Who is successful, and why? This is the question that researcher Angela Lee Duckworth wanted to find out. The answer: grit. Grit: having passion and perseverance for long-term goals. The ability to keep working on something, even if you face obstacles or experience difficulties. Her research goes along with the research by Carol Dweck about […] Read more »
Pumpkin Pie – The Classic Thanksgiving Dessert
Next Thursday, November 28th, people across the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving. (To learn more about Thanksgiving, listen to podcast #10.) One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is PUMPKIN PIE. It is the most commonly made dessert and many people love it. I like to have it with fresh whipped cream and/or vanilla ice […] Read more »
Epic Concentration
When you are learning anything, concentration is important. To concentrate means to direct one’s thoughts or attention. Sometimes, it can be difficult to concentrate, because of noise, interruptions, distractions, and the chatter in your own mind. To learn English well, you must learn to concentrate, to pay attention, and to focus. Fifteen minutes of focused […] Read more »
What is she saying?
In previous posts, I have talked about using music to help you acquire real English, naturally. However, sometimes it can be quite difficult, even for a native speaker, to understand the meaning of the words (lyrics) used in a song. One of the hottest songs on the radio these days is Royals by the young […] Read more »
Now You Can Understand Iron Man
In this post, I am going to help you understand the trailer for the movie Iron Man. The Iron Man movies have been quite popular worldwide, and many of my students have told me that they enjoy watching them. As an English teacher, one of my main jobs is to provide you with interesting comprehensible […] Read more »
Relax, You Will Be Able To Speak English Fluently
One of the most common questions I get from my students is: “How can I improve my speaking?” My answer is usually a two-part answer, depending on the person’s current level of English. The basic idea is that in order to speak English well, with confidence, you must first understand English. You do this […] Read more »
Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That!
There is a video on YouTube of a lady saying: Ain’t nobody got time for that. This video has received over 40 million views. It was originally part of a TV news report and then it was made into a song. It’s pretty funny. Click on the link to check it out. Anyway, earlier today […] Read more »
Can the Brain Multitask?
Many people believe that the brain can multitask, that is, that it can do more than one thing at the same time. It can’t. Even though it seems like we can eat, drive a car, and talk to a friend all at the same time, research shows that the brain is actually a sequential processor; […] Read more »
Do you have the determination of this mouse?
This video has been making the rounds on Facebook and elsewhere and I thought I’d share it with you all here on the English Fluency Now blog, as I think it is relevant to the process of learning a language. In language learning, persistence is essential and leads to success over time. If at first […] Read more »
Learn What You Love
[sc_embed_player fileurl=”https://englishfluencynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Learn-What-You-Love.mp3″] Click on this button to listen to me read this post. There are many good reasons to learn English to a high degree of fluency, and if you are reading this blog, this is probably your goal. Many of my students are learning English for a variety of very good reasons: to get a […] Read more »