Let's speak some English! 

No matter what you level is, we can start here. 



If you are a beginner, I will help you more with grammar structures and  vocabulary.
If you are intermediate, you need to get a lot of speaking practice! So I will encourage you to talk as much as possible, while making corrections along the way. 
And if you are an advanced student, its time to start learning phrasal verbs, and make your pronunciation sound natural.

This class is for all levels. It is never too early or too late to work on your pronunciation!

I have extensive experience with Spanish, Chinese, and Russian speakers. 
I have identified the main issues that these students have, and know how to fix them. We will target these sounds first, so that you can finally pronounce all of the sounds in English correctly. 

After we correct the pronunciation of sounds, we can move on to more complex issues such as connected speech and linking, so that you can sound confident and natural :) 

Your success will be determined by how much you PRACTICE! A teacher can show you how to pronounce sounds, but if you don't practice it, you won't change the way you speak.  You use dozens of different muscles in your body when you speak (you use your nose, face, throat and stomach too!) Muscles have to be exercised if you want results. 

Materials for this class:
- A Google document with homework and notes, and links to videos 
- A pronunciation book as a pdf

Pronunciation Class with homework

(This is not a grammar class. If you want to focus on grammar, please choose that option :)
If you want homework assignments, writing practice/editing, or a study plan, please choose the grammar class.)

The point of this class to FOR YOU TO TALK!  If you cannot give long responses, I will teach you how :)

I want you to speak as much as possible, and I will patiently listen.  You can choose the topic at the beginning of the class, or we will naturally choose one together. This natural, unplanned kind of practice gives you practice thinking and speaking under a little bit of pressure, LIKE IN REAL LIFE. I plan topics in advance for my beginner students, but I think speaking spontaneously is more beneficial for intermediate  / advanced students. 

I will correct your grammar and pronunciation along the way. You will feel like you are talking with a friend, except this friend can help you with your English and answer any questions you may have. You will practice listening, learn new vocabulary and grammatical structures in the most natural way possible - conversation.

It it HIGHLY recommended to either take notes during the class, or to go back and paste our Skype notes into a Google doc or some other place. You need to review the corrections and practice them.

Intermediate or Advanced speaking practice through conversation

This option is for beginners who *know some basic things* (so not absolute beginners,) but don't have confidence to speak. 

If your native language is Spanish, I will be able to speak to you, translate, and help you in Spanish if you need it. If your native language is Portuguese, I will be able to understand and translate most things into English...and give you answers in Spanish, which you will probably understand. 

Its best for you to be in control of your learning. We should talk about what YOU like. So if you can tell me a topic you want to practice, you will have a more useful class. 

One of my strengths as a teacher is making students, no matter how nervous, feel comfortable. I will patiently guide you through a conversation.  We will be relaxed, and you will finish the class with new vocabulary words and phrases.  I will write new words for you in the chat, and you should copy these down later either into a Google document or into a notebook. Learning is active, not passive. You should take notes after the class. But during the class, you can just focus on speaking.

Beginners- start speaking :)

This option is only for you if I have sent you an invitation to book it. Do not book this class if I have not sent you a message.

This is for previous students who booked pronunciation or grammar classes in 2020.

*INVITATION ONLY*  old students from 2020 or before (grammar/pronunciation )

The problem with grammar classes in big institutes or schools is usually that you don't have the chance to practice what you have learned. In a private 1:1 class, that's half of what we do :)

I use a combination of infographics, pictures, videos, websites, books, podcasts, and even songs to help you REALLY, finally understand grammar.  

We will start by introducing the topic. I will tell you when and how we use it. We will do some examples. And then we'll start using it. 

Homework is an important part in making progress and REMEMBERING what you've learned. For grammar classes I give grammar exercises, but also videos, podcasts, or songs. We check the homework at the beginning of the next class. 

You won't need to take grammar classes forever! Once you've learned a few new concepts, I recommend taking some conversation classes to practice it in a real world like environment.

Grammar with homework  (all levels)

I have really good news for you. You are not bad at listening, and native speakers don't speak ~fast.

There are patterns in our speech that you were never taught. *English does not sound the way it is writtten.* Spoken English is different from written English. 

I am sure that you are going to be surprised when I teach you how we really speak (for example, when you realize that  ' what did you' sounds like 'wuh jew.' )

You can definitely learn these patterns and decode native English with practice. 

I will teach you the rules and patterns of spoken US English so you can finally understand it. I will also introduce / explain some common dialects and accents within the United States (southern, black, Indian English, etc.) I can adjust my speech to sound as slow, or as natural / native as possible, so that I can give you explanations in a very clear way.

Materials for this class include a book that I will send you, a Google document where we will keep your homework, and Youtube videos. 

As with all of my classes, we can use Spanish at any time that you need or want to. :)