English language

  • Many know English, few speak it

    You Know ABOUT English, You Don’t SPEAK English! Knowing English is not speaking English. Sure, you know English. You know ABOUT English. You know verb BE right? You studied that verb BE is “I am”, “You are” “He/she/it is” etc. You may even be able to read and write English, but you kind of…

  • A New Voice, A New Life

    That’s not always true, but 80% of the times it kind of is, a new voice is a new life. The idea here is not for you to go to your nearest hospital and start shopping for a new throat with new vocal chords, we’re talking about speaking another language, a second or third…

  • I hate pronunciation!

    Don’t worry, I’m neither possessed nor schizophrenic and I haven’t lost my mind! It’s not the field that I hate, just the actual term itself. Why? Because the term “pronunciation”, as it is understood now by ESL specialists and schools, does not do justice to the actual concept of pronunciation. Ask an average ESL…

  • How do they become terrorists?

    I know what you’re thinking. What does a blog about English learning have to do with terrorism, right? Well, just bear with me and keep on reading, you’ll find out. Anyone ever wondered how someone becomes a full-time terrorist? It’s amazing isn’t it? I mean those people do terror for a living. They are…

  • 3 insane tips to practice speaking English!

    How to practice speaking English is a question that I have heard probably over a million times throughout my career. Now, I have 3 great tips for you but as just in case you don’t know, I’m not really a “sane” English teacher and my interest in teaching the language, specifically speaking, listening and…

  • 3rd Largest Economy: behind North Korea in English Profiency

    Something’s wrong there. According to a 2005/2006 TOEFL test of English as a foreign language, Japan has the worst score in Asia, even worse than North Korea. Although Japan scores much better in the EF English Proficiency Index, which attempts to rank countries by the average level of English skills amongst adults, Japan still…

  • Native or non-native English Teachers: My Verdict

    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…

  • What English accent should I learn to speak with?

    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…

  • Should I Study Grammar?

    DUH! That is how I answer this extraordinarily clever question often asked by most English learners.  Most English learners automatically assume and even presume that the fact that I am specialized in pronunciation, must imply that I am “anti grammar”. Well, allow me to say that is a bunch of baloney! I do not…