Learn English Your Way blog

Just a quick up date..  as I described in my previous blog post, Learnenglishyourway has been working away quietly through the present crisis.  As it gets warmer here in Murcia,  face to face classes tend to stop for the summer.  However since there are no face to face classes at the moment that is not going to be a problem!  Like the whole world , from families to businesses, quiz nights, baby showers and even date nights we are all connecting on line.  I teach using ZOOM.  I find it simple and straight forward for both students and myself.   I teach on line in a very similar way to my face to face classroom style.  At present my smallest classes have three students.  This is great as we can break up in to groups or work with partners and get more practise speaking English.  If you think you and friends or family would like to be part of a group class rather than individual lessons please get in touch.  

Just a very quick up date.  Learnenglishyourwayonline is still here and working away quietly in these very strange times.  I have discovered that online teaching can be very rewarding.  After many years of classroom teaching I was a little concerned when I first set up the website that I might have found the experience less dynamic than face to face teaching.  While , if I am perfectly honest, I do still prefer being in a classroom or boardroom or office ( I was teaching face to face business English until the state of emergency was declared). However the classes that I have taught on line have been good fun and I feel that we are all connecting.   This is especially so now.  We discussed the future of learning in class on Monday..... will it and homeworking remain a large part of our lives after the crisis is over?  The response was mixed with some students feeling that they miss the company and routine of getting out of the house and in to work every day.... but then we all want out of the house just now!  I hope that you are all well and finding ways to stay motivated while at home.  It can be a challenge . Take care and stay safe.  

What are homophones? 

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings.

• the words too, to and two are homophones are as ate and eight.
• other examples are bare and bear... think about the bare necessaties in the Jungle Book! 
• by, buy and bye
• here and hear
• and of course that old chestnut their , there and they're.

Can you think of any more.   Look each of these up in your dictionaries, if you don't already know their meanings and try to create a sentence using each.  They're won't be there however... it is a contraction of they are!  

For example  

I hear that your cousins are coming to visit.  Have they been here before?

If you would like any more help, I can add the full lesson to our repository, just let me know. 

The new term has started and our diary is filling up .  If you have decided that now is the time to learn or improve your English why not get in touch?  

How often have you begun the new academic year full of good intentions?  Now the summer is over, I will learn English or I will go to the gym at least three times a week, I will join the night classes that look so interesting in the brochure.  You sign up for the classes or the gym and you pay the fees.  For the first few weeks your motivation is high, you attend the classes and go to the gym.  You are loving the learning and feeling fitter.  You have made new friends in the classes.  Your intentions are safe and coming along nicely.  Suddenly it's winter and the nights are dark, by the time you get home from work the thought of going out again is not so appealing.  Or your work schedule changes and you find yourself working when the classes are timetabled, you miss a whole month of classes and can't see the point in going back, you will have missed too much. Does this sound familiar?  

Having spent so much on classes and the gym, you go on line to find free classes.  There are many of them out there and there is an enormous amount of excellent information and ideas for learning by your self , on line and for free.  This seems like a better idea and so you start again, creating you own learning plan by using the materials on line.  So far so good, but how do you know how much progress you are making?  Do you have any one to talk to and practise your conversation?  Do you have any one to ask about a tricky aspect of grammar or pronunciation?  Do you miss the human interaction that you had in your night classes?   

To get the best of both worlds, why not get in touch with me at 'learnenglishyour way'?  You can schedule a class when it suits  you and as often or as infrequently as you want.  No more dragging yourself out on cold winter nights. No more fees paid then not used.  If you buy a block of classes there is no time limit on when you use the block.  If work becomes so demanding or family issues mean you can't attend, the classes will be there waiting for you.

Best of all, you will be working with a real human being!  I can guide you on where to find the best (free) on line materials as well and I can help you organise your learning.

Looking forward to getting 'back to school'!

How often have you signed up or created an account on line for any number of different things?  Even a simple thing such as buying a pair of shoes seems to require that you 'create an account'.  Following this , you will find your in box filling up with emails on a daily basis.  My web site and English teaching on line is designed differently.  The blogs with tips and ideas for learning English are free for everybody to open and read, with out creating an account.  They are in English but you can use the choose language option or challenge yourself to translate them your self. 

To join our community you simply use the get in touch or contact page and send me a message directly.  We can chat about your learning needs and if you agree, I will create and account for you.  Once this is done , you can go in and change the temporary password to suit your self and keep your account safe.  As soon as you have an account, you will find a folder in the resource section and together, we can begin to build your notes and language journey.  This folder is yours, you can use it as your on line work book.

Gradually, I will add on line video lessons, starting with beginners.  If you have a particular problem or question regarding grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation, you can suggest a lesson and I will develop on to post for the community.

First steps?  Get in touch and let's start the conversation!

I bumped in to this gentleman last week while on holiday in Blanes, Calalunya.  The mix of languages in this beautiful region was incredible, Catalan, Spanish, French, Italian, English , Russian and more.  It was fascinating and great fun.  Enjoy the journey!

Imagine that you are a house builder.  You have the skills, tools and plans for a beautiful new house but you have no bricks.... you can not build your house.

Learning a new language is very similar to this, you have the skills, the grammar books and the time you plan to learn your new language noted in your diary. However you have no words.  You can do nothing with out the words!

Here are a few tips to help you grow your word bank.  

1.   English is every where.  Even here in Spain, English is used on advertising posters, shop names and songs on the radio.  I am sure it its the same in your country.  Keep a look out.  Check the meanings of new words and note them down.

2.  If you are visiting an English speaking country, it is even easier to do this. From the window of your bus , train or car when you are a passenger there are new words everywhere.  Use the pictures and context to guess the meanings then check in your dictionary. 

3. Sticky notes in bright colours -  label your home, family, pets and work place, if your boss allows it!  As you remember your new words remove the sticky notes and your living or work space will gradually return to normal!

4.  Sticky notes on magazines or children's picture books, label the pictures and look for matching words in the text. 

5. Keep a vocabulary note book, adding new words when ever you can. 

6. Share your tips. How have you built your vocabulary?  What are your top tips?

Welcome!

This is  my personal blog, explaining why I love language so much and attempting to unravel some of the secrets to learning a new language. This first article is all about letting you get to  know me.  Don't worry, I will go back to basics in future blogs, for example in our next blog I would like you to tell me what you why and how you want to learn English and we will think about vocabulary, the building bricks! 

If you are at an intermediate level or above, this blog can be a starting point for conversations in our meetings together.  If you are a complete beginner, simply read it and pick out the words you do know.   Listen to my spoken transcript. Hearing your new language will help you on your journey.  Above all enjoy, have fun, love language. ( transcripts can be found on the repostitory, you have to join up to access them but this is free, simply 'get in touch' with me and I will help you do this.) 

I have given the blog a title - Time For a Chat?   To chat is an English verb meaning to have an informal conversation. It is when friends talk to and listen to each other’s news. They are chatting. I would love to hear from you and chat!  You may have questions about learning English or a particular problem that affects your confidence when talking, reading or writing in English.  You may simply want to practice your writing and the topics in the blog might get you started. If you get in touch via the contact page, you can create an account and send your thoughts and questions to your very own folder on the web site. You can store new information and it will also allow you to send written work, chat and exchange ideas.

I love language for many different reasons.  Obviously my first language is English.  I was brought up by a Scottish Mum and an English Dad.  I speak English with a Scottish accent but only use dialect or Scottish idioms with family and close friends.  Only Scots or someone who has lived in Scotland for a long time would understand me.

I was taught early on that to communicate on an international level, my English would have to be clear and accurate.  ‘Concise and precise’ is how an English lecturer described it when I was a student.  My love of my first language grew as I did.  I loved to chat to friends and make new friends.  My large family adored parties and gatherings where conversation was always lively and good fun.  That was the speaking part…. Then aged 5, I learned to read.   Reading is like breathing to me.  I cannot imagine not being able to read.  Much of my learning has been acquired through reading, unfortunately this hasn’t worked for maths but in most areas simply picking up a book on the subject I wanted to learn about or had to study helped me achieve the learning goal I had in mind.  This could take us down the ‘learning style’ conversation road but it is a huge topic which we can chat about in another blog.

Reading has given me more than simply knowledge however.  It has taken me to other countries, worlds, taken me out of the ordinary every day things that have to be done.  I feel lost if I don’t have at least one book, usually a novel, to read when ever I have a quiet moment.   As I now live in Spain and am trying to improve my Spanish, I have recently finished reading my first full novel in Spanish.  It felt like a real achievement, I enjoyed the story and it definitely helped my Spanish.  As your English develops, I would recommend you begin to read as much as possible and not just grammar books!

History is another favourite topic of mine and combining this with language is easy. I studied Latin for two years in High School and even several decades later, I am always delighted when I make the connections between a Latin word and a modern day one, in English or Spanish. English a wonderful mixture of many languages not just Latin.  As you learn, you will probably find words similar to your own or with similar roots.  It’s great fun!

Finally, travel.  Travel has deepened my love of language.  My first trip abroad was a school trip to France and it provided the first opportunity for me to try out my school girl French.  My travels have tended towards either English, Spanish or French speaking countries but I have also learned the basics, ‘good morning’, ‘hello’, ‘thank you’  for journeys to Greece , Portugal , Germany, Italy and Poland.  I feel uncomfortable assuming that where ever I go, everyone will understand English.  It also feels very rude not at least trying to communicate a little bit at least in the language of the country I am visiting.

It is what makes travel fascinating.  Life would be very boring if we were all the same and all spoke the same language.   Perhaps, like me, you also have languages that you just love to listen to even if you don’t understand a word!   

Words are wonderful!