Resources: Notes on Life and Language in the United States

Welcome to today's American English pronunciation lesson! Does English pronunciation seem complicated to you? It might be difficult at first, but you can improve your pronunciation as well as your listening skills by learning with videos prepared by native English teachers like the one that we have today. In this video, I will talk about three words that look similar but are very different in meaning, they are "quit", "quiet" and "quite". Do you know how to pronounce each of these words correctly? Can you tell the difference between the words when you hear a native English speaker using them? If not, practice your American English pronunciation with this video. At the end of the video, don't forget to practice your pronunciation skills with our tongue twisters. Enjoy!

I have been teaching private English language lessons in New York and Boston for the past 5 years and I have noticed that there are two types of English learners. The two types are complete opposites. This week, my English student in Boston and I talked about the problem that many students have with perfectionism. They will not speak English until they feel that their skills are perfect. On the other hand, some English learners prefer to be spontaneous with their English and they believe that the world is their classroom. To them, every encounter with a native English speaker is a chance to improve. Which type of English learner are you? Keep reading to find out.

Today we have an English pronunciation lesson. This is our third lesson in the silent letters series. What's the difference in pronunciation between "hair", "heir" and "air"? How about "hour" and "our"? The best way to really understand English pronunciation is to practice as much as possible with native speakers. You can start by watching this video! After you have practiced your pronunciation skills using video lessons, it's a good idea to join an English meetup or another activity where you will get to practice in a casual environment. Another suggestion is to work with an English tutor once per week and practice with a meetup group twice per week. Enjoy the video!

There are some common English mistakes that many people make when they are learning English. Some of the mistakes are common for native English speakers too! In today's video, I will talk about some of the common mistakes and help you to understand them so that you will be able to use them correctly in your daily English conversations. Please watch the video first, then take the quiz to see how much you learned! Good luck and enjoy!

Welcome to today's lesson on American culture and business!

If you are learning English in the United States and working at an American company, there are some aspects of American culture that you might want to know more about.

One important thing to know if you are working, interviewing or just meeting new people in the United States, is the handshake. Why is the handshake so important?

People often make judgments about your character based on your handshake.

So if you want to make a good first impression, you need to know how to shake hands correctly and confidently in the United States.

In this post, you will learn 4 things to remember about shaking hands in the United States.

Why do we use so many English idioms that are related to the weather in the United States? In an earlier blog post about English conversation practice, we learned how to make small talk and we said that the weather is one of the most common topics for making small talk in English with American people. We love to talk about the weather here in the United States! So, naturally, we have a lot of idioms that are related to the weather. Why are English idioms important for you, as an English student? In your home country, you probably focused on grammar and vocabulary but those are only a few of the tools that you will need to speak with local people in the United States. It is important to understand and know how to use idioms and common expressions. They are fun to learn as well! So, today we will learn a few new idioms that you can use in your everyday conversations in English.

Have you ever tried climbing a mountain in the rain? While I was working as an English tutor in Japan, I climbed Mt. Fuji on a rainy day in July with two other teachers. Today I want to share my Mt. Fuji story. The story contains English phrases, phrasal verbs and expressions that are commonly used in the United States. Your job is to choose the correct English phrases to complete the story. Good luck!

To be successful in the United States, you must understand not only the English language but English and American culture.

If you are doing business, taking a class, preparing for a test or just visiting Boston or New York, you will notice that the American culture is reflected in the English language.

One important aspect of communicating with American people is giving feedback or offering criticism.

Different cultures voice criticism in different ways. It is important to know yourself.

How do you express criticism in your home culture?

When you don't agree with someone or you see a problem with their work, how do you tell them? Do you come out and say it directly?

Do you use non-verbal communication and express your feedback indirectly so that you will not offend them?

Today we have a pronunciation English lesson on silent letters.  Unlike other languages, in English we don't always pronounce words in the same way that we spell them. For example, did you know that "climb" and "crime" end with the same sound? Do you know any other words which have a silent letter "B"? I can think of 3 others- "crumb" "dumb" and "comb". How do you remember which letters are silent in different words? First, you need to listen to English as much as possible. Try to create an English-only environment at home. Second, you need to speak as much as possible using the correct pronunciation. Third, in order to be sure that you are using the correct pronunciation, it might help to work with a qualified English tutor. Watch this video on silent letters to get started!

Today we are going to talk about idioms in English.