I often hear that if your pronunciation in English is clear, your foreign accent doesn’t matter. Then why do I meet so many people whose English is intelligible and fluent, but they still cringe when someone asks where their accent is from? In this post, I’m gonna talk about having a foreign accent in the […]
Are you fluent in English?
English expressions to agree with others
Paralinguistics and how to sound like a native
Every now and then some of my Polish and American friends would tell me that they sometimes forget I’m not a native Polish or English speaker. As a side note, these are two languages I’ve learned as an adult. But it’s not because I never make mistakes. I’m not perfect and I’m definitely not sharing […]
Do you need feedback when you learn English?
Let’s talk about the power of feedback when we learn English. Do you actually need feedback? And why are some people so annoyed when they get corrected? Through my experience as an English learner and now a teacher, I’ve come to realize that there are two groups of learners – those who don’t want immediate […]
Speak English: The power of simple words
The power of feedback and how it can help you
A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Luca Lampariello, a polyglot I follow on social media, about receiving feedback when learning a foreign language. He argues that it is indeed very beneficial for learners to receive feedback, but it depends on the student’s level and the way the feedback is given. In other […]
What to do when others comment on your accent
Common questions during job interviews in the US
When I was working on my Master’s degree at the University of San Francisco, one of my professors told us a story about a Korean man who had applied for an open position at the university. The interview went great, my professor said. The candidate was knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to; he answered all […]
How to speak up – even in “imperfect” English
My last flight from Europe back to the US went so smoothly that I was almost suspicious. “Could anything still go wrong?” I asked myself when the plane landed at the San Francisco airport. My husband and I spent the last five weeks in Europe, splitting our time between our two respective native countries Poland […]