Learn English With News: 8 Great Resources to Help You Boost Your English

Have you been wondering why the news we call ‘news’?

Because they are something new, refreshing, and entertaining you want to know.

And did you know that by following the news you can learn English?

Oh yes, indeed you can. And not only by reading the news but also by listening to them.

How’s that even possible?

By reading or watching the news, you are in touch with everyday vocabulary, words, and phrases used in real situations. The news holds your attention, which means that you improve your language skills on the whole.

The latest news, breaking news, important reports, innovative stories about the current situation; all these news are precise and straightforward with catchy titles so whether you like the news or not, they’ll impact you either way.

That’s why you should use the benefits of the news and improve your English skills.

So, let’s take a look at some of the outstanding resources where not only can you find out all the latest news, but also practice your reading and listening skills.

And did you know that you can improve your speaking skills as well? Discuss the latest news you’ve heard with English tutors, become more confident, and make progress in conversation.

And now, let’s get started.

Can Learning English With News Really Help?

If you aren’t quite convinced that you can learn and improve your English skills with the news, take a look at some of the benefits of learning English with the latest and breaking news.

• Learning a language is all about the possibility to speak to native speakers. And there is no better way to communicate with them but to discuss the latest news and talk about the current situation worldwide.

• The language used in the news is straightforward. In the newspapers, the news is written precisely and clearly, and TV news always has a clear accent, pronouncing the words and phrases precisely and directly.

• Reading or listening to the news means that you are in contact with the vocabulary used in real situations. Every word used in the news is useful because you will, undoubtedly, use them a lot.

• The possibility to master reading, listening, and speaking skills. By reading news, you practice your reading skills while listening to the TV news, you improve your listening skills. Some TV news has subtitles so you can practice both reading and listening skills. And talking about the news with other English speakers makes you practice and improve your speaking skills. Simple as that.

8 Great Resources to Learn English With News

Today, there are so many resources designed especially for English learners, so that even beginners can read and listen to the news. 

If you want to learn English through the news, take a look at the following channels and newspapers suitable for any English student.

News in Levels

If you are an English student, this website is perfect for you.

Enjoy reading entertaining articles about various things on three different levels: level one, level two, and level three.

When you choose the article and then the level, you’re actually choosing the difficulty level. Therefore, it is suitable for every English learner from beginner level to advanced students.

In case you want to take a break from the news, there's a Grammar section available, which is perfect for beginners. 

There are also two books available for listening, The Little Prince and Robinson Crusoe. The books are also divided into three different levels. Besides reading, you can listen to books and practice your listening skills, too.

The Times in Plain English

As the name itself explains, this is news in plain English, that is, articles written in simple and straightforward language that a wider audience can clearly understand.

It also means that articles are suitable for every language learner, from beginners to advanced students.

Every article is from the New York Times, rewritten more simply. Short newspaper articles with sentences that aren’t too long and commonly used words and phrases are one of the many features.

A variety of topics, such as politics, culture, health and beauty, work, and the overall situation worldwide is available for reading.

If you want to get an email notification every time a new article comes up, you can subscribe to the newsletter.

Words in The News: BBC Learning English

BBC is a synonym for those who came to the upper level of English, plus they want to improve the British version of English.t.

Words in The News offers many entertaining stories where you will surely find some unfamiliar words. But that’s the point, isn’t it?

To learn new words and phrases and to use them on a daily basis.

The site, unfortunately, doesn’t update news anymore, but the available articles are definitely worth reading.

BBC World Service’s Global News Podcast

Listening to podcasts to learn the language is ideal for many reasons. One of them is, undoubtedly, improving your listening skills.

BBC World Service’s Global News podcast discusses the latest news and current situation, so you can turn it on and listen to it while cooking, cleaning, or taking a walk.

Not only that you’ll hear the British accent, but also American or Australian English, as well as people who speak English as a second language.

It is a perfect opportunity to learn other English accents and varieties and boost your vocabulary with other local words and phrases.

BBC Learning English app is available both on Google Play and App Store so that you can listen to the news anytime and anywhere.

ESPN Soccer

Listening to the news about the topic you’re particularly interested in is perfect for anyone.

The famous ESPN is an ideal site for everyone who wants to be up-to-date with the latest news about the sport.

ESPN, however, is suitable for upper and more advanced learners because many words and phrases that are used, beginners won’t quite understand.

But, sports lovers will be even more motivated to improve their listening skills, boost their vocabulary more so that they can keep track, and even reach C2 level in English.

E-News

This website is created for English learners, no matter their proficiency level.

Many different categories, from politics, culture to tech and sports, are available.

First, you go to the website, you can take a peek at weekly news, and you can choose the one you wish to read. After entering the article, you can choose your level of proficiency from elementary to advanced. By choosing the level, the article difficulty is adjusted to your knowledge. At the end of each article, you can find keywords and their meanings.

What even better is that you can listen to the article, too, so this way, you can ‘kill two birds with one stone,’ that is, to practice both reading and listening skills.

The Guardian

If you want to read great news stories, don’t miss reading the famous Guardian.

It offers you many different categories from culture, business, politics to travel, lifestyle and leisure, and many more.

What’s even better for you as a language learner is that there is a possibility to switch the English variety so you can choose the news more suited for British, American or Australians.

It’s clear that with the Guardian, you can practice reading.

However, there’s also the option to listen to the news. The Guardian Long Read gives you an additional possibility to listen to the latest news.

And that’s not all. Not only can you listen to the news on the PC, but you can also use the mobile app, which is available both for Android and iPad devices.

The Voice of America

Here’s one more amazing resource made for English learners, popularly called VOA News.

The Voice of America has many entertaining articles about different topics, such as art, culture, history, science and technology, healthy lifestyle, and many more.

Choosing your level of proficiency, you get the articles and topics suitable for your knowledge.

For beginners, topics are light and easy. They are mainly focused on helping you to improve your English. As for intermediate and advanced levels, the variety of topics is impressive, as well as words and phrases used in the articles.

When you get tired of reading, you can jump to the Audio menu, where you can find podcasts to listen to and see the upcoming ones.

Final Thoughts

Not only that learning English with sitcoms or improving the language with vocabulary games are the only fun ways. Learning English with news is also one of them.

The great thing about the news is that besides you practice the language, you are up-to-date with all the latest news around you.

Moreover, you can select the topic that interests you and discuss it with English tutors. And you can always find out something new and hear some new words that can become part of your English vocabulary.

Do you already use the news to improve your English skills? What are your favorite channels or newspapers? Please share it with us in the comments below.