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<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<meta property="og:type" content="website"/>
<meta property="og:site_name" content="LingoStories"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Free interactive stories for language learners." />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png">
<link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest">
<title>LingoStories - User Guide</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
<div class="top" style="display: block;">
<div class="icon-bar">
<a href="/" id="back-icon"><img src="img/back.svg" class="icon top-icon" title="Back to the story list"></a>
<a href="/" id="home-icon"><img src="img/home.svg" class="icon top-icon" title="Back to the main page"></a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="main">
<div class="middle">
<h2>Overview</h2>
<p>LingoStories is a free platform that offers interactive stories for
language learners. The stories use simple vocabulary and grammar to help
you practice your language skills in a fun and engaging way. You can
listen to the audio, read the text in your target language, and check
the translation when needed. The stories are available in multiple
languages, and you can customize the settings to suit your learning
style.
</p>
<p>To make it more interesting, the stories are interactive with choices
to make. Some stories can include an inventory of items. Over time, we
plan to add more features similar to what you might expect in an
adventure game.</p>
</p>
<img src="img/screenshot-choices.jpg" class="story-image" title="screenshot">
<h2>Settings</h2>
<p>Customize the settings to suit your learning style. The settings are
available using <img src="img/options.svg" class="icon top-icon"
title="Settings">
during the story. Here's an overview of the options available:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Mode</strong>:
<ul>
<li><strong>Listening & Reading</strong>: Listen to the audio while
following along with the text. This mode helps you connect spoken and written
forms, enhancing both listening comprehension and reading skills.
<li><strong>Listening</strong>: Focus solely on listening to the
story. The transcription is displayed later. This mode helps improve
your listening skills by training your ear to understand spoken
language and enhancing pronunciation awareness.
<li><strong>Reading</strong>: Read the text on your own without
audio. This mode allows you to focus on understanding written
content.
</ul>
<p>No matter what mode you selected, you can listen to the audio whenever you want
by clicking on the speaker icon on the left.
</p>
<!-- <li><strong>Autoplay</strong>:
<ul>
<li><strong>Disabled</strong>: <em>"Manually control when to move to the next
sentence or paragraph. This option allows you to take your time, ideal for
reviewing or understanding challenging sections."</em>
<li><strong>Immediately</strong>: <em>"Automatically play the next sentence
right after the current one ends. This option is great for those who want to
practice continuous listening or reading without pauses."</em>
<li><strong>After a Short Pause</strong>: <em>"Automatically advance to the next
sentence after a brief pause. This option gives you a moment to process what you
heard or read before moving on, balancing fluency with comprehension."</em>
<li><strong>After a Longer Pause</strong>: <em>"Automatically advance to the
next sentence after a longer pause. This option allows for more reflection or
repetition, perfect for practicing pronunciation or ensuring deeper
understanding."</em>
</ul> -->
<li><strong>Translation</strong>: Select the language of your choice to
translate the story text. The translation appears when you click on a sentence.
<li><strong>Minigames</strong>: Decide if you want to include minigames
in the story. Minigames are interactive exercises that appear randomly
(depending on the reading mode).
</ul>
<h2>Keyboard Shortcuts</h2>
<p>Keyboard shortcuts can help you use the features in the story more
efficiently.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Space</strong>: Continue to the next sentence (similar
to the main button).
<li><strong>T</strong>: Toggle the translation of the current sentence.
<li><strong>R</strong>: Replay the audio of the current sentence.
<li><strong>1, 2, 3...</strong>: Select the 1st, 2nd, 3rd... option
when there's a choice to make.
</ul>
<h2>Language Learning Tips and Exercises</h2>
<p> LingoStories is intended to be flexible. You can use it in any way
you want, and practice the skills that are more relevant to you. </p>
<p>Learning a language involves a lot of repetition. Paul Nation, a
famous researcher in linguistics and teaching, explains: <i>"The more
something is repeated, the more likely it is to be learned. Repetition
works best if it is spaced. That is, rather than having all the
repetitions occurring together in a short time, there should be a
reasonable amount of time between the repetitions. Because repetition is
so important for learning, it is good to work out ways of repeating the
same activities over and over again."</i> </p>
<p>So don't hesitate to go through the same stories again, maybe a few
days or weeks later. In this section, we suggest exercises that you can
do to develop your language skills. Many exercises are based on Paul
Nation's book "<a
href="https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/lals/resources/paul-nations-resources/paul-nations-publications/publications/documents/foreign-language_1125.pdf">What
do you need to know to learn a foreign language?</a>" </p>
<h3>Enjoy the Story</h3>
<ul>
<li>The simplest way to use LingoStories is to follow the story with the
<strong>Listening & Reading Mode</strong>. The combination of listening and
reading enhances comprehension. Don't worry if there are unknown words or
grammatical constructs; just try to follow the story's general meaning. If the
meaning is unclear, you can click on a sentence to see the translation.
<li>This activity is sometimes referred to as <strong>Extensive
Reading</strong>. According to <a
href="https://www.lucalampariello.com/intensive-vs-extensive-reading/">polyglot
Luca Lampariello</a>, <i>"While intensive reading requires a high level of focus
and deliberate effort, extensive reading is meant to be a fun and pleasurable
experience, requiring a low expenditure of mental effort. The more extensive
reading you do, the more language you are exposed to, allowing you to increase
your passive knowledge of vocabulary quite quickly."</i>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Consider Intensive Reading</h3>
<ul>
<li>After reading the story once, consider engaging in <strong>Intensive
Reading</strong> if you found the material challenging. This approach will help
you deepen your understanding of the text and build your language skills more
thoroughly.
<li>Read the story again, slowly and carefully. Pay close attention to every
word and phrase, aiming to understand all aspects of the text. When you
encounter words or grammatical structures you don’t know, take a moment to look
them up. This will help you expand your language knowledge.
</ul>
<h3>Practice Listening</h3>
<ul>
<li>Use the <strong>Listening Mode</strong> and try to follow the story.
<li><strong>Beginner</strong>: Even if you can't understand the entire sentence,
try to recognize some words. Listen to the sentence multiple times. Over time,
you'll manage to recognize more words. This practice helps train your ear to
identify sounds and common word patterns in the target language.
<li><strong>Advanced</strong>: If the exercise is easy for you, use the
<strong>Autoplay</strong> option. You will be able to go through the story
quickly without getting bored, and it will challenge you to keep up with a
natural pace of speech.
<li><strong>Alternative</strong>: do a <strong>transcription</strong>.
When you hear the sentence, write it down. This will help you learn the
spelling of the words and pay attention to details like word endings.
Then reveal the actual sentence and compare it with your transcription.
</ul>
<h3>Practice Pronunciation</h3>
<ul>
<li>Repeat out loud each sentence. Try to mimic the speaker's
pronunciation, intonation, and pace. Over time, this exercise can improve your
speaking confidence and improve your accent.
<li>You can use the Mode of your choice:
<ul>
<li><strong>Listening & Reading Mode</strong> is recommended for beginners.
<li><strong>Listening Mode</strong> will force you to pay attention to what was
said in order to repeat it. You may need to listen to the sentence multiple
times.
<li><strong>Reading Mode</strong> is appropriate if you're already familiar with
the pronunciation. Read the text out loud when the sentence appears. You can
then double-check with the audio.
</ul>
</ul>
<h3>Revisit Stories for Reading Fluency</h3>
<ul>
<li>Re-read or re-listen to stories you have already completed. This repetition
helps reinforce vocabulary, grammatical structures, and overall comprehension.
Try to increase your reading or listening speed each time you revisit the story
to develop fluency.
<li>According to Paul Nation, <i>"Repeated reading involves reading the same
material at least three times, each time trying to increase the speed at which
it is read. Repeated reading can be done while reading aloud, or while reading
silently. It is a good idea to keep a record of the time taken for each
reading."</i>
</ul>
<h3>Translate and Compare</h3>
<ul>
<li>Once you are familiar with the story and its vocabulary, switch the
story language to your native language and select <strong>Reading
Mode</strong>.
<li>Then attempt to translate each sentence into the target language without
looking at the original text. You can do this out loud or write it down. Click
on the sentence to see the actual translation, and compare it with your own
translation.
<li>This exercise encourages active use of the target language, strengthens your
translation skills, and helps you learn new sentence structures. It also builds
awareness of subtle differences in language use, enhancing your ability to think
in the target language.
</ul>
<h3>Practice Output</h3>
<ul>
<li>After reading or listening to a story, try to retell it in your own words,
either by speaking out loud or writing it down in the target language.
<li>According to the applied linguist <a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill_Swain">Merrill Swain</a>, speaking
or writing forces you to notice what you don’t know—such as missing vocabulary
or unclear grammar—allowing you to focus on these areas in future practice. It
also helps reinforce the knowledge you've just learned and builds confidence.
<li>You may share your text with a language partner (or an AI tool) to get
feedback and identify mistakes.
</ul>
<h2>Contribute</h2>
<p>Creating the website, writing stories, and providing translations
requires a lot of effort. We managed to keep the website maintenance
costs low, so that we can provide everything for free without ads. None
of this would be possible without the help of contributors.
</p>
<p>We hope to create a larger <a href="/doc/contributing.md.html">community
of contributors</a> to write and translate stories in many languages.</p>
Your feedback is valuable. You can share your thoughts and ideas with us
on <a href="https://discord.gg/SEefvsutca">Discord</a>.</p>
<p>
</div>
</div>
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