Learn English Now Reviewer's Comments

You can explore two of the most famous cities in the United States, New York and Washington D.C., while fine–tuning your English skills. Learn English Now, by Transparent Language, uses multi–media technology that allows you see the sites and learn historical facts and English, and is the “TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award” ESL software.

At $49.95, this is the best value for ESL software. The software is good for beginner, intermediate and advanced students and addresses all of the fundamentals of English. The biggest downside of the program is it only teaches in English and Spanish. If your native language is something else, this software isn’t for you.

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Features Set:  

Learn English Now uses a simple method to teach English. The majority of the teaching takes place in four areas: A Visit to Washington, D.C., Survival Phrases for English with Dialogs, New York: Take a Bite Out of the Big Apple and The Most Common Words in English with Dialogs. Though these may appear as articles and worksheets, they offer pronunciation, translation and a detailed grammatical description of each word.

The software has basic rules for the English grammar section where you are able to learn by topic. This feature covers letters and sounds, the alphabet, conjugation of verbs and much more. This is a valuable source in and of itself.

Learn English Now has an exceptional record, playback and compare section. It not only shows the wavelength of a native speaker's voice, but it also dissects the words by tone, volume and fricatives. You can record your own pronunciation for comparison and it will grade your performance.

If you get bored with the standard lessons or want further practice, check out the games section. Five different games will not only keep you entertained, but also help you learn new vocabulary.

Fundamentals:  

Learn English Now addresses all of the Fundamentals of learning a second language including reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary and speech recognition, which is valuable in improving pronunciation.

After watching a video or reading an article, you can go online and take a comprehension test to see how well you understood.

Ease of Use:  

The software is easy to navigate. You can access all of the different aspects of the program from the main page or from the top navigation bar. All of the buttons and links are well labeled and easy to find.

When you enter a section of the program a hint will pop up. The hints provide information on how to best use the software and how to learn English as a second language.

We had some problems with the record, playback and compare section of program. Most of the time it would work perfectly; however, occasionally it would crash. We would recommend closing all other applications while using this feature.

Effectiveness:  

Learn English Now combines some time–proven methods, like reading and repetition with modern technology that will record your voice and dissect your pronunciation. This software will benefit anyone trying to learn English as a second language or improve their English skills.

Ease of Installation/Setup:  

The software installed quickly without any problems.

Technical Help/Support:  

Learn English Now has an integrated user guide where you can search for information by topic. Transparent Language offers FAQS and other online help and if you have additional questions, you can contact customer support by phone and email.

Summary:  

If you’re native language is Spanish and you want to learn English on a tight budget, this is the ESL software for you. This suite is filled with more than 200 hours of instructional material and covers all aspects of the English language. It retails for just $49.95.