that AI misses, and help learners understand cultural and social aspects of English communication. One way to use AI with an English tutor is to practice with AI first, then review your new skills, vocabulary, etc. with a tutor. For example, write a short essay and check it with AI. Then bring your corrected essay version to your tutor for feedback. Discuss why AI made certain suggestions and whether they are correct. The hardest part will be learning when to accept AI’s advice and when to ignore it. Your tutor will help you with that.

Another way is to prepare for Speaking Lessons with AI. Practice pronunciation with AI apps before speaking to your tutor. This will help you save valuable lesson time (and $$). Moreover, you can also use AI to generate conversation topics to discuss with your tutor. Imagine you introducing an intelligent topic smoothly, giving your opinion on it, and then asking the tutor what they think about it?

I'm a big fan of using AI apps to enhance Vocabulary Learning. Using AI to discover new words is much more fun - like an interactive dictionary! Remember to ask your AI to provide several examples of new words used in different contexts. This way you will understand the word more deeply. Then in class with a tutor, ask for more real-world examples and practice using the words in conversation. Finally, don't forget that your AI can create vocabulary flashcards (new word cards) alongside tutor-led discussions to reinforce new vocabulary.

As your AI app learns more about your language skills, it can be asked to track your progress by generating a study plan based on your goals. Gradually, AI can measure your improvements (over months) in writing, speaking, and listening. This is harder than it sounds, because we are all humans and we learn English in different ways at different rates.

By combining AI tools with a human tutor, learners can enjoy the best of both worlds: the speed and convenience of AI plus the personalized support of a teacher.

English Tutors are always happy to help! -Douglas

Final Thoughts

AI tools are a powerful resource for English learners. They offer instant feedback, conversation practice, and vocabulary expansion. However, AI is not perfect, and it should be used as a tool, not a replacement, for real human interaction. The best way to learn English is to use AI for daily practice while working with a tutor to refine skills and correct mistakes. By using both AI and a tutor, learners can achieve faster and more effective language improvement.

Have you tried using AI for learning English? Share your experience in the comments below!