Smart English Coach Clare

Is English more difficult to understand than other languages?

This was one of the questions I asked Tree Blackmore. We talked about:

- the reasons why listening is difficult - particularly in English
- why English vocabulary makes listening difficult
- some activities and ideas for improving listening and understanding (including one related to pronunciation)
This podcast was recorded on Zoom, so the audio quality isn't as high as usual. But if you find listening difficult, the ideas in this episode will be really helpful for you!

Link
The Advanced English Summit - the world's first online event especially for people who want to get to advanced English level. It runs from Wednesday 17th April to Friday 19th April, with 10 talks by different teachers.
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In this episode, listen to Luke Thompson (host of Luke's English Podcast) talk about how to really learn vocabulary - and not just stare at word lists.

We talk about the importance of learning vocabulary for advanced level, the mistakes to avoid when you try to learn vocabulary, and the tools and resources you can use to make it easier.

We're both great fans of dictionaries, and Luke also suggests some really useful ones which will increase your synonyms and phrases.

Luke is going to speak at the Advanced English Summit, and you can go to his talk - for free!
Get your invitation from the link below:
Advanced English Summit

Make sure you listen to Luke's podcast. It's probably the biggest and most popular podcast for English learners - and you'll learn a lot of new vocabulary there. Here's the link:
Luke's English Podcast
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If you use English for your work, "disfluencies" in English are something you should avoid.

In this episode, I interview Craig Wealand, an English teacher and podcaster,  who specialises in fluency, disfluency and advanced communication skills.

Craig explains how disfluencies stop you from sounding professional, and gives several examples of what they are.

If you want to find out how to avoid making them, come along to Craig's session at the Advanced English Summit.

The link to join (it's free!) is here:
Advanced English Summit

What is the Advanced English Summit?
It's a 3-day event especially for intermediate level English learners who want to get to advanced English level.
Come along to 10 different sessions (on speaking, listening, grammar, writing,  vocabulary AND exam skills.) All the speakers are professional English teachers, coaches and podcasters.
It's completely free and live on Zoom.
Advanced English Summit
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A simple, but very powerful thing when you learn English is finding happiness from it - because this will help you get quicker results.

It isn't just because feeling happy gives you more motivation. There are other benefits that you get when you enjoy speaking or using English.
In this episode, discover:
- the three extra benefits of feeling happy when you learn English
- three practical ways you can find this happiness

I also share my story of feeling happy when I speak Italian - the inspiration for this episode!

Links in this episode
The English Fluency Club - a place to meet and speak to other professionals from around the world
My contact page - let me know how I can help you!


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To choose the right English learning activities, there's one question you need to ask yourself first.

Your answer will help you to avoid spending hours on the wrong activities, and not making the progress you want.

Your answer will also help you to create the best learning plan for you, and to develop the right habits which will get you to your goals more quickly.

So, what is this question?

Listen to the podcast to find out! (And to get some example strategies that you can follow.)

Link in this episode
The English Fluency Club helps you to become more confident in English. Try it out and you WILL see and feel a difference in your English!
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If I told you that there are an estimated 25,000 idioms in English, would you want to learn them?

It seems an impossible task, but idioms are a fantastic and imaginative way to explain your feelings and thoughts in a concise - and often funny - way.

They aren't just for speaking, either. You'll see them everywhere: in articles,  news stories - and on the sides of UK buses!

In this episode, I talk about the reasons why you should (and shouldn't) learn English idioms. I hope you agree with my conclusion!

Link in this episode
English Idioms Workshop
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