A Plea from a Accent Reduction Student Working at a Mobile Service Provider in Australia A student who has recently finished my 10-hour accent reduction training plead with me to speak up on his behalf. He works in a call center with a mobile service provider in Australia. Although I cannot reveal the name of […]
The Abuse of ESL/EFL Teachers in Australia ESL or EFL teachers in Australia are often exploited and underpaid. Well experienced and highly qualified teachers are surprisingly shunned by ELICOS centers to maximize profit. Many English language providers prefer to hire new graduates with no or very little experience so that they can better compete in […]
Why ask the question? Little do you as English learners pay attention to how you speak English. It’s not your fault. Your teachers have talked you into ignoring the way you sound. “We can understand you” they say. What they mean is that we can understand you when you speak about something we already know […]
The West wonders “why and how could some of the refugees we welcome with open arms still manage to dislike us or even hate us?”. Why do they remain refugees instead of evolving into normal citizens of the country that has so generously bestowed upon them a new life? Though not a refugee, my situation […]
PTE Academic: Speaking Section PTE Academic is now the choice of many international students for formal English examination. It is reportedly easier than the IELTS test, especially in terms of reading, writing and even listening but not speaking. The speaking section of PTE Academic comprises 2 tasks that could potentially decide whether you, as an […]
PTE Academic Speaking: Tough! PTE Academic (Pearson Test Acaemic) is now almost as popular as the IELTS. Although it has been reported by many students that the reading and writing sections are slightly easier than the IELTS’, the speaking and listening sections are somewhat harder. The first 2 parts of the speaking section can be […]
Building your English vocabulary is essential to improving your fluency. That is a fact. If you do not know words, you cannot say much. The more words you know, the less time you need to think of what to say in a conversation. When you have a small or limited vocabulary, you will have to […]
English hard! I hate it! “English hard, why does it have to be so hard” have repeatedly complained my students! My reaction is “Duh”! How stupid would someone have to be to think language learning, any language learning, can actually be easy! However, no one said it couldn’t be “easIER”! Why English hard? If you […]
English learning Key areas English learning is very difficult. I have met hundreds of English learners who lost motivation shortly after coming to Australia. Big disappointment. There is a myth that most English learners (and their family and friends) believe in prior to coming to Australia. The myth is “if I live in Australia, an […]
Yes Accent Matters! If you speak English, your accent matters. Do not listen to them English teachers and professors because they are full of bull. If you speak English and live in an English speaking country like the US, Canada, Australia or Britain, your accent does matter. No question about it. That’s natural. And oh […]