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The Magical Key to Improving your English Speaking

We all have busy lives.  Work, family, friends, exercise, more work- it seems there is no time for learning a language!

Today is your lucky day!  I am going to share with you a secret that only a few people in the world have discovered.  Are you ready for this amazing news that will change your life and have you speaking English?

The key to improving your English (or any other language) is to PRACTICE.

Are you upset?  Were you expecting some earth shattering secret?  Why is it that we, as humans, are always looking for shortcuts?

If it were easy, everyone would be walking around bi-lingual.

To improve your speaking, you need to speak

If you want to get better at surfing, you must get out in the water with your surf board and learn by experience.  Languages are the same.  You must learn by trial and error.

Think of babies, they don’t just start out speaking perfectly.  It takes them years of trial and error before they can communicate effectively.

Books and blog posts are not going to help you improve your speaking.  Well besides this one– hopefully this blog post encourages you to take action and open your mouth.

Passive Vocabulary vs Active Vocabulary

The large majority of students who come to me, tell me that they can understand more than they can verbalize in English.  They may have a strong PASSIVE VOCABULARY – the stuff that you know and understand.  ACTIVE VOCABULARY is what you need to communicate.  You need to be able to form sentences and speak them out-loud.

To improve your Active Vocabulary (this is the #1 goal, people) you need to strengthen that connection between your brain and your mouth.

Ways to practice your spoken English

Talk to your pet

The whole idea is to get comfortable with speaking.  AND you are doing a good deed by teaching your animal another language.

Talk to Artificial Intelligence

Not your neighborhood robot, but your smartphone or creepy Alexa type device sitting on your desk.  I had a lot of fun with this with my Japanese friends speaking to Siri!

Speak to yourself in the mirror

Straight up Evil Queen from Snow White style.  This exercise is helpful because you see your mouth moving and realize, “Hey!  I can do this.”

Have a conversion with a friend

Use this experience as a way for you to practice your speaking- not for you and your friend to learn from each other (unless your friend is a professional teacher).  It is selfish, but you gotta get your practice in.  Not recommended for serious topics 😀

Speak with a Professional English Teacher on Skype

You can be sitting anywhere in the world and connect with an English native speaking teacher who will correct your mistakes and help you to improve.  Someone like me!

Whether it is an animal, a mobile phone or your bestie– just talk to someone!  Improve that connection from your brain to your mouth.  Strengthen it and build your confidence at the same time.

I’m here to help!  Contact me and we’ll get you started with speaking practice as soon as possible.

Why You Should Love English

Learning a new language can be an exhilarating experience. While you certainly have many reasons for wanting to learn English, it is likely that as you expand upon your knowledge of the language, you’ll develop your own personal love for it.

Many ESL learners boast that learning English has set them on a path for success and, as a result, they are afforded several different experiences that would have otherwise been impossible. We are convinced that improving your English skills now will help you to develop a strong love and respect for the language.

Education

English is a prevailing instrument that many people use to advance themselves in various areas of life. English remains one of the most popular languages spoken around the world and can certainly benefit a person’s educational goals. Learning English will give you the marketability necessary to attract the best schools.  There are many higher educational courses offered around the world (not just in English speaking countries) with English being the main language used.  N

Profession

Being bilingual is rapidly becoming a preference for various companies and people who speak more than one language. You will certainly love the doors that peaking English will open for you and the people around you will respect the time and effort you’ve put in to master this amazing skill.

Communication

You should love English because this language is a gateway to all sorts of different cultures. Speaking English will allow you to read some of the most important historical documents, understand significant literature, and learn about the development within English speaking nations.

Entertainment

You will be able to take part in the entertainment of English speaking nations. Music, film, magazines, and technology are all a big part of English culture. Knowing English will help you to comprehend what millions of people already know and love.

While you already speak a language that is familiar to you and you love, it is important that you embrace all English has to offer for you. Knowing English will open several paths to you and enhance you financially, educationally, artistically, and in your career. Native English speakers are generally accepting and excited for new people learning the language that so many have come to love. Many take pride in being able to speak a language that, for years, has connected people of varying backgrounds and cultures.

Completing an ESL program will help you to develop a love for English than many second language speakers already feel. Being able to do the work on our own time with a comprehensive curriculum and a supportive faculty will allow you to develop this love in your own time. You will have a great support system that will work with you on your own time in order to intensify your passion and thirst for knowledge.

This unique learning environment does not seek to replace the love of your native language, but rather open you up to an adoration for language learning that was unforeseen. Contact me today and get started broadening your horizons.

Rules for Natural English Speaking

While speaking English may seem easy from afar, it is will be important for you to incorporate a strong set of rules in order to be a successful and natural sounding English speaker.

Whether you are traveling to Britain, America, or any other English speaking country, you will want to prepare yourself to mesh with citizens of that nation. Pay close attention to the following set of rules in order to help yourself gain comfort and speak the best English you can!

  1. Don’t focus on grammar! —We know—grammar is important! Your teachers and tutors have likely been beating this into your head for years. While learning grammar is key when you want to pass tests, this isn’t usually the case in normal conversation. Truth be told, more foreign English speaker are aware of English grammar principles than native speakers! So, don’t sweat the small stuff. Worry more about what you’ll say to make new friends, get around town, and communicate with people around you.
  1. Educate yourself on key phrases. —As previously mentioned, you’ll have basic needs that will have to be met whenever you arrive in an English speaking country. You’ll need to have food and shelter. If you don’t know how to say anything else, you must be able to communicate well enough to meet those needs. As you go on through your studies, seek to memorize key phrases like “I would like to order a hamburger” or “I will be staying in the hotel for two nights.” Memorizing phrases like these will help you to be more confident in your ability to fend for yourself and make your transition to English speaking stress free.
  1. Use appropriate tools. —In the age of the internet, there is so much information available at the click of a button. Unfortunately, not all of this information will be helpful to you. As you choose the appropriate online course that will prepare you for your latest ventures, keep this in mind. Seek to learn from people who are native English speakers and can give you supplemental material that will beneficial for you.

Sounding and feeling like a native English speaker is no easy feat. It takes time, patience, and tons of practice. But, when you get the hang of it, you will surprise yourself, your closest friends and family, and even native English speakers you come into contact with.

Whatever your reasons for joining an English speaking environment, adhering to these three rules will help you to speak English naturally and fluently. With sessions with SkypEnglish4U, we will capitalize on these steps and include them in your everyday lesson plans. Each student is different and has different reasons for learning English.  We will work together to make sure those goals are being achieved with your practice on Skype.

Joining an online ESL course will get you on the fast track to being comfortable with your English skills. Join today and take advantage of this affordable experience!

Online vs. Classroom Education

The future is here!  You can be sitting in your living room in Japan and have a private English lesson with a teacher in New York.

If you’ve been a part of recent educational traditions in any capacity, you likely know how the process usually goes. There’s one teacher, somewhere between 15-30 students, classes seem to drag on with only a break or two (if that!). Education systems have run this way for centuries, and few will say that this is an unsuccessful model.  Nevertheless, nobody can deny the impact that technology has had on all walks of life—especially education!  While students in a classroom with only one teacher have to compete for her time, attention, and useful feedback, the internet offers students the opportunity to have a one-on-one relationship with teachers and get the attention they deserve.

How is online education relevant to older generations?

This inquiry is a very good one because it isn’t always easy to incorporate values and traditions from the past in order to demonstrate that older folks can still benefit from it.  Many older folks are put off because they think the costs are higher.  However, this sort of individualized education is worth every penny.  Students are paying for their educations rather than giving their locals schools money to be bored or listen to classmates talk and/or be disruptive.

Will I miss the face to face interaction of a classroom?

It is a lot to get used to, admittedly.  However, lessons occurring on video chat transpire immediately and easily mimic what many have experienced in the classroom.  When speaking only to the teacher, students will not be able to easily get off track.  Both the teacher and the student will be able to focus on the material at hand and clarify any information that might be difficult to grasp immediately.

We are living in a mobile world

Working in an online setting gives students the opportunity to have constant access to their work from various locations.  Gone are the days of textbooks and your dog eating your homework.  In today’s world, you can’t possibly leave assignments behind because they’ll all be online 24/7.  Students, who often have to take on multiple responsibilities throughout their busy lives, find online course to be a breath of fresh air.  They are not bound by space or time limitations and are happier people for it!

Online vs. Physical Classrooms

The debate regarding online vs. physical classrooms will probably still be going on for quite some time.  However, many educational programs are adding on online components to meet the needs of their student population.  More and more people are finding online classes to be agreeable and less time consuming.  Students want the easy access that they experience in various other avenues of their life.  Student appreciate being able to stay up-to-date with their classes and receiving text, emails, and video chats when their work is not up to par.

There is a place for all people in the realm of online education.  If you are skeptical about online education, contact SkypEnglish4U and we’ll answer any questions you may have.

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Free Interactive English Practice on Twitter

Practice your English for free everyday by using #SE4UChat on Twitter

I’m going to start using a new hashtag on Twitter that encourages student participation.  That means YOU!  I will use the tag #SE4UChat for any interactive tweets.  When you hit reply, make sure to use the same tag and I will always see it and respond.  Hopefully others will as well!

twitter

Using Twitter to Improve English

Twitter is a great place to practice your English.  In this article > English on Twitter, I list popular hashtags used by English teachers and students to communicate on Twitter.  Hashtags are a great way to find exactly what you are looking for.  If you are looking to chat, use #SE4UChat and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Follow people and topics that interest you and read the links they share in English.  This will help you to expand your vocabulary and improve your grammar structure.

Get Interactive

In order to truly improve your English skills (or any language) you have to USE the language.  Produce it.  Construct sentences using the vocabulary and grammar that you have previously learned.  Only reading things isn’t going to get you to the next level, you must get involved with using the language.

Make Mistakes

Making mistakes is all part of the learning process.  Nobody likes to make mistakes, but you just have to try! Reply to one of my tweets and if your sentence isn’t correct, I will correct it and then you will have learned from your mistake.  If you don’t try, you’ll never know if you are ‘doing it right’.  This is a very common mistake for language learners, they don’t try because they are embarrassed and therefore, never progress.

It’s FREE

There is no cost involved when you are practicing on Twitter or other social media platforms.  Take advantage of the tweets I send out and use them to improve your English skills and accomplish your goals.

I hope to see you on Twitter soon!  My user name is SkypEnglish4U and you can also find me by using  #SE4UChat

 

 

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5 Ways to Keep Your New Year Resolution of “I Want To Improve My English”

Another year has passed and again we feel that sense of a new beginning.

That’s a good feeling right?  Whether you view it as a chance to start over or a chance to start something new, it’s a START either way.

A New Year’s resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western Hemisphere but also found in the Eastern Hemisphere, in which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or something slightly nice, such as opening doors for people beginning from New Year’s Day. (thanks Wikipedia!)

I have been teaching English online since 2010, so I’ve been through quite a few of these annual holiday seasons.   Every year, like clockwork, I get messages from many new students after the first of the year.  Is it a coincidence?  I don’t think so!

Popular New Year resolutions are things like losing weight or going to the gym.  New gym memberships skyrocket in the beginning of the year.  Learning a language requires a the same kind of commitment that it takes to go to gym on a regular basis or eat healthier.  They all take dedication and will-power.

The downside of New Year resolutions are that MANY of them don’t last.  We all have good intentions and want to improve ourselves, but we just can’t stick with the time requirements or for some reason or another, we just don’t follow through.

How to keep your New Year resolution of “I want to improve my English”

  1. Be specific with setting your goal.  Don’t just say, “I want to improve my English” and leave it at that.  Start with small goals and go from there.
  2. Find a support team.  People perform much better when they are accountable and responsible for something.  Tell your friends and family about your goal and ask them to check up on your progress and support you along the way.
  3. Recognize that there will be ups and downs.  It’s not all going to be easy, smooth sailing.  There will be days that you hate English and never want to do another grammar exercise again.  That’s fine.  Have a plan for how you will deal with the low points and get motivated again.
  4. Mix things up a bit.  You may get really tired of your Daily Routine.  If that happens, you can simply change it!  Amazing.  What a simple fix.  Message me and I’ll be happy to give you ideas of what you can do to improve your English.  (even if you are not a student, I am happy to help!)
  5. Be disciplined.  Keep track of your progress and hold yourself accountable.  Reward yourself when you reach milestones and keep going!

You are the captain of your destiny!  I can go on with inspirational quotes, but I am sure you get the idea.

New Year Resolution English

 

 

 

Like clockwork (idiom) at regular times
Coincidence (noun) a situation in which events happen at the same time in a way that is not planned or expected
Skyrocket (verb) to increase quickly to a very high level or amount

*practice using these words in the comments section and I will check them and give you feedback*

Are you moving to an English speaking country? Here are 4 benefits of Online English Courses

Different people want to learn to speak English for different reasons.

Let’s face it: English is the most popular language in the world and a lot of doors have been open for people who have taken the time to thoroughly master this language.

If you’re planning to move abroad to a country where English is the official language, it is imperative to be able to know the language in order to survive. Studying English can be beneficial for both the young and old, and will certainly help you to gain success in a world that may seem totally different to you. Luckily for you, online English courses make it possible for you to study for this influential change in your life without even having to even leave your home. Keep scrolling to learn the four best reason to advance your English skills in an online environment.

  1. Online ESL Courses will help you to gain employment. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to go to an English speaking country like Britain or the United States without at least a conversational knowledge of English. Taking English sessions online will help you to obtain the career of your dreams easily.
  1. Learning ESL online will help you to get along with natural English speakers. You will find that, as in any country, people will expect you to adapt to their native tongue. Failure to do so could lead to frustrating misunderstandings and possible annoyance from English speakers. Being able to speak to citizens of a country will help you to get into their good graces and allow you to network peacefully.
  1. You will gain a better understanding of the rules and regulations in another country. Every country operates in a different way. No two governments and laws are exactly alike. Therefore, it is imperative to be able to read and comprehend important documents pertaining to a different nation’s system of rules. Unfortunately, in today’s world, it is easy enough to get into trouble. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law, so the sooner you get to this part, the better!
  1. You will easily blend in with your new community. Learning English will help you to make new friends and have beautiful social experiences. You will soon be making memories that you won’t soon forget. With your new English skills, you will be able to share pieces of your culture with others and simultaneously receive such information from them. Soon enough, people will be appreciating you for your vast experiences and inviting you to community and social gatherings all the time.

Taking SkypEnglish4U sessions online will give you the time and space to prepare yourself for the next big journey in your life. At your own leisure, you will be able to put in the necessary practice to improve your language skills. Though learning a new language certainly isn’t easy, you will have all of the necessary resources to succeed at your fingertips.

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“I Want To Improve My English”

“I want to improve my English” is something I have heard thousands of times since I started teaching online.  My response, “Just do it”.

Learning a new language requires a lot of work and dedication.  It takes willpower to make the choice to spend time on improving the language instead of doing something else (that may be more fun).  Since I am an English teacher, I’m going to focus on that language, but this advice can be applied to learning any language and maybe even other areas of your life that you would like to make a change.

Are you ready for this?

It is very easy for us to say that we want to make a change, but actually doing it is another thing.  People often make statements that they want to do something and at the time they may have full intentions of doing so, but they haven’t really put thought into what the change means for them.

From my experience, the main obstacle for learning English is time.  It takes a lot of time to learn a new language and this is a long-term process, so it needs to be well thought out.  When students and I discuss their history with English, many tell me that they have learned ‘on and off’ for years.  I think people get discouraged along the way because of lack of focus or feelings of being overwhelmed by the time it takes.

Ask yourself, “Why do I want to improve my English?”  Personal motivation is key in a process such as this.  Be honest with yourself about the commitment and if you are really ready to do this.

Make a plan

You have decided to take this journey, so now what?  Set a goal.  Simply “I want to improve my English” is not what I am talking about.  In fact, set a few goals, milestones along the way that you want to reach.  I can help you with these based on your level.

As with diets or fitness equipment- you will see lots of advertisements for QUICK results and gimmicks like “Learn English FAST”.  I believe it is the same process as it is with living a healthy lifestyle, the change will not happen overnight.  There is no magic solution to improve your English fast.

For a beginner, the first goal could be to speak with a native speaker for 5 minutes.  Nothing crazy, just something that is beyond the point you are at now.  Perhaps it could be to send me a voice recording on Snapchat!  These goals need to be well thought out and written down.  Writing things down makes them real!  Get your Daily Routine together and remember to keep it interesting.

You also need to figure out how to hold yourself accountable.  What is going to keep you on track?  What will keep you focused on your goal?  I like the site Coach.Me which allows you to enter your goals and keep track of them.   Hopefully you will soon be able to see your results and that will keep you going!

English goals

Revisit the plan and reassess

After two weeks, take time aside to review your study patterns and English learning behavior.  Was your initial plan too much?  Are you not able to spend the time you thought?  Maybe you can spend more time on English than you originally thought.

Everybody is different.  You need to take your needs and your life into consideration during this process.  Your colleague may have used a program that worked great for him, but for you- it just doesn’t make sense.  That is OK!  It’s a flexible process with many variations.  On my twitter account, I am always sharing new sites and exercises to help people practice.  Find what works for you!

There are endless resources available to you.  Reach out to me, I spend time everyday on social media helping students to practice and answering questions they have.  At the end of the day, you just to JUST DO IT, take the first step and make the serious decision to once and for all, improve your English.

 

willpower (noun) the ability to control your thoughts and actions in order to achieve what you want to do 
milestone (noun) a significant stage or event in the development of something
gimmick (noun) a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or trade
hold accountable (phrase) to consider someone responsible for something
reassess (verb) to think again about something to decide if you need to change your opinion of it
once and for all (phrase) completely and finally
*practice using these words in the comments section and I will check them and give you feedback*

 

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What are the Differences: Speaking with a Professional Teacher on Skype, Language Exchange and Language Partners

Active Practice.  I am always talking about active practice and actively speaking and using English.  How can you do this online?

To actively practice you have to produce the language- mainly speaking in this case (writing is also great too!)  I’m an online English teacher, so speaking with me (or any other teacher) is an excellent way to get practice, but there are other options out there that you can do it for free.  Let’s have a look and compare the pros and cons of speaking with a professional teacher, doing language exchange and having language partners.

Sessions with a Professional Teacher

Pros

  • Native Speaker- Unless you are a beginner and need someone who can speak your language to explain things to you, you should be doing English sessions on Skype with an English native speaker so that you can hear their pronunciation and try to speak like that yourself.
  • Corrections- Professional teachers will identify your mistakes and correct you.
  • Pronunciation- Besides you hearing their pronunciation, they will listen to yours and make suggestions on how to improve it.
  • Knowledge- Professional teachers have certifications to teach English as a foreign language as well as knowledge gained through working with other students.  They know what works and what doesn’t based on previous experiences.  They can work with students of all levels.
  • Consistency– Speaking with the same teacher will help you to feel comfortable while speaking English and this leads to improvement and confidence.
  • Organization- There is a topic planned before each session and the teacher is there to make sure that you are getting the best experience possible during your time together.

Cons

  • Cost- Depending on where you live in the world, the price of native English speaking teachers may be out of your price range.

Language Exchange

Language exchange is when you find someone who wants to learn your language and you want to learn theirs.   Usually you split the time in half – half your language / half their language.

Pros

  • Cost- Language exchange is free!  You give some of your time to help someone and they do the same for you.
  • Flexible- There are web-sites that connect people who want to speak English at any time of day- like http://www.speaking24.com/
  • Camaraderie– You feel as an equal with your language exchange partner because you are both learners.
  • Pronunciation- If both people are native speakers, it is a great opportunity to pay attention to pronunciation and natural speech patterns.

Cons

  • No organization- a common complaint I have heard from students is that they don’t know what to talk about when they meet for language exchange.  Who is in charge of the conversation?
  • Lack of consistency- People come and go.  You may have a chat with someone one time and then they disappear, so then you have to search to find someone new and you repeat the same “where are you from” “what do you do?” basic conversation.
  • Lack of knowledge- Unless you get lucky and your language exchange friend is a teacher, you will most likely not be getting the type of corrections that you would from a professional teacher.  Even though they are a native speaker, they won’t have the experience in explaining grammatical structures and why you use a certain word in a certain situation.

Language Partners

Language partners are very similar to language exchange, but you are both learning the same language so you use your time together to speak in a common language.   It has some of the same pros and cons as language exchange, but the main difference is that usually neither of the partners is a native speaker of the language being used.

Pros

  • Cost- It’s free!  Just sign up for a site like https://www.interpals.net/ and start your partner search.
  • Friendship- You may meet someone who you get along with really well and share common interests with and a friendship can be formed from across the globe.
  • Practice- You get to speak.  Sometimes people just need to open their mouth and start speaking.

Cons

  • Non-native speakers- You may get lucky and find a native speaker who will just chat with you in their native language (without practicing yours), but generally people are looking to practice their spoken English, so the emphasis is on speaking and finding someone who will listen- no matter who they are.
  • Difference of level- Finding someone at your level may be difficult, especially the for intermediate and advanced speakers.  Often the partner sites are full of beginners and lower level students.
  • Lack of correction- If both people are learning, they may not have the knowledge of the language to identify each other’s mistakes and make corrections.
  • Lack of knowledge- Language partners are just normal everyday people, so they don’t have experience leading a class nor with explaining things.

 

Pros and Cons (plural noun) the favorable and the unfavorable factors or reasons; advantages and disadvantages 
consistency (noun) the ability to remain the same in behavior, attitudes, or qualities
camaraderie (noun) mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together
*practice using these words in the comments section and I will check them and give you feedback*

 

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Learning English Online as a Beginner

English speaking sessions on Skype are an excellent way for people to practice their spoken English while improving their fluency, learning new vocabulary and fixing any grammar issues.  Sessions on Skype reinforce what you have already learned and give you active practice actually using the language.   But what if you don’t have any previous experience with English?  Can you learn English online as a beginner?

What is the difference between Learn and Practice?  

Learn {verb} : gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught.

Practice {verb} : perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to acquire, improve or maintain proficiency in it.

First you must learn something and then you practice it to make it better.

Think of a young child learning their native language.  They are gaining all of that vocabulary from their parents, songs, stories… basically everything around them.  If you are a beginner, you are in the same situation.  Before you can speak, you have to learn the vocabulary and have it stored in your brain, ready to use.

Beginner English Sessions on Skype

The great thing about SkypEnglish4U sessions is that we totally focus on speaking and listening, no workbooks or exercises are done during our time together.   This can be a problem if your English level is not enough to carry on a simple conversation for at least 30 minutes.  I have worked with many ‘basic users’ in the past (see chart below), constructing sentences properly and speaking using basic structures.  Basic users can gain from speaking practice and advance on to the next level.  However, absolute beginners will not benefit from sessions on Skype because they do not have the foundation of English to construct sentences.

Beginner English

Suggestions for Beginner Students

Once you feel comfortable (even just a little) with speaking English, contact me for a 30 minute session.   As I mentioned, I have experience with ‘basic users’ so it will not be overwhelming or too much for you.  We will take it nice and slow.

Learning a language is not an easy task, but keep at it and you will feel great about your accomplishment!English for Beginners