We use “You can say that again!” to express our strong agreement with someone. So basically, it’s a nice way of saying “I agree with you completely” or“I have exactly the same opinion” etc. I agree with you completely=You can say that again So if I say, for example, “it’s really cold today isn’t it?”, […]
In Hook (Spielberg’s Peter Pan movie), the adult Peter is unable to fly until he remembers his “happy thought”, and here I say, adults are unable to speak fluent English until they remember how to imitate. My job is to jog your memory. Since I began teaching my first pronunciation and fluency course in Australia […]
Damn it they are everywhere! There are almost more English teachers out there than students. Basically, anyone who speaks the language is eligible to teach it. In some countries, it is good enough if you are a native speaker, in others you are expected to have some form of certification (and not a qualification mind […]
Here’s a story told by my fictitious Japanese friend “Kazu” 🙂 But wait…before I tell you the story, I’ve got to warn you that the content might be offensive to some readers, though I assure you that Kazu and I are completely innocent and both victims to Kazu’s horrible Japanese pronunciation. Now, I need your help […]
Please do not assume that I am suggesting you learn the English speakers’ body language (although it wouldn’t hurt but it’s just not what this article is about). What I’m suggesting though is that you watch the body language of English speakers during speech to get a better grasp of the English stress and intonation. […]
There is no such thing as a better accent. It really depends on where you live, and who you speak English with. What accent would be easier for THEM to hear? We all want to be understood. We want to be accepted by the society or entourage we live in. Having said that, I know for a […]
Mind you, speed does not necessarily mean fluency. Speed training though leads to fluency. Now why am I saying this? It’s based on a simple premise (idea). Aim higher to achieve high aims. There’s more to it though. Speed speech training involves achieving a certain degree of control over your muscle movements as well as helps […]
If you happen to be learning English and you’re wondering what movie you can watch to improve your speaking and listening, it’s Groundhog Day! In my view, that is hands down the best movie especially for English learners. Here’s a short dialogue from the movie, it says a lot about what the movie’s all about. […]
That is how you fix the English fluency problem in Japan. The Katakana characters were created in the 9th century by Japanese students of Buddhism as a solution to the complex Kanji writing during lectures. Times have changed people! Change with the times. Now, Katakana is only used to Japanize what can’t be Japanized! There […]
Oh well, we have the board of education to thank for that, and then of course the Japanese English teachers (not all as there are exceptions) who are truly a disgrace to this country. I’m still racking my brain trying to understand how someone dares to call himself/herself an English teacher when he or she […]