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When a native speaker sees a new word, hecan decide veryquickly if he needs to know
this word.
English learners, however, try to learn EVERY word they see or hear. Do you do that?
There are more than 1 million words in the English language. You are not going to learn
all of them. I dont know all of them! Not all of these words are equal. Dont waste time
learning and memorizing words that you are never going to use.
Learn core vocabulary. Core vocabulary is the term that I use for the most important,
most common words in English.
According to the Oxford Dictionaries, native speakers use 7000 words for 90% of
everything that they say and write. Thats it!Those are the words you need to learn.
Its easier to remember common words because you read and hear them again and
again.
Build your vocabulary by learning core vocabulary. Your listeningskills will improve when
you focus on learning the right words. It will also become easier to express your thoughts
and opinions.
ACTION: Listen to the English Teacher Melanie podcast. Each story is written
using core vocabulary!
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan
2 COLLOCATIONS
BUILD SENTENCES BY LEARNING COMBINATIONS OF WORDS.
I could not understand why so many English learners from around the world kept
asking the same questions. Were they asking about prepositions of place? Prepositions
of time?
After thinking about this for a long time, I finally realized that they were asking about
word combinations. Specifically, they were asking about collocations.
Collo-what?!
A collocation is two or more words used together in a way that sounds natural and
correct to a native speaker.
A collocation can be any group of words like a waste of time, throw a party, drive a car,
go home, be responsible for, or wake up early.
Learning collocations helps you sound more natural, and it helps you understand
natural spoken English.
You cant translate directly from your language into English. A combination of words that
you sayin your language may not be correct in anotherlanguage. You need tolearn
English combinations of words.
ACTION: Stop using Google to find the definition of a word. Use a dictionary
specifically for English learners. Merriam-Websters Learners Dictionary
These dictionaries will tell you Macmillan Online Dictionary
what the word means, as well Oxford Learners Dictionary
as any collocations, phases, Cambridge Dictionaries Online
phrasal verbs or idioms with that word. WordReference.com
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan
3 SENTENCES
MEMORIZE SENTENCES, NOT RULES.
I know lots of grammar rules but I cant remember any of them when I want to speak.
Grammar explains how words are organized into sentences. Its important to understand
how English sentences are different from sentences in your language. You cant directly
translate from your language into English.
However, you are not going to learn English or improve your listening & speaking skills
by memorizing rules.
Grammar rules are easy to teach, and English students like rules because they are easy
to learn. Native speakers, on the other hand, dont worry about rules when they speak
because English sentences dont always follow rules.
Its much easier to memorize I need some information about or some information
about rather than thinking, How do you use the verb need? What are the rules for using
some? Is information countable or uncountable? Which preposition should I use after
information? How can you remember all that when you want to speak?
ACTION: Put your grammar textbook away for one week and try something new.
Pay attention to sentences. Try to memorize at least one new sentence each
day. You can find sentences anywhere: in a dictionary for English learners, in the
news, on my website or in the stories in each episode of my podcast.
When you see or hear a new word, pay attention to the sentence in which you
found the word. Pay attention to the other words in the sentence.
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan
4 SOUNDS
HEAR THE WORDS. DONT TRY TO SEE THE WORDS.
Spoken English is a collection of sounds that are in an order that is familiar and
understandable to a native English speaker.
English spelling and pronunciation dont always match. There are patterns that you
can memorize, but its often difficult to look at an English word and know how its
pronounced.
Food. Good. Blood. All three words have the letters oo. And theoo is pronounced
differently in all 3 words. Thats right! These three words do not sound the same. The
vowel sound is different in allthree words:
This why you need to hear an English word first to know how to pronounce it. The spell-
ing of the word wont always tell you how it is pronounced.
Dont rely on your language to know how to pronounce an English word, especially
if your language uses the same alphabet as English. The sounds of English may be
different from the sounds of your language.
Hear the word, and then imitate the sounds that you hear.
ACTION: Use online dictionaries specifically for English learners. You can listen
to a native speaker say the word, and you can read the IPA transcription of the
word.
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan
5 MEMORY
CONNECT. RETRIEVE. REPEAT.
Looking at a word, phrase, or sentence for a long time wont make it easier to
memorize.You need to see or hear something many times before your brain remembers
it.
Write down the sentence in which you saw or heard the word or phrase, or write down
an example sentence from the dictionary. (Dont try to make up your own sentence. How
will you know if your sentence is wrong?) Leave a blank space for the word or phrase
you want to remember, like this:
When you look at the sentence again, you make your brain to retrieve the missing word.
This makes your memory stronger.
ACTION: Stop getting angry at yourself or getting discouraged because you cant
remember the 10 new words or sentences that you tried to memorize yesterday. It
takes time. Practice connect, retrieve & repeat.
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan
6 THOUGHTS
THINK IN ENGLISH.
First, you think of something in your language. Then, you translate it into English. Oh no,
you cant think of one word, and youre taking to long to think of something and there is
silence. Then you say um or uh while you try to remember how to translate a word or
you try to remember the correct rule. Then, you start sweating and you feel embarrassed
about your English and you wonder why you cant speak very well.
Its OK. You are not alone! That is how many English learners speak English. I have
heard the same thing from many, many English learners:
What if you stop translating from your language into English? What if you think in English
and then speak in English?
Does it take you half a second to think of something in your language, translate it into
English, and then say it in English? Probably not.
When you translate from your language into English, not only does it take too long, you
also end up saying things that sound unnatural or incorrect to a native speaker.
When you focus on learning collocations, phrases and words, you will starting thinking in
English. When you start thinking in English, it becomes easier to speak in English.
ACTION: Start thinking in English. I know its easier said than done, but try. It will
make a difference.
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan
7 FUN
YOU DONT HAVE TO SIT AT A DESK WITH A TEXTBOOK TO LEARN ENGLISH.
Is that why you think studying English so boring and you avoid it as much as possible?
Do you keep telling yourself that someday, when you have time time, you will start
studying English again?
Studying is one part of learning, but it is not the only way to learn. English is everywhere.
There are opportunities to learn English everywhere.
Dont try to force yourself to do something if you dont enjoy it. You dont have to force
yourself to sit at a desk and read a textbook. Learning something isnt always fun and it
does take effort, but there are ways to make it more interesting.
If you enjoy cooking, read an English cookbook or watch cooking videos on YouTube.
If you enjoy sports, read about sports on an English news website. If you are interested
in world events, read an online English newspaper or listen to an English radio station.
Listen to an English podcast on the way to work or while you exercise or while you clean
your house.
When you watch an English movie or TV show, you dont have to write down & look up
every word you dont know. Its OK to relax and watch an English TV show just for fun
(with English subtitles if you need them).
There are many ways to learn English. Find the one that is fun & interesting for you.
ACTION: Look for opportunities to add English to your life and for ways to make
learning English fun!
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan
THE RESULT SPEAKING
SPEAKING IS THE RESULT OF LISTENING AND READING.
When you listen and read, you learn new words, collocations, phrases, phrasal verbs,
idioms, sentences and the sounds of English.
When you know vocabulary and pronunciation, you can think in English. When you think
in English, you can speak and write in English.
Isnt that how you learned your first language, the language that you speak every day
with your family and friends?
You cant learn English by just speaking. The words dont magically come out of your
mouth in the right order just because you speak. You have to do the work.
Its great if you can find a native speaker to practice with, but remember that
practice doesnt mean correct my mistakes. In English-speaking cultures, its rude
to correct someones English. Practicing English will help you feel more confident, and
thats a good thing. If no one corrects your mistakes, however, the result is that you speak
English with a lot of mistakes confidently!
You have to correct yourself. This is why reading and listening to native speakers is so
important. This is why learning phrases and sentences is so important. This is why not
translating from your language into English is so important.
Speak, and dont worry about making mistakes, because native speakers dont care if
you make mistakes, but never stop learning. Dont assume that you are correct just be-
cause no one has corrected you.
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan
ABOUT MELANIE
Hi, Im Melanie &Im so happy youre here! You are ready and excited and determined
to improve your English!
I created this e-book to help you become a better English speaker. I have heard from so
many English learners like you who are frustrated with their current level of English. My
7 secrets in this e-book will change the way you study & learn English.
Finally, I am a language learner like you, except I studied French. In Canada, all
children have to study French in school. I have been learning French since I was 8
years old.I know what its like to spend your life studying a second language. Its fun. Its
boring. Its frustrating. It makes you happy. It makes you want to pull your hair out.
I know that for some of you, learning English is something you do for fun because
you want to watch English TV shows and movies. For others, learning English is
necessary because you work for an international company, or you are living and working
in an English-speaking country.
Whatever your purpose is, these7 thingswill help you reach your goal.
Melanie
2016 English Teacher Melanie 7 Secrets to Better English | Your English Master Plan