JLB Language Services On Social Media

JLB Language Services a Weibo profile for readers in China. 

JLB on Weibo

Apologies if there are any mistakes with the posts in simplified Chinese. I used Google Translate, but, from this day onward, I will post only in English. In the future I will try to get a reliable translator, or translation software.

I am also on Facebook.

JLB's Facebook page


This blog will be my main page, but, I will add links on Weibo and Facebook at least once a week. Thank you to my readers. I hope you enjoy the blog, and find the advice useful.

Lastly, here is   my teacher profile on findatutor.ca 

findatutor.ca  is for people looking for tutors to teach English, and more. Check it out.

 Correction the search engine works fine. I made a mistake last week. Please disregard the previous version of this post. Thank you.

Home Study: The Internet 1

You're taking English lessons regularly, and you practice outside of class. Great. Keep it up. However, studying at home is also very important.

To build up your English language skills, you can use the CDs in your text, if you like...

BUT

You can make your studies more interesting by using the internet. The best website for independent listening practice is YouTube 

 If you know what videos you want to watch and listen to, YouTube is your best option.

Important: 

Choose shorter video clips, one or two minutes, to start. Don't try to watch hours of TV or movies right away. Build up your skills steadily, then move on to longer, more challenging clips.

If you don't want to search YouTube, there are many sites you can choose. The first one I recommend is ESLvideo.com 

It has listening tasks for all levels and, best of all, it's free. You can take quizzes, and test yourself at home.You can create your own test, or use ESL video's own quizzes. There's a lot of quality on this site. Below is a video from the beginner level quizzes (Where are you from?)

English Media Lab is another great website for all levels.  It covers grammar, reading, listening, and speaking.There are interactive activities, and games, so it's an excellent resource for groups. A lot of the material on this site can be downloaded for studying offline as well. Below is a link to the beginners' exercise.

Beginners Listening Task
(audio only)

 If possible, invite classmates, family members, or friends to join you to make home study more fun.


 

Business English: Textbook for Pre-Intermediate to Intermediate Learners.

 

Business Venture 1 is a solid "bridging" text for learners who have completed the elementary level, and want more review, and practice before going on to higher level texts.

The listening sections are not as difficult as the Market Leader text (see previous post) and have less accented English, but, they will provide enough of a challenge for ESL business learners.

Every unit starts off with a conversation question, and short speaking tasks that lead into the main topic. It is more everyday-business and job language: introducing yourself, business phone calls, meetings, negotiations, etc.

There are also role-plays for students to practice the target language in each unit. The reading sections are short, but, interesting. The grammar exercises are tied directly to the topics in each unit. A workbook is included in the full package for further study at home.

Not as colorful as other textbooks, but, it is very basic, and economical text for those getting ready for leveling up.

Business English: Textbook for High Intermediate to Advanced Students

The Market Leader series of textbooks are great books for high level learners. The listening sections are very, challenging with speakers from Europe, and Asia along with British and North Americans: lots of accented English.

Every unit has the same format. There's conversation questions, vocabulary, listening (with fill-in-the-blanks questions), reading, and a case study at the end. There's also review sections for every unit, along with an audio CD, and a CD-ROM. There's an informative website as well (Market Leader).



The reading material is mostly from The Financial Times ( a good resource for high level learners ). The articles have profiles and stories about real business people, and companies. There's also a workbook included in the full package with mostly grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension exercises.

Market Leader is for group classes, however, it can be used very well in private lessons. It is also an interesting text as it is about more than English. Topics covered include human resources, international trade, cross-cultural business relationships, finance, marketing, and more.

The text is a excellent for focused conversation lessons as well.

Market Leader on Amazon

Similar text: Business Result

English Teachers In Japan

One of my favourite YouTube series is "English Teachers" (2010).

It is about a young man named Tom who goes to Osaka, Japan to teach English at a small, but, failing English conversation school.

I lived and worked in Japan for 15 years. I spent my first 5 years working in a large, English conversation school, eikaiwa (英会話) in Japanese.

"English Teachers" does a fantastic job making a comedy that is very realistic. The characters you see in the series are very muck like the ones you would see in Japan. The lazy, veteran teacher; the teacher who lives the Japanese culture, the strict-unhappy-teacher who makes students cry, etc.

There are 8 episodes, about 5 to 10 minutes each, in the series. The writers did an exceptional job telling their story in such a short time. The acting isn't very good, but, it is a funny, low-budget, series.

English Teachers (episodes 1 to 8)

Business English 1: The Textbook for High-Beginners

Teacher: Why are you learning English?

Student #1: I need it for my job.

Student #2: My boss told me to. 

The language of international business is English. Here are a few textbooks that can  some great help you with vocabulary, listening, writing, and reading. 

For high-beginners, and up:

Global Links 1 & 2

The articles and information about real world companies is old, and out of date. The language and communication techniques in these texts are still useful in the modern world. 

Topics like talking about your job or company, introducing yourself, greeting visitors, giving presentations, and more, are covered in very simple units. Before every listening task, there are helpful read-and-listen exercises to get you ready.

There are also role plays, and writing exercises at the end of each unit. The Global Links series doesn't overload learners with long units, and accented English. It gives you the basics, and helps you move on to more challenging texts.

Global Links 1

Global Links 2

Fast Talking Teachers & Asking Questions

Teachers talking too fast. This is a very common problem in ESL classes, and it's especially difficult for beginners. There are some learners who may feel uncomfortable saying something directly to their teacher.

My advice:

Never be shy about asking a teacher (or other native speakers) to slow down.

Remember, you're not just a student-you're a client. Asking an ESL instructor to speak more slowly is not rude, or disrespectful if you use the correct expressions. 

Excuse me. Could you speak more slowly please?

I'm sorry. English is my second language. Would you mind speaking more slowly, please?

If the teacher doesn't speak clearly, or you didn't hear what she/he said:

I'm sorry. Could you say that again, please?

I'm sorry. Would you mind repeating that, please? 

Did you say (17) or (70)?

If you don't understand a word or phrase:

Excuse me. What does (feeling blue) mean?

                    

                    What's a (surgeon)? 

If a word or phrase is very difficult, you can ask the teacher to say the word, or phrase in your language.

However, most ESL instructors don't like to translate (except in a few cases), and may ask you to learn the word for homework.

Excuse me. How do you say (lawyer) in (Chinese)?

                    What's a (lawyer) in (German)?

The important point is to always ask questions when you don't understand something in class, or out of class. There's nothing wrong about asking questions when you're learning a new language.

The Art of Conversation

For some, using a second language can be uncomfortable. Fear of making mistakes, and low confidence can make conversations with native speakers difficult, and tense.

First, RELAX.

People are usually okay with grammatical errors, and understand speaking a second language is not easy. 

Next. NO short replies or one-word answers.

A: Do you like baseball?

B: Yes, I do.

A: What's your favourite team?

B: The Toronto Blue Jays.

 Conversations don't need "right" answers. Add some extra information when you answer questions, and make sure to ask questions yourself.

A: Do you like baseball?

B: Yes, I do. I'm a Toronto Blue Jays fan. How about you? What teams do you like?

A: Oh, I like The Pirates, and The Yankees. 


It is difficult to stay on one topic for a long time, but, if you want to change it, try to do it naturally, using key words from the conversation.

A: Do you like baseball?

B: Yes, I do. I'm a Toronto Blue Jays fan. How about you? What teams do you like?

A: Oh, I like The New York Yankees. 

B: Ah, New York City. I would like to go there one day. Have you ever been there.


The most important thing to remember is, again, to relax, don't worry about minor grammar mistakes, have fun, and practice your English every chance you get.

For more on English conversation, watch Ronnie's lesson on Engvid.

 








 

Those Phrasal Verbs

Yes. PHRASAL VERBS 😱😆!

" Whaddaya Say?" = What do you say?

If you'd like to work on both pronunciation, and listening for English at natural speed, "Whaddaya Say?" is a challenging, practical textbook. There is a listen and repeat section, listening questions, fill-in-the-blanks exercises, and conversation tasks in each unit. 

The listening sections are not easy, but, you will be able to understand English when it is spoken naturally. "Whaddaya Say?" can be ordered here.