|
Do you ever feel like you only half know a word? Maybe you sort of know what a word means but not completely. Or maybe you understand the word but you’re not sure how to use it. Did you know that this is true for native speakers as well?
In this post, I’ll show you the different ways you can know (or half know) a word, and how to move words from passive vocabulary to active vocabulary. Do you sometimes think your English is worse than everyone else’s?
Do you avoid speaking up and keep your thoughts to yourself? Do you worry about making a mistake when you speak because then people will discover your English isn’t as good as they thought it was? When somebody tells you that your English is good, do you believe them? Or do you think that they’re just being polite or trying to make you feel better? Do you worry that your accent will make you sound less intelligent or less professional? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might have impostor syndrome. What’s that? Keep reading and I’ll explain. “I want to learn English but how can I find the time?”
“I’m too busy to study.” “I know I should practise more but I don’t have time.” These are things I hear a lot. I understand this problem very well because I often say similar things. In this post, I’m going to give you some suggestions for how to get more English into your life, even if you’re busy. English learners often worry about how much or how little progress they’re making in English.
I remember a student I met a long time ago who started in the pre-intermediate class (A2) and finished nine months later in the advanced class (C1). That's a lot of progress! But he was still convinced that his English was the same level as when he started! This post will show you how you can measure your progress and why it’s important to do so. Happy New Year!
Do you ever make New Year’s resolutions? (This means a decision or a promise to yourself to do something good this year, or stop doing something bad, such as “I’m going to do more exercise” or “I’m going to stop going to bed late.”) New Year’s resolutions are difficult to keep. How many people decide to start going to the gym in January? And how many stop going before January is even over?! In this post, we’re going to look at some ways you can make New Year’s resolutions for your English AND how you can increase your chances of keeping them. In today’s post, we will answer these questions:
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Does this affect how you learn English? Who’s better at learning a second language: introverts or extroverts? People often ask me questions like this:
There isn’t just one answer because everyone is different but here are a few possibilities. You can decide which ones are true for you. I’m not good at getting up in the morning! Every day, it’s a bit of a struggle! I’m not very good at going to bed at a sensible time either! But when I DO go to bed earlier and get up earlier, I can get so much more work done in the morning. Every time I’m forced to get out of bed early, I wonder why I don’t do it more often!
Now what does all this have to do with learning English? Just like getting up early can change my productivity, forming good habits can transform how you learn English. So what are some good habits for learning English? Do you use subtitles when you watch a film or Netflix show in English? Is it a good idea to use subtitles? Do subtitles help you learn English or do they get in the way?
I’ve been thinking a bit about this for the last few days and chatting with people on Facebook. Keep reading to find out what I think you should do. Today, I’d like to talk to you about dialects. In your country, do people speak your language in slightly different ways depending on where they’re from? Probably yes. And if you speak a language which is spoken in many countries, like Spanish or Arabic, there are probably even more differences, right?
English learners often comment on my Facebook page that they need a native speaker to talk to. Or they say they can’t improve their English because they don’t know any native speakers. I was curious to know why they think this so I asked! I was surprised by the answers!
Do you ever ask yourself, “Why am I not making progress?”
If you’ve asked yourself this question, you’re not alone! It’s very common for learners to worry about their progress. I hope knowing that you’re definitely not the only one who feels like this might make you feel a bit better. Sometimes people ask me, “How can I improve my English when I have nobody to correct my mistakes?” Maybe they think it’s impossible to improve English unless somebody is correcting their mistakes all the time. If that's how you feel, then this post is for you!
Have you ever written a journal in English or thought about trying it? In today’s post, we’re going to explore what a journal is and how it can help you with your English.
People often say "I want to speak like you" or “How can I speak English like a native speaker?” I’ve been thinking about how to answer that question and these are my thoughts on this topic.
|
Free courseYour 5 steps to confident English communication at work - a free email mini-course for women who want to speak English more confidently.
ShopFind a selection of freebies and e-books here.
About the blogFollow the blog for mini lessons and tips on how to improve your English.
|
RSS Feed
