Blog
Tips, insights, and updates about English learning
Unlocking Simultaneous Shadowing: Interpreter-Level Speaking Training to Listen and Speak Concurrently
Can you read individual sentences smoothly, but keep stumbling when putting a whole paragraph together? Simultaneous shadowing is an advanced shadowing method: without pausing the audio, you lag behind by about a second, listening and speaking at the same time. This article teaches you how to use Loopy to progress from regular shadowing to simultaneous shadowing, forcing your brain to automate and master rhythm and weak forms.
How to Practice Common Words: Master the Reference, Challenge, and Statistics Modes
The most frequently occurring words are, ironically, often the ones we spend the least time seriously practicing. This article will guide you through Loopy's Common Words training—from recognizing words on the Reference page and answering custom-range questions in the Review Challenge, to tracking your memory health on the Statistics page—so you can master the 250 words that support the bulk of your reading at a single glance.
How to Use the Review Center: Master the Today, Custom, and Weakness Tabs in One Go
Are the things you've learned scattered all over, leaving you unsure of what to review? Loopy centralizes all your reviews in a single "Review Center," divided into three tabs: Today, Custom, and Weakness. This article will help you understand what each of these three tabs does and when to use them.
Practice Natural Intonation with the Read-Aloud Guide: Look at Prompts, Catch the Stress, and Speak in 3 Steps
When shadowing, do you always find that "the words are right, but it just doesn't sound quite right"? The problem often lies in not understanding the sentence's stress and intonation before you speak. This article will teach you how to use the Read-Aloud Guide in Loopy's shadowing mode to look at the prompts before speaking, transforming stiff, word-by-word reading into natural, fluent English.
How to Use the Prosody Guide: Listen to Examples, Record Yourself, and Compare by Ear
You know how to pronounce every word, but your full sentences still don't sound quite like a native speaker? The problem often lies in "prosody"—stress, intonation, and rhythm. This article teaches you how to use Loopy's prosody guide to listen to native speaker examples, record your own version, and compare them by ear to fine-tune your pronunciation.
How to Take the Placement Test: Find Out Your CEFR Level in 5 Minutes
Want to learn English but don't know which level you're at? Choosing lessons that are too difficult can be frustrating, while choosing ones that are too easy is a waste of time. This article shows you how to use Loopy's placement test to determine your CEFR level and skill distribution across six dimensions in just 5 minutes, letting the system recommend the perfect lessons and exercises for you.
How to Use Phonics Training: Sharpen Your Ears with Minimal Pairs
Do rice and lice, berry and very sound exactly the same? Many English sounds are nearly impossible for Asian learners to tell apart—if your ears can't hear the difference, your mouth will keep making the same mistakes. This article teaches you how to use Loopy's Phonics Training to hone your sound-distinguishing skills step-by-step, starting simply by choosing the correct word from two very similar options.
How to Use Word Formation Training: Piece Together Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes to Decipher Unfamiliar Words on the Spot
Memorizing words one by one and feel like you'll never finish even after an eternity? English words are actually put together from parts. This article teaches you how to use Loopy's word formation training to combine prefixes, roots, and suffixes, unlocking a whole string of words with a single part—so you can break down and guess the meaning of even unfamiliar words on the spot.
How to Take Online Listening Tests: Practice Full Exams for CAP and High School English Listening
Do you always practice listening with a few scattered questions at a time, only to realize the actual exam pace is completely different when you enter the test center? Loopy features actual public past exam papers from the Junior High School CAP and High School English Listening Exams. It plays the entire exam with the official original audio, allows you to answer online and check your answers automatically, and even saves your progress history. This article will teach you how to practice listening by 'taking full exams under official test specifications.'