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5 Ways to Get Better at English Reading Comprehension While Having Fun
Improving your ability to read in English fast and accurately requires a lot of work, and if the materials you read don’t interest you, most probably your English learning experience is becoming a nightmare and will not prove too effective.
It is not necessary to read boring materials to get good at reading in English, in fact it is counterproductive. Once you know the basics of the English language, you are free to choose among a wide array of reading materials and different methods of presentation.
Here are 5 ways to practice your English reading comprehension, which in addition to being effective and dynamic, are lots of fun:
1.Play word games
Today you can find all kinds of crossword and word game puzzles to amuse native and ESL speakers of all ages. These games will improve your vocabulary, sharpen your mind, and are a great way to have fun and pass the time.
Consider playing Scrabble and doing word searches, these can be of great help to train your mind to think in English.
2.Take a speed reading course
If word games are not your thing, consider taking a speed-reading course.
In this course you will learn how to pick the key words out of a paragraph to understand the message without having to read every word; thus, you must have, at least, an intermediate knowledge of English to be able to recognize and separate nouns and verbs.
3.Take notes on matters of interest to you
When you read a book about a topic you like, take notes. You can copy parts of the text word by word or you can try to write something in your own words.
As you write, you will have the chance to think in English, to think about the sentence structure, and to see how ideas are expressed; as a result, you will learn to talk about the topic in a more natural way.
4.Choose challenging materials
You must regularly establish new personal goals when learning English in order to progress and get better, just as you do when you exercise.
Let’s say you can already understand a 100 page children’s book, then it is time for you to try a 200-page book or one directed towards your age group.
No matter the topics that interest you, some books will be easier to understand than others; every time you chose the ones that are more challenging, you will be gaining mastery at understanding what you read in English.
5.Read materials from many different sources and authors
The number of websites out there gives you a good idea of the wide range of English writing styles that exist. You will most definitely discover how flexible the English language is and in which ways people feel more comfortable communicating.
If you are an expert in a certain topic in your native language, use that expertise to read websites in English that focus on similar topics.
In the same way, read books by different authors that talk about the same topics and try to understand the differences in writing styles.
After you learn the basics of the English language, only practice and time will make you proficient. It is crucial that, as a complement to your ESL class, you read about things that interest you in as many different forms as possible, and it is imperative that you have fun in the process.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our ESL blog as the original source).
Cómo Escoger un Curso de Inglés en el Exterior
Puede ser difícil aprender inglés como segunda lengua, pero es imprescindible hacerlo si deseas tener acceso a los mejores trabajos, educación y oportunidades culturales.
Es por esto que muchos hispano hablantes deciden tomar un curso de inglés en el extranjero. Estos cursos se llaman “ESL programs” o “English as a Second Language programs”, que quiere decir ‘programas de inglés como segunda lengua’.
Hay cursos individuales o en grupo, y los mejores pueden ser caros, así que aquí te damos una guía de cómo escoger el mejor curso de inglés para que le saques el mayor provecho a tu inversión:
1. Confirma la experiencia del profesor
Cuando visites sitios de escuelas de inglés en Internet o veas anuncios sobre cursos de inglés, debes investigar a fondo y averiguar todo lo que puedas acerca del programa, quién lo enseña y su experiencia en el campo.
Pon atención y averigua si el curso es dirigido por un voluntario o por alguien que está certificado para enseñar el inglés como segunda lengua.
Una persona certificada ha sido entrenada y conoce muchos, si no todos, los retos que un estudiante de inglés puede encontrar. Por supuesto, esto no quiere decir que un voluntario hará un mal trabajo, sin embargo, un profesor certificado incrementa la posibilidad de que tu experiencia en el aula sea muy enriquecedora.
2. Pide referencias
Una vez que tengas varios programas en mente, pídele al profesor o a la escuela que te envíe referencias. No dudes en pedirlas, pues si estás pagando por el programa tienes derecho a saber si este lo vale.
La mayoría de escuelas y profesores tienen una lista de antiguos alumnos que están dispuestos a hablar con clientes potenciales sobre su experiencia con los programas. Contáctalos y pregúntales sobre el profesor y cómo el curso los benefició. Estas personas inclusive te pueden dar información valiosa sobre la comunidad donde se encuentra la escuela y sobre la cultura del lugar.
3. Analiza cómo aprendes mejor
Es importante considerar en qué tipo de ambiente aprendes mejor.
¿Eres el tipo de persona que trabaja mejor sola, fuera de un aula? Si es así, te conviene más trabajar con un profesor particular o tomar un curso de inglés virtual, sin embargo, esto puede resultar más caro, por lo que debes considerar tu posición financiera antes de decidir.
Hay también opciones de grupos muy pequeños y espacios tranquilos como bibliotecas y salas de conferencia; todo esto es importante porque mucho ruido y distracciones pueden entorpecer el aprendizaje.
4. Busca alternativas económicas
Dependiendo de donde vives, puedes encontrar alternativas más económicas a un programa de inglés, por ejemplo, grupos comunitarios o iniciativas gubernamentales. Estos van a resultar mucho más baratos que un profesor o escuela privada, sin embargo, probablemente no vas a recibir el mismo tipo de atención.
Si realmente deseas aprender el inglés profundamente, vale la pena invertir en un buen programa, en una ciudad donde se hable la lengua diariamente y donde puedas experimentar la cultura de habla inglesa en su totalidad.
5 Formas de Practicar el Inglés Escrito
Una vez que alcanzas cierto nivel de escritura en inglés vas a querer comprobar que te puedes comunicar efectivamente con otros.
Desafortunadamente, si vives en un área o país donde pocas personas leen en inglés, va a ser difícil que recibas retroalimentación acerca de lo que necesitas mejorar.
Por suerte, ahora hay muchas otras formas de practicar y mejorar tu inglés escrito, y aquí te presentamos 5 de ellas:
1. Utilizando una pizarra
Habrá ocasiones en que desees practicar escribir en inglés pero no necesariamente guardar lo que escribiste. Si escribes en una pizarra, podrás escribir cuanto quieras sin necesidad de gastar papel, y además es una gran manera de practicar tu ortografía.
Al mantener una pizarra siempre a la mano podrás hacer anotaciones rápidas acerca de diferentes temas antes de escribir una composición más formal.
2. Escribe un diario en inglés
Algunas veces sentirás la necesidad de practicar escribir en inglés pero no quieres compartir lo que escribiste.
En un diario puedes escribir tus pensamientos y crear un ambiente donde no te preocupa el resultado. Puede que inclusive descubras que te encanta escribir en tu diario y lo conviertas en una práctica diaria.
3. Lleva un blog
Eventualmente, vas a querer compartir tus ideas y puntos de vista en inglés, pero puedes sentir que no estás listo para enfrentarte a un público de carne y hueso.
Un blog es el balance perfecto entre un diario privado y un grupo de personas.
El blog está abierto al público en general y muchas personas lo leerán. Si alguien desea hacer un comentario lo puede hacer y tu te verás beneficiado con la retroalimentación.
No es necesario que te involucres en ninguna conversación en tu blog si no lo deseas.
4. Inscríbete en un club de inglés
Los clubes de inglés son muy populares, los hay de todo tipo y son el complemento ideal de una “ESL class” (clase de inglés como segunda lengua).
Al escribir junto a otros que desean mejorar su inglés, tienes la oportunidad de practicar el tuyo.
Aquí puedes compartir lo que te resulta difícil y entender porqué es así, a la vez que recibes consejos prácticos para mejorar.
5. Únete a un grupo virtual de crítica de escritura
Hasta los que nacieron hablando y escribiendo el inglés como lengua nativa desean mejorar su estilo. En estos grupos puedes encontrar desde personas que desean ser escritores hasta las que simplemente quieren aprender a comunicarse mejor en diferentes medios.
Ya que estos grupos se dedican a ayudar a otros a mejorar su estilo, vas a recibir retroalimentación muy honesta y directa sobre lo que necesitas mejorar.
Hay muchas formas de practicar el inglés escrito y las que te convienen dependen de tu nivel de aprendizaje. Conforme avanzas, es importante que empieces a compartir con personas que escriben en inglés como primera lengua, sin embargo, una mezcla de escritura privada y pública te puede ayudar a cumplir metas específicas.
4 Great Ways to Practice Business English
Nowadays, no matter where you are in the world, business is mainly done in English; thus, if you own or manage a business most probably you will have to talk in English and you will have to make sure the rest of your staff does too.
Whether you just need to create an ad for the local newspaper or negotiate a difficult international contract, it is vital that you understand how to do business in English; and you can’t wait until the business deal is imminent to put yourself into the perfect situation to learn business English.
Fortunately, there are many ways to practice business English in your daily life, here we show you 4 of the best:
1.Try out and share materials created by you
If, for example, you have to get better at creating a flyer to promote your business, begin by designing and writing one in your native language.
Once you have the ideas clear and organized, translate the flyer to English. When you’re done, find a native English speaker and ask him or her to check it for you.
If you repeat this over and over, you will eventually get a better understanding of the language rules and flow.
2.Go to town and city meetings
If you live in a country where the main language is English, you should go to town and city meetings regularly.
Even though these gatherings are mainly planned to talk about local government issues, you will discover that it is common to hear about money and contract negotiations too. Consequently, you will listen to words and vocabulary related and common to different business fields.
Don’t worry if you get lost in the discussion, you will still be able to see the body language and hear the tone in which people are saying the words.
3.Watch business videos
There are tons of videos that can help you learn business English, and we’re not talking about ESL videos. You can look for videos created to train salesmen and distributors; these give you a great opportunity to practice comprehension of sales and business conversations.
4.Join Internet business groups
Most probably there’s a part of the business you like more than others; it could be marketing, sales, accounting, or any other. Well, look for Internet groups and forums that specialize in that area you like and join the ones that are written in English.
This is a superb opportunity to practice words and phrases that are normally used in your industry, and also to talk about your own experiences.
To learn business English you have to practice and devote yourself to learning its nuances.
Based on your interests and goals, and to complement your ESL lessons, you can find means of practicing that let you participate in conversations or that just allow you to listen and observe. No matter what, in the end, you will find yourself talking business English fluently and with confidence.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our ESL blog as the original source).
The 10 Best Questions to Break the Ice and Practice English
The following 10 questions will help you start a casual conversation in English and keep it going along an interesting line.
The first five questions will help you get to know people. These are simple questions that require simple answers and that give you information so that you can keep asking.
The last five questions will help you maintain a conversation and discover more about the person’s likes and dislikes.
1. What’s your name?
This is a basic question that can prompt an interesting exchange of information.
After the person answers, you can reply:
- “It’s a pleasure to meet you”
- “Where are you from?”
- “That’s an interesting name. Is it French, Indian, Russian…?”
2. Where do you live?
To keep the conversation going, you can ask:
- “How long have you lived there?”
- “Do you like it there?”
- “Do you live in an apartment or a house?”
3. What do you do?
You can find common ground with other people when you know what they do. After breaking the ice, you can follow with something like this:
- “Which company do you work for?”
- “How long have you had that job?”
- “Do you like your job?”
- “What’s the best/worst thing about your job?”
- “What do you like the most/least about your job?”
4. Are you married?
If the person answers “yes”, other questions to ask are:
- “How long have you been married?”
- “Where did you get married?”
- “What does your wife/husband do?”
- “Do you have children?”
If the answer is “no”, you may ask:
- “Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend?”
- “Do you like single life?”
- “Would you like to get married someday?”
5. Where are you from?
It is always interesting to know where other people come from, even more so if they are foreigners. Keep the conversation going by asking:
- “Where is …?”
- “How long did you live there?”
- “What is … like?”
- “Do you like it here?”
6. What do you like to do in your free time?
This is a great question to discover common interests. You can ask:
- “How often do you (eat out in restaurants, play video games, go to the opera, etc.)?”
- “Where do you (eat out in restaurants, play video games, go to the opera, etc.) in town?”
- “Why do you like (eating out, playing video games, going to the opera) so much?”
7. Can you play soccer/ tennis/ basketball/ etc.?”
Ask about any sport you personally like and are a fan of. Keep it going with:
- “Do you enjoy playing soccer/ tennis/ basketball/ etc.?”
- “How long have you played soccer/ tennis/ basketball/ etc.?”
- “Who do you play soccer/ tennis/ basketball/ etc. with?”
- “Would you like to get together sometime to play soccer/ tennis/ basketball/ etc.?”
8. What kinds of films/ food/ vacations do you enjoy?
This topic offers great opportunities to learn new things. Keep asking:
- “What’s the best place to see/ eat/ go on vacation?”
- “What’s your favorite kind of films/ food/ vacation?”
- “How often do you watch films/ eat out/ go on vacation?”
9. What do you do on weekends?
You can find new ways to have fun and even make a new friend. Keep the conversation going along the lines of:
- “Where do you go to …?”
- “Can you recommend a good place to (go shopping/ take my children for a swim/ go dancing)?”
- “How long have you done that?”
10. What kind of music do you like?
Find out more by asking:
- “Where do you go to listen to music?”
- “Do you play a musical instrument?”
- “Have you been to many concerts lately?”
You can use all of these questions in one conversation or use them separately to practice English outside of your ESL class, but remember that the most important thing when meeting people is to keep an open mind and enjoy the experience. This is the best way to learn!
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our ESL blog as the original source).
Free Writing, A Great Technique to Practice English
Free writing is a very simple process that has a lot of creative potential and is the starting point for discovering lots of hidden information.
The guidelines for free writing are:
-Write without stopping for a certain period of time, it could be between 10 to 20 minutes.
-Refrain from making corrections as you write.
-Keep writing, even if you must write, “I have no idea what to write”.
-Write anything that comes to your mind.
-Do not judge or censor what you write.
Yes, you got it right! Free writing turns out to be chaotic; actually, if it isn’t, you probably aren’t relaxed enough, but there is no going wrong with free writing.
What matters about free writing is the process, not the result. If you follow the guidelines above, you will be a successful free writer; one that will enjoy all its benefits:
-It makes you more comfortable about writing.
-It helps you get around your inner critic, the one telling you you can’t write.
-It helps release inner anxiety.
-It helps you discover topics to write about.
-It helps you improve your formal writing.
-It is fun.
When practicing free writing, use the tool that makes you feel more comfortable: pen, pencil, computer, or any other. Do not cross anything out, if you have a new idea, write it down, but leave your old idea there too, and forget about punctuation, it will help you write faster and more fluently.
You can use free writing to practice things learned in your ESL lessons. This technique will help you identify errors you commonly make, will help you notice sentence structure voids you may have, will help you understand what tone you use when writing, will help you detect words that you use too much, miss, or employ incorrectly, and basically, will help you understand how your brain is grasping the English language.
You can practice free writing anywhere; take advantage of this technique and use it to boost your learning experience outside the classroom.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our ESL blog as the original source).
Be Prepared For Your Meeting - Understanding Contract Terms
Learning essential business English is important when discussing and understanding contract options. This can be useful when during business deals or even in matters of employment.
Here are some important terms to know:
1.A ‘binding contract’ – this is a contract which cannot be stopped or legally broken. We will need to draw up a legally binding contract before we can conduct business together.
The contract is legally binding and means you must supply us with these services.
2.An ‘exclusive contract’ – this prevents the person signing the contract from working with other people.
You will have an exclusive contract with us which forbids you to work for anyone else.
We wish to offer you an exclusive contract if you are happy to accept it.
3.A ‘renewable contract’ – this is a contract that can be continued or extended after its initial expiry date has finished.
We do not have renewable contracts in this company and can only give you a one-year contract.
The contract is renewable after you have finished a six-month period and we are satisfied with your work.
4.A ‘temporary contract’ – this type of contract is for a fixed period and is not permanent.
We will offer you a three-month temporary contract.
You’ll start on a temporary contract and we may offer you a permanent contract when it finishes.
5.A ‘valid contract’ – this is a contract that has a legal force.
The contract will be valid once both parties have signed it.
The letter that was sent was not a valid contract.
6.A ‘breach of contract’ - this occurs when a person does something that breaks one of the terms of the contract.
You will be in breach of contract if you refuse to work overtime.
It will be a breach of contract if deliveries aren’t received on time.
7.’Terms of contract’ – these are the conditions which are spoken of and agreed on in the contract.
The terms of the contract say you must provide 10 deliveries a month.
Your request is something that is not stated in the terms of the contract.
8.’Draw up’ a contract – this means the contract is created and written.
I will draw up a contract after our meeting
Will you draw up a new contract for me?
9.’Go through’ a contract – this means looking at a contract in detail.
We will sit down and go through the contract.
It’s important to go through the contract carefully before signing it.
10.’Get out of a contract’ – this means ending the contract agreement.
There are a few options for getting out of the contract.
Is there a legal way to get out of the contract?
If you are interested in mastering your business English, consider taking an ESL class which focuses on teaching the essentials you will need for understanding business matters in various situations. Opt for an intensive program in the USA which teaches essential business English in as little as three weeks.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our ESL blog as the original source).
Don’t worry, it’s just Business English!
After working for many years in a local company, you have the opportunity to apply for a very important job in an international company. All your experience and the knowledge of the business make you the perfect candidate for the position, but will that involve speaking or writing in English? Probably, you learnt that language when you were a young boy and now you can read a piece of news from an English paper or listen to an English song; however, have you ever used English in a business context? Do you imagine yourself trying to close a very important deal with an English speaking company or answering most of your e-mails in another language? Certainly, you will not waste the most important opportunity of your career just because of a language barrier, but surely you are wondering how you can learn business English quickly and efficiently.
Your first choice may be buying every CD and book that guarantees learning English in a couple of hours, without teachers or trainers, so you enter the first bookshop that you find and you purchase all of them; you know what people tend to say, “the more, the better”. Or maybe you are reluctant to believe that learning another language in 48 hours is possible; therefore, you approach the most important English language center in town to enroll in a course, but, to your amazement, the nice lady at the reception tells you that you can only expect to start speaking English after attending the course for at least twelve months; what the lady does not know is that you are a very important businessman who cannot wait twelve months to do business. Not to mention the fact that none of the magical solutions or the long-term courses focus on the vocabulary and grammar that you will need for your daily tasks at your new office. Probably, they do not teach you to handle conference calls or meetings with English investors or partners, or to make a business presentation for the whole company, let alone answer the countless letters and e-mails that you will receive full of phrases and words related to the business context.
At this point, you are certainly considering not applying for the job because even when you obtain the position, what are the chances of surviving without being able to speak business English? What you surely do not know is that there is a perfect solution for you. Find an ESL school abroad that focuses on your needs. So, if you are an executive that must learn English for his job, enroll, for example, in a three-week program, that involves travelling to an American city, and spending time with a teacher that will give you all the linguistic tools that you need for business meetings, conference calls, etc. You will also have the opportunity to meet other professionals with the same needs as yours.
So to put it in a nutshell, do not waste great business opportunities just because you’re not able to speak English. Study abroad and enroll in an ESL class. And remember that it is just business English. Basically it is what you, as an executive, know but in another language.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
How to Talk to Your Boss
Are enrolled in an ESL program and working in the US? You probably have a boss; unless they own their company, most people have bosses they have to report to and receive instructions from.
Here we will show you how to talk to your manager in correct business English; this is, to let him or her know exactly how you feel or what you need. We will show you how to properly ask for feedback, for an explanation, for more work, and to show frustration, among others.
1.When you are working on a project and you want your manager to review it before officially presenting it, there are numerous ways in which you can ask your manager to do so:
-Do you want to review my project?
-I just finished my project. Do you want to review it?
-This is my first big project and I was wondering if you could review it?
-I think I covered everything, but could you do a quick review?
2.After a project you worked on is completed, you should ask for feedback on it, however, make sure your manager has had enough time to go over the work before you ask for his or her opinion.
-Did you finish reviewing the project I concluded?
-Hi Steve, this was my first project and I wanted to know how I did so that I can get better.
-What do you think I could have done better?
-What should I do different next time?
-What did I do well and what needs to be improved?
3.It is good that you ask for feedback if you are new at a job or position. You can ask for it after you complete an assignment or after a few months on the job.
Some companies have a feedback process set up, where you have weekly or bi-weekly individual meetings with your manager, and this is a good time for you to talk about your work and everything else that concerns you.
If your company does not offer regular feedback meetings, you can schedule some time with your boss to talk about your development:
-Hi Jen, can we meet sometime this week to talk about my work so far?
-I was wondering if we could have a meeting to talk about how I am doing.
4.If your work doesn’t involve a specific project or assignment, you can ask for feedback about your work in general:
-Can you give me some feedback on my performance?
-Where do you think I need to improve?
-What areas you think I should work on?
-Do you think I am ready to work on a specific project?
-Do you think I am ready to get more responsibility?
When you know how to talk to your manager, you convey respect for yourself, your work, your boss, and your company; this is why it is crucial that you learn to communicate appropriately, in a way that enriches your professional growth and your company’s trust in you.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
Phrases that are Usually Used in Business Letters
Writing a business letter correctly is as important for your business image as dressing appropriately or speaking impeccably, and it can be very simple if you know what to say and how to say it.
Are you enrolled in an ESL class? If you are still trying to master business English and regularly have to write letters, don’t worry too much, keep it simple, pay attention to, and employ these phrases that are usually used in professional business letters to ask and talk about different topics:
1.To ask for information
-I am writing to inquire about…
-I am writing in reference to…
-I read/heard… and would like to know…
-Could you please send me… at the address below/above.
-Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to hearing from you.
2.To answer a request
-Thank you for your interest/inquiry.
-Enclosed is the information you requested. You can learn more about this at…
-If you have further questions/If you need assistance, please contact…
-Please feel free to contact me at… if I can be of further help.
3.To make a request
-Could you please send me your most recent brochure?
-Could you fax me the results of the market survey?
-I would like to order ten copies of the book…
-I would really appreciate if you could send me this information.
-Please return the enclosed envelope with your payment.
4.To show you care
-Thank you for your hospitality.
-I enjoyed very much having lunch with you last week when I was in Dallas.
-Congratulations on your promotion to General Manager.
-I wanted to congratulate you on your new position.
-I was very happy to hear that the negotiations went well.
5.To introduce a product or service
-I am writing to tell you about…
-Our new product will be available next month.
-This product/service is designed to help you…
6.To give or ask for an indication
-I am writing in regards to…
-I am writing in reference to…
-Please refer to the enclosed invoice/brochure.
-I hope you have had the opportunity to review the materials we sent you.
7.To confirm something
-I am writing to confirm…
-I would like to confirm what we discussed last Tuesday.
-I would like to confirm the main points we talked about…
8.To notify something
-I am writing to let you know that…
-Please be aware/informed that…
-I would like to inform you about a recent change/happening. I am happy to notify you that your request for funding has been approved.
9.To offer help
-We would be happy to…
-If we can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask.
10.To ask for a payment
-According to our records…
-Our records show that…
-Your monthly payment is past due.
-Please send payment as soon as possible.
Business letters must be concise while at the same time respectful and honest, and you can achieve all that by using these phrases in your day-to-day business communications.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.englishlci.com as the original source).
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