The accuracy of a person’s spelling and grammar may help to predict her career success, according to a recent study by Grammarly, the world’s leading writing enhancement app. Unfortunately, this puts English language learners (ELLs) and non-native speakers at a disadvantage in the U.S. workforce—especially as the rest of the world begins to rely on English as the primary language of business and more people are learning English more proficiently.
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Here are some of the best apps that help ELLs to communicate flawlessly in the job search, at work, and in their personal lives:
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Increase your vocabulary. English language learners who know even ten percent fewer words than native speakers often miss important distinctions and context in writing. To avoid this, start building your vocabulary with apps like LearnThat, which aid in word retention and pronunciation ten times faster than more traditional methods.
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Proofread your writing. Check—and double-check—spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Tools such as Grammarly, which checks writing for more than 250 types of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, and enhances vocabulary usage, provide detailed explanations of potential writing errors so that users may make an informed decision about how, and whether, to correct mistakes.
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Read! Whether you are reading the news, a book, or your favorite website, getting into the habit of reading on a daily basis helps to improve literacy. It familiarizes non-native speakers with the flow and context of writing and language. Apps like Instapaper allow you to send a story on the Web or a news app to a digital archive so you can read it anytime, anywhere.
