Easy ways to improve your English speaking

Take a deep breath, then speak slowly.

Easy ways to improve your English speaking

Three simple strategies can quickly boost your English speaking fluency. Most people don’t know them because they are not usually taught in English classes. English classes focus on your message, what you are trying to say: the meaning of your words. What classes don’t teach is how to make your speech into pleasing English sounds. When you think about it, speaking and singing are similar (as rap and hip hop music also demonstrate.) Though singing is more poetic, our regular speech also contains rhythms and patterns which help listeners understand the overall meaning.

The first strategy is based on the fact that both speaking and singing rely on breath. If we have insufficient breath, then our vocal production will suffer. So before you start speaking (or singing), exhale all your old air and take in a deep breath of fresh air. When your inhalation is complete, then begin your first words. You will have a reservoir of breath to use for a whole sentence. Just like filling up your gas tank before a trip, fill up your lungs before speaking. Breathing also calms our minds and gives a few moments to select our first words. When it’s your turn to speak, try exhaling and inhaling before you begin. Try this for a few days and see if it works for you, like it does for most of my students.

The second strategy is selecting the correct speed. Most of my students initially believe they need to speak fast. Humans talk faster when excited or stressed, but very rapid speech is hard to understand and remember. Since we live in an exciting and stressful world, people are excited and stressed all the time but that does not make them more fluent. Newscasters and sportscasters on television have to speak fast, but that does not make them easier to understand. When the President gives an important speech, he speaks slowly and clearly. Even native English speakers cannot speak correctly while speaking too rapidly. Even if they could, listeners would have trouble keeping up with them.

Non-native speakers face an additional challenge. Their brains are already wired for their native language. Our very thoughts and concepts are shaped by our first language. Additional languages can never be processed as efficiently as the original language that shaped our minds after infancy. Some people learn to overcome this, but most of us need to slow down while speaking in a foreign language. We have to work harder and be more careful than we need to in our first language. Usually I am able to convince students that slower is better. After all, once you speak perfectly you can always work on increasing your speed. See if speaking more slowly feels more comfortable and sounds better to others. Try recording yourself speaking fast, and then repeating it slowly. Which sounds better?

The boxes on the bottom contain a sentence. The other boxes identify the various phrases used to construct the sentence.

The third strategy is to speak in phrases. A phrase is a group of words that are related, such as several adjectives and a noun: a big, black, hairy dog. All types of words can appear as a part of a phrase. English classes stress words and sentences, but spoken English sounds more like a series of phrases with a longer pause at the end of each sentence. A sentence is a group of words that express one complete thought, while phrases only express certain aspects of that one complete thought, such as subject, verb, object, etc. Related words in a phrase need to be spoken together, with a brief pause at the end of each phrase. In written English, sometimes this brief pause is marked by a comma (,). But even if there is no comma, pausing at the end of a phrase helps the listener digest the words before you go on to the next phrase.

Students tell me that in Asian languages, all words have equal space between them. Therefore they never considered varying the spaces between the words in the manner I suggest. Though difficult to demonstrate in writing, try this exercise. Try recording yourself saying the words separately, like a list:

The

Big

Black

Dog

Ran

Quickly

Down

The

Street.

Ask yourself, what is the subject? What qualities does it have?

What did the subject do? How did he do it?

When, where, why did the subject do the action?

Now speak the sentence as three phrases. When you read this sentence, pause briefly at the end of the first two phrases and a little longer after the final one (the end of the sentence.)

The big black dog…ran quickly…down the street……….

Speaking in phrases also allows you to regulate your breath better, helping you stay calm and focused.

If you listen to audio books, the readers always speak in this manner. Try imitating a passage from your favorite audio book. Even if your grammar is not perfect or if your vocabulary is not great, you can still sound better speaking English by changing your behavior. Sounding better will give you more confidence, even if you need to keep learning new words. Try learning 10-20 words each week. In one year you can learn 500-1000 words. Since most people, even native speakers, only use around 1000-2000 words in every day conversation, you can double or triple your vocabulary over time. Let me know if you find any of these three strategies helpful. Also please send any suggestions or recommendations you can offer. Oh yes, practice, practice, practice!

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More American “No” idioms.

More American “No” idioms.

My previous blog on different ways of saying “no” using natural American expressions generated some great comments. One reader asked me to write about the popular expressions “no problem” and “no worries.” The reader pointed out a “pet peeve” (personal annoyance) about the phrase “no problem” used instead of the more courteous and formal response, “you’re welcome.” The traditional American response to “thank you” is “you’re welcome.” These days, though, if I thank a waiter for binging me water, he will likely respond “no problem” instead of “you’re welcome.” Traditionalists argue that my request for a glass of water does not make a problem for the waiter. When I thank the waiter, he does not need to re-assure me that I have caused “no problem.” After all, bringing customers water and food is his job.

More subtly, “no problem” does not acknowledge the courtesy of the person doing the thanking, like saying you’re welcome does. Saying you’re welcome is much more socially intelligent because you recognize that people don’t have to say thank you and that they are going out of their way to be gracious and polite. The reply should acknowledge and reciprocate the gracious gesture. Responding with “no problem” does neither of these. Instead, the phrase is self-centered and makes it sound like a big favor has been done.

If someone steps on my toe accidentally, then says “I am very sorry to step on your toe” then I might answer “no problem.” If someone says “thank you,” however, I will answer with “you’re welcome.” When the waiter brings food or water, many people don’t even say thank you since it is not a personal favor. I like to say thank you, because it acknowledges the humanity of the server. By saying “you’re welcome” the server acknowledges my humanity. But if the server says “no problem” instead, I think to myself sarcastically, “well I hope it was not too much trouble to bring me water, and I am glad to know my request did not cause you any personal problem…”

This is my personal practice but I am somewhat old fashioned, not to mention just somewhat old. In the U.S., though, “no problem” has almost completely surpassed “you’re welcome” as the most common reply to “thank you.”

Around the same time as “no problem” started taking over American conversation, we imported a similar phrase from Australia: “no worries.” To me this means the same as no problem. In other words, instead of saying “you’re welcome” the speaker is telling me not to worry about any problem or difficulty I have caused by saying “thank you.” Here in the Silicon Valley, I will guess that "no problem" is more common than "no worries," but everyone expects to hear one or the other from servers or salesclerks.

Languages constantly change, so maybe these expressions will completely replace the traditional formula “thank you—you’re welcome.”  After all the traditional expression no doubt replaced some earlier courteous form of speech. I will be slow to adopt these new phrases because they sound self-centered to me,. By saying “you’re welcome” I signal that I know the other person is not required to say thank you but does so anyway, to show courtesy.  The new expressions basically ignore the courtesy of the thankful expression. Instead they express a more selfish view of the interaction.

Secondly, simply the word “no” is so powerful, I hesitate to use it in friendly, casual speech. As the expression of negativity, the word "no" powerfully impacts our subconscious. You can prove this to yourself easily. Simply sat the words "no" and "yes" out loud a few times. Of course yes sounds positive and no sounds negative. Think about it. Do you want to sound negative or positive?  Even though “no problem” is supposed to sound positive, having the word "no" embedded in it sabotages any positive message.

Thirdly, negative expressions do not usually start with “no” in everyday life. Negation usually occurs with the verb: “Do you want some bananas?” “Thank you, I don’t want any bananas.” Starting a sentence with “no” is used for emphasis. “I really want you to take these bananas!” “No, I don’t want to take any bananas.” This sentence already includes one negative (don’t), and then we add another at the beginning to ensure there is no doubt, to emphasize the negation beyond question.

Using newer expressions like “no problem” sounds kind of hip and modern, but realize that these phrases are slang. They may include subconscious meanings that you do not intend, or is even contrary to your intention. “You’re welcome” is tried and true, and works for everyone, from our family to the queen of England. If you feel especially enthusiastic, you can say “you’re very welcome!”

Cognitive-behavioral strategies for speaking English with confidence

Google image search result for fast-talker.

Cognitive-behavioral strategies for speaking English with confidence

My students are almost all adults. Most of them are professionally employed in local high tech companies here in the Silicon Valley. Many are engineers from other countries, working under employment visas. In every case, students are highly motivated and eager to learn self-development strategies. My graduate studies in Adult Learning taught me that adults seek instruction at specific stages of their lives and for specific reasons. Usually they have two specific needs. They want to be able to “get what’s going on” in a conversation, meaning that they understand the context and relevancy of the actual words exchanged, they understand the subtle messages that accompany all human interactions. Without some effort of this kind, non-native speakers must remain satisfied with incomplete comprehension.

The second specific need most students share is how to speak with confidence, which is a kind of behavior. Just as radio transmission towers require more power than a battery operated receiver, transmitting spoken language requires a lot more brain power than simply receiving, or listening to someone else. Likewise, writing takes more thought (cognition) and energy than reading, which is passive absorption. Before students realize and accept this fact, they tell me their English isn’t very good because they don’t feel comfortable speaking. Reading to English is the easiest behavior and listening is second easiest. Writing requires some hard thinking. Most difficult is speaking, so naturally learners find this their greatest challenge. Speaking requires the most cognitive effort and the most complex behavior.

Presented in this way, students become receptive to studying specific cognitive-behavioral strategies that automatically build self confidence. Most basic is inhaling before speaking. Starting with your lungs full gives you a lot more time to speak clearly and accurately. The other great benefit is that the intake of fresh air gives your mind a moment to compose your first sentence. Nervousness and stress make the breath shallower. Slightly extend your breath you will relax and feel more in control. Try it out! I am interested in your experience, so please send me an email, or follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Another cognitive-behavioral strategy is to consciously slow our rate of speed. In the modern world we are constantly immersed in a sea of very fast speech in advertising, TV, and movies. When chatting with our friends, we often speak very fast. But speed is not fluency. Think about it. Do fast-talking people inspire more trust and confidence than those who speak slowly? In the U.S. at least, we hold a stereotype of the “fast-talking used car salesperson” who will say anything to make a sale. This is unfair to salespeople in general, but “fast-talking” is used very often conversationally. In more formal writing, I think “glib” would reflect a higher standard. Glib is a great word, but for some reason not more widely used.

When we consciously put the brakes on our impulsive rate of speech and go just a little slower, then keeping our minds and speech synchronized is easier. Our brains’ structure and the structure of our first language are embedded in each other. Our brains are optimized for our first language, so they can never process additional languages as efficiently. Additional languages are like new computer programs that run on top of basic language software embedded in our brains since childhood. Non-native languages require more mental effort than our original languages. Just as computers slow down when under a big load, so do our brains. English language learners often don’t take this into account, so when they start talking in English, they try to speak as quickly as their native language. However, unless they keep their rate of speech under close control, the mouth will quickly outdistance the brain. Then, people get “tongue-tied,” which means not being able to speak (as if your tongue was tied in a knot, I suppose).

Notice that cognitive-behavioral strategies do not require any additional training in English. Such training is also highly desirable, of course. But this takes a long time and may not pay off right away. Direct control of thoughts and actions delivers results right away. Be sure to take a breath please, and speak slowly!

Improve your English conversation skills

Conversing in English takes practice

People trying to improve their American English conversation skills face a common obstacle. This obstacle is that we all prefer to hang out with people who are like us, look like us, speak like us, talk about the same things, are interested in the same things, share the same history and culture, etc. If English is not your first language, then you are less likely to find yourself among English speaking people. Even if a group of non-native speakers all want to practice and improve their English, they usually wind up speaking in their native languages, even while living and working in the U.S. Many of my adult students work for high-tech Silicon Valley companies, which employ many foreign workers. Instead of mixing together and developing their English skills through practice, each nationality forms its own closed circle. The saying we have is, "birds of a feather flock together."

This is true in neighborhoods as well. Near my home we have Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, and Persian neighborhoods, each with their own stores and restaurants. In these small areas, even all the store signs are in a foreign language, sometimes without English sub-title. Many people choose to live in a neighborhood surrounded by their countrymen, their own familiar stores and products, and customary social behaviors. Human nature causes us all stay inside our "comfort zones." This is a low risk strategy because everything is familiar.

Living in a foreign country to learn the local language is called "full immersion" because you jump right in over your head into the new language. This strategy is considered very effective or maybe even the best method. However, if you come to the U.S. but live and work around people from your home country, you will not learn much English. Full immersion means ALWAYS speaking English to everyone, not just once or twice a week in class or with your tutor.

If you live outside the U.S., your opportunities to practice with native English speakers are much fewer of course. But, you can seek out chances to use your English to interact with native speakers through social, work, and educational networks. Just watching TV and movies is not as effective because you are only listening, not speaking. Using Skype to practice speaking with native speakers is much more helpful because you talk as well as listen. 

Going outside your comfort zone always feels uncomfortable and risky, but self-development of every kind requires new behavior before you can learn new things. You have to become comfortable both starting and responding to verbal interactions. Start with something easy, and exchange a few words with the checker at the supermarket in English. Or, while shopping in a store, talk to the salesperson-- they are paid to be nice to you.

The best way to start a conversation is to ask a question, which is usually very trivial or unimportant. One sample question is "What do you think of this weather?" Maybe you don't really care what they think, but it allows a conversation to start. Asking someone for their opinion or help is practically guaranteed to start a conversation. Good conversations consist of questions and answers. After the other person answers, they might repeat the question back at you, asking your opinion. If the other person merely answers but does not offer another question, it's your job to simply ask them another question! This can be a follow on question, such as "Do you think the weather is warmer than last year?" or "What is your favorite weather, warm or cool, sunny or rainy?"

The content of your words is not important or significant. In fact, social chatting avoids controversial subjects like politics and religion, and sticks to generalities, like "How are you today?" Even if you think you English is pretty bad, you can easily master simple questions and answers like these. No doubt in your native language, social chatting is similar. English is the same way, but you have to jump in the water and splash around before you can swim. Let yourself make mistakes. Ask native speakers to help correct your accent or explain words you don't understand. As already mentioned, people love to help and offer their opinion if you give them a chance. But if you don't say "hi" they may help someone else. 

Since you are the one who wants to learn, you have to put yourself out there. You have to go outside your comfort zone. Take a class that is only conducted in English. Try out a hobby like painting where you will many native speakers. Outside the U.S. choices are more limited, so you have to use your imagination more, or look for Internet chatting opportunities.

Accelerate your English mastery: part one

The purpose of language

Almost everyone can benefit by improving their English speaking and writing techniques. Those born in the U.S. may have developed their verbal expression, but even many American college graduates can’t write very effectively. Naturally, those growing up outside the U.S. have even greater speaking and writing challenges to overcome. Most of my students are interested mainly in learning everyday English used in the U.S. rather than focusing on written expression. My opinion is that learning to feel confident conversing freely with native speakers basically differs from writing competence in degree and kind. My next post will address writing proficiency but since speaking is most important to many, the focus here will be on speaking English more like a native speaker.

Feeling confident in casual English conversation is largely psychological. Technical mastery of English grammar and pronunciation, though desirable, is not necessarily required. Some people speak confidently even when their speech is hard to understand. Others who have great skills don’t feel confident using them. The fastest way to help people feel comfortable expressing themselves in English is to boost their confidence. After all, the purpose of talking it to communicate. Secondarily, we all like to appear smart and sophisticated as we get our point across. Once those goals are fulfilled, real-time conversation does not allow for fine-tuning or perfectly grammatical sentences.

So far, the most effective short term strategy is getting people to talk about how they feel speaking in English. Asking them how they think others perceive them helps pinpoint their greatest fears, allowing them to give voice to their doubts and worries. Some of these worries are basic human nature, our need to fit in and be accepted and understood. Everyone shares this. Other fears can be unfounded and easily dispelled when properly understood. I use these techniques to help people lower anxiety and feel more comfortable right away, which is a way of describing self-confidence.

The next most powerful technique is learning to hear the music of English. Once they hear the rhythm, timing, intonation, and inflection of pleasing English, students can try to imitate the overall sounds instead of focusing on individual words and sentences. The first step is mastering each of the many basic sounds of English. Each sound requires different shapes in our lower face and throat. Once we learn all those shapes, we can put them together, like an exercise routine. Reading out loud is the easiest way to do this, because students can focus on reciting a written script, like an actor. Freed from having to invent their own words, learners can work exclusively on sound production.

Over the longer term, English learners have benefited the most by learning expressions that are well known to American children, but not taught in schools overseas. Popular expressions can be baffling because even if you know the meaning of every word, you don’t understand the phrase, such as “paying lip service to” or when a child smelling something unpleasant cries out “P.U.!” Pick up any U.S. children’s book and you will discover many expressions that will baffle you if you did not grow up in the American culture.

Besides colloquial expressions, idioms, and slang, U.S. cultural and historical references appear everywhere. Recently a monument to Martin Luther King Jr. was dedicated in Washington, DC. Though Dr. King is a national hero, his story is not much known outside the U.S. Raising the bar of understanding even higher is the fact that people born outside the U.S. have little or no knowledge about the history of race relations in America. I was helping a Japanese born student attending our local community college. His English assignment was to write about Dr. King. I helped him get started by letting him know that Dr. King was black and that the U.S. had severe racial discrimination. This was not covered in his Japanese high school curriculum. Noteworthy, though, is that Japanese students study U.S. history at all. How many U.S. high school students study Japanese history? Learning about American history and culture helps English speakers more fully understand what others are saying.

Notice that specific grammar and vocabulary study have not been mentioned. That is because though necessary, these skills take longer to develop. During longer programs, learners can focus on their own specific grammar issues and memorize vocabulary. Improvement in these areas comes slower, so I suggest doing the easy work first, as discussed above. As promised, I will talk about improving your written English expression in part 2. 

Learning resources for English

General Education Development is a U.S. diploma equivalent to a high school diploma.

Many non-native English speakers function very well for working and living in the U.S. Even if they are college graduates, many have never studied the material tested by the GED (General Equivalency Diploma) test. Specifically the Language Arts portion of the GED requires reading comprehension, identification and correction of writing errors, and an essay.

GED curriculum also is provided for free in all high school districts, part of the federally funded adult education effort. Lots of resources, on line and in print, help people prepare. Students can pre- and post-test with sample tests as many times as they want before having to take the real test.

Even advanced speakers of English as a second language rarely receive this specific sort of instruction. Without it, progress in higher education is slowed dramatically because students do not understand entirely what they are reading and have no instruction or practice in writing.

The internet has many free resources for GED study. Some you might want to check are http://www.my-ged.com , http://steckvaughnadult.hmhco.com/en/gedtestmenu.htm , and http://adulted.about.com/od/gettingyourged/a/gedbooks.htm .

Slang, idiom, expression, argot, jargon, colloquialism: what is it?

To improve your knowledge of U.S. slang, this website is really good. Another good reference is the Urban Dictionary.

Slang, idiom, expression, argot, jargon, colloquialism:
Either a printed or online dictionary will tell you what each of these words mean. Some definitions may differ, but these words all generally refer to language as it is normally used by native speakers. This everyday language differs from academic language in important ways. The vocabulary of formal, academic English language is quite fixed and slow to change. Words have well-defined meanings that change little over time. However, everyday English changes constantly. Words used today were unknown yesterday. Yesterday's slang sounds archaic today. Some idioms are completely arbitrary, like "P,U." Every American pre-schooler knows this means something stinks! What do the initial letter stand for? No one knows for sure.

One function of colloquialisms is to establish and maintain a community. The community is people who understand and use certain slang expressions, Insiders know the what it means to "pay lip service." If you are an insider, you can understand the intended meaning of the expression that lies beneath the meaning of the individual words. If you are outside the community, you may understand the words but not understand the underlying meaning they way insiders do. For example, the community of people born or growing up in the U.S. constantly use slang, idioms, and similar expressions which exclude non-native speakers. People outside the community cannot usually penetrate colloquial expressions very easily.

Another function of slang is to provide a platform for humor. Since the actual meaning of the expression may be the opposite of the literal meaning of the individual words, people using these kinds of phrases often have an ironic intent. To understand humor in English, non-native speakers need a broad understanding of the most common expressions. These expressions are known since childhood by native speakers but continue to baffle non-native adults.

One good way to discover these expression is to read a U.S. general interest magazine, such as Time magazine, Readers Digest, or National Geographic. If you have not lived all or most of your life in the U.S., though you understand the individual words and grammar, the overall meaning of the magazine articles remains elusive. That is because vital parts of the meaning are contained in the slang, idiom, expression, argot, jargon, or colloquialism used in speech and writing.

Please let me know your own experiences with English slang. How have you tried to learn common expressions and idioms? You can email me directly by clicking here. Also, please give me any feedback you can so I can keep improving. Thanks!

Hard to have a conversation in English?

I have never met anyone born outside the U.S. who did not want to improve their comfort in conversing in English. Almost all non-native speakers realize that they cannot understand 100% "exactly" for various reasons. Most adults who speak English as a Second Language stop making an effort to learn new vocabulary words after they learn enough words to get by. Another obstacle to conversation is doubt about pronunciation, either when listening or speaking. The biggest challenge for many people is simply they have never been taught basic conversation skills. Learners feel especially shy since they do not know even any basic rules of conversation.

Conversation strategies are completely separate from English language skill and fluency. Conversation is a social skill requiring collaboration with other willing participants. You can speak English to yourself by writing or reading out loud. Some of the most intelligent and fluent native born thinkers can express themselves beautifully in a lecture but feel hopelessly out of place at a neighborhood picnic or potluck. Some extremely smart people have trouble forming and maintaining relationships, while others less gifted enjoy the many benefits of friendly conversation. Friendly conversation builds trust and respect between people and really let us know each other.

Where can you find basic conversation skills? Try Conversation Starters.com for an overview of simple ways to engage others in conversation. Even if you have mastered the English language, if you don't know how to start and continue a conversation you will probably always feel like an outsider. The truth is that knowing basic conversation skills is much, much more important than using the correct grammar and pronunciation. You can start practicing right now!  Check out 101 conversation starters to get the idea. Don't wait until some future time that you dream will come after you study English longer.

Feed the hungry while practicing English at freerice.com

I came across the Free Rice during my research on "games with a purpose" (GWAP). For every correct answer, the website donates 10 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program. Games have long been a fun and effective way to learn. Crossword puzzles are a game many enjoy that is also a fun way to learn new words and think about familiar ones. Sesame Street proved that children can learn and have fun at the same time. With the spread of computers and the Internet, teachers quickly adapted the new technology to instruction. Now, many websites and applications for children are both entertaining and educational.

Free rice is the newest entry in a long tradition of making learning fun. The best thing about a good game is that people enjoy playing it for its own sake. In other words, people enjoy facing and overcoming challenges, no matter how simple or repetitive. The popular game Tetris because people achieve satisfaction by increasing their skill. This satisfaction alone makes the game addictive to many. Such games have no other direct purpose than stimulation and satisfaction of achieving a goal.

One estimate suggests today 63% of people play some sort of game online. Games range from extremely simple tasks performed against the computer (computer card games, arcade games, Scrabble, etc.) to  extremely complex, massive multi-player games like Warcraft. Only a few our like Free Rice, because Free Rice offers more than simple self satisfaction of our competitive urges. This game, and other games with a purpose, provide an additional player incentive. This incentive allows players to become members of a global network of people who want add value to their recreational time.

For English language learners, Free Rice has quizzes in both vocabulary and grammar. The grammar quizzes are beginning and intermediate. Vocabulary is arranged in 60 levels, ranging from beginning to advanced. How advanced? Well, I had never even seen any of the words on Level 60! Best of all, you are helping feed the world's hungry, while having fun, and practicing English. Free Rice also offers quizzes to help learn German, Spanish, Italian, and French. Other subjects include math, chemistry, geography, literature, and art appreciation. I hope that more and more games with a purpose can help improve conditions worldwide.

Back to basics to improve your English

Back to basics means making sure you have a good foundation. Many non-native speakers can communicate more or less in English but fall short of their potential. For example, when reading an article, they miss part or even most of the meaning because of certain vocabulary words or expressions they do not understand. Vocabulary means knowing both small and large words. Knowing them means you can spell the word, pronounce word, and use it in a sentence correctly. If you cannot do this, you don't truly know the word. Try reading a child's book written in English. Unless you know every word, your knowledge remains less than that of a child born in the U.S. Small words like in, of, at, on, etc., are used in specific ways, as even young children master them by the time they enter school. Vocabulary is one basic that merits attention. Other basics to consider are grammar, study skills, reading comprehension, error correction, and writing. More on those to come!

It pays to increase your English word power.

By honing your English language skills, you can improve how well people respond to you. Conversely, using incorrect words, pronunciation, and grammar only create roadblocks to communication, mutual understanding, and respect. Some believe that long, uncommon words and complicated sentence structure will enhance their image, while the opposite is generally the case. In fact, "less is more" when it comes to language. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is just one example history provides.

We have to crawl before we walk

Today my job was to listen to a senior IT engineer read from one of his kids' books. His children are about 3 and 5 years old. As usual, these books were written simply and accompanied by colorful illustrations. The engineer has lived in the U.S. for 26 years, but was born in Asia. He realized that he did not feel confident reading the book to his children. He knew he could not pronounce some words properly. He could guess the meaning of some words but others drew a blank. Finally, even if he knew all the vocabulary, he could not read the sentences in a flowing, fluent manner. Instead he stopped frequently, added syllables not in the actual text, or neglected words that actually were there.


His books are intended for children 6 years and under. On each page there was at least one play on words, a pun. This frustrated dad could not recognize or chuckle at word play intended for young children! This dad has a sincere motivation that gives him the confidence to master kindergarten-level reading. Best of all, once he masters the simple language of childhood, his communication skills at the workplace will increase without much additional effort. As they saying goes, we have to crawl before we walk.

Read my lips

When spoken clearly and accurately, English requires numerous lip configurations associated with unique sounds of the language.  Position of teeth, tongue, and jaw are equally important. Producing spoken language requires the cooperation of the whole lower face. During production of the sound, either the mouth parts change or remain constant. Sometimes, all but one stay constant.

People who have a hearing disability can learn to understand spoken English by "reading" lips. Of course, more than just lips are required to shape the unique sounds of English. Enough information is embedded in simply shaping the correct sounds to allow people to understand speech even without hearing. Some people are naturally good at "reading lips," but anyone can be trained. The audible speech and visible mouth shapes mirror the same message. This redundancy of communication channels ensures the meaning is conveyed accurately.

What do English language learners want from a tutor?

Students want specific outcomes when they pay for individual instruction, just as when they pay for a meal at a restaurant. No instructor can guess in advance what even one student wants, let alone students in general. Only students can identify their own motivations. Then, they can express these motivations to the instructor. Only then should the instructor start to form any concept or approach to engaging the student.
You can see by my ratings, that I have mostly succeeded in accomplishing what the student wants. If I only knew for what reasons some students did not rate me highly, I would be able to work on improving that area. Without that input, I must try to discover my weak points on my own, through self-examination. In what ways do I fall short? What are my strong points? By asking these questions often I try to discover what each new and continuing student wants, each time we meet or interact.

What can you give away and keep yourself?

Knowledge is the answer. I can give away my knowledge without limit, while still retaining it completely. Just as one candle lights another without diminishing its own flame, knowledge can be transmitted without bounds.

Speaking English as a Second Language

Most of my students studied English from textbooks in their native country. Some can read and write basic English well but few have practiced pronunciation or conversation. Fluent spoken English takes a lot of practice. In the past, audiotapes provided a model of learners. Later, VHS videotape language instruction we introduced. Today, learners can buy instructional DVDs, watch YouTube, or use numerous websites to develop their speaking skills.

Watching TV or cinema does not improve English fluency at all in my opinion. After all, this dialogue is all scripted and rehearsed in all dramas. Characters in drama sometimes speak in eccentric ways. Vocabulary in drama tends to be most basic, so even less educated people can enjoy it. When you keep in mind that literacy in the US has declined, you can be sure that less common words are not used in popular media. Finally, do you want to speak like yourself or like some actor in a drama?

A better idea is to use a webcam to video yourself speaking, then play it back. This way you can make sure you are shaping your mouth correctly. Simply read from a book or magazine while looking at the camera. Many laptop computers have build in cameras. Smartphones all have at least one camera, and newer phones have front facing cameras as well as the original lens on the back. I have an inexpensive Logitech webcam attached to my desktop computer at home. You can spend as little or as much as you want on a webcam, or simply load video files from your phone or digital camera.

The best way to improve your English speaking skills is the oldest, traditional method: conversation with a native-speaker who can correct even minute problems. Lately I am working with students one on one, so I can provide individual attention.

Not a native speaker? No problem!

I am starting this blog because so many non-native speakers want to take their English communication skills to the next level. I don't have time to meet with them all individually, so I decided I can share some useful techniques with more people. Unless you were born here or came as a child, English is one of the hardest languages to learn. Though you know basic English, you miss the meaning of many expressions, and don't know how to put words to your own ideas and feelings. My students have taught me so much over the years and I hope if you are reading this blog you can share your experiences with me, to improve my understanding.