PEP - by Douglas Migliassi

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CONTENTS
PART I – Grammar Explained …………………………………………………………03
Perfect Tenses (Present/Past/Future)

Modal Verbs
Present Perfect Continuous
Simple Past
Phrasal verbs
Expressions Of Time
Verbs Conjugation
Confidence
PART II – FCE – First Certificate In English / Cambridge…..………….………….21
Resources
Extra Resources (Link Provided)
Teacher Douglas’s Tips & Advices
Two Weeks Before
The Day Before
Before Leaving Your House To The Test Center
During And After You Finish The Test
Tips On How To Cope
PART III – How To Improve The 4 Abilities…………………………….……………..23
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
PART IV - References…………………………………………………………………….51
PEP - Proficiency Exam Preparation By Douglas Migliassi - August 2023 - Revised Edition
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THE AUTHOR AND THE BOOK
Written by - Douglas Migliassi

Self-Publishing Date - August 2023
Contact Information:
Email - douglasmigliassi@outlook.com
Mobile Number In Brazil - +55 11 99227 8024
Youtube Channel - Douglas Migliassi
Social Networks - @douglasmigliassi
Photographs - Taken By Douglas Migliassi In New York In 2019

Cover Design - Douglas Migliassi
Editing & Revision - Douglas Migliassi
“This book is dedicated to all my students, family and co-workers, who

have consistently encouraged me to challenge myself and all the kind
words you have said to me throughout the years, those words kept me
going and here I am, where I’ve always wanted to be, doing everything
that I love. This is for YOU. - Douglas Migliassi”
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without prior permission
in writing (email) from the self-published author.
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PART I
Grammar Explained
Present Perfect Tenses (Present/Past/Future)

The English perfect tenses (present perfect, present perfect
progressive/continuous, past perfect, past perfect progressive/continuous, future
perfect, & future perfect progressive/continuous) are all used to make connections in
time. Each of these tenses helps your listener (or reader) understand the verbs
you’re using because they make these connections within time, showing which
actions happened first, if they’re still happening, etc…
*NOTE: the terms “progressive” and “continuous” mean the same thing. This post
will use the term, “continuous”
What are the Perfect Tenses?

The perfect Tenses all include a form of the auxiliary HAVE and the past participle.
The progressive tenses always have the past participle of BE and the main verb in
the -ING form. Here’s a review of each of the sentence structures:
● Present perfect: subject + has/have + past participle (+ object) → I have

lived in Brazil. He has eaten sushi.
● Present perfect continuous: subject + has/have + been + verb-ING (+

object) → I have been teaching for 10 years. She has been living there since
2004.
● Past perfect: subject + had + past participle (+ object) → They had seen her
before yesterday.
● Past perfect continuous: subject + had + been + verb-ING (+ object) → We

had been dating a long time when we got married.
● Future perfect: subject + will + have + past participle (+ object) → I will have
gotten my Master’s degree by then.
● Future perfect continuous: subject + will + have + been + verb-ING (+

object) → They will have been traveling for 3 months by the end of the year.
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Connections in Time:
As I mentioned, the perfect tenses all make connections in time. Specifically…
● the present perfect connects the past to the present (and shows experience)
● the past perfect connects 2 past actions (or a past action and a past time),
and shows which happened first
● the future perfect connects a past, present, or future action with a time (or
action) in the future, and it shows which will happen before that future time
The main difference between the simple and continuous tenses is that the simple
perfect tenses focus on a result (something finishing), and the continuous tenses
focus on duration (something continuing).
Present Perfect & Present Perfect Continuous
This tense is the most common! You are going to use this to talk about experiences
(things you’ve done in the past, at an unspecified time), and that are true today!
You’ll use this when introducing yourself, having a conversation with others about
you, and in many different types of conversations. These 2 tenses will help you
emphasize that actions are still happening, or still true today.
I started teaching in the past, in 2007. Because today the year is 2017, I can
connect the past to the present by saying:
● I have been teaching for 10 years.

● I have been a teacher since 2007.
Remember, the present perfect continuous focuses on duration, or something

continuing. With this tense, I am emphasizing that continuing action (rather than a
finished result). In my second example (I have been a teacher…), the main verb is
BE, which is a non-action or stative verb. Non-action verbs can never be in the -ING
form, so that’s why it’s in the [simple] present perfect tense. We use the [simple]
present perfect to show continuation with stative verbs only. If you need more
information about non-action/stative verbs, I suggest reading this post here.
The simple present perfect is usually only used to show experience though.
For example, I have lived in Brazil. This means I have the experience of living in
Brazil.
Past Perfect & Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect tense, while not the most common, is still very, very important! You
will use this tense when talking about the past, especially when telling past stories.
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Because it helps connect actions in the past, and tells which happened first, it will
help your listener understand the order of events.
I started studying in college in 2004. This action happened before another past
action of starting to teach in 2007. So, I can connect two past events by saying:
I had been studying for 3 years when I started teaching.
I had studied in college by the time I started teaching.
Both of the actions in the past perfect tenses (had been studying & had studied)
show that they happened 1st, BEFORE the 2nd action of starting to teach.
Remember that the main difference between these two examples is that the
continuous tense focuses on continuation/duration, and the simple tense focuses on
an action finishing/the result.
As I mentioned we can connect 2 past actions like my examples above (studying &
teaching), or we can connect a past action with a past time:
● I had been studying for 3 years by 2007

● I had studied in college by 2007.
Future Perfect & Future Perfect Continuous

The future perfect will give that same connection, showing what you will have done
before a future time or event. I find this tense to be the most common in job settings,
when talking about experience you will have or projects you will have completed by
some future time. However, you can also use this in conversations when talking
about future plans and goals.
I started teaching in 2007. If I wanted to connect this past action, to the future (the
year 2021), then I can do this by saying:
● I will have been teaching for 14 years by 2021.

● I will have graduated college by 2021.
(( ↑ This is an example of the [simple] future perfect showing an action will have
been finished by a future time, focusing on the result.))
Let’s imagine that I bought a house today (in 2017). That would make it a present
tense action. I can connect the present to the future by saying:
● I will have owned a house for 4 years by 2021.

(( ↑ This is an example of a stative verb (OWN) showing continuation with the simple
future perfect.))
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● I will have been living in my new (owned) home for 4 years by 2021.
(( ↑ This focuses on continuation with the future perfect continuous.))
Finally, we can connect the future to the future. So I know (it’s a pretty for sure plan)
that I will have a second baby before 2021. I can express this by saying:
● I will have had a second baby by 2021.

(( ↑ This focuses on a result happening before a future event))
Practice Makes Perfect

Now that you have a better understanding of the English perfect tenses, it’s time to
practice! The most important thing that you can do is try and make this information
relevant to you. If you connect this grammar to you personally, then you are more
likely to remember the information and be able to use it in your conversations in the
future.
So can you create your own timeline with some past, present, and future actions
and times? You can draw this on a piece of paper and then write out some sentence
examples focusing on the correct structures and uses.
Additionally, you can answer the following questions:
● What is something you have been doing since last year?

● Had you already been learning English with my videos before you started this
lesson?
● By the end of the year, how long will you have been studying English?
Manhattan Bridge / New York City, 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi
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Modal Verbs
Modal verbs show possibility, intent, ability, or necessity. Because they’re a type of
auxiliary verb (helper verb), they’re used alongside the infinitive form of the main
verb of a sentence. Common examples of modal verbs include can, should, and
must.
Modal verbs can be tricky, but the good news is that they’re simple once you learn
how they work. Below, we explain everything you need to know to use modal verbs
with ease.
How are modal verbs used?
Modal verbs are used to express certain hypothetical conditions, such as

advisability, capability, or requests (there’s a full list in the next section). They’re used
alongside a main verbBecause modal verbs are auxiliary, they can’t generally be
used on their own. A modal verb can appear alone only in a sentence only if the
main verb is implied because it has previously been established.
● Can you swim every Tuesday?

● Yes, I can.
Modal verbs are quite common in English; you’ve seen them in action hundreds of
times even if you didn’t know what they were called. The most frequently used ones
are:
● can
● may
● might
● could
● should
● would
● will
● must
There are other, less common modal verbs. Some—like shall and ought—are rarely
used any longer. There are also verbs that can function either as main verbs or as
modal auxiliaries depending on the context; got, need, and have all behave like
modal verbs in the common colloquial expressions got to, need to, and have to.
Some modal verbs express very specific conditions that don’t come up often, like
dare in its modal form in “Dare I ask?” The word used in the idiomatic phrase used
to, as in “I used to be an English student too,” behaves like a modal verb with only a
past tense form. to inflect its meaning.
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Consider the difference between these two examples:
● I swim every Tuesday.

● I can swim every Tuesday.
The first example is a simple factual statement. The speaker participates in a swimming
activity every week on Tuesdays. The second example uses the modal verb can. Notice how
the meaning changes slightly. The speaker does not necessarily swim every Tuesday;
they’re saying that they are capable of swimming every Tuesday or that the possibility exists
for them to swim every Tuesday. It’s hypothetical.
When are modal verbs used?

What special conditions do modal verbs indicate? Here’s a list, along with examples:
Likelihood
Some things seem likely to be true but can’t be stated as definite facts. In these
cases, you can use the modal verbs should and must to show probability without
certainty.
● Her parents must be so proud.

● My baby brother should be asleep by now.
Possibility
In a situation when something is possible but not certain, use the modal verb could,
may, or might.
● Judging by the clouds, it might rain today.

● She may become the youngest pro soccer player ever.
Ability
The modal verb can expresses whether the subject of a sentence is able to do
something. Likewise, the negative form, cannot or can’t, shows that the subject is
unable to do something.
● She can speak three languages but none of them well.

● You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
Permission
If you want to ask permission to do something, start your question with can, may, or
could. Traditionally, may is considered more formal and polite usage for permission;
if you ask “Can I go to the bathroom?” it could be misinterpreted as “Do I have the
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ability to go to the bathroom?” However, in modern informal usage, may and can are
both perfectly acceptable options for describing possibility or permission.
● Students, you may leave early today.

● Could I play too?
Request
Similarly, if you want to ask someone else to do something, start your question with
will, would, can, or could.
● Would you get that box off the top shelf?

● Will you turn that music down?
Suggestion/advice
What if you want to recommend a course of action but not command it? If you’re
giving suggestions or advice without ordering someone around, you can use the
modal verb should.
● You should try the lasagna.

● That guy should wear less cologne.
Command
On the other hand, if you want to command someone, use the modal verbs must,
have, or need. With the latter two, the main verb does not drop the word to from its
infinitive form.
● You must wash your hands before cooking.

● You need to be here before 8:00.
Obligation or necessity
Modal verbs can express a necessary action, such as an obligation, duty, or
requirement. Likewise, the negative forms express that an action is not necessary.
Use the same modal verbs as with commands: must, have, and need.
● We have to wait for our boss to arrive before we open.

● You don’t need to come if you don’t want to.
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Habit
To show an ongoing or habitual action—something the subject does regularly—you
can use the modal verb would for the past tense and will for the present and future.
The phrase used to is also acceptable when you’re talking about a habit in the past.
● When I lived alone, I would fall asleep with music.

● I will arrive early to every meeting and leave late.
How to use modal verbs (with examples)

Luckily, using modal verbs in a sentence is pretty simple. For basic sentences—in
the simple present tense—just remember these rules:
● Modal verbs come directly before the main verb except for in questions.
● With modal verbs, use the infinitive form of the main verb. With most but not
all modal verbs, to is dropped from the infinitive.
So if you want to brag about your ability to eat an entire pizza, you use the modal
verb can before the infinitive form of eat without to—which is simply eat. The rest of
the sentence continues as normal.
● I can eat an entire pizza.
If you want to communicate that circumstances are requiring you to eat an entire
pizza, you might use the modal verb have before the infinitive form of eat, retaining
to:
● I have to eat an entire pizza.
For yes/no questions, you still use the infinitive form of the main verb, but the order
is a little different: [modal verb] + [subject] + [main verb infinitive].
● Can you eat an entire pizza?

● Do you have to eat an entire pizza?
Note that in the second example above, because have is a verb that only
sometimes functions as an auxiliary verb and at other times functions as a main
verb, the question is formed with the auxiliary verb do at the beginning.
Because modal verbs deal largely with general situations or hypotheticals that
haven’t actually happened, all of the core ones can refer to present and future time
but only some of them can refer to past time, and most of the time they do not
change form to make different tenses. However, all of them can be used with
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different conjugations of a sentence’s main verb to refer to present or future time in

different ways, so let’s talk a little about verb tenses and modal verbs.
Present tenses
We already covered the simple present above, but you can also use modal verbs in
the present continuous and present perfect continuous tenses.
Present continuous
After the modal verb, use the word be followed by the –ing form of the main verb:
[modal verb] + be + [verb in -ing form].
● I should be going.
Present perfect continuous
You can add a modal verb before a main verb in the present perfect continuous
tense without changing much. However, note that the main verb always forms the
present perfect continuous using have been, when appearing with a modal verb,
never had been, even if the subject is third-person.
The formula is
[modal verb] + have been + [main verb in -ing form].
● She must have been sleeping.
Simple past and present perfect tenses

Using a modal verb in the simple past or the present perfect (which indicates an
action that happened in the past but is directly related to the present) is a little
trickier.
Only a few of the core modal verbs have the ability to refer to past time: could,
might, should, and would. They do this by functioning at times as the past tense
forms of their fellow modal verbs can, may, shall, and will. But keep in mind that, as
we saw above, could, might, should, and would also have different senses in which
they refer to the present and the future, indicating possibility, permission, request,
habit, or other conditions. None of the modal verbs can be used in the past perfect,
the past continuous, or the past perfect continuous tense.
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Simple past
Of the main modal verbs listed at the top, only can and will can be used in the
simple past. The expressions have to and need to can also be used in the simple
past, when conjugated as had to and needed to. Other modal verbs use the present
perfect to discuss events in the past.
Can and will use their past tense form plus the infinitive form of the main verb
without to, just like in the present: could/would + [main verb infinitive].
● I could do a handstand when I was a kid.

● During exam season in college, I would not sleep much.
Present perfect
To form the present perfect using the modal verb could, might, should, or would, use
the present perfect form of the main verb, which is have plus the past participle. As
with the present perfect continuous, you always use have, even if the subject is
third-person: could/might/should/would + have + [main verb past participle].
● I might have gone to the party, but I forgot.
Future tenses
Because the simple future, future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect
continuous tenses of main verbs are all already formed with the modal verb will,
when you want to indicate likelihood, permission, or any of the other conditions
discussed above in the future, it often makes sense to do it in some other way than
by adding a modal verb.
They will be more likely to come over tomorrow if you give them plenty of warning.
However, there are also situations in which a modal verb other than willcan be used
to talk about something in the future. In these cases, the new modal verb just
replaces will in the sentence, and the main verb takes the same form it would with
will..
● I can hang out tomorrow.

● Could I be majoring in law next year?
● They should have left by the time we get there.
● By twenty years from now, I may have traveled to more conferences than I
care to recall.
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Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are very common in English, especially in more informal contexts.
They are made up of a verb and a particle or, sometimes, two particles. The particle
often changes the meaning of the verb.
● I called Jen to see how she was. (call = to telephone)

They've called off the meeting. (call off = to cancel)
In terms of word order, there are two main types of phrasal verb: separable and
inseparable.
Separable
With separable phrasal verbs, the verb and particle can be apart or together.
● They've called the meeting off.

OR
They've called off the meeting.
However, separable phrasal verbs must be separated when you use a personal
pronoun.
● The meeting? They've called it off.
Here are some common separable phrasal verbs:
● I didn't want to bring the situation up at the meeting.

(bring up = start talking about a particular subject)
● Please can you fill this form in?

(fill in = write information in a form or document)
● I'll pick you up from the station at 8 p.m.

(pick up = collect someone in a car or other vehicle to take them somewhere)
● She turned the job down because she didn't want to move to Glasgow.
(turn down = to not accept an offer)
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Non-separable
Some phrasal verbs cannot be separated.
● Who looks after the baby when you're at work?

Even when there is a personal pronoun, the verb and particle remain together.
● Who looks after her when you're at work?

Here are some common non-separable phrasal verbs:
● I came across your email when I was clearing my inbox.

(come across = to find something by chance)
● The caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly.

(turn into = become)
● It was quite a major operation. It took months to get over it and feel normal
again.
(get over = recover from something)
● We are aware of the problem and we are looking into it.

(look into = investigate)
Some multi-word verbs are inseparable simply because they don't take an object.
I get up at 7 a.m.
With two particles

Phrasal verbs with two particles are also inseparable. Even if you use a personal
pronoun, you put it after the particles.
● Who came up with that idea?

(come up with = think of an idea or plan)
● Let's get rid of these old magazines to make more space.

(get rid of = remove or become free of something that you don't want)
● I didn't really get on with my stepbrother when I was a teenager.

(get on with = like and be friendly towards someone)
● Can you hear that noise all the time? I don't know how you put up with it.
(put up with = tolerate something difficult or annoying)
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● The concert's on Friday. I'm really looking forward to it.

(look forward to = be happy and excited about something that is going to
happen)
Central Park / New York City 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi
Brooklyn Bridge / New York City 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi
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Expressions Of Time
Past Present Future
Yesterday Today Tomorrow
Last Christmas This week Next week
An hour ago Now In an hour
Recently As we speak Soon
A little while ago At this moment In the near future
A long time ago These days Way off in the future
In the past Nowadays Eventually
This morning At this time Later today
Time expressions usually go at the end

or at the beginning of a sentence:
● Yesterday I went to school.

● I went to school yesterday.
● This week I’m going to New York.
● I’m going to New York this week.
Other popular time expressions:

In the morning
● When I wake up in the morning,

I like to drink coffee.
● What do you drink in the
morning?
During the day
● During the day, they go to

school.
● What do you do during the day?
●
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At night
● The stars and the moon come

out at night.
● Most people sleep at night, but
cats usually stay out late.
In the afternoon
● In the afternoon, I come home

from school and do my
homework.
Using time expressions with the correct verb tense will improve your
English:
● Last week I went to the movies. (past tense. )
● –This week I’m working early in the morning. (present continuous tense to
describe the entire week)
● Next week I’m going to take a trip to California. (the “going to” future)
The Oculus Subway Station / New York City 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi
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Verbs Conjugation
Verb conjugation refers to how a verb changes to show a different person, tense,
number or mood.
To be verb conjugation
In English, we have six different persons: first person singular (I), second person
singular (you), third person singular (he/she/it/one), first person plural (we), second
person plural (you), and third person plural (they). We must conjugate a verb for
each person. The verb to be is a particularly notable verb for conjugation because
it’s irregular.
Conjugation of the irregular verb to be:

First Person Singular Second Person Singular Third Person Singular
I am you are he/she/it is
First Person Plural Second Person Plural Third Person Plural
we are you are they are
Verb tense conjugation

Verbs are also conjugated according to their tenses. Verb tense indicates when the
action in a sentence is happening (e.g., in the present, future, or past). Regular verbs
follow a standard pattern when conjugated according to tense. Look at the examples
below:
Conjugation of the regular verb to live (based on tense):

Simple Present Simple Past Simple Future
live lived will live
Present Continuous Past Continuous Future Continuous
am living was living will be living
Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect
have lived had lived will have lived
Present Perfect Past Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous

Continuous
have been living had been living will have been living
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Conjugation of the regular verb to work (based on tense):

work worked will work
am working was working will be working
have worked had worked will have worked

Continuous
have been working had been working will have been working
Irregular verbs do not follow a standard pattern when conjugated according to verb
tense. The following example illustrates this point:
Conjugation of the irregular verb to drink (based on tense):

eat ate will eat
am eating was eating will be eating
have eaten had eaten will have eaten

Continuous
have been eating had been eating will have been eating
drink drank will drink
am drinking was drinking will be drinking
have drunk had drunk will have drunk
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Continuous
have been drinking had been drinking will have been drinking
CONFIDENCE
It’s exciting and fun to start learning a new language, but it can be a bit
disappointing when, after studying a little while, you find yourself saying filler words
like “um” and “uh” more than any of the new words you’ve learned. Much of the time,
though, you struggle not because you don’t know the word, but because you doubt
yourself.
When you’re learning any new skill, you’re more than likely to feel uncomfortable
with actually using it in the beginning, and that’s OK. It’s natural to be unsure of what
you’re doing at the start.
Articles to help you improve your confidence:
● https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/tips-for-overcoming-social-anxiety-and-shyne
ss
● https://www.scienceofpeople.com/how-not-to-be-shy/
● https://blog.esl-languages.com/blog/learn-languages/afraid-fear-speaking-fore
ign-language/
● https://www.worldpackers.com/articles/lessons-for-those-afraid-of-speaking-n
ew-languages-abroad
● https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-to-stop-being-shy
● https://1to1progress.com/blog/2022/01/27/fear-of-speaking-a-foreign-languag
e/
● https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-not-be-shy
● https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/expert-answe
rs/fear-of-public-speaking/faq-20058416
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PART II
Foreign Exam Preparation
Cambridge - FCE (First Certificate In English - B2)
RESOURCES
*Sample Papers I (Listening/Writing/Reading/Speaking)

*Sample Papers II (Listening/Writing/Reading/Speaking)
*Sample Papers III (Listening/Writing/Reading/Speaking)
*Sample Papers IV (Listening/Writing/Reading/Speaking)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE CANDIDATES FROM CAMBRIDGE
● https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/first/exam-format/
*EXTRA RESOURCES* Link Provided Here
TEACHERS DOUGLAS’S TIPS & ADVICES
Two Weeks Before
● Make sure you revise all the content in this booklet. But do not do it all at
once. Choose one topic per day.
The Day Before
● Read, listen and watch something that you like (In English, of course)
● Get a good night of sleep
● Prepare your material to take to the test, also a snack to eat during the quick
breaks.
Before leaving your house to the test center
● Meditate
● Eat a good breakfast
● Drink lots of water
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During and after You Finish The Test
● Maintain your focus on what you have to do, not on your feelings. Be cold and
practical.
● Think of it as a marathon and get your head focused on the game.
● Remember the process and with what you know get it done.
● Being scared and anxious is normal, let your body process these emotions
naturally.
● Between every paper/break don't talk to people about it. Remember you`re
there to make a job, do it the best you can and go home. Life goes on!!!
Tips On How To Cope
● Breathing Techniques
● Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations can be especially effective for helping you get the outcome you desire
when you use them in the present tense, repeat them confidently to yourself multiple times a
day and during the test, in between papers.
★ I enjoy the subject for which I am studying.

★ I am great at taking tests.
★ I am looking forward to showing off my knowledge of this subject.
★ I study hard and learn this material well.
★ My memory is great, and I easily recall information that I have learned.
★ I pass exams easily.
★ I feel relaxed and confident during tests.
★ I am looking forward to a great score on this test.
★ I have great study skills, and I learned this subject easily.
★ Studying hard is natural and enjoyable for me.
★ Taking exams and proving my knowledge is fun for me.
★ I have learned everything I need to know to do well on this test.
★ I am a good student.
★ I am smart and have a great memory.
★ I love being challenged by interesting subjects.
★ I am always focused during exams.
★ I easily prepare for and take all tests.
● Talk to yourself and encourage yourself to do your best. Also remember what
your Teacher said during the test preparation.
● If you need some seconds to relax, close your eyes and breathe for a few
minutes. No one will notice, I promise.
● Remember that this is just an exam and it won't define you as an English
speaker or as a person. There's always another chance.
WE DO OUR BEST WITH WHAT WE KNOW. IF WE KNEW BETTER

WE WOULD DO BETTER
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PART III
Tips To Improve the 4 abilities
LISTENING
How to Improve English Listening with Independent Study
Start with a positive mindset.

I know English listening can be very difficult, especially with speakers who have a
strong accent or who talk really fast.
But you’ve actually done it before! You learned how to listen and understand and
speak a language when you were a baby. Why should it be any different now that
you’re an adult?
If you don’t believe that you can listen and understand what people are saying, in
the words of Jedi Master Yoda from “Star Wars”: “That is why you fail.”
Having a hard time? Focus on actively listening. When people are talking, don’t
focus on what you’re going to reply, don’t try to translate what they’re saying, don’t
analyze the grammar structure of the sentences… just listen.
Study a little bit at a time.

Only have a few minutes per day to study? Perfect. There are a lot of scientific
studies that prove that learning 15 to 30 minutes every day is much better than trying
to memorize hundreds of new words and grammar rules in one day.
Studying around 15-20 minutes a day instead of a few hours in one sitting, actually
has a name: microlearning. Simply speaking, microlearning is dividing your task
into very small tasks that can be done in about five minutes.
For example, if you’re trying to listen to a podcast, you can break it up and focus on
one minute at a time, taking the time to learn the vocabulary and understand what’s
being said.
This is just an example. You can divide your task the way you want, always trying to
remember that every individual task should last five minutes at most.
Try different types of content.

There are so many different formats for studying. Find the one that works for you,
or switch between content types depending on the situation.
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For instance, you can listen to podcasts, audiobooks and radio shows while you’re
on the go. When you have time to sit and do more active studying, you can turn on a
YouTube channel or read along with your audiobook.
There are benefits for studying with each type of content:
● Podcasts: You can hear natural conversational English on many podcasts,

especially when they don’t have a script. This can help you understand
people’s speaking habits, and hear the way real native English speakers have
conversations, add pauses to their speech, and more.
● Radio: The radio has a huge variety of listening practice. You can listen to
music, talk shows, and news broadcasts—just to name a few. Radio is great
for passive listening (listening in the background as you do other things). You
can choose different radio shows and focus on listening to different dialects
and accents from English speakers around the world.
● Audiobooks: An audiobook is basically a recording of someone reading a

book. Audiobooks can be a great source of vocabulary since they use a wider
range of words than common speech. People who read them often speak in a
clear and articulated way. Also, audiobooks are highly entertaining, so it’s
easy to listen for many hours. You can also get a physical or digital copy of
the book and read along as you listen. Doing so, you’ll find it easy to
concentrate solely on the words. You can practice pronunciation by reading
out loud and trying to match what you just heard.
● YouTube: There’s truly no end to what you can watch on YouTube. You could
watch English learning channels, tune in to popular YouTuber shows, learn to
knit, watch people play games, try new recipes, and so much more. Many
YouTube videos have captions available. Though these aren’t always
accurate, they can help support your listening until you feel more comfortable
with just using your ears.
Sing along to English songs.

Learning English by listening to songs is a fun and effective way to improve your
listening skills. You can write out the lyrics, sing along (karaoke night, anyone?) or
you can even skip the lyrics and see how much you know by heart! Turn on English
music as you do other things and sing along as you wash dishes or drive to work, for
instance.
For a challenge, try listening and singing along to rap songs. The speed and rhythm
of these songs can make them difficult to shadow, which makes them perfect for
active listening practice.
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Listen to the same content every day for a week.

Find a bit of content that you enjoy like a podcast or a YouTube channel. Choose
just one brief episode or video to listen to every day for a week.
Pick out words or phrases that are difficult to understand and look them up on the
first and second days. Don’t forget to hit “pause” and listen again.
After a couple of days, you should be able to listen out for these words and
understand them. Try speaking along with your audio source. You can even record
yourself and listen for the differences between yourself and the speaker.
By the last day, you’ll find that you can understand much more than on the first day.
As your ear adjusts to hearing this English podcast episode, it’ll be easier to listen to
new audio in English.
Listen to English conversations.

If you’re living somewhere where English is spoken, take an afternoon to hunt for
an English conversation. You can search for English conversation on a bus, in a cafe
or at a park. Or, if eavesdropping on random strangers makes you uncomfortable,
you can search for casual street vlogs on YouTube.
At first, you probably won’t know what they’re talking about since you’ll probably
start listening in the middle of the conversation. This will make it even more
challenging to understand, but also more fun.
Try and pick out words that you’ve learned or are trying to learn. How much can you
understand? Could you write a summary of the conversation?
Take note of how people pronounce things when they have different emotions.
Something that’s said in anger and something that’s said in passing (quickly,
casually) can sound very different.
Take advantage of “white noise.”

White noise can mean different things, and its dictionary definition is quite
complicated even for native speakers. Basically, white noise is an ongoing, usually
repetitive sound that goes on in the background while you do something else.
If you switch on the radio and listen to music while you do the dishes, that music is
your white noise. If I’m listening to a podcast while I water my plants, that podcast is
my white noise. We’re practicing passive listening when we use English white noise.
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Play a podcast, an audiobook or an English series in the background while you

clean your flat or iron your clothes (or do any other chore). Don’t pay special
attention to it, just let it play and go on with your activities.
You might think that you’re not learning anything if you’re not paying attention, but
the truth is that your brain is registering everything that’s happening in the
background! This practice is also useful for familiarizing yourself with the sounds and
rhythm of the English language. Don’t stress out about missing some information or
not understanding something—that’s not the purpose of this exercise.
Listen intensively.
Find a quiet place and make set aside 15 minutes free of disruptions. Play an audio
file and focus on catching the words as well as their use and the overall meaning of
the audio.
Take notes about everything you find important, such as when a speaker raises her
voice to imply her anger or where you think a speaker is being sarcastic (means the
opposite of what they say).
Are there any words you don’t understand completely or are unsure how to spell?
Write them down as well so you can check later. Listen to the speed, too. Are there
any places where the speaker pauses, slows down or speeds up? What do you think
these moments mean?
This exercise focuses on taking your listening skills to the next level. It trains your
ability to focus your attention on the words being spoken, and is beneficial whether
you’re entering an English-speaking university, workplace or just an everyday
conversation. Perfecting this exercise is a big step forward from listening to
understanding.
Listen for the big ideas.

At first, you should resist the impulse to try to understand every single word people
are saying. It’s more important to keep up with the conversation and try to
understand the main ideas.
Listen out for certain words that give you a hint of the sequence or topic of
conversation. For example, when you saw the words “for example” in this sentence,
you knew that an example was coming up! Or, if your friend is talking about a new
movie that they watched, you can listen out for positive and negative words to
understand if they liked the movie (“great,” “exciting”) or not (“bad,” “boring”).
Focus on keywords like these to grasp the most relevant parts of a conversation.
Once you relax and make it a priority to understand the main idea, you’ll have the
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freedom to complete your comprehension with the details and clear the air later by
asking questions.
Listen for the details.

Once you feel comfortable figuring out the main ideas of different conversation
topics, you can start to listen in for the details. For example, if you’re interested in
knowing the age of a person, pay attention to any words related to age like “old,”
“years,” “born in” or even a number, which could be that person’s age.
An excellent way to practice listening for details is to decide what kind of detailed
information you want to practice listening for and then listen to radio shows where
you would get this information.
Let’s say, for example, that you want to practice listening for details about the
weather. You could listen to a weather report and focus on the names of cities and
the temperatures in every one of them. You can also focus on other kinds of details,
like word intonation or stress.
Listen and read.

Another way to improve your listening skills is to use two sources of information at
the same time. The easiest way to do this is by watching an English video with
English subtitles. This way, you’ll be listening to and reading the words, which will
make it easier to understand everything and will help you to remember more.Many
podcasts include a transcript of what the speaker’s saying, so once again you get to
listen to and read the same information at the same time.
You can also print the transcript before listening. That way, when you find
something interesting, you can stop the audio and make notes on the printed
transcript. And, as I mentioned earlier, you can listen to audiobooks while you read
along with the written work.
Listen and speak.

Listen to a sentence over and over. Repeat the words immediately after the
speaker says them. This is called shadowing. Keep practicing until your speed and
intonation matches those of the speaker.
Shadowing an audio file is one of the best exercises to improve your listening and
speaking skills at the same time. You’ll not only polish your pronunciation but also
acquire the natural rhythm and speed of the English language.
For an added challenge, turn off the audio and try to say the sentence on your own.
Record yourself and see how similar your version is to the audio file.
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Listen and write.

Many listening practice exercises focus on improving listening skills through
listening comprehension activities. But writing what you hear forces you to decode
individual sounds.
Transcribing (“writing what you hear”) gives you a surprisingly fun way to improve
your listening skills. Through writing, you can learn new words or discover that
certain words are pronounced very differently than you thought.
Some websites let you listen to short audio recordings and write down every word
that you hear. Make sure to keep going back and playing each sentence again and
again until you’ve transcribed the whole thing.
Pay close attention to your spelling, as well. One of the most challenging things
about English writing is that the way something sounds is not always how it’s written!
Predict audio content.

Imagine that you’re listening to the radio. You hear a helicopter in the background
and a speaker is mentioning the names of streets, roads and avenues and talking
about how many vehicles are currently on these roads.
What do you think he’s talking about? Most likely, you’re listening to a traffic report.
You can then expect to hear other words like “bottleneck,” “traffic jam” and “rush
hour.” You’ll probably also hear the imperative (command form of verbs): “Don’t take
the highway” or “Avoid 4th Avenue.”
Next time you’re watching or listening to an English TV show or the radio, pause
after every few sentences. Try to predict what’s going to happen or what the speaker
might say next.
Based on the context, you can often predict the words and even style of language
you will hear. A powerful way to practice this is by creating mind maps: Whenever
you learn new words, try to group them with other words used in a similar context.
Experiment with different accents.

You might have trouble understanding some English accents the first few times you
listen to them. This is normal! Even native English speakers can have trouble
understanding different English accents.
Remember that practice makes perfect. If you think a specific English accent is
more difficult to understand for you, all you have to do is keep on practicing your
listening skills with audio from that accent.
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For example, if American English is challenging for you, try watching American
series or listening to American podcasts or the news for a month. At the end of these
30 days, your ears will have gotten used to the accent, and it’ll be much easier for
you to understand.
You can get some additional help with this by using the subtitled immersion
program, FluentU. The program teaches with authentic videos, which are videos
made by and for native speakers—the kind that English speakers actually watch.
That means that the content library is full of useful videos like movie trailers, clips
from TV shows, commercials, news segments, music videos and many others. And
since it can be difficult to understand real English speech, FluentU let you filter all
the videos by skill level, topic and format to make it easier to find something fitting for
your study needs.
You can turn off the subtitles to really test your ears. Or, turn the subtitles back on
and click or move your mouse over any of the words to check their definition and
usage. Every word comes with an in-context definition, image, audio and multiple
example sentences, which you can view by clicking on it in the subtitles of a video.
From here, you can even see how it’s used in other videos across the site.
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When you finish watching the video, test yourself using the quiz that follows.
You can take similar quizzes to study the words you’ve saved as flashcards. These
exercises are personalized to your level of understanding of each word, and let you
type or speak your answer to some questions for additional practice.
FluentU will save your learning progress across the browser version, the iOS app
and the Android app, so you don’t have to stop learning when you’re on the go. At
the end of the day, you need to practice the accent (or accents) that’s difficult for you.
Variety makes life more fun, and being able to understand English speakers from all
around the world is simply amazing.
Battery Park / New York City 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi
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Play ESL listening games online.
English listening games provide a fun, interactive experience if you’re looking to

improve your listening skills.
A few great ESL listening game sites include:
● ESL Kids Lab: This site is filled with simple listening exercises for
beginners. Practice understanding basic vocabulary for school, jobs, everyday
objects and more.
● TeachThis: These games are designed for English classrooms, but if

you have a group of friends to practice English with you can try them, too!
● Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab” This site is an absolute goldmine

of English listening tests and quizzes. They’re organized by level, with
something for everyone from beginner to advanced.
Listening games also give you an incentive to “win”—you’ll stay motivated and want
to keep practicing English listening.
Listen as you sleep.

No, I haven’t gone crazy. It’s actually possible to practice your English while
you sleep.
While you can’t actually learn new content, sleep learning has been shown to
improve your memory of vocabulary that you’ve already started learning.
If you want to give this a try, you’ll find lots of posts, articles and studies that talk
about this topic. They normally focus on learning vocabulary, but you can use these
resources to improve your listening skills, as well.
Listen to yourself.
If you’re having a conversation with yourself in front of the mirror or in your head,
you’re already listening to yourself. Use your own voice to improve your English
listening skills!
Talk to yourself in English when you go for a run, take a shower or any other time
when your mind isn’t occupied by something else. You can even pretend to be two
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different people and play out a conversation in English in your head. You can even
try using different accents!
Another way to improve your listening through speaking is by mimicking

English-language shows. Watch an episode (or part of one) and try to imitate the
accent in front of a mirror. Look at the actors’ faces and listen to them say specific
words and phrases as many times as you need, until you have the correct
pronunciation.
Listen from mid-sentence.

Fast forward to a random place in the audio and start listening in the middle of a
sentence. Try to figure out the topic as quickly as possible. Can you also guess the
emotion? Does it sound like a friendly chat or a heated discussion? The intonation
and stress are your clues.
This is a perfect exercise to prepare for you to enter real-life conversations. In

workplaces, schools and other social locations it can be easy to miss a part of a
conversation due to noise from the environment. This exercise will prevent confusion
and help you catch up even if you don’t hear (or don’t understand) something. Also,
by being able to guess the topic quickly you can join a party conversation at any
point and have fun.
Listen to the verbs.

Listen to about a minute of an audio file and write down every verb you hear.
Pause the audio and immediately try to rewrite all the sentences based on your list of
verbs. Do this quickly while your memory is fresh. Listen again, this time pausing
after each sentence. If your audio comes with subtitles, compare them to your
sentences. How similar was your version to the actual one?
This high-level listening practice with audio enhances your ability to catch the vital
information while listening. It’s useful for attending classes in English-speaking
countries or working in an English-speaking environment since it helps you focus on
the key points of each sentence.
As you write, pay attention to the role of action verbs, such as “to drink” or “to run,”
compared with linking verb like “to be.” Writing out the sentences from memory is a
great way to practice, and will affect your choice of words when you speak and write
yourself.
Listen to the articles.

Articles are often among the biggest obstacles experienced by English learners, as
it’s hard to figure out when to use them and how to use them correctly. Being aware
33
of their use during your listening practice will help you understand how to use them
in your own speech.
Despite having no real meaning, articles are an essential part of the English
language. Native speakers don’t stress those little items, but they do use them. With
this exercise, you focus on recognizing unstressed sounds.
Pick a video with subtitles or an audio file with a transcript. Listen to it once without
looking at the written text, and once again with the text. Pay attention to the articles:
“a,” “an” and “the.”
As you listen the second time, circle or highlight every article. How many times is
each article used? Which articles are used in which sentences? How’s the meaning
of the sentence affected by the type of article used?
Use different audio speeds.

This is as simple as it sounds: Pick a video on YouTube or any platform or program
that allows you to change the speed of the audio/video.
The first time you watch, do it at normal speed. You’ll probably miss information, but
that happens to all of us. During your second listening, choose the 0.75 speed. This
will play the video slower, and you’ll be able to understand many more words or
expressions than the first time.
When you think you’re ready for a challenge, do the opposite. Choose 1.25 or even
1.5 and watch the video at a faster speed. (Don’t go over 1.75—that’s a challenge
even for native speakers!)
Join a conversation group.

One great way to practice listening to real people is to join a group of English
learners who are looking to do the same. Conversation groups usually meet
regularly, but it’s not a class. You don’t have to come every week; the purpose is
simply to talk in English.
Meetup is a great place to look for English conversation groups.

(If you can’t find a group near you, start your own!)
Meeting with other learners is a great way to listen to English with
a variety of accents and voices. If you’re nervous about speaking
English, remind yourself that you’re going to listen—and this is
totally okay.
You can even tell the other speakers this if you want to, if you think it’ll be weird to
sit quietly. You could say something like: “Hi, I’m Rebecca. I’m going to focus on
listening tonight, so I might not say very much!”
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Besides listening and speaking practice, joining a conversation group can be a

fantastic way to make new friends who can help push you to keep learning.
Prepare your conversations before they happen.

Every conversation includes a speaker and a listener. This means that when you’re
having a conversation, you’re also practicing your listening skills. This can be
intimidating if you struggle to understand spoken English. The solution? Prepare for
conversations before they happen!
Of course, you can’t always know how a certain conversation will go. But certain
situations, like going to the doctor or buying groceries, often repeat vocabulary
words, phrases and sentences.
Prepare for a conversation by figuring out what questions you might be asked or
need to ask, and how you can respond. Pay special attention to key words you
expect to hear, and practice listening to them so you know what to recognize them in
conversation (you can record yourself saying them).
Guess meaning from context first.

To get better at English listening, it also pays to use context clues. When having an
English conversation or listening to English audio, try to pick out key words that you
know. You can use these to get a basic idea of what someone is trying to convey and
figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
You can pay attention to tone of voice (is the speaker happy, confused, serious or
laughing?), body language and your surroundings. For example, if someone is trying
to communicate with you and is pointing at a map while asking a question, there’s a
good chance that they need directions.
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SPEAKING
1. Speak, speak, speak

Let’s start right off by saying that there isn’t a magic pill for better speaking. That
would be too easy, right? Basically, the best way to speak better is to, well – speak!
Commit to practicing often and with as many different people as possible. Do you
already live or study overseas? Take advantage of the thousands of native speakers
in your immediate community, such as your friends, their families, your coworkers,
classmates, employees at the coffee shops, supermarket, post-office and other
places you visit. If you’re learning in your own country, increase your practice time by
meeting your classmates after class, finding an language exchange partner or joining
an online community of learners.
2. Reflect on your conversations

After your conversation is over, take a moment to reflect. How did it go? How much
do you think you understood? How comfortable did you feel with that subject matter?
Did you encounter any unknown words? The mere act of thinking about it in this way
will increase your confidence for the next time you speak (and give your targeted
things to work on, for example vocabulary you didn’t understand).
3. Listen and read

You need words in order to talk, right? Class time is great for learning vocabulary,
but there are other ways you can increase yours: Watch movies, listen to music, the
radio and to podcasts. Read books, magazines and blogs. When listening and
reading, find new and interesting expressions, slang terms and synonyms, write
down this new material and look up anything you’re not familiar with. All this will
provide more “meat” for you to use next time you practice.
4. Prepare cheat sheets

Part of nervousness around speaking is the feeling of not knowing what to say. To
combat this, prepare a cheat sheet. Are you going to the doctor’s? Before your
appointment, research vocabulary relating to your condition and some common
phrases you’ll probably need. Use the technique before going to pay a bill, eating at
a restaurant, job interviews, making a complaint, or for any other situation that might
make you anxious.
5. Pick up the phone

Most people find phone conversations particularly challenging. Why? Because on
the phone, we can’t see the other person’s body language or watch their mouth
move, both of which are tools that really help communication. To feel more confident
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on the phone, start small with phone conversations with friends – then move on to
more challenging calls like making appointments or inquiries. (This is a great time to
use tip 4, and prepare a list of questions and useful vocabulary to help you during
your call!)
Times Square / New York City 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi
St. John's Cathedral / New York City 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi
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READING
1. Make Special Time to Read

If you’re reading to improve your comprehension, you need to focus and study.
This means making a special time for reading without risk of being interrupted. You
should try to spend at least 30 minutes every day on focused reading.
To turn your reading process into a ritual:
● Find a quiet, comfortable spot with bright lighting to sit.

● Get everything you might need ready before you sit down, such as a pen,
notebook and something to drink.
● Decide how long you will read.
● Put all your electronics on silent mode (or turn them off) and put them away.
If you have a specific process for reading practice, then your brain will know when
you’re about to work on your comprehension. As a result, you’ll be more focused
before you even start.
2. Use a Good Dictionary

If you’re a beginner learner, choose an English dictionary that translates words into
your native language. There are also learner’s dictionaries, which explain words
using simple terms.
For more advanced learners, I recommend using a monolingual dictionary—one

that has definitions only in English with no translations. Monolingual dictionaries
force you to think in English rather than relying on your native language.
For a dictionary that translates English into multiple languages, check out
WordReference. It covers dozens of languages, such as French, German, Russian,
Japanese and Dutch. WordReference also has a monolingual English dictionary.
For online content, you can use LingQ‘s built-in translation features. LingQ allows
you to choose unknown words in any text, get an automatic translation and then
convert those words to flashcards.
3. Use Context Clues

Just because you find a good dictionary doesn’t mean you should look up every
single new word!
Using context clues means trying to understand a new word by looking at what’s
around it. If you’re stuck on a word you don’t know, try looking at the whole sentence
for a hint about what it means.
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Don’t stop to look up every new word. It’s harder to focus on your reading if you
keep interrupting it. You can write down the word and look it up later. Only look up a
word if without it, you can’t understand what you’re reading.
4. Learn to Read English with the Right Books
When you’re choosing books (and other texts) to read, keep two things in mind:
1. What you’re interested in

2. Your reading level
Whenever you can, you should read things that you enjoy. You should also choose
books that are at an English level just above the one you’re most comfortable with.
You want to challenge yourself enough to learn new things, but not so much that you
frustrated with your reading.
You can use this test from the British Council’s Learn English website to get a
general idea of your reading level:
● Beginners should aim for texts specifically made for beginner learners. These
include dialogues, short readings about common topics or children’s books.
● Intermediate learners can read longer texts, news articles and popular novels
with simpler language.
● Advanced learners can read almost anything, but should approach some
classic literature such as Shakespeare’s plays with caution.
Not sure where to start? There are lots of places online where you can find
recommendations for books to learn English reading:
● Listopia on Goodreads is full of lists created by people just like you.

● What Should I Read Next? gives you book recommendations based on a
book that you like or even a list of your favorites.
● Jellybooks helps you discover new books and sample 10%, which means you
can try the book and see if it’s a good fit for you.
● Whichbook is a very different kind of website—you choose the kinds of things
you’re looking for in a book (happy/sad, beautiful/disgusting) and the website
gives you suggestions based on that.
●
I’ve also added a detailed list of reading recommendations per level at the end of this
post.
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5. Check the Difficulty Level

Once you’ve picked a book, double-check its difficulty level by making sure that it
has no more than 10% unknown words.
Count the number of words on a page or paragraph, and then count the number of
words you don’t recognize. Divide the number of unknown words by the number of
total words, multiply by 100, and you’ll see what percentage of words you don’t
know.
Here’s a rough guide:
● 0-2% new words: The text is too easy for you.

● 4%-6% new words: The text is just right.
● 8% new words: This text might be too hard for you. (You might try it anyway if
it’s something you really want to read.)
● 10% (or more) new words: This text is too hard right now. Set it aside for later,
when you’ve learned more English words.
6. Do Both Intensive and Extensive Reading

There are two kinds of English reading that you have to practice: Intensive reading
and extensive reading.
Intensive reading is when you try to understand every word on the page.
This is the kind of reading you do when you have some time to focus. Most of the
tips below are about how to make the most out of intensive reading.
When you practice intensive reading, pick a fairly short text that interests you. If you
have a really long text—or you just don’t care about the topic—you might give up
before you finish.
Aside from intensive reading, you also need to do extensive reading, which simply
means casually reading anything you see in English. Don’t stress. Don’t worry about
what every word means.
Read a new recipe. Read an email. Read a blog post.

Read billboards along the highway. Read newspaper headlines.
It doesn’t matter what you read—just read in English. Anything. Everything.
The more extensive reading you do, the more comfortable you’ll be with reading in
English.
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7. Read More Smoothly with Sight Words

Fluency is how smoothly you can read. When you read in your head, you should
have a certain rhythm to the words, understanding full sentences rather than going
one word at a time. The words should flow together naturally, like when somebody is
talking.
To improve your fluency, look out for “sight words.” These are words that you
should know by sight and should not have to think about how to read them.
Find a good list of sight words, like this one, and take about a minute or two every
day to read the words as fast as you can.
8. Get Familiar with English Spelling Conventions

English spelling often doesn’t reflect the actual sounds of a word. When you read in
English, the voice in your head can get stuck on new words that you don’t know how
to pronounce.
Don’t be discouraged!
By learning common spelling conventions, that reading voice will maintain the flow of
English and you’ll improve your overall reading ability:
● kn: The kn- at the beginning of a word is pronounced as simply n, as in the

words “know” and “knife.”
● wh: The -h- in wh- words such as “what” or “when” is silent and isn’t
pronounced.
● c: This letter typically sounds like s before the vowels e, i or y, like in the word
“city.” Otherwise, it typically sounds like k, like in the word “cat.”
9. Focus on Repeated Words

It’s important to be smart about which words you look up as you read. I recommend
looking up words that are repeated more than three times in a passage, or words
that appear crucial to the meaning of a sentence.
In other words, don’t look up every single unknown word while you’re reading.
Think about it—it’ll get boring and break up the flow of reading.
When you read a text for the first time, underline or highlight unknown words.Once
you’re done reading, go back and identify the repeated words and words that are
crucial to understanding. Now you can look those up and write down translations or
definitions.
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Finally, read the text again with your word list and watch as you understand the text
more fully.
10. Remember Vocabulary with Flashcards

A great way to build up your vocabulary and reading fluency is to create flashcards
of important words. But don’t just stop there: Review these flashcards often.
While reading, keep your word lists or flashcards handy. You can refer to these if that
word comes up again while reading for fast translation.
As you come across these words while reading new content, move them to the
back of your flashcard pile. This counts as review, and you don’t need to review
words if you feel you’ve already learned them!
Anki is a great app for creating your own digital flashcards and accessing them on
the go.
11. Make a Language Journal

Aside from making flashcards, you can use a language journal (notebook) for
practice.
In the pages of your journal, try writing sentences with your new English
vocabulary. Make your own definition for each English word you’ve learned. Use
colored pencils to draw pictures of what the words mean.
Every once in a while, look back at older pages in your language journal. Review
words to keep your memories of them strong. And feel proud of how much you’ve
learned!
12. Ask Yourself Questions

Taking notes and asking yourself questions can help you really understand an
English text.
Before you read, here are a few questions you can ask yourself to prepare:
● Are there any words in bold or italics?

● Are there titles or subtitles?
● What are some of the names mentioned?
● Is there a lot of dialogue?
● Are the paragraphs short or long?
While you’re reading, try asking these questions:
42
● What’s happening now?

● Who’s speaking here?
● Why did he do that?
● What is she thinking?
After reading, the questions below can also get you think about what you did and did
not understand:
● What was the text about?

● What are the most important things that happened in the text?
● Did anything confuse you?
● Did anything surprise you?
● Are there any parts you didn’t understand?
13. Look for Clues to “Get the Gist”

The gist is the overall meaning. Practice using clues to get the gist of a text quickly
and effectively. Use these tips to improve your overall understand of what you’re
reading.
For example:
● Use a highlighter to identify important information or main ideas in the text.

● Pay attention to verb tenses so that you understand the timeline of the story.
(Are past, present or future events being described?)
● Examine any images that accompany the text. These images often give vital
information and can help your understanding.
14. Break Up Readings into Chunks

Reading can be tiring, so break it up into manageable chunks (pieces). Aim for
between one and three paragraphs to start. As you build your skills, you can start
reading with longer and longer chunks of text.
You can also simply break up your reading by time. In particular, I recommend
trying the Pomodoro method. For every 25 minutes of reading, take a five-minute
break to give your brain a rest.
15. Write a Summary

After reading a text, you can write a short summary of what you’ve read. This can
just be a couple of sentences that present the main ideas.Writing a summary is a
great way to reinforce what the text was about as well as use new vocabulary in
context. I like to write summaries down in my notebook and then underline the new
vocabulary that I learned from reading the text.Writing summaries will also help you
43
notice any parts of the text that you didn’t fully understand, so you can go back and
re-read.
16. Discuss the Text

Call upon an English-speaking friend or conversation partner to help you
understand what you read. You can explain the text to them. Your friend could then
ask you questions about what you’ve read.
By talking about what you’ve read with a fluent English speaker, you can make sure
that you understood the text. Another bonus is that you’ll practice listening and
speaking in English.
17. Reread Short Articles

Sometimes reading a text just once isn’t enough to understand it. Rereading is
great for finding things you might have missed the first time and reviewing new
words.
Try these out:
● Choose something that takes less than five minutes to read. This can be a
story or a news article.
● Read the text at your own pace, then write down everything you can
remember–every little detail, even parts of sentences if you remember them.
● Read the text again and write down what you can remember. Do you see how
much more you remember the second time around?
Every time you read something, you understand more of it. When you want to get
the most out of your reading, try reading three or more times:
● The first time, focus on understanding the words.

● The second time, focus on the meaning.
● The third time, you can start asking deeper questions like “what is the author
really trying to say?” or “how does this news affect the rest of the world?”
18. Do Reading Comprehension Exercises

For more structured practice, you can do reading comprehension exercises, which
are designed to test how much you understand and improve your reading ability.
Generally, these exercises start with a short text. Then you have to answer multiple
choice or fill-in-the-blanks questions, or even longer written responses about the text.
Whatever your level, here are some useful places to find online reading
comprehension exercises:
44
● AgendaWeb offers texts for all levels of English as well as short stories and
fairy tales that include audio.
● My English Pages has hundreds of exercises for various topics including
science, history and biographies.
● The ESL Lounge also has exercises broken into four levels.
To find even more online, look up “ESL reading comprehension quiz.”
19. Read Many Kinds of Texts

Today we don’t just read books and newspapers. We read blogs, emails, Tweets
and chats. The more you read anything in English, the better you’ll get at the
language.
Magazine Line is a good place to go to find digital or print magazines on just about
any subject. They give you lower prices on magazine subscriptions, and you may be
able to save even more if you’re a student.
You can also check out aggregators—websites that take news and interesting
articles and put them together for you to look through. A couple of useful aggregators
are Mix, which helps you find new websites based on your interests, and Digg, which
collects interesting stories from around the Internet onto one page.
20. Read and Listen with Subtitles

It might seem strange, but another great way to practice reading is to watch English
videos with subtitles or transcripts. That way, you will read the words while hearing
how a native speaker says them. Because English is not a phonetic language, the
subtitles remind you how to spell a certain word, regardless of the sound.
Watching movies and videos is probably the most fun and

interactive way of learning English. I don’t know about you,
but I spent a lot of my younger years watching “Friends” and
learned a lot of English from the TV show.
You can do similar things with TED Talks or Netflix.
FluentU videos also have full, accurate subtitles as well as

transcripts. You can pick a video that you’re interested in to
make this a more engaging experience, like a movie trailer or a clip from a popular
show. You can also pause the video and check the definition of any word by hovering
your mouse over it in the subtitles.
Read the transcript before you watch the video, then read along with the subtitles as
the video plays. Since you have to keep up with the speed of the video, you’ll be
training your fluency this way.
45
21. Check Popular Forums and Blogs

Do you know that ChatGPT, the chatbot that is making waves all over the internet
because of how well it can communicate, read Reddit threads to teach itself
language?
Forums like Reddit, Quora and Yahoo Answers contain English in its most natural
forms, as it is all written casually by native speakers. Even if there are spelling and
grammar mistakes, conversations are mostly enlightening, natural and full of
everyday words.
Aside from forums, you can add some personality and fun to your English reading
practice with blogs in English. They discuss all kinds of topics in a lively and friendly
way. You can even be part of the conversation—and practice your English writing
skills—by leaving a comment now and then!
22. Be Consistent with Reading

Perhaps the most important tip to learn English reading is to make sure you read
consistently. Remember, a little bit of reading every day is better than reading a lot
once a month. Aim to create a reading habit!
If you become frustrated or bored, I suggest changing your reading material.

Reading things you’re interested in will improve your reading skills tremendously,
and the best way to become better at reading English is to read what you enjoy.
Reading Recommendations by Level

Now that you know how to maximize your English reading, I’ll show you what kind
of English texts would work well for you based on your level:
Beginner
● Children’s picture books — These books have simple words and pictures, and
they teach you basic English words so you can talk about the world around
you. Some of them are funny and some of them are touching (sweet or
emotional).
● Easy fairy tales — These magical stories have been told for many, many
years. They’re a part of cultures all over the world. Chance are, you probably
know a few of them already—which will make it even easier for you to
understand them.
● Simple short stories — Aside from fairy tales, many short stories are easy
enough for beginning English learners because they use simple language to
make you think about big, important ideas.
46
Beginner to Intermediate
● Graded readers – These are specially made for learners, with lots of different
themes. There aren’t too many hard words, but you’ll still find new ones to
learn. Some of the readers come with audio, so you can listen to the stories
as you read them.
● Bilingual readers – In these special books, the text is in both English and your
native language. You can focus on the English text and only look at the
translation when you need a little help.
● Superhero comics – Superhero comic books are exciting, filled with colorful
characters and illustrations (drawings). You’ll recognize the characters, like
Superman and Batman, from television and films.
Intermediate
● Popular books – Keep up with the crowd with these best-selling books. Find
thrillers, suspense, romance and more. Popular books are some of the best
books to learn English!
● Translated books from your own culture — You first read a book in your own
language, from your own culture. Then you find an English translated version
of it, read that through, and carefully compare the two versions. Some
examples of books in a language pair are: “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo”
(French) — “The Count of Monte Cristo, ” “Ngược dòng nước lũ”
(Vietnamese) — “Against the Flood” and “Cien años de soledad” (Spanish) —
“One Hundred Years of Solitude.”
● Short stories — Challenge yourself in just a few minutes a day with
intermediate-level short stories in English that you can read quickly. You can
even find some new English words to learn with these spooky (scary) ghost
stories in English.
● Interactive Books — Get extra adventure with these books that let you decide
what happens. There are also text-based video games such as Zork that you
can read like a book.
Intermediate to Advanced
● Long reads — These are usually long articles that offers a wider and more
complex perspective on contemporary issues. The quality of writing is high, so
you can benefit from the best writing and best information. You can find long
reads on websites such as Longreads and Reddit’s Longreads subreddit. My
favorite source for long reads is The Guardian because the articles are also
recorded and published as podcasts.
● Funny stories — These books take humor to a more grown-up level, with
parody that pokes fun at (makes fun of) serious subjects and puns that play
with English words. Humor can be hard to translate, so reading these will help
you better understand English-speaking cultures.
47
● Fantasy and science fiction — These books often use imaginative ideas that
take you beyond simple English words. Some fantastic reads for intermediate
English learners are “Harry Potter”, “A Wrinkle in Time,” “The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy” and “The Martian Chronicles.”
● TV tie-in books and movie novelizations — Read novelizations (movies
written as books) of your favorite films or choose stories with familiar
characters from the television shows you love. There are series of novels
related to popular shows, such as “A Game of Thrones,” “Star Trek,” “Buffy
the Vampire Slayer,” and “Charmed.”
● Simple poems — Poems can say volumes in just a few short words. They
often use words you won’t find in everyday English conversation, and they
help you learn the rhythm of English. Try reading and studying a few poems
perfect for learning English. You can also watch slam poetry performances
with transcripts, like “A love poem for lonely prime numbers” and “If I should
have a daughter…”
Advanced
● Classic books — A book becomes “classic” because it stands the test of time.
Reading the “classics”—important pieces of English literature—can help you
better understand the culture of the English-speaking world. Most classic
books are available for free to read online, on cool websites like Project
Gutenberg. Some of my favorites include “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,”
“Emma” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
● Iconic plays — A lot of English-language plays have influenced (made their
mark on) how people think about certain subjects. Try reading some of these
well-known plays aloud, since they’re meant to be performed: “Our Town,”
“Romeo and Juliet” and “A Raisin in the Sun.”
● Literary poems — Literary poems can be tricky to read even for native
speakers! If you’re up for a challenge and want to read classic poems, study
the works of Edgar Allan Poe, T.S. Eliot or Emily Dickinson. Another great
source of literary poems is Poetry Foundation, which features a mix of classic
and modern poems.
Learning to read English might take time, but it pays off a lot because you’ll have so
much fun, widen your cultural knowledge and improve other skills at the same time.
Pick the reading tips and resources that suit you best or try all of them out to bring
your English to the highest level of fluency!
48
WRITING
What is the B2 First (FCE) Writing test like?
The test has two sections and takes about 80 minutes:
1. Part 1 -write an essay based on prompts

2. Part 2 - write one from a choice of 3 questions: an article, an essay, a
letter, a report, a review, a story
Scoring
Each of the two writing parts are marked out of 20. There are five marks for each
of the following: Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and
Language. You must write 140-190 words for each part.
How to prepare for the B2 First (FCE) Writing test
● Choose a question that you are interested in. You will write better if you know
the subject.
● Read the instructions carefully before you start. Make notes. You must
include all the points from the instructions in your writing.
● Make a plan before you start writing. Decide what information to put in each
paragraph.
● Think about who you are writing to and use an appropriate style of language.
● Try to use a range of complex language.
Five Things You Need to Know about Writing Articles

In Cambridge First or Cambridge Advanced, you might be asked to write an article.
But do you know what makes an article different from other types of writing?
1 The reader is identified

An article is like a direct conversation with the reader. The exam question might tell
you who your readers are. For example, the students at a school, or the people
living in a town or people who are interested in sports. Everything you write must
speak to that reader and engage their interest right from the first sentence.
2 It has to get attention

If you're anywhere on the internet these days, you'll be bombarded with articles
with headlines that pull the reader in. It's called "click baiting" and all the writer is
trying to do is make you open the page to read their article. You need to think like a
journalist when you're writing your article.
49
Look at the heading and the first line of this article. How did I get your attention?*
3 It has to be interesting
For an article to work, it has to be engaging enough to read all the way through.
Remember how bored the examiner must be after reading fifty exam papers. Make
it easier for them to get a good impression about your writing by entertaining them.
Add humor, real life or made up examples, or make up quotes.
4 It has to be easy to read

Use subheadings to break up the text and make clear paragraphs. Write in a
semi-informal, conversational style. And make sure there is organization to your
ideas. The planning stage is vital for this. Spend 5-10 minutes brainstorming ideas
and choose the best three or four. Think what your subheadings might be and then
write a short introduction that lets the reader know what to expect.
Keep in mind that you want the reader to keep reading, so don't tell them exactly
what they will read. This is not an essay! In an essay you usually restate the
question, explain how you will answer it and maybe say why it's important. In an
article, that will kill the reader's interest.
Look back at this paragraph. What sentence style have I used that makes it
semi-informal and speak directly to the reader?**
5 Write a good ending

In an essay you sum up the points that have gone before and draw a conclusion
from that. But in an article, it's better to give the reader something to think about,
perhaps by asking them another question or giving them a call to action. Often, the
best endings link back to the starting point in some way.
Here are two endings I could use for this article:
● Look at your internet browsing history from the last day. Which articles got
your attention? Can you see how they did it?
● So, now you know how to write an article, why don't you write one giving
advice on something you know about?
Common mistakes students make in articles
● The language is too formal and more suited to essays. Avoid words like: to
sum up, some people say, nevertheless, on one hand etc.
● They don't use quotes or examples
● They either use not enough, or too many, questions. The questions, called
rhetorical questions because they don't require an answer, shouldn't be more
than one per paragraph. Good examples are:
50
▪ Have you ever ……..?

▪ What do you think about ……..?
▪ Are you one of those people who thinks that ……?
▪ What would life be like if ……?
▪ Will the future bring us ….. ?
* A title which makes the subject immediately clear. For some reason, people like
reading lists! And a direct, rhetorical question in the first paragraph to make readers
want to find out the answer.
** I've used the imperative to give instructions. E.g. Think…Keep in
mind…Write…Spend…
Sep 11th Memorial / New York City 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi
51
IV - REFERENCES
● https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/how-to-improve-english-listening-skills/
● https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/how-to-improve-english-reading/
● https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/language/how-to-improve-your-spoken-english/
● https://www.englishoutsidethebox.com/2017/01/17/understanding-english-perf
ect-tenses/
● https://www.grammarly.com/blog/modal-verbs/
● https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/phrasal-verbs
● https://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Red%20Level/R16%20Expressi
ons%20of%20Time.html?amp=1
● https://www.grammarly.com/blog/verb-conjugation/
● https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/first/preparation/
● https://www.fluentu.com/blog/foreign-language-confidence/
All websites accessed on Aug 20th 2023.
52
“There are only two mistakes one can

make along the road to truth; not going
all the way, and not starting.” - Buddha
THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!

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1

Perfect Tenses (Present/Past/Future)

PART II – FCE – First Certificate In English / Cambridge…..………….………….21

PART III – How To Improve The 4 Abilities…………………………….……………..23

THE AUTHOR AND THE BOOK

Written by - Douglas Migliassi

Photographs - Taken By Douglas Migliassi In New York In 2019

“This book is dedicated to all my students, family and co-workers, who

Present Perfect Tenses (Present/Past/Future)

What are the Perfect Tenses?

● Present perfect: subject + has/have + past participle (+ object) → I have

● Present perfect continuous: subject + has/have + been + verb-ING (+

● Past perfect continuous: subject + had + been + verb-ING (+ object) → We

● Future perfect continuous: subject + will + have + been + verb-ING (+

Present Perfect & Present Perfect Continuous

● I have been teaching for 10 years.

Remember, the present perfect continuous focuses on duration, or something

Past Perfect & Past Perfect Continuous

● I had been studying for 3 years by 2007

Future Perfect & Future Perfect Continuous

● I will have been teaching for 14 years by 2021.

● I will have owned a house for 4 years by 2021.

● I will have had a second baby by 2021.

Practice Makes Perfect

● What is something you have been doing since last year?

Manhattan Bridge / New York City, 2019 - By Douglas Migliassi

How are modal verbs used?

Modal verbs are used to express certain hypothetical conditions, such as

● Can you swim every Tuesday?

Consider the difference between these two examples:

● I swim every Tuesday.

When are modal verbs used?

● Her parents must be so proud.

● Judging by the clouds, it might rain today.

● She can speak three languages but none of them well.

● Students, you may leave early today.

● Would you get that box off the top shelf?

● You should try the lasagna.

● You must wash your hands before cooking.

● We have to wait for our boss to arrive before we open.

● When I lived alone, I would fall asleep with music.

How to use modal verbs (with examples)

● I can eat an entire pizza.

● I have to eat an entire pizza.

● Can you eat an entire pizza?

different conjugations of a sentence’s main verb to refer to present or future time in

Present perfect continuous

● She must have been sleeping.

Simple past and present perfect tenses

● I could do a handstand when I was a kid.

● I can hang out tomorrow.

● I called Jen to see how she was. (call = to telephone)

● They've called the meeting off.

● The meeting? They've called it off.

Here are some common separable phrasal verbs:

● I didn't want to bring the situation up at the meeting.

● Please can you fill this form in?

● I'll pick you up from the station at 8 p.m.

● Who looks after the baby when you're at work?

● Who looks after her when you're at work?

● I came across your email when I was clearing my inbox.

● The caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly.

● We are aware of the problem and we are looking into it.

EXTRA RESOURCES Link Provided Here