ESL Classes
Avoid Mistakes: Business Terms That May Confuse You!
There is a range of business terms and words you will need to know before you can confidently enter the business field in an English-speaking country or communicate with English-speaking business associates. But beware, some words are commonly confused and used incorrectly. Here are the top 10 pairings of words to take note of:
1. Accept vs Except
Accept - to agree to (a verb)
e.g. I accept the proposition you have put forward.
Except - not including (a preposition)
e.g. Everyone has been counted except those who are not present.
2. Advice vs Advise
Advice - an opinion or recommendation from another person (a noun)
e.g. What advice would you give me regarding this matter?
Advise - to offer an opinion or suggestion to someone else (a verb)
e.g. I would advise you not to go ahead with the plans.
3. Council vs Counsel
Council - an assembly or body of persons that carry out a role (a noun)
e.g. The council of employees will speak on everybody’s behalf.
Counsel - a piece of advice (a noun) / to give advice (a verb)
e.g. We would like to take come counsel from the previous manager/ He was counseled by our staff.
4. Borrow vs Lend
Borrow - to obtain with the promise to return
e.g. We will have to borrow more money from the bank.
Lend - to grant the use of, on the promise that it is returned
e.g. We plan to lend Mr Smith a new computer until his is fixed.
5. Expand vs Expend
Expand - to increase in size
e.g. We are looking to expand the business within three months.
Expend - to use up/ pay out
We have expended all our resources on this project
6. Improve vs Improvise
Improve - to make better
e.g. We are going to improve our business strategies.
Improvise - to deliver something without time to prepare
e.g. We will have to improvise in our negotiations if it does not go according to our plan.
7. Interested vs Interesting
Interested - possessing a right or a claim to something (an adjective)
e.g. They are an interested party in this business venture.
Interesting - something that has appeal or holds attention
e.g. We found the discussion very interesting.
8. Look Over vs Overlook
Look Over - to browse or read through something
e.g. I will look over the report this afternoon.
Overlook - to neglect
e.g. I’m afraid I overlooked the request you put in yesterday.
9. Precede vs Proceed
Precede - to go or come before
e.g. The person that preceded me was very skilled.
Proceed - to go ahead with
e.g. We will proceed with the business deal unless told otherwise.
10. Personnel vs Personal
Personnel - a body of people employed by an organization
e.g. The personnel at this office are very friendly
Personal - relating to an individual person
e.g. That is my personal belief about this situation.
If you are interested in mastering your business English, opt to take ESL classes in the USA to teach you everything you need to know to be successful with your business matters. Executive English courses last from three weeks and equip you with the English you need to know for every business situation.
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).
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).
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).
Business Idioms You’ll Want To Know: Part One
Even as a student of Business English, you might get confused when common business idioms are used and you are unaware of their meaning. The following terms are ones that have been used by United States English speakers during business meetings or conferences. Note what they are and you’re sure to be a step ahead during business conversations.
1. Across the board
MEANING: Including everyone or everything
EXAMPLE: There was an internal restructuring across the board.
2. At a loss
MEANING: To incur a financial loss / To lose money
EXAMPLE: We may be forced to sell the remaining products at a loss.
3. At loggerheads
MEANING: In disagreement
EXAMPLE: The company owners are at loggerheads over how to proceed with our request.
4. An old hand
MEANING: Someone with long experience at something
EXAMPLE: He is an old hand at dealing with customer complaints.
5. Ball park figure
MEANING: A rough estimate or figure
EXAMPLE: We have a ball park figure for the cost of the supplies.
6. A calculated risk
MEANING: An action that may fail but has a good chance of success
EXAMPLE: We’ll have to take a calculated risk when introducing our new product to customers.
7. Cold call
MEANING: Call or approach a potential customer who has had no previous contact with the business
EXAMPLE: You’ll have to make cold calls to market our product.
8. Carve out a niche
MEANING: To find a special position to monopolize
EXAMPLE: We aim to carve out a niche among the elderly market of our customers.
9. A ‘Catch 22′ situation
MEANING: A situation that will never work
EXAMPLE: The contract we signed has placed us in a ‘Catch 22′ situation.
10. Computer bug
MEANING: A computer software corruption
EXAMPLE: Our new computer system has encountered a computer bug.
11. Deliver the goods
MEANING: To succeed in doing what is expected
EXAMPLE: If we work extra hours, we’ll be able to deliver the goods.
12. Double check
MEANING: To review a second time to make sure something is correct
EXAMPLE: It is important to double check every entry you make on the spreadsheet.
13. Face value
MEANING: The official worth or trust of something
EXAMPLE: The face value of the product is not much but the demand from customers will push it higher.
14. Gain ground
MEANING: To go forward/ To make progress
EXAMPLE: Our company has been gaining ground with the youth market.
15. Get a break
MEANING: To get an opportunity or a good deal
EXAMPLE: We got a break on the cost of the wheels we ordered.
16. Get off the ground
MEANING: To launch or start something successfully
EXAMPLE: We did not manage to get the product off the ground so we may have to wait until next year.
17. Hacker
MEANING: Someone who has gained access to or interfered with computer information without permission
EXAMPLE: We have a computer security system to prevent a hacker from accessing our files.
If you are interested in improving your business English, consider signing up for ESL classes in the USA to teach you everything you need to know to be successful with your business matters. Executive English courses last from three weeks and equip you with the English you need to know for every business situation.
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).
4 Basic English Pronunciation Rules
Here we show you several basic English pronunciation rules to help you during your classes at your ESL school and in your practice time alone. Make your practice a dynamic and effective one by looking for new words these rules apply to:
1. Pronunciation of the “Y”
“Y” is pronounced as ‘ai’ or ‘i:’.
- In one-syllable words, “Y” is pronounced as ‘ai’. For example: my, by, fly, shy, sky, dry, cry, fry, and try.
- In two-syllable words, “Y” is pronounced as ‘i:’. As example: happy, funny, baby, bony, puppy, party, tiny, city, candy, berry, penny, and turkey.
2. Pronunciation of the “C”
“C” is pronounced as ’s’ or ‘k’. For example: city, cider, circle, and country.
- When an “E” or “Y” follow the “C”, it is pronounced as ’s’. Good examples are: cellar, center, cent, ice, cycle, cell, cypress, and cyclone.
- When an “O”, “U”, or “A” follows the “C”, it is pronounced as ‘k’. Some examples are: cold, country, computer, couple, cup, curb, cut, cap, can, and cat.
Read these sentences aloud and compare both sounds:
_ The city is cloudy.
_ The center is covered.
_ We cycle in the city but drive the car in the country.
3. Pronunciation of the “G”
- When an “E”, “I”, or “Y” follows the “G”, it is pronounced as ‘ʤ’. Examples are: gym, giant, gem, gorgeous, and George.
- When a “U” or “A” follows the “G”, it is pronounced as ‘’ or ‘æ’. For example: gun, gum, gas, garden, and gap.
4. Pronunciation of vowel letters
- The long “A” and the short “A”, for example: cape and gap.
-at: bat, cat, hat, fat, sat, rat
-ad: bad, had, mad, sad
-ag: tag, wag, rag, bag
-an: fan, pan, can, ran
-am: jam, ham, ram, yam
-ap: map, tap, nap
When the word ends in “E”, the “A” is pronounced as a long vowel. Examples of this are: rake, gate, face, base, cage, wave, and take.
When the word ends in “R”, the “A” sound is as in: tar, jar, car, and far.
- The long “I” and the short “I”.
-id: bid, kid, lid, did
-ig: big, rig, wig, pig, dig
-in: pin, fin, tin, win, bin
-ip: tip, lip, hip, rip, dip
-it: kit, hit, fit, sit, pit
When the word ends in “E”, the “I” is pronounced as a long vowel. For example: kite, bike, dime, ride, and vine.
- The long “O” and the short “O”.
-og: fog, hog, dog, jog, log
-op: mop, pop, hop, top
-ot: hot, pot, got, not
-ob: mob, cob, job, sob
When the word ends in “E”, the “O” is pronounced as a long vowel. As examples: rose, pole, and hope.
- The long “U” and the short “U”.
-ut: pup, cup, put, up, rut, hut, cut, nut
-ub: cub, tub
-us: bus, pus
-un: fun, sun, run, bun, gun
-ug: mug, bug, tug, hug
When the word ends in “E”, the “O” is pronounced as a long vowel. Examples: tune, cube, and cute.
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 Employment - Understanding Salary Options
Having a good understanding of business English is important when discussing important matters related to your salary.
If you are offered a job, or need to negotiate a job contract, it will be helpful to understand the following terms related to the amount you will be paid for your work.
1. ‘Salary’ – this is the amount you will be paid for the job you have been employed for. You may be given a figure for the amount you will be paid each month, or over the space of a year.
What type of salary do you offer?
I am expecting to earn a good salary
2. A ‘competitive salary’ – this means the salary is considered to be very good for that particular job, especially in comparison to the salaries of similar jobs.
The company wasn’t recruiting the best applicants because the salary wasn’t very competitive.
We are offering a competitive salary so we can attract good applicants.
3. A ’salaried employee’ - this is a person who is on a long-term contract with a company and receiving a set amount of pay each month or year.
If you are a salaried employee, it is easier to get a loan from the bank.
Sometimes salaried employees are replaced by temporary workers when a company needs to cut costs.
4. A ’salary advance’ – this is a payment for work given before the work has been completed or before the normal date of salary pay.
Would it be possible to have a salary advance for the first month of employment?
We can work out a salary advance if needed.
5. ‘Undertaking a salary review’ – this means looking over and reviewing the pay amounts given to a company’s employees.
The company needed to undertake a salary review as their salaries weren’t very competitive.
A committee is currently undertaking a salary review for the company’s employees.
6. A ’salary scale’ - this is a range of pay amounts or salaries available.
It is easy to progress along the salary scale with this company.
Your pay will start at the bottom of the salary scale but our scale is very competitive.
7. An ‘attractive salary’ – this is a salary that is considered very good or generous.
We offer a very attractive salary for this job.
I will only accept a job with an attractive salary.
8. A ’salary increase’ – this is an increase in pay for the work you do.
Would you be able to offer me a salary increase?
We will give you a salary increase every year.
9. A ‘basic salary’ – this is the amount you will be paid before any extras such as bonuses.
The basic salary is low but there is plenty of opportunity to receive bonuses.
We offer a very good basic salary and extra benefits on top of this.
10. An ‘initial salary’ – this is the starting pay you will receive when employed, though it is expected to rise later on.
We will give you an initial salary and negotiate a higher one after a temporary period.
The initial salary is low but you will be promoted quickly.
If you are interested in mastering your business English, opt to take an intensive ESL classes in the USA to teach you everything you need to know to be successful with your business matters. Executive English courses last from three weeks and equip you with the English you need to know for every business situation.
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).
Main Differences between Formal and Informal English
One of the greatest fears affecting non native speakers of English is not just being misunderstood but also being inappropriate when trying to express something. People often speak of language as being correct or incorrect. It would be more accurate to refer to particular language structures as being formal or informal, appropriate or inappropriate for a specific context.
In everyday conversation we do not have to follow the rules of grammar as carefully as we would in a formal address or a business letter. If we adhere too closely to formal rules of grammar in an informal situation, we may come across as being stuffy and unnatural. It is like wearing a tuxedo or a formal gown to an ordinary business meeting. Formal English follows rules of grammar very strictly. Sentences tend to be longer and more complex. It tends to be used in professional and business situations. It is also better organized and thought out.
Informal English on the other hand is generally used with friends and family. A number of grammar expressions have common forms which differ in their formal or informal use. These differences are noted both in written and spoken English. However, they are most notable in written English.
As seen in ESL lessons, participating effectively not only requires a solid grasp of English grammar, but also an understanding of key communication factors. If you want more helpful language hints as to the most appropriate forms of English or key points to take into consideration each time you are using English, read on.
Contracted Forms
Formal - Don’t use contracted forms, use the entire auxiliary verb: They have lived in New York for many years.
Informal - Use contracted forms: They’ve lived in New York for many years.
Relative Structures
Formal - Use relative structures: The woman thought that it was important to be on time.
Informal - Drop certain relative structures: The woman thought it was important to be on time.
The Use of ‘Whom’
Formal - Use ‘whom’ as an object: Whom have they chosen for the position?
Informal - Use ‘who’ as an object: Who have they chosen for the position?
Auxiliary Verb Usage
Formal - Always use the full form of an auxiliary: Have you finished your work?
Informal - Sometimes the auxiliary verb is dropped in informal speech. Note: This is often grammatically incorrect, but is certainly common in everyday usage: Finished your work?
Word Choice
Formal - Many words tend to be used in more formal situations. For example, certain verbs tend to be used in formal situations, but have other synonyms (often phrasal verbs) that are used in informal situations. Also, it uses more vocabulary derived from French and Latin (bigger words) It uses more synonyms and doesn’t repeat the same words as much. The police investigated the situation.
Informal synonym: We looked into the situation.
Passive structures
Formal - It uses more indirect language, making it less personal. The student was given a book.
Informal synonym: We gave the student a book.
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).
Useful Business Phrases for ESL Students
Are you desperate to expand into new markets or grow in the company where you are currently working? If that is the case I’m sure you would agree that English is not an option. It is a must. However, if English is your second language, simply attending classes at an ESL school and learning the right vocabulary to do business may not be enough. Using key phrases can give your English a more native sound. Here are popular phrases that can help you do business and sound like a pro.
To be a hitter - Someone powerful within the company. Someone successful.
Bill is incredible; he’s a really big hitter.
Core competencies - This is what you or your company does well.
We need to focus on our core competencies in order to maintain our position in the market.
Customer centric - Centered in the customer, customer driven.
We should be more customer centric from now on.
Cutting edge - The most recent version, often used with technology.
This is cutting edge technology we’re using.
E.T.A. - Short for “expected time of arrival”, in other words, how long it will take to get it finished.
What’s the E.T.A. on this report?
Going forward - In future.
Going forward, you should manage this project with a bit more focus.
High level - Similar to the big picture, an overall view rather than looking at details.
High level thinking is what we need right now.
Leading (market) - To be first, better than the competitors.
I want to develop a market leading proposition.
Low hanging fruit - This refers to things that can be done quickly and easily.
Let’s concentrate on the low hanging fruit first, before looking at the tougher problems.
Manage expectations - Make sure people expect realistic outcomes from a project.
It’s a good idea to manage expectations so that they don’t expect the impossible.
Out of the box - To be creative, original.
If you think out of the box you could generate some amazing ideas
Pro-active - To have initiative and drive. Get things done.
I think we need to be a bit pro-active here.
Quick win - Something that is fairly simple (in terms of time and/or cost) and beneficial.
Some quick wins would really be useful now.
Scalable - When something works for lots of people as well as just a few.
It might work for the local market, but is it scalable?
State of the art - The best, most modern solution.
This is a state of the art solution
To take something offline - Discuss the point further at another time.
That’s a delicate issue, so can you take it offline please?
To take ownership of something - To be responsible for something
You should really take ownership for this work.
To be a team player - Someone who works well with others.
Bill is a great guy; he’s a real team player.
To touch base with someone - To speak to someone about something.
I need to touch base with Fred on this one.
Win-win situation - A situation that is good for people on both sides.
Try and see if you can come up with a win-win situation.
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).
Essential Tips for Beginners at Business English – Get Your Priorities Straight!
For those who are just starting to study English as a foreign language, life can seem pretty tough. Especially if you are a beginner. As many say, beginnings are always scary Now, for beginners who need to study English in order to be able to work or function in a business environment in general, things seem even scarier. The added pressure students feel to achieve as much as they can in as little time possible is so great it ends up having the contrary effect. Frustration is never a good companion when learning. Well, here is some good news. It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s all a question of setting the right priorities. Want to know what they are? If you do you should definitely read on.
Priority 1
Identify exactly what vocabulary you should be learning first. What area of business will you be functioning in? What types of situations do you think you will be in? Keep in mind that although we can narrow things down to a selection of phrases needed for specific business related situations some general vocabulary is also important. After all, there are also social situations in the business world. Learning how to greet someone properly is just as important as knowing the specific words you will need to discuss business-related topics. Also, take into consideration there might be business lunches and dinners where the conversation might very generally be social.
Priority 2
Balance out fluency and accuracy activities so that your performance is both fluent and precise. Just studying grammar will make your English more precise, but it will also make your performance slower. If you’re too concerned with being accurate it might take you too long to think of and produce a sentence. On the other hand an excess in fluency-based activities may not be enough to correct mistakes or even learn new grammar. This can also be a problem since some grammar mistakes can affect what you’re trying to express. A good way to increase fluency is to use the language as much as you can outside the classroom.
Priority 3
Just relax. Keep in mind that English is not your native language and that you are allowed to make mistakes especially where pronunciation is concerned. Very often pronunciation can be a huge barrier to overcome. You shouldn’t set your expectations too high. It is not very likely you will be talking like a native speaker of English if you just started to study. Your main focus is to be understood as well as to understand. Everything else will come naturally with practice and exposure to the language. The use of audio tools that allow you to hear the language are very useful in helping you to learn proper English pronunciation easily. Audio tools (like the ones used in ESL classes) - such as CDs, cassettes, and downloads to your MP3 players are effective and convenient to use as you can listen to them in your car or while completing other tasks at the same time.
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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