Category Archives: ESL

Here are my 15 ways on how you can achieve English fluency in just 6 months. By doing the following in a regular basis in your daily routine eventually you will get the fluency that you’ve been aiming for.

• Read any reading materials that is written or translated in the English language.
• Listen to DJs talk and teachers’ lecture when they are talking in English language.
• Watch English movie, TV shows, talk shows, news, even TV commercials that are using English.
• Correspond to chat mates, text mates in English.
• Listen to different genre of English music especially RnB, memorize and study the lyrics.
• Do some Video Karaoke or sing along activities and just sing only English songs.
• Browse the web, Post blogs and study different blogs about English.
• Search for videos about English discussions or lessons in youtube or in any internet site.
• Whisper to yourself or talk to yourself using English when no one is around.
• Talk to your friends, teachers, bosses, workmates using the second language.
• Meet and talk to native speakers of English especially
• Canadian, British, American and Australian
• to acquire accent.
• Do self study or enrol yourself in any English proficiency
• course or program to know more about grammar rules
• and technical aspects of English.
• Widen your vocabulary and make it a point to study new
• words and phrases.
• Practice and use English more often.
• Always pray sincerely and ask God for help and guidance using English.

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Would you like to travel the world teaching English? Getting certification before you go will help you to get a good contract and show you what to do before you enter the language classroom in a foreign country.

• Choose a good course. The main, intial qualification is called the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) or Cert TESOL (Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language).
• Don’t waste money on an ‘introduction’ or ‘starter’ course. They aren’t worth anything to potential employers and are a waste of both your time and money.
• Do not waste your time or money taking an online teacher certification course. You will just be throwing your money away. Any half reputable school will not hire someone with such a qualification. Those who will are the bottom of the barrel types, that will hire anyone breathing that can speak a little English. Schools that are worth teaching for will still tell you to get a CELTA or a Trinity CertTESOL, even if you already have your online teaching certificate. Any reputable course will have at least 6+ hours of observed in class teaching practice with mentor feedback.
• The CELTA course generally takes 4 weeks, full time and can be very intensive. Alternatively, you can study part-time over approximately 12 weeks.
• Take a good, accredited course, even if it costs more money and takes more time. You will find that it is worth the investment when you start looking for jobs. With a proper certificate you are much more likely to be offered a good contract with decent conditions and salary.
• Get a recognised qualification. The two most recognised certificate qualifications are: Cambridge University’s ESOL (English as a Second Language) CELTA and the Trinity CertTESOL. International House, London regularly offers Cambridge CELTA courses, both full-time and part-time, as well as an online course.
• The course is a combination of theory and practice. There are input sessions which explain the theory of language teaching, grammar, vocabulary and skills teaching. There are also practice sessions in which you are expected to plan and deliver an English language lesson to a group of foreign students. In addition, you will observe other experienced teachers teaching so that you can see best practice.

There are many reasons why people from all over the world might need to improve their English: for business, for pleasure or because they have gone to live in an English speaking country. Whatever the reason, here are some tips for improving your English

• Watch English language television and films. Thanks to satellite TV, British, American and Australian television programmes and films are widely available all over the world. Try watching with subtitles at first and them without them as you gain confidence.
• Listen to the radio. The BBC World Service is just one excellent source of spoken English and even broadcasts programmes for learners.
• Read English language newspapers. Some newspapers use more complex language than others, so choose the right one for you. Remember that you can start with the headlines and then progress to reading the articles as you gain confidence.
• Use the internet. You can listen to the radio online, watch TV clips and read articles. You can even chat to people. There are also many pages on the web dedicated to teaching English as a foreign language.
• Practise speaking English wherever you can. If you live in an English speaking country then this is easier, but if not then you can talk to visitors. Don’t be shy, and don’t worry about making mistakes – just have a go!
• Keep a vocabulary book of useful words and phrases and add to it regularly.
• Read children’s magazines. They are attractive, they tend to have many short articles, and they come in many subjects (science, literature, self-improvement). But more importantly, they are well-illustrated. The pictures will allow you to understand many words without having to use a dictionary.
• Choose a book series made for children and read them for practice. After you get to know the characters and the vocabulary used in the series, your reading gets easier and you will begin to be able to read more quickly, while still picking up expressions and vocabulary from one volume to the next. Try Nancy Drew, Animorphs, Sweet Valley Twins or any of a number of other easy series books which are widely available in libraries.

English is quickly becoming known as the world language. Many people are obliged to learn English properly to help a business or career succeed on the international stage. Follow these strategies to attain your goal. This article assumes that you know the basics of English very well.

• Read any English language newspaper aloud and slowly. Go as slowly as possible in order to understand the meaning of what you are reading, including nuances. While the structure of English is fairly simple in comparison to many other languages, its idioms make it a more difficult language to adequately master.
• Find some children’s books. Those containing many parables, fables, short stories, and legends are good because they are easy to read and carry interesting messages as well. Reading such stories will give you a better understanding of the words, and you will improve your vocabulary through reading. Children’s books with illustrations, such as illustrated dictionaries, are an excellent resource for those learning English as a second language.
• Prepare your own dictionary of words. Every day, try to write down some of the key new words that you have mastered that day.* Go through this dictionary once a week so that you recall the meanings of these words and they permanently stick in your memory. Every time you go through this dictionary, visualize the meaning of those words. For example, for the word “hallucination,” try to imagine what the word actually means – you might try to picture someone having a nightmarish dream while awake perhaps. This visualization method will make you understand the subtle differences between similar words such as “consent” and “permission,” while also accepting that English has such a rich vocabulary that often you simply need to learn as many new words as possible that all carry similar or identical meanings!
• Construct your own sentences using the words that you have noted in your dictionary. Use those words in your daily conversation with your friends and in your written communications. This will sensitize you to the new words.
• Be methodical. If you follow this method for the next few weeks, then using new words will become a habit.
• Read aloud as often as you can. If you are shy of others, you will be only a victim. Therefore, you should never hesitate to take the initiative and engage people in conversation. Reading aloud will help provide you with the extra confidence that you can speak the words clearly and in the right context.

English is the most general language for the international business world. People who are not native English speakers must immerse themselves in English-speaking environments if they want to speak English well and be successful.

• Learn the basic reading and listening abilities of English.
• Spend at least one hour everyday listening to news or discussion programs such as NPR (National Public Radio) news or BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation; the World Service or Radio Four are best) news. It’s hard to understand what they are saying when you first begin to listen to them, but gradually you’ll get used to the speed and tone. Then you can get a brief idea of what they are talking about, although you can’t get the detail. You don’t need to listen to the radio for an whole hour at once. It’s best to spend twenty or thirty minutes on listening separately.
• Spend more than three hours every day on reading English news or articles. Reading builds up your vocabulary, idioms, phrases, and the concepts of English structures. If you do enough reading, it will save you a lot of time since you will not need to spend more time on building your vocabulary or grammar. Read out loud when you do your reading so that you can improve your pronunciation at the same time.
• Learn the phonetic alphabet (pronunciation symbols). This can help you pronounce correctly, and it’s necessary to speak with the correct tone if you want to make some friends with native English speakers. This is a big deal for non-native English speakers.
• Make some pen pals and write them at least once everyday. The best way to improve your writing is to practice writing as much as you can. The more you write the more you know how to use what you’ve learned from reading and listening.
• Make friends with native-English speakers. This is the most difficult task because of the difference in culture, but you can’t really master English unless you can communicate with a native English speaker fluently. You have to know enough things and have good listening skills if you want to have good conversations with an American or Briton. Remember to ask a lot of questions to keep the conversation going. When someone asks you a question, give more than just the basic information. For example, if someone asks you “Do you like living here?” don’t just answer “Yes” or “No,” but tell them why, too.

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