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Alfredo recently made 5 English-learning videos for About.com. The first 3 videos are about grammar, and the last 2 are about vocabulary and business letters. Click the links below to watch the videos.

• A Beginner’s Guide to Comparatives
• How to Use “To Have”
• What Is the English Gerund?
• Vocabulary for Business Letters
• How to Write a Business Letter

Also, please add a comment below to tell us what you think about the videos.

• Which one was your favorite?
• Which subject area should we make more videos for at OnTargetEnglish.com? Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, business writing, or something else?

Video transcript

Hi, it’s Alfredo. For language learning, motivation is extremely important. Without motivation, there will be no progress. Some of you have been trying to learn English for a long time. Months ago or years ago, you thought that by now, you would be fluent. You may be tired; you may be frustrated; you may have lost a lot of your motivation. Today, I want to tell you, don’t give up. Don’t quit!

I’m excited to present another part of my interview with Matthew Weathers, an English teacher in Asia. In the first part of the interview, Matthew and I talked about getting the confidence to talk with a native English speaker. As you watch this video, write down the reasons that Matthew and I give for not giving up. Watch the entire video, because at the end, I have a question for you to answer.

Interview

Alfredo: Many of these English learners have spent years studying English. And it may be that there at the point that they’re just frustrated. They’re perhaps tired of studying English. They’ve been doing it all their lives, or as much of their lives and they can remember. And so the motivation might get lower and lower. What do you recommend for someone who needs to be reminded about why they’re studying English? What can help to increase their motivation?

Matthew: For students–and both of us have been students in the past, and we realized a long hard process of going to class, of studying, of working hard–sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the details of learning and keep our focus off of the end goal.

1. Learning English for a Job

And I would encourage my students with learning English that one day they will need to stop being a student and to join the workforce in whatever country that may be. Usually, that will be in China for my students who are Chinese. But many of them desire to go abroad or to work in an international company. And so even English is a very useful and valuable tool for them to find a job. I know today studying grammar is not very fun, but tomorrow speaking English on the job is very beneficial.

Alfredo: Do you have any other suggestions for someone to increase his or her motivation for learning English?

2. Learning English for Relationships

Matthew: I did mention about jobs and how learning English will help you usually find a better job, whether in your native country or abroad, but learning English also helps you to expand your friendships and your relationships. I have many friends who are Chinese, but if they did not know English and I did not know a little bit of Chinese, we could not be friends very easily. But since they have learned English relatively well, we can be friends. And if I need something or if they need something, we can communicate, and we’re able to help one another. And with a student who knows English, when they help me or if they help another native English speaker, who does not know Chinese very well, that gives them a big feeling of satisfaction and joy in helping other people.

So I would say that learning English is good not only to have a job but also to help other people in whatever field or in whatever location you are.

3. Learning English for Pleasure

Alfredo: Yeah, and I think that there’s a difference between internal motivation and external motivation. A lot of times when we do something for a job or we do something for some kind of reward, some kind of external reward like a pay increase or a better job, that might not actually be as motivating as something that’s coming from internal motivation. We do it because we want it, we see the value of it, we love it, and it just becomes a passion for us.

Why Are You Learning English?

In this part of the interview, you heard Matthew and I give some reasons for not giving up, reasons for not quitting.

Why are you learning English?

• Are you learning English because it’s part of your academics?
• Because you need it for your current job or your future job?
• Because you want to improve relationships or make new relationships?
• Or are you learning English because you just enjoy learning English? Is learning the English language a hobby for you?

Add a comment below this video, and give us your motivation, your main reason for wanting to improve your English skills. I look forward to reading your comment.

In this video, Alfredo interviews Carolyn Sandy, an English teacher in Asia, about how English learners can improve their listening skills.

Video transcript

Alfredo: At OnTargetEnglish.com, we receive a lot of feedback from English learners who are saying that they need to improve their listening skills.

And today, we have with us Carolyn Sandy, who has taught English for multiple years in Asia, and specifically, in China. And, as we consider the idea of listening, I think about many English learners on our website who have pointed out that they have difficulty understanding English often. And it may be that they have difficulty understanding native speakers of English. And, Carolyn, it’s sometimes it’s just that they have difficulty understanding their English teachers. Or maybe they’re even having difficulty understanding this video.

What are some things that English learners can do to improve their listening?

1. Work diligently.

Carolyn: One thing that English learners need to remember is just to be patient. Listening is hard work, and it takes a lot of effort to listen to someone and understand them as they speak.

Alfredo: So patience is something just to keep in mind. And so even if they’re not getting the results that they want, they need to realize that you’re not going to learn English after just a couple of days.

2. Ask for repetition.

Carolyn: And not being afraid to ask someone to repeat something–

Alfredo: Ok.

Carolyn: –to hear it again.

Alfredo: When we think about improving with listening–often if someone is going to listen, maybe through a CD or an MP3, using an audio device to listen–there are not as many advantages to understanding as there are in a situation, perhaps in a real-world situation where you’re actually speaking with someone else, like I’m in from of you right now. So what are some advantages of actually being with a person and seeing that person while you are trying to understand what they are saying?

3. Observe body language and reactions.

Carolyn: A lot of language is communicated through body language and people’s expressions, so if you can practice your English or the language you are learning with somebody who is speaking that language, you can learn a lot from their reactions to what you’re saying, and even how they use their English on an everyday level that you may not get just from the textbook or learning vocabulary words.

Alfredo: Yeah. So body language is important. I imagine sometimes even when people use gestures, they can perhaps demonstrate what they’re talking about. For example, if they use the word “umbrella,” what does that mean?

Well, perhaps they will perform the action of opening an umbrella. And that gesture helps them to understand what the word is.

Carolyn: That’s true.

Alfredo: So a gesture might be helpful. Even if–whether the person is re-enacting (is performing) the activity that the person is speaking about–or even just other body language is often helpful for people to understand. Are there other examples of non-verbal communication that can help besides body language?

4. Identify words that you already know.

Carolyn: Something that has helped me in learning Chinese is to listen maybe for words that you know and then to look at how people in the group are interacting with each other. And I kind of can piece together how what they are saying is relating to words that I know. And it helps me to fit the conversation together.

Alfredo: Ok, so taking the things that you’ve already heard, and making a connection.

In this video, Alfredo interviews Matthew Weathers, an English teacher in Asia, about having the courage to communicate with a speaker of another language.

Video transcript

Alfredo: I’ve tried studying French or Spanish before. And you were talking about the importance of finding a native English speaker to practice speaking with. And I know that that’s important for me as I seek to improve, for example, my Spanish skills. But sometimes it’s kind of intimidating, knowing that I’m not fluent in Spanish, but the other person is.

And I’m recognizing this other person’s going to have to be patient with me, and so I may feel hesitation. I do feel hesitation when I approach someone who is fluent in Spanish, but I want to speak Spanish with that person. So I imagine that there are also English speakers–or English learners–who feel hesitation, who feel fear. They get nervous when they’re around native English speakers but they still want to practice English with that person. What do you you recommend for that person to overcome that nervousness?

Matthew: I would hope that their love for English and learning English–their love for that is greater than their fear of a foreigner or a native English speaker. Often in China I’ll need help with a Chinese word or phrase, and I’ll ask my students for help and they’re happy to help me. I will ask them [Chinese], which, I think it means in Chinese, “Can you help me?”

Alfredo: I have no idea if it means that.

Matthew: Well, they usually say, “Yes, teacher. We can help you.” [Chinese] “What do you want?” And so I’ll tell them in English and they’ll help me in Chinese. And they’re happy to help me. The same thing for most native English speakers in a foreign country: We are happy to help students learn English.

Alfredo: Okay.

Matthew: We know it’s difficult to learn English because we are having difficulty learning that language. And so when they come to us for help, we’re happy to help them learn English.

Alfredo: So when they come to you and they try to speak English, it’s like, you understand their frustration, or you understand their hesitation because you are surrounded by people who know a language that you were not quite fluent in. And you’re nervous about it, but they’re nervous about speaking in English, and so you can both overcome that hesitation.

Matthew: And many times in Chinese, I will know the right words, but I won’t know how to say them in the exact way that they should be said because pronunciation in Chinese is very difficult for me at a Westerner. But the students are very patient, and they’re very helpful, trying to help me learn their language. And likewise I as an English teacher want to help my students and any Chinese student wanting to learn English to speak better, to listen better, to help find resources that they can utilize for their English learning process.

Video transcript

Here is another frequent comment that visitors to OnTargetEnglish.com make:

I can understand some of the English in the videos but not all of it. How can I understand more?

Here are three things that you can do to understand more of the English spoken in our videos:

1. Watch the video again. Or watch the part of the video that you did not understand. The great thing about online video is that you can go back and watch it again.

2. Read the text while you listen. Use the closed captions for YouTube videos. Do you see the letters CC at the bottom of this video? If you click those letters, the words that I speak in the video will appear near the bottom. Videos that you purchase from OnTargetEnglish.com do not have closed captions, but you can read the script of the video while you listen to the video. When you listen to the words and see them at the same time, you can understand more, and you might also improve your vocabulary.

3. Avoid distractions. Tell yourself that learning English is really important. There are some practical things you can do to help you concentrate. What is something that you do to help you concentrate while you read or study? Add a comment below this video.

Again, follow these three tips. Watch the video again, read the text while you listen, and avoid distractions. If you follow these tips, you will be able to understand the speaking in our videos better.

Do you have a question about learning English? Post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

Links from the video:

• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
• About.com phonetic symbols

Video transcript

After watching our video on Improving Your English Vocabulary, a visitor with the nickname “justreal” asked, “thank u 4 giving me the ways to improve my words. And my question is; what the best dictionary should I use?”

I recommend the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. It’s online, it’s free, and it’s a great dictionary.

Visit ldoceonline.com. Type the word or phrase that you want to look up. Click search, and you will get your result instantly. We will include a link to the Longman Dictionary below this video.

Before I finish, I want to answer another question.

A visitor named “sally” asked, “how can i learn the symbols of pronunciation in the dictionary?”

About.com has a helpful guide to phonetic symbols. Do a Google search for “about.com phonetic symbols”; the first search result will lead you to a really helpful resource for understanding pronunciation symbols in the dictionary.

Thank you, “justreal” and Sally for your questions. If anybody else has a question for us, please post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

Now, I have a question for you. Do you have a dictionary that translates words from your language? What dictionary do you use? Add a comment below this video.

Links from the Video:

• More tips on learning vocabulary: Improving Your English Vocabulary
• The 2,000 most frequently used words in English: General Service List
• Download flashcards for your app: Quizlet.com
• Learn English vocabulary with pictures: English Success
• Post your question: bit.ly/askmyquestion

Video Transcript

One of the videos in our series on Improving Your English Skills focuses on improving your vocabulary.

A visitor named Suman wrote this: “thanks for the video…….but there are so may new words to learn.” He continued by asking how to start improving his vocabulary. And he wanted to know where he should start.

Well, I do recommend watching the video on improving your vocabulary. It’s only three and a half minutes long, and it is full of great tips on improving your vocabulary. We will include a link to that video in the text below this video.

But what else can you do? I recommend using a picture dictionary. On one page, you can see pictures of many different things with labels. Some picture dictionaries use only English.

Now I have good news for English learners, and I have bad news. The bad news is that there are 1 million words in the English language. The good news is that if you know just 2,000 words and their word families, you can understand 90 to 95 percent of everyday English usage. The 2,000 most frequently used words make up a list called the General Service List.

We’re going to include a link to that list below this video. I recommend that you know the words in that list.

Flash cards can be really helpful, too. Put the English word on one side, and put the same word in your language on the other side. You can make your own flash cards, or you can use a flash card app for your phone that downloads flashcards from Quizlet.com. It may be that Quizlet.com already has flash cards in your language for learning English. I use an app for learning French vocabulary, and it’s really helpful.

Flash cards are great, but you also need to learn a word in its context. That’s why our video on improving your vocabulary recommends seeing and hearing the word in sentences and conversations. Watch that video for more tips. Of course, our series of videos in English Success also includes several videos on vocabulary that allow you to hear the word, see the word, and see a picture that represents the word. To learn more, visit ontargetenglish.com/success.

Suman, thank you for your question about improving your vocabulary. If anybody else has a question about learning English, you can post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

Did you know that English Success teaches more than grammar? Get English Success, and improve your vocabulary, pronunciation, listening, speaking, grammar, and more.

http://bit.ly/practicemyenglish

http://bit.ly/askmyquestion

Video transcript

In the series on Improving Your English Skills, one of my videos was on improving your grammar. In that video, I talked about hearing examples, learning the grammar rule, and using the grammar in your own communication.

One of our visitors named Manish viewed my video and responded with a comment. Manish wrote this: “Speaking english and learning grammer are different things.” Manish continued by saying that you need to know more than just grammar in order to speak English. Maybe you have learned English grammar, but people still don’t understand you when you speak English. How can we help Manish?

It’s true that you need to know more than grammar to speak English. You need to learn vocabulary. It’s helpful to learn some idioms, especially if you are trying to understand a native English speaker. And you need to use English. You need to practice it.

Now, there are some people who say that studying grammar actually hurts your English speaking. I disagree. To learn any language, you need to learn its grammar. So, yes, I recommend studying grammar. But you need to learn vocabulary, too. And you need to use English. Practice speaking. Practice writing it. Get on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ and practice chatting in English. By the way, you can find someone to help you practice your English by visiting bit.ly/practicemyenglish. We will include a link to that address below this video.

You do need to learn grammar. But you also need to learn vocabulary, and you need to keep using English.

Manish had a great comment that I discussed in this video. Do you have a question about learning English? Post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

I also want to know what area of study or practice helps you learn English the most. Is it grammar, vocabulary, listening, practicing with a friend, or something else? Add your comment below this video.

Video transcript

A visitor to OnTargetEnglish.com recently asked about hesitation while speaking English. Pari said this: “please help us to speak in english. we hesitate to speak in english how we can get over it???”

I understand completely. I don’t hesitate to speak in English because it’s my first language. But I often hesitate to speak in French or Spanish because, for me, they are second languages that I am trying to improve.

The first thing to do is to prepare. In other words, study English. Learn vocabulary, grammar, and so forth.

But you also need to use the language while you are learning it. And I think that this is what Pari is asking about.

Even if we are prepared, a common reason that we hesitate to speak a second language is that we’re afraid of making mistakes. But we shouldn’t be afraid of mistakes. They will happen.

Children aren’t afraid of mistakes when they’re learning to talk. And they learn very quickly. Do they make mistakes? Yes, all the time! But the mistakes don’t stop their progress. And it’s amazing how fast they learn to speak their first language. Don’t let mistakes stop YOUR progress in speaking English.

The key is to enjoy speaking in English. Laugh at your mistakes, but also celebrate any small improvements. Have fun as you learn.

I know that these tips help because I use them when I try to have a conversation in French or Spanish. Any language learner feels hesitation to speak. Just remember to take risks. Yes, you’ll make mistakes, but enjoy speaking and improving in the language.

Pari, I’m glad that you asked that question. It’s a great question because a lot of people experience the same frustration.

So remember these two things. First, be prepared. How? Keep studying English. Second, enjoy using the language instead of worrying about making mistakes. If you keep following these two things, I think that you can overcome your fear of speaking in English.

Pari had a great question that I answered in this video. Do you have a question about learning English? Post it at bit.ly/askmyquestion.

I also want to know what helps you to enjoy speaking in English. Add a comment below this video to share your ideas. Maybe your idea will help other English students to enjoy speaking in English more.