First-rate

Recently I was doing a fluency workshop with a group of C level executives. The first thing I asked them to do was to rate their abilities. They were all silent. Nobody seemed to know what to say. Finally one brave soul raised her hand and asked, “what does ‘rate’ mean?”

Out of the 12 highly intelligent women and men in the room, not one of them had any understanding of this common word. When you took the Fluency Questionnaire, you rated your abilities, but this word is not on the page because I know it’s challenging for English as a second language learners to comprehend.

So, as in the example you rated your abilities, the word means to evaluate, calculate, measure. The percentage your bank charges on the money you borrow to buy your home is called your mortgage rate (price). A parking garage charges an hourly rate (price). Your heart rate (speed) indicates to medical personnel if you are well or not. A movie can be well-rated (of a certain quality). You rate (deserve) a gold medal for your efforts. Something that is of high quality is first-rate whereas a second-rate product or service is really terrible.

At any rate, you rate high in my books!

Speaking of books, have you visited the ‘Speak English Once and for All’ facebook group lately? If not, why not drop in to like, share and say hi:

See you there,

Jennifer

Look Who's Talking

Do people think you’re crazy? If the answer is ‘no,’ then I know you haven’t been doing your homework!

Yes, this is one of those posts where I’m checking up on you. Are you talking to your plant? Here is what will happen if you do:

• You can practice new sounds
• You will gain confidence
• Your mouth muscles get exercise
• You can test new vocabulary
• Plants grow better when you talk to them
• The plant won't laugh at you

Of course, you can talk to your dog or cat too, they’ll also love it. Way back in ‘92 when I didn’t know how to speak Spanish, one of my roommates had a couple of parakeets. I asked him what they were called and he said ‘buitritros.’ Whew, that was a hard word for me to pronounce so I practiced and practiced and every day I said good morning to the buitritros and every evening I wished them a good night. And every time I said it my roommates laughed. I thought it was because I was pronouncing it so badly. I found out later that a buitrito is a little vulture. LOL!

In any case, talking to those birds really helped me get my mouth around new sounds and did wonders to boost my confidence.

Some people find singing a lot more fun than talking. That’s great. Pick a song in English that you like and use youtube to help you learn it. Even if you can only remember the chorus, that’s a great start. Your plant is going to love it!

Until soon!

Jennifer

5 Tips to Push Your English to the Next Level

How long has it been since you read ‘Speak English Once and for All?’ How are you coming along? Are you happy with your progress? Perhaps you feel like you are on a learning plateau ... a flatline in the learning curve. Today I have a 5 tips on how to push yourself up to the next level.

Be optimistic. This doesn’t mean being happy all the time, optimistic people get sad just as often as pessimists. But whereas a pessimist sees failure as, well … failure, an optimist sees it as a wonderful learning opportunity. Thomas Edison, the man who didn’t invent the lightbulb over 10,000 times said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Apply the Pareto Principle. Otherwise known as the 80/20 Rule, it suggests that 80% of production, ownership or frequency comes from 20% of the sources. So if you have 100 apple trees in your orchard, 20 of them will produce 80% of the total fruit. The average native English speaker has a vocabulary of about 20,000 words. That same speaker uses only 5% of those words 80% of the time. Remember, I keep telling you about those 1000 Most Common Words? Concentrate on those.

Use your kinetic intelligence. Do you remember how you learned to ride a bike? I’m 100% sure you didn’t read a book about it. Same goes for your fluency training. Talk to your plant, write your shopping list in English and dance while you’re listening to music. This physical activity helps internalise our learning and reach a better understanding.

Ask questions. When I started out teaching ESL, the majority of my clientele was under 6 years old. Wow, are they quick learners! What makes them that way? Small children don’t try to appear ‘clever.’ They are not the least bit embarrassed when they don’t know the meaning of a word and they are certainly not afraid to ask the same question 100 times if necessary. They experiment with words to know exactly when and where each one is appropriate. They do not stop until they feel secure that they have reached a full and deep understanding.

Reward yourself. When I was a kid I used to compete in Speech Arts competitions. Win or lose, my parents would take me out for an ice cream just to say ‘good job for getting up on that stage, Jen.’ Learning a second language can be as scary as getting in front of an auditorium full of people, so give yourself a treat for your efforts. You could take yourself out to breakfast, watch a funny cat video on youtube (or any other ‘useless waste of time’ that makes you smile), visit a museum or art gallery, spend a small amount of money on something you want but don’t need or buy yourself some flowers. But don’t do any of these things on the spur of the moment. Tell yourself on Monday what your reward will be at the end of the week. Research indicates that anticipation is the bigger part of happiness.

Perhaps now is a good time to check your progress. Click the button to take the Fluency Questionnaire:

You are awesome!

Jennifer

Chewing the Fat

If you made a list of your top ten things to do, I bet ‘chewing the fat with friends’ would be on it. And although this may seem like a trivial endeavor, social capital is responsible for our health, happiness and longevity. Harvard’s Robert Putnam says that by joining a social group, you will cut your chances of dying this year by half.

That’s a pretty startling statement!

Here’s another: Speaking with someone in English for 1 hour will improve your fluency level more than 100 hours of studying grammar books. So put those books away and get out there and be social! You will improve your English and live longer for it!

Who can you talk to? An experienced and empathetic professional is a good place to build the confidence you need to go out and speak with strangers. Most cities have conversation groups that meet in a café or restaurant on a weekly basis. And of course the internet provides a plethora of possibilities to communicate with other people … perhaps there is someone in the ‘Speak English Once and for All’ facebook group that you can connect with. Just take a look at the thread ‘Wanna Chew the Fat?’

Happy chatting,

Jennifer

Daily Bread

"A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said, 'is what we chiefly need.”

Lewis Carroll

Bread is a pretty important part of western culture. Breaking bread with someone (having a meal together) often leads to friendship, builds a solid base for a good business relationship or smooths over disputes with a rival.

Your occupation provides with with a regular income. You may have other projects on the go, but your salary is your bread and butter. And to know which side your bread is buttered on is knowing who’s the boss.

“Hey man, I’m flat, can you shoot me some bread?” Means, “Hello friend, I don’t have any money. Can I borrow some?”

It is said however that, ’man cannot live on bread alone.’ in addition to the bare essentials in life, we need art and friends and love.

And perhaps you are hooked on a new fad, or there’s a new product out on the market that just knocks your socks off. It’s the best thing since sliced bread.

Just like the English Laboratory Fluency Questionnaire! It will tell you what level you're at and how long it will take you to reach fluency:

May your bread basket be plentiful,

Jennifer

At Last!

Everyone should have a few fancy words in their vocabulary, like everyone should have a fancy pair of shoes in their closet. You may not wear them often, but when the occasion is right, they’re the only ones that will do.

Most days however, we’re not going to fancy balls and the opera, so we wear our everyday clothes. We can mix and match tops and trousers to make combinations for work or the weekend. These clothes are our basics.

Likewise, 80% of what a native English speaker says are the same words used over and over in different combinations and contexts. The other 20% is just for special occasions.

I just love four-letter words, so today let’s look at ‘last’ and a few of its multiple meanings.

Final: That's the last thing I want to do!
Latest: What did you do last weekend?
Previous: Did you see the last presentation?
Continue: How long did the presentation last?

You can see that last can be a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb. Cool, eh? And each one of these definitions has its own little variants. Take a look at your favorite online dictionary and research a few more and write sentences using the word last in different contexts.

The Daily Training Program (DTP) is a great way to keep on top of your vocabulary-building efforts and it’s included in every package. Right now I’ve got a special 7 day trial offer on the Private Lessons Package ... only 0.99€! This offer not only includes the DTP but also 3 private lessons with a native speaker so click the button to reserve your first class:

I hope to see you there!

Jennifer

Pronunciation of the Final 'ed'

Oooh! I’m excited because I have a really cool tip to share with you today. It’s about pronunciation … a subject I know is of great interest to you!

I talked a bit about the pronunciation of the final ‘ed’ of regular verbs in the past simple and in the participle forms in my book (Speak English Once and for All), but today I have a graphic for you that I think is going to make the patterns a whole lot clearer. (Drum roll, please …)

As the number ‘1’ indicates, start at the top of the diagram. Answer the questions and you will be pronouncing the regular verbs in the Past Simple perfectly in no time! I know it takes a little getting used to, but then again, so did driving a car and now it’s second nature to you.

I’ve got lots of info-bites like this in my courses, so why don’t you have a look at them. There is a package available to suit your budget, schedule and level. Don’t be shy! Click the button and take a peek, there’s no obligation to buy:

Best regards,

Jennifer

Out of Hand!

Hands are handy to have. When my children were born I wished I’d had an extra pair grow from my knees to pick things up from the floor.

That little stick on your wall clock that spins around at a relative speed is called a hand. You can give a hand to someone in a couple ways: as in helping or applause. A person’s calligraphy is known as their hand. You can give someone something by handing it to them. You have a big hand in the direction your life takes.

A person who performs manual labor is known as a hand. The playing cards you are dealt are a hand. Something that is not produced by a machine is hand-made. You can hand something over (usually reluctantly!) to somebody. Hands-down, this is one of my favorite all-terrain words.

Whew … that’s a lot of information. On the other hand, I know you enjoy a challenge! There are even more meanings and collocations for the word hand out there. You can discover more about collocations (and a lot more stuff too!) in Judy Thompson's book English is Stupid, Students are Not. It's available as a gift here. http://bit.ly/2bTAN8O

♡

Jennifer

3 Solid Reasons to Watch

Today I wanted to check up on you. Are you watching videos and/or TV in English? Maybe you’ve given it a try but you’ve found it frustrating not being able to understand everything. Honestly, like I mention in my book (Speak English Once and for All), I don’t understand everything either. Thank goodness for Netflix. You can rewind and watch it again until it becomes clear. Just in case you were thinking of eliminating this activity from your Training Program, let me give you three really good reasons to stick with it.

1. Authentic Material

The problem with material designed for learners is that real people don’t talk like that. Watching the TV that native speakers watch opens the door to their world of communication: alternative vocabulary, new catch phrases and collocations.

     2. Context

Remember the multiple meanings of words? So you’ve been diligently writing your sentences using the words from the 1000 Most Common Words list. And you’ve been investigating the different uses on forums and online dictionaries. Now it’s time to hear those words in action! It’s time to discover the ‘where’ (before the verb? After the subject?) and the ‘when’ (with friends, with a client … ).

   3. Words are Only 20% of what we Say

That’s right! The rest of our communication comes from gestures, facial expressions and the tone of our voice. Three little words like ‘I love you’ can have a myriad of meanings depending on how we say it. If I throw my arms around you and say it with a song in my voice, you know that I cherish you. I could say it sarcastically, which of course would mean the exact opposite. When watching, don’t limit yourself to the vocabulary, watch out for body language too.

One little word of advice: start out small with this project. Watch 5-10 minute videos to begin with and then work your way up to a 20-minute series. If you’d like some suggestions about what to watch, please visit my youtube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Happy watching!

Jennifer

From Reading to Speaking

I’m guessing you learned to read and write English before you learned to speak it. You likely have few difficulties with written documents, but perhaps you feel unsure about the correct pronunciation. Let me tell you, that’s perfectly normal. And the reason for this is, as my good friend and colleague Judy Thompson says, English is Stupid. Unlike some other languages that sound exactly the way they are written, English has this tendency to sound any way it feels like.

This is due to the history of Modern English. During its early years it did not exist in a standardised, written form. It wasn’t until 1476 (less than 200 before Shakespeare) that the written version of English we know today was galvanised by a London businessman named William Caxton. Unfortunately Caxton perhaps lacked the competences to invent a written language … he was more of a technician than a writer or a poet or a linguist. Changes in pronunciation from the Middle to Modern English periods and the borrowing of spelling patterns from other languages make orthography a challenge for both native and English as a Second Language speakers. Oh boy!

The one tool that can help us navigate this seemingly unmappable ocean is the Thompson Vowel Chart. All sixteen English vowel sounds are here to reference in this handy printout. Remember, each word has a tonic and each tonic has a color (Speak English Once and for All). If you say the tonic right, you will be understood. Get your Thompson Vowel Chart here:

Thanks to Judy for letting me share this with you!

Enjoy and happy learning!

Jennifer

What Knocks Your Socks Off?

I hope this post finds you well. Me personally, I’m doing great. I’m so happy with the response I’m getting from my programs and courses! The feedback I’m getting includes words like ‘motivating,’ ‘effective’ and ‘definitive!’

But I want to do more, so I have a question for you.

What would knock your socks off in a product that showed you the path to fluency? What would you really like to see in your perfect course? Please let me know by clicking this button:

In return for your generous information, I will send you a copy of my very popular e-book, ‘50 Phrasal Verbs for Business.’ Here’s what Government Affairs Executive Simone Warmbrand had to say about it:

“Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to develop such useful material! For non-native English speakers as myself, phrasal verbs used to be a nightmare!”

I hope to hear from you soon!

Jennifer

Bear in Mind

If you’ve taken a peek at the list of 1000 Most Common Words included in my book ‘Speak English Once and for All’ you might be thinking that this seems like a pretty basic list. And you might be wondering why a word like ‘bear’ is on this list. Are native speakers always talking about big, hairy omnivores? Not really … ‘bear’ is a word with multiple meanings and this is why it forms part of that vocabulary that is common to all native speakers regardless of their education, work, hobbies and other personal experiences.

So how do we use ‘bear?’

You can bear (bring) good news. A ferry can bear (carry) passengers. A tree can bear (produce) fruit. Your website probably bears (displays) your company logo. You bear (are called by) your surname. You bear (conduct) yourself with dignity in even the most trying situations. You bear (shoulder) the responsibility for your actions. You might not be able to bear (support) injustice.

And these examples are just a few of the different meanings for bear. Wow! So you can see now why it’s on the list of 80% of what comes out of a native speaker’s mouth. Remember I told you to write sentences for each word on the list? When you’re writing them, take a moment to consult an online dictionary to take a peek at multiple meanings. Write two or three sentences using the same word in different contexts.

Would you like a really convenient way to complete the Daily Training Program? Wouldn’t it be great if you received your homework in digestible doses every morning in your inbox? All you have to do is sign up for your perfect course:

A big bear hug,

Jennifer

Accountability: Counting Wins

How are you? I’m doing great! I’m excited because I’m thinking you’ve read ‘Speak English Once and for All’ by now and that you’re on your way to establishing some great learning habits.

Today I wanted to talk about accountability. You are accountable to the most important person on earth ... you!

There are many factors that act on our ability to learn a language and your neighbour may have more resources than you, but one thing that we all have is a 24 hour day. Use those 24 hours wisely! The best way to do that is to create a schedule.

The Zen Master says: you must repeat an action a hundred times to make it a habit and a thousand times to become a master. Make it a habit to do the activities I outlined in the book and you will be a master in no time!

Embrace mornings, nights and weekends. Those are moments during the week that your colleagues are busy with their own personal stuff and are not bothering you. Get up a little earlier in the morning to watch a video and read the news in English. Sunday evening is a great moment to settle in with a good book. Practice thinking in English while you’re brushing your teeth, sing out loud in the shower. Think how you can squeeze in little bites of English practice throughout the day.

And don’t just do it on the fly (whenever you think of it), put it into your calendar … the same calendar you use for your business purposes. Stick to it. Create a spreadsheet to keep track of your efforts. Need a template? Click here to get one:

If you get a score of 75% or over at the end of the week, give yourself a little gift: a night at the movies, supper with a friend or a little chocolate. You deserve it!

You can do it!

Jennifer

Getting in the Act

I just love collocations! Don’t know what they are? Not to worry, most people don’t. They are hiding in plain sight everywhere you meet a native English speaker, but not even the native speaker knows they’re using them!

A collocation is a group of words that always goes together. For example, ‘happy,’ ‘glad’ and ‘merry’ are all synonyms but when someone is celebrating the day they were born, we always say ‘happy birthday,’ never ’glad birthday’ or ‘merry birthday.’ ‘Happy birthday’ is a collocation.

Today I wanted to share a few collocations with you. The theme for this group is that they all have the word ‘act.’ Let’s take a peek at how the same word can have different meanings depending on what collocation it finds itself in.

Act out

1. To physically demonstrate, charades; We act out our favorite movies at family gatherings.
2. To behave badly in rebellion; The child was acting out of anger at being punished.

Act your age

1. Stop behaving like a child; Oh, come on! Act your age, not your shoe size!

Balancing act

1. Trying to do more than one thing at the same time; Holding down a job and taking care of the family is a real balancing act.

Caught in the act

1. Interrupted while doing something wrong; My husband tried to hide eating the cookies from me but I caught him in the act.

Clean up your act

1. Improve yourself; I told my son that if he didn’t clean up his act and get a job I would be very disappointed.

Get your act together

1. Get organized and move forward; I finally got my act together and started a blog!

Tough act to follow

1. An excellent performance; Wow, her presentation was really good! That’s going to be a tough act to follow!

You can see how ‘act’ can be a noun (balancing act) or a verb (act out) and can also be positive (tough act to follow) or negative (caught in the act). But regardless of it’s function or meaning, these particular groups of words each paint a picture. In other words, they are metaphors.

I do believe that this is one of the things that make English such an interesting language to communicate in. I also know that it’s English’s abstract nature that makes fluency such a challenge for many EFL/ESL (English as a Foreign/Second Language) learners. Do not be discouraged!

To get some practice with them you could browse through forums like Wordreference or join my Daily Training Program and receive a short list of collocations to practice with every day. If you’re interested in knowing more about that, just click this button:

All the world's a stage ... act on it!

Jennifer