If you think back 10-20 years ago, learning English was a struggle with limited resources. Things have changed! Nowadays, there’s an abundance of options to suit your preferences: schools, online courses, videos, workbooks — you name it. Today we’re diving into how cutting-edge AI (Artificial Intelligence) can give your language skills a major boost.
CHAT GPT
This is a chatbot powered by OpenAI, the brainchild of Elon Musk and Sam Altman. This AI model is one of the biggest out there, with a whopping 175 billion parameters. So, here is how you can make the most of it as your trusty assistant:
Make it your penpal
Send a message: “Hello! Please be my penpal. Let’s talk about…”
Ask it to recommend materials for your level
Send a message: “Please make a list of books/movies/TV shows for students with the Intermediate level of English.”
Role-play a dialogue or go through a mock interview
Send a message: “You are a recruiter in an international corporation, and I am a job seeker. Let’s have an interview, act like an expert.”
Simplify complex texts for an easier read
Send a message: “Please simplify this text for an A2 English learner (insert text).”
Ask it to explain grammar in simple words
Send a message: “Explain when I should use the present perfect tense in layman’s terms.”
These are not all the possible ways to “collaborate” with the Chat GPT. Use your imagination and tailor it to your specific needs. Type your requests clearly and remember that the chatbot can make mistakes. It’s better to do additional fact-checking.
Midjourney
This cool program creates images based on text requests. The only tricky part is nailing those requests. But don’t worry, let’s break it down and learn how to chat with Midjourney like a pro.
To get AI to work its magic and generate an image, you need to type the command /imagine and type your request in the prompt.
If you want to combine two images, enter /imagine and insert two links to the images in JPG format.
Now, here’s the key: the more details you provide, the quicker you’ll get the result you want. Describe the colors, camera parameters (like a 35mm photograph), and materials. Add specific stylistic instructions by writing “in the style of…” or “artwork by…” The system will rely on the specified reference.
If you need a little help coming up with your requests, check out the prompter. Just enter the main description, and it’ll suggest some additional parameters. Some popular ones are Noonshot, Phraser, and Promptomania.
Feeling creative? So let’s see how Midjourney can help you out with studying English.
Generate cards with words in the style of your favorite movie or TV series.
Request: /imagine card with the verb “dance” and its translation into Spanish as “baile,” in the style of the Wednesday TV series.
Generate unusual places to write sentences about them or describe an image.
Request: /imagine cherry garden as an artwork by Dali.
Generate cards with images on various topics (family, animals, furniture, or any others) to learn new words using visual memory.
Request for the topic “Furniture”: /imagine a room in the style of pop art with the following furniture: table, 4 chairs, shelf, photo frames on the wall, TV, couch…
With Midjourney you will learn English while you search for the perfect request! Finding the right request can take hours, especially if you’re a perfectionist. While you’re surfing through server prompters, you’ll come across new words and expressions to use in your descriptions. While you’re writing your requests, you can even look up word translations in the dictionary. And when you receive the image, have fun describing everything you see with the awesome vocabulary you’ve learned.
| Fun fact: Midjourney is pretty clumsy when it comes to drawing human limbs. Surprisingly, that’s the trickiest part for it. So, it’s better to Fun fact: Turns out, Midjourney isn’t the best at drawing human limbs. It tends to add extra fingers or draw legs where they shouldn’t be 🙂 That seems to be the toughest challenge for it. So, yeah, it’s probably best to steer clear of such requests. |
Google’s Speech-to-Text API
This is a powerful tool developed by Google that allows you to convert spoken language into written text. You can use it:
Work on your pronunciation
Record yourself speaking in English and use the API to transcribe your speech into text. Read the text to check if you have pronounced all the words correctly and AI has recognized them.
Practice your speaking skills
Talk on any topic trying to use new vocabulary and grammar. Then evaluate your own transcribed speech or have a teacher assess it for accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary usage.
Boost your listening skills
Immerse yourself in the English language by listening to things like podcasts or speeches. Use the API to turn the spoken words into written text. Read along with the text to understand better what’s being said and learn new words.
Other cool AI tools
DUOLINGO, BABBEL, Rosetta Stone
These are AI programs where you get to do tasks and challenges to work on your vocabulary, grammar, and memory. The AI even remembers the words or phrases that trip you up and throws them into sentences until you get them right. The best part? You can play these language-learning games for as long as you want, whenever you want.
Replika, Mondly
Use these AI chatbots to practice speaking skills and engage in discussions in English.
Lingodeer, Memrise
These are AI-based games for an engaging language learning experience and memory training.
Now, as cool as AI may be, let’s not forget that it’s not a substitute for real human interaction. So think of it as an awesome extra resource that you can use to take your language skills to the next level.
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