Duolingo but for English?

June 4, 2022 12:30 PM

Is there an app similar to Duolingo but for English? I know you can learn English using Duolingo, but doing so requires you to know another language for some reason. I'm interested in vocab, usage, punctuation...the whole bit. Things I like about Duolingo are the overall mix of activities, how things are split up into topics and lessons, and the general gamification of learning a language. I would rate my English writing and speaking skills as somewhat advanced, although I know there's much room for improvement. Thanks!
posted by Fister Roboto to Education (5 answers total)

This is probably not helpful, but my English improved dramatically when I learned Latin. Just having to learn cases and agreements in another language helped soldify how languages work to me in a way I wasn't ever taught.
posted by aetg at 7:28 PM on June 4, 2022 [3 favorites]

Echoing above, my English was enhanced by learning German. There is a really good book called English grammar for students of German that I can't recommend highly enough.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 7:44 PM on June 4, 2022 [3 favorites]

> Echoing above, my English was enhanced by learning German. There is a really good book called English grammar for students of German that I can't recommend highly enough.

I have this book too and appreciated it (since like a lot of English native speakers, my grammar instruction was... lacking.) Latin helped too, but I haven't seen an equivalent book for it.

Some googling suggests that some of the British Council apps may be closer to what you're looking for, though I don't know whether they're as slick as Duolingo? (A lot of apps seem to be either targeted towards kids or towards second language learners coming from a specific first language, unfortunately.)
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 9:11 PM on June 4, 2022

Quill.org or Khanacademy.org might work for what you want, but nothing is quite as fun as Duolingo!
posted by chaiminda at 8:22 AM on June 6, 2022

The Guide to Grammar website is my favorite resource for just this. The site looks dated, but it's a goldmine of information on everything related to grammar and writing, and there are awesome interactive quizzes.
posted by smich at 9:38 AM on June 6, 2022