"I want to speak like a native speaker"

and other things

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

Hello!

Let’s start with my social media most popular post from last week. If you’d like to see the original post on LinkedIn and some very interesting comments from other teachers, you can read it here. And please follow or connect with me on LinkedIn!

1. I want to speak like a native speaker

English learners often say “I want to speak like a native speaker.”

But native speakers are not always the best model to follow!

I can think of plenty of native speakers I’ve met who are not very good communicators!

I’ve met native speakers who miss out important pieces of information so I don’t know what they’re talking about.

I’ve met native speakers who never answer the question you asked, only the question they think you asked! Or perhaps it’s the question they wish you’d asked!

I’ve met native speakers who talk too fast or too quietly so I can’t hear everything they say.

On the other hand, I’ve met intermediate-level students who are excellent communicators. They can communicate extremely effectively using the language they have and we can talk for a whole hour on Zoom.

I even remember an elementary student I taught over 20 years ago who was really good at telling jokes in English. He didn’t have much grammar or vocabulary but he was full of confidence!

So if you want to communicate effectively in English:

💙 listen carefully to the other person

💙 focus on explaining yourself clearly

💙 don’t worry about making mistakes

💙 don’t worry about your accent

💙 take your time and don’t rush it

💙 practise using the language you already know

If you need help with any of these things, you might be interested in my “She Speaks English” programme for professional women who want to use English at work. More information in the next section!

2. “She Speaks English” update

I’d like to remind you that I’m looking for a small group of up to 6 women to join my programme. If you’re a professional woman who uses English at work, or if you need more English so you can apply for your dream job, this programme is for you.

What do I mean by “a professional woman”? Any woman who has a job or is looking for a job! Teachers, doctors, scientists, managers, businesswomen… any job! The programme is flexible and can be tailored to your individual situation. 

One place has now gone and there are 5 places left. The first people to sign up will get the discounted price of £597. After that, the price will go up to £797 so don’t wait too long! (Remember, this price is for a three-month programme.)

I’m really hoping to be able to include group chats in the programme so it would be great to get a few more people. This gives you the chance to make new friends and practise your English with other people.

If you’re interested, you can read more by clicking the button below. Send me an email if you have questions or would like to chat about it.

3. Fun with English

Last week’s challenge:

What’s the next letter in this series?

M T W T F S _

And what are the next two letters in this series?

J F M A M J J A S O _ _

The answers are

…

…

…

M T W T F S S

because these are the first letters on the days of the week: Monday, Tuesday… Sunday

and

J F M A M J J A S O N D

because these are the first letters of the months of the year: January, February, … November, December

Did you get those?! Well done if you did!

I’m going to take a break from “Fun with English” because I’m not sure how popular it is. I might bring it back again if people ask me for it!

You could even share your favourite word puzzles with me if you like for future newsletters!

4 Tip of the week: play word games

Play Wordle, Boggle, Scrabble, WordBrain, Wordscapes or Hangman. Do word searches or crosswords. It helps you with vocabulary and spelling.

You can find all of these simply by searching Google or searching your app store.

Do you have a favourite word game?

If you’d like more tips about learning vocabulary, you might like my “English Vocabulary Challenge” e-book. Get your copy here.

Thanks for reading and see you next week!

Katie

PS I’m Katie Salter and I teach English online. Thanks for reading my Substack post! My Substack is for anyone who is learning English.

I also have a second newsletter which is aimed at professional women who want to use English at work. If that’s you, you can sign up here.