How to learn English with TED Talks
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TED talks are a great way of improving your vocabulary and listening skills. TED stands for Technology, Education and Design, and this is a series of free conferences and events where speakers talk about specialist topics in a way that’s accessible to laypeople.
- Click here to go to TED talks website
There is a huge range of topics to choose from, so there’s certainly no shortage of listening practice! To narrow things down, you can use the search function that allows you to choose a topic, a language (English), and length of the talk (mostly from 6 minutes to 18+ minutes). Once you have a list of talks, you can sort the results into most viewed talks first if you want to see what has been popular with other people.
So how can you make the most of this resource? Here are the useful features that will help you improve your English:
1. Use of images
The talks are filmed, so you can watch the speaker and their visuals, which helps you to understand the topic
2. Subtitles
Most talks have subtitles, so you can listen and read at the same time, noting down any new words.
3. Interactive transcript
Most talks have an interactive transcript. This means that you can read the script before or after watching. If you click on a specific sentence in the script, you’ll be taken to that point in the talk.
4. Comments
You can engage with the talks by adding comments. Practise expressing your opinion in English to people all over the world!
We recommend only watching the talks that you’re genuinely interested in. If you’re interested, you’ll be more motivated, and you will be more likely to remember any new language. Keep an open mind however, and don’t be afraid to explore new topics.
Improve your confidence in spoken English with our General English course or Individual English training in our centre in London or online.
Glossary:
Get into (phrasal verb) – to start taking an active interest in something
Laypeople (plural noun) – people who have no specialist knowledge of a topic
Shortage (noun) – not enough of something
Narrow down (phrasal verb) – to reduce the number of options available
Handy (adjective) – convenient, useful
Visuals (noun) – images for people to look at during a talk, for example, slides and graphs
This blog has been written at level B2. Practise your reading skills and learn more about the benefits of improving your professional English by reading the blogs below:
- 10 Most common errors: do you make them? (listening skills)
- How to improve your telephone English (level C1)
- Business English for work and careers: 50 words you need to know (level C2)
- 'Fake news' expressions you should know (level C1)
Recommended courses:
About The London School of English
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Our practical, individualised approach enables our clients to learn effectively and make rapid progress. Courses include General English, Individual English training, Legal English, Business and Professional English, IELTS preparation and Academic English. We also offer bespoke business solutions for staff training and assessment.
You can learn English with our expert trainers in our London centre at 15 Holland Park Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, or you can choose to study English online in groups or in individual classes. Contact us online or via phone +44 (0) 207 605 4142.
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