4 More Websites to Help You Learn Spanish Online

4 More Websites to Help You Learn Spanish Online Suzy S. Last week, we reviewed several websites designed to supplement your Spanish lessons to make sure youre learning throughout the week! But thats not even close to whats available out there here are five more websites specifically for beginners to help you learn Spanish online! 1) Study Spanish This website offers free lessons for all levels, including a section for beginners.  Study Spanish  features a pronunciation guide, useful words and comments for travelers, and even cultural information. The website also has assistance for students studying Spanish in school. 2) About.coms, Spanish language page We’ve all used  about.com  to clarify a few points here or there, but did you know that  it also  offers Spanish resources, including verb charts, grammar explanations, vocabulary lessons, and online quizzes? As an added bonus, this resource is available for free! 3) SpanishDict SpanishDict is a great translation tool. Use this resource to practice vocabulary and research phrases you don’t understand. SpanishDict also has great verb conjugation charts that make learning new tenses â€" and the myriad of ways you can conjugate them â€" much easier. 4) Cramberry This resource is a flashcard website that gives you the ability to make flashcards that you can use to quiz yourself on Spanish vocabulary. Cramberry is a smart system, so it will show you the cards you miss more often, thus giving you a greater opportunity to learn those tricky words. Don’t have any vocabulary to study at the moment? Use Cramberry’s pre-made Spanish flashcards to learn some new words! Finally, keep in mind though the internet makes it easier to learn Spanish online, nothing beats the benefit of studying one-on-one with a qualified tutor. Your tutor will help you stay motivated, catch your pronunciation mistakes before they become habits, and cater the lessons for your particular learning style. Browse our Spanish tutors near you here! Bonus:   Check out our guide to ways to learn Spanish by budget! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

A Guide to Common Test Questions

A Guide to Common Test Questions Whether youre taking a unit test, final exam, or standardized test, youre likely to be faced with a variety of question types. Just as you might have your own study style, you might have your own preferences when it comes to different kinds of test questions, as each one has its own tricks. Here are some clever tip-offs to the following most common test question types: 1. Multiple choice When faced with a multiple choice question, be sure to read the question completely, as well as all the answer choicesdont select one without reading all of them first! Even though you might feel like you know the answer already and want to save time, its best to read all of them because the difference between right and wrong may be in the nuances. Make sure to read for negative or positive signifiers, like none of the above or all of the above, as they could completely change what youre looking for. The process of elimination is an excellent strategy for multiple choice questionsrule out choices that seem obviously wrong, then reread the rest carefully, looking for completeness of answer. If youre still stuck, take an educated guess. Be sure to know how (or if) you will be penalized for wrong answers; if you wont be penalized, guessing can only help you and thus can take up less of your time. 2. Fill in the blank For these questions, youll be asked to fill in a keyword or phrase. Read the question carefully, aloud if youre able to. Look closely at the wording of the sentence/question for grammatical hints, like whether the blank should be a noun or verb (i.e. articles like a or an would signify that the blank is a noun). Like multiple choice questions, try not to leave the answer blank. Even if you dont feel confident in your answer, try to write something down, as partial credit may be awarded even if you describe the concept in a long-winded way. If youre given a word bank, try out different words in the blank and compare to see what sounds best; the sound of the word may help jog your memory. 3. True/false With true/false questions, youll need simply need to decide whether a statement is accurate or not. Be sure to notice qualifiers like all, only, never, and always. Sentences that include these words, because they are extreme, are sometimes false. On the flipside, look out for words like usually, sometimes, generally, and often, which can often signify truth. Make sure you look for negative words like no and not, that can trip up your understanding of the meaning. Also, be sure to read the question in its entirety to make sure all parts are true, or all parts are false, in order to answer the question as such. Watch out for trick questions where a statement may only be partially true, in which case, the answer would typically be false. Lastly, take comfort in the fact that if you guess, you have a 50/50 chance of getting the answer right! 4. Short answer Short answer questions generally require you to answer in a sentence or just a few sentences. Looking at how detailed the question is, as well as how much space youre given to respond, you can likely figure out approximately how long your answer should be. Make sure you answer all parts of the question, and if youre not completely sure, write as much as you know and can think of. Short answers often do receive partial credit and are graded on a scale rather than as completely right or wrong. 5. Essay question Essay questions ask you to write at least a paragraph, and often several paragraphs with an intro, a body, and a conclusion. To answer an essay question successfully, first read the question carefully, marking keywords to make sure you address all required parts. Focus in on the verbs, such as agree/disagree, compare, or persuade, as they inform the tone in which youll write. Be sure to know how much time youre allotted to write the essay and then budget accordingly. Its a great idea to jot down notes and a quick outline so you know where youre headed and can write more efficiently. Save time so you can do a brief edit of your essay at the end, but if you run out of time, consider quickly writing out any final thoughts in list format, as itll at least demonstrate to your teacher where you wanted to go, even if you may not receive full credit for it. Keep in mind the above tips as you encounter different test questions, which can even help you as you study beforehand. Sometimes, if you get stuck during a test, other questions and answers can help you decipher the ones youre not sure aboutthey can give you different information or help jog your memory. Overall, be sure to pace yourself and check your answers!