You have a pile of English grammar books that
you don't read, and you feel bad about it.
Yes, you've tried taking traditional English classes,
but they were no use because there
were too much effort or too boring.
So you decided to quit.
You've checked online and tried some of the
amazing English study techniques that are out there,
but there are just so many, and you
feel that you don't make fast progress.
Right, I understand, and I totally agree with you.
It can be really difficult to stay motivated
when you start learning a new language, especially
when you don't have much time.
And these days, who really has time?
So I know what your question is.
How can you use your limited time in the
best possible way and see your English improve quickly?
And this is the question that
I'm going to answer today.
I'm going to share with you five action plans that
will help you improve your English effortlessly at home.
My name is Michelle, and you're watching let's Talk, the
place to take your English to the next level.
So come on, let's get started.
So the first thing that you should do
is listen to English that you don't understand.
Oh, yes, you heard me right there. Okay.
How did I learn English?
So when I was a baby, everyone
around me spoke English all the time. Yes.
My family members, they use English a lot,
and I did not really understand the thing.
It's how you learned your first
language as well, isn't it?
Guess what?
Adult learners can benefit from this too.
Yes, you can benefit from other
people speaking English around you. Okay.
Think of the people who go overseas, as in,
who go abroad to study or work, and they
go with zero English or minimal English.
And if they happen to live in an English-speaking
country for just a period of two to three years,
they come back with a whole lot of English to
be able to communicate fluently, isn't it?
I'm sure you have a friend like that.
So what really happened there?
Did they join any English speaking classes? Probably not.
They were just exposed to a lot of English,
and that helped them grasp the language super quick.
So my suggestion to you is
do the same with your English.
Overload your brain with it, and that will lead
you to learn English faster and also more naturally.
So, like I said, I'm going to give
you an action plan in this lesson.
My first action point for you is
try to do some background listening.
Now, don't worry, it's nothing technical.
This means listening to English
while doing other things.
So basically, in background listening, you don't
have to try to understand anything, really.
You just have to let your
brain do the work subconsciously.
So put on the radio, a podcast, a movie, an audio
book, or an English song while you're doing something else.
So you could do this while you're driving,
right when you're doing house chores, probably when
you're cooking, you could listen to some English
songs, or watch an English movie on the
TV, or while you're cleaning the house, sometimes
when you're traveling on public transport as well.
So like you're in a cab or you're in a tube or
a metro or while you're taking a walk in the park.
That's the time to listen to some English.
But not really pay that much attention, because
right now we're talking about background listening.
So you'll be amazed at how effective
this is at improving your English.
You keep it up for two weeks
and you will notice the difference yourself.
The best part is you don't
even have to focus and understand.
All you need to do is listen.
It's that simple.
So your action .1 is listen to English around you.
Put on English music or English
movies while doing other things.
Do you focus on your mistakes?
That's my second question to you.
Who doesn't make mistakes while speaking English?
I do make mistakes.
Even native speakers make mistakes.
So making mistakes is natural.
More than that, I believe that you
cannot really learn apart from making mistakes.
But how can we use these mistakes?
Do you know that your mistakes have
a great potential to improve your English?
Well, that's true.
Well, what you need is a language partner or
a teacher to help you correct your mistakes.
Because a good teacher can find your
mistakes and push you towards correcting yourself.
Hang on there.
What if you don't have a personal English tutor?
So don't worry if you don't have
a teacher to do that for you.
Be your own teacher.
Correct your own mistakes.
Do you know what research shows?
Research shows that if you correct a mistake
yourself, there is a very low chance that
you will make the same mistake again.
So it can get better than that.
How can you do that? That's the question.
Now, how can you be your own teacher?
Well, let me help you with that.
I would recommend that you record yourself.
That's your action point.
So when we speak in a foreign language,
we focus on getting the grammar right, using
the right words and things like that.
But this means that you're forgetting about something.
And what is that?
Correct grammar.
Good use of words.
But what about pronunciation and
making mistakes with pronunciation?
How can we fix that?
Well, as I just recommended,
record yourself speaking English.
I know it's really weird to hear yourself.
I feel super awkward listening to myself.
But this way you'll be able
to find your pronunciation mistakes.
Mistakes that you don't realize that
you're making while you're speaking.
But when you record yourself and listen to yourself,
you'd be like, oh, I pronounce that word terribly.
So it's a great idea to record and listen
to your own self and to correct your pronunciation
mistakes so that you don't make them again.
So this is how you can tap on the
potential that your mistakes have to correct your English.
Guess what?
Pajamas and tea can help you learn English. Yes.
Stress is not the learner's friend.
It's not at all your friend
when it comes to learning English.
One of the most important factors for learning
English, I believe, is a stress free environment.
Having said that, let me ask you a question.
Where do you practice your English in a classroom?
Do you think it's stress free?
Okay, another question.
Who do you practice it with?
Probably your teacher. Right?
And again, that's not very stressfree.
Although these are amazing places to practice English.
But I'm going to give you answer to these
two questions that where should you practice English and
who should you practice English with in order to
learn it faster and without much effort.
So two great places to practice English
are either in your favorite cafe yes.
Or at home in your slippers
with someone you feel comfortable with.
So let me talk about my action point here.
Apart from practicing in the classroom, you
should invite your friends at home or
at your favorite cafe and have conversations
on various topics, whatever topics you like.
But do remember to have those conversations in English.
Now, this has two benefits.
First, you get to meet your friends more often.
Well, that's always an added advantage.
But the main benefit that you have is
you get to learn from each other.
Well, that's true.
We often tend to pick up good words and phrases from
each other, and this will indeed add to your vocabulary.
So I truly believe that the best place
to practice English is in your comfort zone.
Now, the fourth way to improve your English
with minimal extra effort is read comics. Yes. Really?
I said that comic books are a fantastic
way to learn English for a few reasons.
The first one is you can see the action
happening, so it's easier for you to understand.
So when you're reading a comic
book, you can see what's happening.
This way you can guess a lot of the
meaning and you can stay motivated to keep reading.
And everybody loves pictures while reading, isn't it?
So comics are a great solution for that.
The second way comics help you is
it's writing, but it's speaking too. That's right.
Comics are a great resource for learning English because
you work on your reading skills, but at the
same time, you can see how people speak.
Since most comic books are just lots of conversations,
remember looking at comics, they have call outs here
and here, and those are good examples of conversations.
And the third reason is it's fun.
Almost everyone enjoys comic books.
So if you enjoy what you're doing, you learn better.
As I said, stress free environment is what
is going to help you learn English.
So I could recommend two comic books.
One is Tintin and the other is asterisks they're
especially good because they have great stories that even
adults can enjoy, and children as well.
So why not read comics and
try to improve your English there? Absolutely.
With zero effort and lots of fun.
And finally, sing your heart out.
Yes, you heard me right there.
Do you want better English
grammar, better English vocabulary, writing,
reading, listening, speaking and confidence?
Of course you do.
So singing is a great way to improve your English.
It's not only fun, we all know that regular singing
in English can add amazing words to your vocabulary.
So don't wait for a band to invite you in.
Start singing in your shower in English, of
course, because no one can hear you there.
And you can make all the mistakes
that you like because nobody's listening.
But you still get to speak and sing in English.
It's a great way to build up
energy and confidence in the morning.
But not only that, it's
specifically good for your English.
Let me tell you how.
So, singing in a foreign language improves,
as I said, your grammar, vocab, your
reading, listening, and speaking as well.
So a little singing every day can make
a very big difference to your English.
And obviously it's fun, it's effortless.
You can do it at your home, in your shower.
You don't need to go anywhere, you
don't need to pay any extra bucks.
So my action plan is google
the lyrics to your favorite song. So.
For example, I love photograph by Ed Sheeran.
So I would type photograph by Ed Sheeran Lyrics So
I read them up and I learned them up, and
then I sing them away in my bathroom every morning.
And you can do that too.
And I would recommend that you change the song every
week so that you get to know more language, you
get to learn more words from the new song. Okay?
So that's my final tip for you.
Sing away in English to improve.
So, guys, these are my top tips
for improving your English effortlessly at home.
I think these tips are pretty easy.
You don't have to wait any longer.
Start the five action plans that I've shared
with you today, and you'll soon be on
the way to more confident speaking.
Thanks so much for watching.
I'll see you soon.
Until then, take care. Bye.