So you need to improve your speaking…
How do you start?
Is it as simple as, Open your mouth and start talking?
Will this automatically make you a better speaker?
Better English Conversation 1: Why correction doesn’t work
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Did You Learn English In The Correct Order?
Sunday was a lovely spring day.
Not sunny. But warm. And not too hot.
A good day for a walk.
So I finished my coffee. I got dressed. I put on my hiking boots. And I left the house.
Forget grammar. Do this instead.
Yesterday I told you I don’t talk about grammar.
But I agree with author Scott Adams when he says grammar is important if you want to impress the 20% who could give you a better life.
However, one important point he didn’t make is that everyone has a different 20%.
For you, it’s either native speakers or non-native speakers.
The First Rule Of My Grammar School Is You Do Not Talk About Grammar
I never talk about grammar rules, but I read some good advice last night.
If you’re new to these emails, I am one of the few English teachers on Earth who is anti-grammar.
But this week my bedtime reading is a book by Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic, called How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, and he makes an interesting point about grammar.
I’ve Got The Results!
Yesterday I told you about my niece.
I told you she studied Spanish in school for 12 years, passed all her tests, probably got all As, yet still can’t win an argument with a taco.
I then asked you how many years you studied English in school.
12 Years and Still a Beginner!
“I took Spanish my whole life.”
That was what my niece said yesterday.
She came over to the house for lunch, I told her about my progress with Italian and we got on the subject of languages.
English goals are for losers
“Goals are for losers.”
That’s a direct quote from Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic.
I was reading his book this weekend, “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.”
Afraid of a White Rat?
This is Little Albert.
If speaking English makes your heart beat fast, your hands sweat, and your head ache, maybe Albert can help you.
Let me explain.
Say “hello” to the Invisible Hippopotomus of Fear
I first met the hippopotamus when I was in college.
The task was simple: talk in front of the class.
No big deal, right?
The Smell of Death at Bedtime
It was late.
I was in bed.
The book I was reading was a biography on Richard Burton. Not the famous actor who married the famous actress. This Richard Burton was an Englishman who lived in the 19th century. He was many things: a soldier, an adventurer, a translator and a spy. But I’m reading about him because of the interesting fact that he spoke 29 languages.
