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Introduction HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 7 EXPERT TIPS FOR NATIVE FLUENCY AND MASTERY HABITS FOR THE SUCCESSFUL ENGLISH LEARNER HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT LEARNING ENGLISH

Grammar the Natural Way MOST COMMON VERB TENSES USED BY NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS FUTURE TENSE SHOULDA, WOULDA, COULDA! PHRASAL VERBS

Master Fluency TRAIN YOUR BRAIN LISTENING SPEAKING AND VOCABULARY CONVERSATIONAL FLUENCY EVERYDAY FLUENCY

Real Conversation Transcripts STRATEGY CONVERSATIONS 1-6 CONTINUE YOUR TRAINING

Resources APPENDIX: OTHER RESOURCES KEY

About Go Natural English In 2011 Gabby Wallace created a YouTube channel called Go Natural English and started posting free English Quick Tip videos, and later developed the GNE podcast. Go Natural means to stop using old textbooks and learn to become an independent, natural, native-like English speaker. English learners discovered GNE and liked the way Gabby teaches English. The growing audience and asked for more helpful resources from GNE, so Gabby created the Go Natural English website with GNE premium materials and a membership program for English fluency. About Gabby Wallace Gabby has a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language and has taught ESL and Spanish in the US and in Japan at universities and in business settings. Thank You Thanks to Jessica Emerson, editor, whose input into this book helped make it possible. Thanks to the other expert online English teachers who have helped and influenced me. Thanks to the many students I have worked with both online and in person who have helped me become a better teacher. Thanks to the Go Natural English audience members who have supported the creation of this book. Finally, thank you to you, the reader for joining our awesome community of English learners, Go Natural English!

Introduction Do you sometimes think the old school; traditional way of learning English is ineffective? In this book, you’ll get away from traditional language learning methods that simply do not work. From my own experience, traditional language learning has not been the best (or quickest) way to learn a language. The number one reason for this is the focus on memorization, NOT application of the language! Some of the best ways to learn English is to apply it, speak it, and be around it as much as you can. In this eBook, I will provide you with some helpful tips to help you learn English most effectively, such as: •

ONLY memorizing words, grammar, vocabulary, or verb conjugations will NOT help you speak English better!

•

Before learning English, always ask yourself “is this practical?”

•

If you want to connect with people by using English, you must apply yourself to as many situations as you can.

It is very important for you to develop your own unique way of learning English. Everyone is different and learns at his or her own pace, and that’s okay! Use and apply what works best for you. There are a lot of strategies and learning methods out there for you to explore. However, if you work hard and apply yourself to the methods covered using the Go Natural English method, you will definitely get better! This book is not for beginners. I am writing for the intermediate-level English learner who knows enough to read this book. It is also not for someone who wants to become fluent in English overnight. Although it is true that with 15 minutes a day of focused effort you can improve your fluency, please understand that there is no magic pill for fluency. You must follow the steps in this book and do the exercises in order to see improvement.

However, it should be fun, enjoyable and 15 minutes should go by quickly! I hope that each day you feel that you want more than 15 minutes of English, but please allow yourself to take your time to “digest” all the information in this book, instead of “binge” reading, or you may feel “sick” of English and give up. We want to sustain your English over a long time, and that means making this book a part of your day for a while -- 15 minutes a day, every day, at least for one, two or three months. Did you know that it takes at least 30 days to form a new habit? To build your daily English practice into a habit, read a little of this book every morning (if you’re a morning person) or every night before you sleep (if you’re more of a night person). This book does not teach basic topics such as the alphabet, numbers or simple vocabulary. It does not explain grammar and vocabulary the same way as a traditional textbook. In fact, it takes traditional grammar and vocabulary lessons and shows you where they go wrong. This book fills in the gaps in your English knowledge that are keeping you from experiencing fluency. Also, I am assuming that you have learned English in the traditional way, perhaps in high school or university, and you will benefit from a new way of learning -- The Go Natural English way. Please understand that not everyone is ready for the GNE method of learning English. It is not like other methods of English learning. The method and this book are different because they begin with the secrets of mindset, rely on your true love and enjoyment of using English as a useful tool in your life, and show you how to be a powerful, independent learner -- so no one can stop you from being truly fluent and confident in English! This book is for you if you are an intermediate to advanced English learner hoping to increase your fluency. If you are ready to go beyond traditional textbook English... if you are ready to understand the secrets to fluent English… if you are ready to enjoy English and make it part of your life... then this book is for you! Are you ready to get fluent? Let’s get started!

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK DO o

Read a little each day. Do one set of Fluent in 15 Minutes exercises each day.

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Review and repeat the exercises. You should be doing them more than once!

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Keep a positive “can-do” mindset.

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Stay focused on what you can do and how far you’ve come already!

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Focus on what you can do to improve your skills little by little.

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Think of ways to enjoy English and connect with other English speakers.

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When you feel you are truly finished with this book, feel free to share it with a friend.

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When you are ready for more practice, come back to GoNaturalEnglish.com

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When you want to connect with others in our awesome community of English learners, join us on social media or join a GNE premium members’ course for more interaction!

DON’T o

DON’T give up if you don’t see immediate improvement. It takes time to change the way you learn and to realize that you are improving.

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DON'T stop reading if this book seems too difficult. But DO put it down if you need a break, try reading something else for a few days, then come back to it.

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DON’T compare yourself to others; just try to improve on your own skills little by little.

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DON’T focus on what you can’t do. You go to where you are focused. So, if you focus on what you cannot do, you will not improve.

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DON’T try to do everything alone. English is about connecting and communicating with others

7 EXPERT TIPS FOR NATIVE FLUENCY AND MASTERY How do you guarantee success at English fluency? Well, there are no guarantees in life, but there are techniques designed to help improve your conversational skills and move you closer to your goal of English fluency. While working on the Go Natural English blog, I worked with a group of other English and language learning experts to develop a list of our seven best tips for mastering fluency in any language. This is what we came up with: 1. Include additional words or phrases every day into your conversations. This will build conversational skills. 2. Learn to think in English. If you can think in English, your conversational skills will speed up. 3. Be consistent and make English relevant to your life. Do something that you enjoy in English each day. 4. Choose conversations and identify the stressed words. Write them down and check them against subtitles later. 5. Create relationships with native English speakers. Use every opportunity to converse with native speakers. 6. Focus on that which you find interesting. 7. Use your ears. Train them to pick out sounds of English. Compare what your eyes think they see with what your ears hear. Practice these tips for speaking better English and you will be excited with the results on your trip to English fluency. This Go Natural English book will be your constant companion on this journey!

How  to  Apply  Those  7  Tips In high school, did you ever feel embarrassed, nervous or anxious in English class? You couldn’t wait for class to be over? Now it doesn’t have to be that way. Let’s change how we interact with English to be successful and enjoyable!

Do you enjoy playing games or participating in sports competitions or information challenges? Learning English can be an enjoyable game, too. Imagine each vocabulary word as points you are earning. Think of each grammar rule you master as scoring goals. Each time you practice English on your own or with friends is a training session. And each conversation that you participate in is a game. If you speak, you win! What is fluency? Is becoming fluent like winning the World Cup of English? It really doesn’t have to be so difficult or exclusive. In fact, fluency is what you say it is. What is fluency to you? Does fluency mean that you can order coffee? Does fluency mean that you can ask people questions and make small talk? Does fluency mean that you can debate politics with native speakers? Clearly these situations are at different levels of fluency, but you can be fluent in each situation. What you need to do is think about what you want to be able to do in English. Start with the most simple situations and work your way up to more challenging situations. Remember that learning English is about progress, not perfection.

Mindset While there is no special trick to becoming fluent, there is a secret to fluency that few language learners understand. If you are feeling like something is missing, then ask yourself this question: Have you prepared your mind for learning English? Most English learners buy classes, books and other study tools. They spend time studying vocabulary and grammar. They really want to be fluent in English. If all these things are equal for two different people, why does one learn faster than the other? The answer is that people approach learning with different mindsets.

Although many people skip this important step, you need to prepare the way you think in order to have success learning English. The way you approach learning English makes a huge difference in your fluency results. Here are three ways to prepare your mind for learning English. First, begin with a positive mindset. Pretty simple, right? When you think positively, you don’t concentrate on your failures or shortcomings. You see your mistakes as growth opportunities. Therefore, making mistakes becomes necessary and even exciting. Even when you make mistakes you are learning, and maybe even will have some funny stories to tell later. Understand and believe you have the ability to become fluent. If you can speak your native language, then you can learn any language. Also, as an adult you have an advantage -- you understand things about grammar, language and communication that children don’t know yet. Don’t focus on what you don’t know. Instead, focus on the positive. Think about how much you already do know and how you can use it in many different ways. Imagine the possibilities for using the English you know now, today. After all, it’s the everyday habit of using English that will make you fluent in time. Second, think of English as part of your life and your identity, not simply a school subject or a class you go to once or twice a week. True fluency comes from accepting English as a way of life. Integrate English into every part of your life -the music you listen to, the news you watch, the books and websites you read, the way you communicate with people. Don’t learn English just to learn English. Learn English to use it as a tool to enjoy life, to get information and knowledge, to pursue your hobbies and to make new connections and friends.

Third, enjoy the journey instead of always focusing on the destination. Stop asking, “How long will it take to be fluent?” Start enjoying using English on a daily basis to explore things you are interested in. Take 5 minutes to learn something new each day. After some time, you’ll be surprised at how much you have learned. Begin with a positive mindset. Make English part of your daily life. Enjoy every moment on the road to fluency. Remember: you control your mind, and you’re free to change it!

HABITS FOR THE SUCCESSFUL ENGLISH LEARNER One key difference between the GNE method and other English teaching styles is the focus on making English a natural part of your everyday life. One way I like to do this in my own language learning routine is just that, it’s part of my routine! I’ve got 5 suggestions for you that will help you to add English into your own everyday routine, helping you to form a fluency habit that; much like brushing your teeth, these habits will become a non-negotiable part of your day. Feel free to start with one or two suggestions and work your way up to doing all five! Rise and Shine! It is important to begin each day with the right mindset because it will help your brain to receive information and you’ll start forming new pathways. Don’t accept common myths like “it is very difficult for adults to become fluent in English,” or “mistakes are bad and should be avoided,” or “some people are naturally talented at languages, but most people are not.” These are myths. Let them go. Try reading these positive ideas aloud instead. You’ll be amazed at your fast improvement!

Habit 1: As soon as you wake up, read these phrases aloud to train your brain for learning with a positive mindset: •

You improve every day. You learn every day.

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You have good intentions and should therefore always be confident in your words and your actions.

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Don’t compare yourself to anyone except the person you were yesterday.

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Today is a great day to make mistakes!

Get Ready! Habit 2: Listen to music in English while you get ready. Put it on while you shower and get dressed. By listening to music in English, you will benefit in three ways. First, you are immersing yourself in the sounds of English, which you need in order to become familiar with new sounds and words. Second, if you listen carefully, you can improve your listening skills and vocabulary. Third, you can discover new music you like and even learn about some pop culture. Bonus: Sing along for added fun and to improve your pronunciation and vocabulary! To find suggestions for your playlist, try these sites: •

Billboard top 100

•

Pandora

•

YouTube

Eat Your Breakfast! They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so don’t skip it! You will not want to skip it now, especially if you use the time to eat and improve your English.

Habit 3: Listen to, watch or read in English while you eat breakfast. By watching programs in English, you will benefit in many ways: listening comprehension, vocabulary, phrases, and even grammar. Consuming media in English will immerse you in the language and culture. No matter where you live, you need to expose yourself to lots of English. You probably already check the news in the morning, and why not do that in English? Try these sites for news by level: •

Advanced English speakers – BBC

•

Intermediate English speakers – VOA

•

High beginner English speakers – Breaking News English

If you’d rather watch direct English-learning tips, you can always watch Go Natural English on YouTube! Drive on, Learn on! Do you drive, take a train or bus, or walk to work in the morning? Make use of the time you spend going to work (or anywhere) and you guessed it; listen to something in English! Again, you could listen to the news; music or this is a great opportunity to explore another form of media in English. Try downloading free podcasts. Put on your earphones and enjoy. There are two types of podcasts you should download: English-learning podcasts and authentic English podcasts. Habit 4: This one has two parts. First, download free English-learning podcasts – like the Go Natural English podcast on iTunes for IOS and Stitcher for Android – that will directly improve your English skills. Each episode will give you clear and practical English learning tips. With unconventional strategies and native-speaker phrases, this is not your typical English class! Second, find authentic English podcasts (for native speakers of English) on topics that you enjoy. Do not search for “English” and do not search in your native language. Search for categories or keywords of topics you enjoy in English. Keep in mind that these podcasts are meant for native speakers.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything – that’s normal. Just try to understand the main idea. It’s a good idea to listen to a variety of materials. Listen to materials at a variety of levels of difficulty and listen to materials on different topics. That is a great way to build your vocabulary. This way, you will be able to talk about a variety of topics. Bonus: Try translating the everyday objects you see on your commute into the words you know in English. Double Bonus: if you have a commute that involves public transport and you are around other English speakers, try speaking with them! Have a plan! Habit 5: You usually make a plan for your day, right? Well this habit is going to take that a step further! Make the effort to think about what you will do each day, in English! You’ll benefit even more if you write a to-do list for the day in English as well. Do this task as you would in your native language. Use as many words in English as you can without looking them up in the dictionary. It’s OK if you don’t know how to express everything you want to. Try to write it in another way in English or just use words in your native language. The important thing is that you are using English as a tool for success in your daily activities. Make a note of any words or ideas you don’t know and look them up later. Stay organized and keep your to-do list at your fingertips no matter where you go using an online list or app like Trello, Asana or Wunderlist. Put these five suggestions into your morning routine. Remember to pair them with those 7 tips I told you about before. You will feel the power and benefits from putting your English improvement first in your day. It’s a great feeling to know you did something for yourself before you go to work. If you can add some of these suggestions to your morning routine, you’ll see your English will improve quickly.

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT LEARNING ENGLISH Common Mistakes Why does it seem like some English learners are gifted? Why do some English learners reach fluency and confidence faster than others? Why does it feel so difficult to be really fluent in English? Everyone who can speak one language can speak two languages (or more)! It is your human ability, and it is almost impossible not to speak a second language given the right environment. The problem is, many learners make some common mistakes. Here are some mistakes to be careful of: •

Don’t rely on your teacher or a textbook. You must be an independent learner!

•

Don’t focus on what you can’t do; focus on what you can and want to do!

•

Don’t focus on how long it will take until you reach fluency; enjoy the journey!

•

Don’t give up if you don’t know the answer immediately; take your time and ask lots of questions!

•

Don’t try to be perfect; try to make progress, to communicate and to make connections with people!

•

Don’t make English your main goal; make English a tool to reach your life goals!

•

Don’t make excuses like “I don’t have time.” Just 15 minutes a day can improve your English fluency!

Now that we’ve covered some things not to do, let’s begin with the lessons of this eBook that will help you continue to be successful in learning English.

Grammar  the  Natural  Way English, just like any other language, has a lot of rules. And as is often the case, these rules are difficult, confusing and one of the hardest parts to master when learning a new language. But you’re not worried, because you have the Go Natural English eBook by your side. In this section we will be going over some of the more common problems English language learners face, how to overcome them and sometimes even when to break the rules altogether.

MOST COMMON VERB TENSES USED BY NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS As if English language pronunciation and spelling aren’t challenging enough, you must learn to use the proper tenses in order to say exactly what you mean. The simple past and simple present are probably the two most common verb tenses. For example, if something occurred in the past, you might say something like, “I ate all my vegetables” or “I wrote a long letter to my grandmother.” If you are in the act of performing an action, you might say, “I study English on a daily basis.” This section will also cover a few other verb tenses that you will find when speaking English but they do not necessarily convey a single simple action. There are a great number of materials and resources available to you either on the Internet or at the library, or in a bookstore, and you should try to use every available resource at your disposal. See the Appendix provided at the end of the book for more English language learning material. Remember, mastering fluency doesn’t require learning each and every single grammar rule in the English language. All you need are to master the basics, and that will help you to get “the most bang for your buck” as we say in American English. Meaning that by prioritizing and spending your time wisely, learning just a few of the more simple rules used in everyday speech, you’ll be conversing fluently with native English speakers in no time!

In this chapter, we will be reviewing a few of those basic grammar rules to help you to become a better English learner and to get out there and start speaking like a native. First, we’re going to take a look at two perfect tenses that, while good to know, aren’t actually used very often in everyday English conversations. Future perfect: “I will have done something.” Past perfect: “I had done something.” Instead, there are six main grammar tenses that every English language learner should know to understand about 80% of all native-level conversations. So let’s take a look at what those are: Simple Present: “I am, I work, I study.” Simple present continuous: “I am working, I am studying.” Present perfect continuous: “I have been studying.” Present perfect: “I have studied” Simple Past: “I studied, I worked.” Future: “I will”/”I am going to” An important thing to remember about these tenses is that while there are six of them in English, they’re not always all used in everyday conversations. Conversational English by its very nature tends to be less formal and restrictive than the written language. Now let’s take a closer look at one of the less popular tenses I get the most questions about -- the past perfect tense -- and compare it with the simple past tense. We’ll use the verb “to be”, in the past, which is “was”. For example, you might say, “I was an exchange student in the year 2000.” The past perfect tense, on the other hand, might read, “I had been studying English when my little sister was born and I had to return home to help my parents.”

In normal conversation, most people use the simple tenses. If you want to blend in and sound more like a native speaker, it’s important not to speak in a stiff, overly formal manner, which can sometimes sound awkward in regular conversations. The best way to do this is to practice, practice, and practice some more. Here’s your first chance to get some of that practice in! Throughout this eBook there are a variety of mini exercises that you should be able to complete in only 15 minutes! Many of these exercises will be open ended, like this next one and might even require you to pair up with an English speaking friend or buddy, either in person or online. However, there are some, like the one in the next section, where the answers can be found at the end of the eBook in the Resources section. Have fun!

Fluent in 15 Minutes Practice each of the tenses quickly by writing and saying one short sentence for each of the following: • Describe who you are (simple present) • Talk about a project you are currently working on (present continuous) • Talk about something you have been doing on   years (present perfect and off for the last few continuous) • Talk about your experience, where you have traveled (present perfect) • Share something that you did yesterday (simple past) • Share your plans for next weekend (future)

FUTURE TENSE I will...be going to Now, let’s take a closer look at the future tense with the phrase “going to”. This phrase is often used to speak of the future but with a link to the present. For instance, you might say, “I think it’s going to snow because the sky looks ominous.” “Going to” is often used to talk about plans that you have already made. If, on the other hand, you are looking to the future with no real attachment to the present, use “will”. An example of this would be, “Those suitcases look heavy. I will carry them for you.” “Will” is often used to talk about plans that you have not already made. Although some English grammar rules like this have subtle differences. It is often these subtle differences that make you appear to be more in command of English, and therefore make you seem more like a native English speaker. But, let me tell you something: there actually isn’t much of a difference between “will” and “going to”, and native English speakers are going to understand what you mean. So fear not, and forge ahead in your quest to improve your English!

1. 2. 3. 4.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Yes or no? “I will help you with your homework,” means to volunteer to help. “I am going to help you with your homework,”   means a plan you already thought about to help. “Maybe I will go to Paris,” is a definite plan that you’ve already made. “I am going to Paris,” means a dream, not a definite plan.

Two Principles for Fast Fluency Before we move on, I would like to point out something about English, which like all languages has many grammar rules and infinite ways of making sentences. For this reason, many English learners can become frustrated and lose motivation because they cannot learn everything quickly. What I’d like to suggest is that you learn enough quickly. To do that, there are two principles that you should know that will help you on your English-language learning journey. Principle 1: Minimum Viable Grammar How much grammar do you really need? For a difficult English test, you should know all of the rules. For everyday conversation, you will use the six most common tenses 80% of the time. And, if you still have trouble with some of those six tenses and really just want to communicate, you can make yourself understood with the creative use of one, two or three tenses -- the simple past, simple present, and future. For example, if you say, “I go to the store yesterday” while this is not correct; people will understand what you mean. I don’t want to tell you to use bad grammar; however, it’s better to say this than nothing at all! So, minimum viable grammar is an idea borrowed from business that means you should use what you already know (the minimum) to communicate with people today (make it viable, or make it work). Don’t wait until you have the perfect sentence ready in your head to say it -- that day may never come! Think about the minimum viable grammar you would need for the situations you are likely to have. Do not learn grammar just to know the grammar, just in case you might someday need it. Think backward from the situation or context you want to experience, and prepare the grammar you will need for the specific event.

Principle 2: The 80/20 Principle The 80/20 principle is also an idea borrowed from business and productivity experts. It will help you to focus your time and energy on what really matters. So what does it mean? Essentially it boils down to the idea that 20% of your effort will yield 80% of your results. What does this mean for you while learning English? Well to put it another way, it means that most of your time should be spent learning the 20% of English that is actually used 80% of the time. In other words, focus on the words that people use to communicate on a daily basis (not challenging academic words, unless you need them for a test or advanced reading assignment). By spending your time wisely, learning those everyday words, you’ll be able to build a stronger foundation for speaking, reading and listening to English on the same day-to-day level as native speakers, without putting in hours and hours of time memorizing difficult vocabulary. What to do if you make a mistake Imagine that you’re having a great English conversation but you stop – you start turning red and sweating because you realize you just made a mistake, and you feel embarrassed, and oh my gosh, what do you do if you realize you’ve made a grammar mistake in English in the middle of a conversation? This isn’t the same as writing a paper, or even chatting online. You can’t just stop, delete the line and start over. Or can you? How do you bounce back from a mistake in the middle of a conversation? Well, two things: It really all depends on whether or not your mistake affects the overall meaning of what you originally meant to say. So, if you realize that your grammar mistake means that the other person didn’t understand you, or might come to the wrong conclusion from what you said, well you could say: “Oh, I’m sorry, I made a mistake. What I meant to say was …” But honestly, you don’t even need to apologize.

You don’t even need to say you made a mistake. You could just keep talking and say, “What I meant to say was blah, blah, blah.” Or – if the mistake you made was kind of superficial, meaning it doesn’t affect the meaning and everyone still understands everything that you mean to say – there’s no miscommunication, it’s okay to let it go. Yep, It’s totally OK. Just let it go. Don’t even worry about it. Everybody makes mistakes, even native speakers. All the time! So, if it doesn’t affect the understanding or your communication, just move on. Trust me, this will help your fluency overall because you won’t be stopping the conversation – say, “ooh, oh, I meant, ooh, uh,” and people will enjoy talking with you more because if the mistake was little, chances are, the other person might not even notice! So just take a deep breath and keep talking.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Learn a little; use it a lot! Select a verb tense, for example the present perfect, and write as many sentences and questions as you can in 15 minutes. Use a stopwatch to time yourself. For example: “I have traveled to Italy…” “Where have you traveled?” etc. You can repeat this exercise for each verb tense. As you write, don’t worry about mistakes. You can check those with a native speaker later. Just let yourself write freely.

SHOULDA, WOULDA, COULDA! So now that we’ve gone over the six main grammar tenses, let’s go over the “shoulda, woulda, coulda’s”, or the conditional perfect tenses of “should have been”, “would have been”, “could have been”. These are terms that can seem confusing to new English learners but you can learn to use them properly in your English conversations and your writings. For example, you might say something like, “I would have been there for your birthday party, but I was sick in bed with the flu.” This shows that you intended to be there but something came up that prevented you from going. You often hear things like, “I could have been graduating next month, but I had to drop out of school for a semester.” So, you were on track to graduate but circumstances beyond your control prevented that from actually happening. And finally, it is often said, “I should have paid more attention to my English teacher, but I was daydreaming too much.” This shows that you knew you were supposed to pay closer attention, but just weren’t focused enough on that task. So what is the difference between these three forms of the conditional perfect tense? Well, here are some quick examples: “Should have been” is a way to state your opinion. You think events should have happened one way, while they actually happened a different way. “Would have been” is talking about the logic of events – if one thing didn’t happen, another thing would have happened. “Could have been” is talking about potential or possibility. Which is to say one thing might have happened one way, had the conditions been just right.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Are you confused or in doubt about any grammar point so far? Are you feeling lost as an independent learner without a teacher to tell you the right way? Luckily, nowadays we have tools like search engines that we can actually use to show us   the right way. Get online on your computer or smartphone and search for a word or structure that you’re not 100% sure about. Use Google.com, type in the structure (for example, “If I were you, I would...,” and see all the results for examples.

Remember, if you’re having trouble answering some of the questions in the mini exercise sections, be sure to check the resources section at the end of the book for the answer key, along with some other helpful resources to help you to learn English naturally!

PHRASAL VERBS Let’s Get Down to Business It’s time to get down to the business of learning about phrasal verbs using the word “get.” If you really want to get your message across, you need to become familiar with naturally spoken English. As you will see in this English tip, native speakers tend to use phrasal verbs with “get” more than they use the formal verbs. You get out of your English learning effort what you put into it. You don’t want to just get by in your studies, you want to excel and become the best English language speaker you can be. If you can begin to use phrasal verbs with “get” you will find that you will be understood, and maybe even commended on your command of the English language.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Can you match the phrasal verbs with “get” with the more formal way of saying the same thing? To have the opportunity To get into To arrive To get by To exit To get in(to) To wake To get up To be accepted To get out To do just enough To get in(to) To complete To get to To become interested To get through

Master  Fluency TRAIN YOUR BRAIN 1. Make a pathway: Build a bridge between the receptors in your brain. Imagine having two cliffs that are separate and you want to build a bridge to bring the two cliffs together. This is not easy because you have old thinking patterns but you need to keep working hard to create the pathway. How should you create the neural pathways? Think about your learning style and use the 80/20 rule I mentioned earlier. How do you learn best? Do you learn by listening? Then spend your time listening! Do you learn through physical movement? Do more of that while you are learning English. 2. Make connections Connect what you learning in English with someone else that you know well. Create a mnemonic (new-mAHn-ick) device. A mnemonic device is a tool that you can use to remember words, such as an acronym. For example, when teaching English I like to use the word “CRU”. Now “CRU” is an acronym that means “Connect, Repeat, Use”. Everyone creates their own mnemonic devices in their own way. It might take more time initially, but you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the end. 3. Use what you are learning Don’t just listen or read. You need to write, speak, and use the language. You need to analyze what you are learning. Don’t focus on English just to use English. Think about how English can help you in your day-to-day life. Use English to learn about something else going on in your life.

For speaking and understanding English fluently and naturally, particularly if you don’t require any kind of “formal” English abilities, building vocabulary is more important than learning all of the proper grammar rules.

LISTENING Have you ever thought you had learned enough English while reading through books? Now, that’s a mouthful to pronounce since in English the “ough” sound has many different pronunciations. One reason for the multitude of pronunciations is that many English words are borrowed from other languages. But sometimes, the words just aren’t spoken as they are spelled. English has many words which contain silent letters such as the words should, would, and could which contain the unpronounced “L.” In another example, “Wednesday” is not pronounced “Wed - NES - day” but rather, in some cases it sounds more like “Wens-day”. English also contains words like “err”, “air”, and “heir” which are all spelled completely differently, have completely different meanings, and yet are all pronounced the same. Another word for example – take the word “autumn.” You would think that we would say it “ah-oo-tum-nuh” by the way that it’s spelled but that’s not at all how we say the word “autumn”. It’s sounds more like “Aw-tum”. This doesn’t even take regional accents into account either. The way we say words can change depending on where and how we learned English. Standard English, the way newscasters speak, is the rule – but many native speakers do not speak like that. Also, as you will learn later in this book, one letter can have many different sounds. In many cases, you really do just have to memorize the sounds. The best way to think about this, particularly for mastering speaking fluency, is to remember how the words sound to you, instead of how they are spelled in English. It’s especially important to get those sounds and pronunciations from

listening to how they are pronounced by native speakers, don’t just rely on sounding out the letters and words by reading them out loud either. This helps not only your own understanding of spoken English, but it will also help you to sound more like a native speaker yourself if you can mimic those same sounds! But here’s a tricky thing to consider: why is it that sometimes, the English spoken in movies sounds as if it should be subtitled even for native English listeners? Native English speakers do sometimes have trouble understanding all that is being said in these movies. There are several reasons for this – there are some differences in pronunciation between British, American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand English. Additionally, younger actors tend to use a lot of slang or their words tend to run together, making them difficult to understand. As you continue to improve your English language proficiency, your vocabulary will also increase and you will begin to understand more and more of what you hear. The key here is immersion. Immerse yourself into the English language as much as possible and you will see great progress. Try to speak English as much as you can. Seek out native speakers and start conversations using words and phrases that you are comfortable with. Read books to increase your vocabulary and grammar skills, and watch different TV shows and movies to fine-tune your listening skills. Yes, even those movies that might sound like they’re not in English at all!

Fluent in 15 Minutes Watch a TV show you enjoy and shadow what the characters say. To shadow means to repeat what you hear immediately, as soon as you can. Do this for a few minutes, then repeat and review. This exercise will be easier with subtitles, but be careful because you should repeat what you hear not simply read out loud. The difference is that when you repeat   what you hear, you will say phrases like the native speaker. If you read subtitles out loud, you may read them using rules from your native language. This does not help your accent improve. Don’t worry if you can’t catch every word. Just try to repeat as much as possible! You can do this with music too.  

Now that’s all well and good, but what if you’re struggling with your listening practice when it comes to learning English? Well then, this next lesson is for you! The More You Listen, The Better You Sound Frustrated? Do you feel like your English skills are lacking due to a small vocabulary? The key then is for you to listen more, read more, and speak more. According to statistics, more than 50% of English words come to us from Greek and Latin roots. This should be encouraging because as your usable vocabulary grows, you will better be able to understand and figure out the meaning of more and more words. Reading will help your eyes learn to see how words are used in particular contexts while listening will allow your ears to recognize proper pronunciations. Another helpful tip to remember is that if you’re trying to improve your language skills to interact with certain professionals in specific fields; say you want to learn to speak more fluently with doctors, nurses or other medical professionals then you should listen and read medical industry-specific materials.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Copy & Paste Listen to anything short in English (a song, a YouTube video, the news, etc) and select a phrase or two that you   could use in a future conversation. Repeat them in your mind, out loud, write them down, create your own imaginary conversations with them and paste them into your own real conversations!

How to Understand More When You Listen to English Remember: “Use the test to take the test!” Basically, this is a reminder that when you take a test in English (or in any subject), you should use the test structure and materials themselves to help you answer questions that you do not know the answer to. Therefore, in real life when you’re listening to and speaking with natives, if there is a word or phrase you don’t understand or are unfamiliar with, use the context of the words and phrases that you DO understand around that new word to help you figure out what the new word means. Also, consider the setting; people talking, and what it is they are most likely talking about.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Read or watch a short news story in English. Are there words you are unfamiliar with? Try guessing the meanings through the context of the story.   Later, you can check the meanings to confirm if your guess is correct or not. Don’t skip the step of guessing through context! It really helps you to remember new words and how to use them.

SPEAKING AND VOCABULARY Pronunciation If you want to speak English like a native, you need to immerse yourself in reallife situations and speak with natives. At first, you may find it difficult to understand and to speak like a native. There are some specific sounds that give English learners a challenge, no matter where you are from. Let’s take a quick look at six of the most challenging points for everyone and how to improve your pronunciation! Remember that when you see a letter of the alphabet in an English word, it may make sounds that are very different from the sounds the letter makes in your native language! That is why you must listen with your ears, not your eyes. Be careful not to read or speak in English using pronunciation rules from your first language. Again, it’s very important to remember just as with listening; spoken English sounds very different from written English. This next section will help you to identify some of the more confusing sounds in the English language and hopefully, how to master their pronunciation in certain words. Sounds R The letter “r” and the sounds it makes are special in English. “R” alone is formed with your tongue in the middle of your mouth -- not touching anywhere. What pirates say, “Arr!” is similar to the sound of the “r” alone. When you add a vowel and an “r” together, you usually get an r-colored vowel. This means that most words with any vowel + r will have an “er” sound. For example: Nurse = “nerse” First = “ferst” World = “werld”

Of course there are some exceptions such as, “north” which makes an “OR” sound and “start” which takes the long a as in “AR”, the word “art” is the same. TH When you form the “th” sound, you need to stick your tongue out through your teeth a little bit. This may feel strange, but believe me, it’s important. There are two ways to say “th”. It may need your voice, like “then”, “there”, or “that”. Or, it may not need your voice, such as “thesis”, “theater”, or “father”. It’s an easy way to tell who is a native speaker by who can make the “th” sound or not!

Consonants Together In English consonants (all the letters except the vowels) love to be together. This can be difficult to know how to pronounce. It’s simple -- just say each sound without adding any extra vowel sounds (the most common mistake). Practice saying the following sounds separately, then say them together slowly, and together quickly: Worked = “wer-k-t” Months = “mon-th-s” Stars = “s-t-ar-z” Stretch = “s-t-re-t-ch” Squirrels = “s-k-wer-l-z” Flapped T In American English we love to “flap” our “t” sound when it comes between vowel sounds. What that means is that sometimes “t” sounds like “d.” For example: Waiter = “waider” Pretty = “predy” City = “cidy”

Vowel sounds - short and long One feature of English that is important to work on is the difference between short and long vowels. Each vowel - a, e, i, o, u - has a short and a long pronunciation. This is especially important to note because if you exchange a short vowel for a long vowel - or vice versa - you can completely change the word. Luckily for us, the context of the sentence should be enough for people to understand what you really mean to say. For example: App (short) vs. ape (long) Set (short) vs. seat (long) Fin (short) vs. fine (long) Hop (short) vs. hope (long) Cut (short) vs. cute (long)

Fluent in 15 Minutes Try saying these words with challenging sounds. Record yourself. Listen to your pronunciation. Get a native speaker to give you feedback. Re-do it if needed. 1. World, Girl, Hurt, First, Nurse 2. Start, Stretch, First 3. Month, Threat, Father 4. Butter, Water, Better 5. Know, Now 6. Sheep, Ship 7. Bad, Bed 8. Peach, Pitch

Word-level Stress The secret to native pronunciation is not in a specific letter, it is a sound: schwa. It has a weak sound, like when you get hit in the stomach -- “uh.”

Be careful not to make each sound in an English word the same strength. In fact, you should not pronounce every sound exactly as you might think it should sound. English words have strong and weak parts, known as syllables. Most weak syllables get the “schwa” sound. This is true no matter what the vowel of the word’s weak part is. This is really important for any long word with more than one part (syllable). There are exceptions, and additions to the rule, but let’s keep it simple and look at some examples that are true. For example: Apartment = “uh-PART-muhnt” Massachusetts = “Muhs-uh-CHU-suhtts” Excellent = “EX-suh-luhnt” Of course, you still need to remember those short and long vowels when pronouncing the words above. Syllables just help you to remember where the emphasis goes in each word.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Say these words with the correct schwa sound. Use an online audio dictionary to check how they should sound. Record yourself and compare to the official dictionary audio or check with a native speaker. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Garage Pleasant Dozen History

5. Mountain 6. Curious 7. Famous 8. President

Phrases You probably want to put words together into sentences, right? Sometimes when we use two words together, back-to-back, the sounds change. And sometimes the sounds are deleted. For example: Knife fight = “naifait” The word “knife” ends in an “f” sound and the word “fight” begins in an “f” sound, which makes it sound almost as though the two words have been combined. Diamond necklace = “diamonnecklace” The “d” at the end of “diamond” is not a strong sound. It gets lost between the “n” sounds. Though, you will hear some native speakers separate these two words distinctly. Want to = “wanna” In everyday conversations, most people will complete drop both the “t” sound at the end of “want” and the preposition “to” sounds like a schwa “uh.” Going to = “gonna” The “ing” sound disappears and again the preposition “to” is dropped completely so that it sounds like a schwa “uh.”

Sometimes sounds combine to make new ones. For example: Would you = “Wud-ja” Could you = “Cud-ja” Should you = “Shud-ja” What are you = “Wat-cha” Is he = “Izi”

These are just a few examples to explain why it seems that native speakers talk quickly or are difficult to understand. Knowing how words and sounds act together is a very important part of becoming a great English speaker.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Based on the examples shown, can you think of any other word combinations where sounds may change? Check by   listening to, or asking native speakers. Then record yourself saying the words and check your pronunciation.

How to not sound old fashioned Many English learners feel a big distance between their high school English class and the way native speakers converse in the present day. Textbook English can seem old-fashioned and stiff -- not how you want people to see you! You are a modern, smart and fun person -- so you want people to understand that from the way you speak! Here are some suggestions: •

Watch current TV series (advanced difficulty)

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Participate in or just observe online chats on social media (intermediate difficulty)

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Chose a singer, movie star or someone famous to model some phrases (intermediate difficulty -- see the next Fluent in 15 Minutes exercise)

Fluent in 15 Minutes Create your English “Alter Ego” Find a pop star, movie star, or other famous person who you admire. It is best to choose a person who is currently famous, around your same age and gender. Watch clips of this person speaking on YouTube,   or listen to their songs. Try to notice some phrases that they commonly use and copy them for your own conversations. Try to notice how they use gestures, or other ways of communication; like their flow and rate of speaking, and copy it. When it is time to speak English, imagine you are this famous English-speaking person! It is a real confidence boost!  

Vocabulary Have you ever tried to pick up a new skill and find yourself getting frustrated because you didn’t get it as quickly as you thought you should? Well, that can be a common occurrence in language learning as well because there is so much to take in. Learning English is a new skill, and it requires the same effort as learning any other skill. Don’t get nervous, or anxious, and certainly don’t give up. Just relax, and learn new words or phrases while continuing to use the ones that you already use in your conversations. Everything around you can be turned into a vocabulary lesson. For example, read license plates out loud while you commute to work. Name things you see around you.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Make a list of everything you see around you. If you don’t know the word in English, look it   minutes and write up! Time yourself for 15 down everything -- objects, textures, actions, etc.

When building up your vocabulary, it can be difficult at first, if you don’t already have a base from elementary or high school English language learning courses. Especially when you start to think about all of the words you had to learn for your native language just to get to where you are now! However, if you’re reading this eBook and if you’ve been working through the GNE Method so far, I’ll bet you already have a pretty solid vocabulary foundation. While this eBook is not intended to provide you with a pile of vocabulary lists to memorize and learn in order to “increase your fluency”, there are some tools that can help make the process of building your vocabulary base easier. A couple of those tools have been provided in the following “Fluent in 15” sections. Flashcards are a particular favorite among language teachers, including myself, because you can use them in a variety of different ways. For example, did you know that flashcards aren’t just for words? You can also include complete phrases! Fluent in 15 Minutes   Create flashcards of new vocabulary words using www.Anki.com

Fluent in 15 Minutes Find a new word and explore how it is used by using a search engine like   Google to find examples. If you need ideas, use www.Graphwords.com, an awesome site that shows you related words.

CONVERSATIONAL FLUENCY The Go Natural English Fluency Formula: After years of study, learning other languages and teaching English, I took some time to think about what really works. I took notes from professional linguists. I reflected on my own language learning experience. I also interviewed my own students. And after awhile I realized that in order to learn a language, English in particular, very fluently there are actually a few things you DON’T need! While most English teachers and textbooks will tell you what you do need, I’m here to give you a few notes about what you don’t need, along with a few helpful things you WILL need to learn English. So here’s what you don’t need: •

A classroom

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A teacher

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A textbook

That’s right! It might sound strange coming from someone who teaches English for a living, but really if you want to learn English fluently and naturally, you really just need the following: •

Motivation

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Independence

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Initiative

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And of course the Go Natural English method

That’s really all there is to it! As part of the GNE method, I’ve developed the following seven steps for learning and mastering English fluently and in a more natural way because I myself struggled with learning English in the more traditional manner of classrooms, textbooks and rote memorization. I knew there had to be a better way and that there were other language learners out there like me, who wanted to be able to start speaking and using a new language quickly and easily with other native speakers. 7 Steps for Go Natural English 1.

Think and Plan:

Think and plan what you will say in English so you do not feel surprised in the moment you need it. What do you want to be able to understand and say and to whom? Imagine the people and situations in which you would like to use English. 2.

Surround Yourself with English Input:

Listen to and read English that is practical to the way you want and need to use it, like in Step 1. For example, do you want to be able to debate and share your opinion in English? Then watch debates, or even the movie called The Great Debaters in English! 3.

Be Curious:

Notice new words that you see more than once. Instead of ignoring them, write them down and find out the meaning. Remember to do this after listening, after conversations, and after reading -- not during. 4.

Repeat:

Repeat new words out loud and with emotion immediately! If it is not possible to repeat them out loud immediately, repeat them in your head. Repeat new words often and use flashcards or a notebook to remind you.

5.

Connect:

You can connect new words with a related word, idea, or thing that you already know, even in your own language. For example, I always remember that “owaiso” means “the check” in Japanese because it sounds like “eye sore.” 6.

Use:

Try using new words as soon, and as often, as you can. When you use words, you get feedback from people you are talking with. Did they understand? If you can’t talk with an English speaker right away, then try writing a message on social media, an email, or simply in your journal. 7.

Review:

Repeat all the steps to grow your vocabulary and fluency in English. Remember that it is necessary to review, repeat and consistently use English every day for improvement. So how can you put those 7 steps to use? •

First, find locals who do speak English.

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Meet people who shared the interest with you to get a deeper connection and not just to learn English.

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Go online and find a language exchange partner.

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Invest time in taking lessons online.

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Practice with yourself by speaking out loud to yourself and record it. That way you can assess your weakness and improve them.

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Sing English songs. Learn an English song, know the lyrics and tune and sing it to yourself or to others.

By using these steps, you will be able to develop your English skills whether you’re in an English-speaking country or not!

More on Conversations and Fluency “What does it mean to be a native English speaker?” That is a topic that we could talk for a long time about. What is your idea of perfect English or correct English, or even fluent English? Now, the answer will vary depending on the person you ask. So, that’s where you have to start in order to answer this question about how to be better at English than even a native English speaker. Now, I’m assuming that because you’re reading this book, you are hoping to improve both your fluency in English and the correctness of your speech; that you want to be able to express yourself in a fluent way. So, what that implies is that you’re an educated person who has communication skills. We can have education from formal classes like in a university or – and/or – we can have education through everyday experience. Now if you have both of those, that’s even better. In order to be as good or better than a native English speaker, you will need those two things. In addition to a formal education, you also need the street smarts, or rather the experience, and you need to understand what makes a good communicator. Whatever your reason, even if it’s just that you want to be able to better express yourself in a new language, it’s important to remember not to compare yourself to others. Learning a new language isn’t a competition. I think the focus here – what we really, truly want, is to be able to connect with each other and to communicate with each other, and express our ideas fluently. So, if you’re able to do that, then you are at the top of the English game. You are an excellent native-like English speaker if you can do those things. But the thing is, even native English speakers are always learning. We’re always striving to better our communication skills. I know that I learn new words and new ways to express myself through idioms and colorful expressions every day. So, you have to look at language learning as an ongoing sport.

Again, What If You Make a Mistake? Do you remember when you learned how to ride a bike? I bet you fell down a lot at first. I know I did. Or even if you didn’t learn how to ride a bike, I bet there is another skill that you’ve tried learning in the past that took you awhile to master it. Learning a new language, like any skill, takes time, effort, a lot of practice and yes, even a few falls along the way. However, it’s important to learn that when you set out to learn a new skill, your mastery isn’t determined by whether or not you are perfect right from the start. Your mastery is determined by the time and dedicated effort you put into learning that skill every day. The key is, pick yourself up from each fall and get back on the bike; or continue to speak English in this case. With that in mind, here’s how to handle mistakes when they happen (because they WILL happen) while you’re learning and practicing English: 1. Be aware of your mistakes – If you know you’re making mistakes, find out exactly what you’re doing wrong and how to fix it. 2. Find out the correct way – Once you know what your mistakes are, it’s important to know the proper way instead right? Don’t be afraid to ask someone to help you if you make a mistake. 3. Practice and use the correct way – After you’ve noted and corrected your mistakes, it’s important to remember those answers in the future so that you don’t make the same mistakes again, now you’re free to make new ones! Use these steps so that it will become a habit. Once it’s habit, you will always remember and before you know it, you won’t have to think about it as much anymore, because you’ve already been speaking or reading or writing correctly in English for months! It’s about creating those memories in your brain and also in your muscles and mouth.

EVERYDAY FLUENCY How to talk to anyone Does the thought of speaking English to strangers make you nervous? Don’t worry about speaking perfectly. Think more about how you can connect with a new person instead. Two of my favorite ways to start a conversation with anyone are: 1. Ask a question. Get some simple information, like directions, the time, or a schedule. 2. Give a compliment. Tell someone they look great, or their pet is cute, or they have a nice bicycle… whatever makes sense in the situation!

Fluent in 15 Minutes “Conversation Starters” Here’s an idea, start a conversation with someone today, in English! In this exercise, I’ve provided you with a few non-standard ways to start conversations: • Read or listen to a bit of   news for the day, then bring it up as a topic for discussion • Have you seen a funny or interesting article? A list of “Top 10 ways to start a conversation” perhaps? Ask someone about that! • Try describing something from your hometown to another English speaker, in English!

Of course there are many different ways to start a conversation, here are a few of the more “traditional” options: •

Ask for directions

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Ask about a person’s career/hobbies

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Then there’s the old standby: Ask about the weather

Today, can you start a conversation with someone in English using one of these? Your conversation can be in person or online, or even in your own head! Build Your Conversation Confidence! You need a toolkit to work on your English skills. In your toolkit, you keep topics that you are ready to talk about. You keep questions you can ask anyone. You keep examples and stories from your experience. You keep phrases and idioms that you like to use. Prepare your toolkit before you have an English conversation by imagining the kinds of things you would like to be able to say.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Without preparation, record yourself speaking, and just speak, don’t worry about whether or not you’re making mistakes and don’t try to use a canned/rehearsed speech. Just start talking and try speaking for 15 minutes, or stop  when you feel like you’re done. Then have an English speaking friend/native listen to your recording and offer suggestions for any mistakes you might have made. Take note and try again.  

Think ONLY in English! Do you want to speak as natural as an American? One of the best things to do is to think in English. Most non-native English speakers are still translating from their own native language into English in their heads. This can lead to some tricky conversations because, as you’ve probably seen for yourself, not all words or phrases translate exactly from one language to another. But, if you can train your brain to start thinking in English, you just might find that conversations become a little bit easier. So, in order to get you started on the path to not just speaking and reading in English, but also thinking in English, I’ve created some tips that might help: •

Start small – this is as simple as using the words that you know. And it’s as easy as thinking “I want an apple for breakfast” or “Should I go to the store today?”

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Be Imperfect – it’s totally fine to make mistakes, I mean; you’re in your own head so who’s going to know?

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Identify objects - Start making note of what’s around you; on your desk, the parts of your car or bike, in your kitchen. Start labeling those things in English, in your head.

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Plan - Plan for the future, plan a trip, plan your day. But do it in English.

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Make up stories - This one is my favorite! Start with a short story that you might tell a child and see how complicated you can make it only using the English words you know!

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Make up conversations - Is there someone you like? Or even just someone you want to know better? Make up a conversation based on what you would say the next time you talk to him or her.

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Note what you don’t know and find the answers! – Whenever you are unsure, write yourself a note with your questions about grammar or vocabulary. Then, find out the answers. You can do this by asking help from your friends who speak the language, ask your teacher or search online.

English is Music Learn through the music you like — shadowing, vocabulary, phrases, pronunciation, stress, pop culture, the chorus or hook will engage your brain which seeks patterns and a catchy tune will help you remember. And as I mentioned in the Habits section, listening to material in English, whether it’s news or music is a fun and easy way to build English learning into your everyday life! Language Exchange Exchanging language with an English speaker learning your native language is popular because it is fun and free. But it has some downfalls and sometimes a real teacher is better. Here are three aspects of language exchange that could cause you trouble: Training: The average native speaker of English may be able to speak the language, but they may not be able to clearly explain the difference between grammar points. Time: A short-term arrangement may be good for conversation exercise, but it is not ideal for something like a grammar review. Intention: What is the intention of the native speaker? Are they just doing it for fun? Their intention may not be to give you the serious, scheduled help that you really want and need. This isn’t to say that language exchange is bad, or that you can’t learn from it! But you do need to understand that it is no substitute for what a qualified teacher and a structured course can provide.

Fluent in 15 Minutes This next 15-minute exercise is a tricky one, and if you’re feeling really adventurous you could try doing it more than once throughout the day, or even for a whole day. Ready for it? Try spending 15 minutes thinking, reading, speaking, writing and/or listening to only English! Use a stopwatch to keep  track of the time and pay attention to your use of language. If you slip back into your native language, start the timer over and try again! Think you can do it? If you’ve been using what I’ve taught you so far with Go Natural English, I know you can!

Now, are you ready to start practicing with some real conversations? The next   section is all about learning how real native English speakers talk with one another. We’ll be going over some fun and new phrases, and you might even see English used in ways that maybe you’ve heard before, but didn’t quite understand at the time. Read on to learn more!

Real Conversation Transcripts Many traditional English classes train learners to become good at “classroom English”. That means you understand when your teacher says things like, “Please turn to page 20.” And you know how to say phrases like, “May I ask a question?” You might have memorized some common phrases from your textbook for everyday situations. However, these learning environments do not lead to real life fluency. The problem is... none of this is natural English the way you hear it in real life! So, if you want to be fluent and able to speak like a native, you have to learn from natural conversation. In this section, you’ll see transcripts of natural conversation the way natives speak in real-life situations. We will focus in on the phrases you need to know (the phrases you probably didn’t learn in your high school English class). In these examples, you will not only learn real phrases to use in your own conversations, you will also learn about culture, travel, and living abroad!

STRATEGY Here is my suggestion for using this section of conversations. First, read a conversation quickly to get the main idea. Next, try the comprehension questions for a challenge now or try them after you learn the phrases to make it easier. Next, return to the conversation and make sure you understand the focus phrases in bold. These are phrases that are common in American English conversation, but I’ve found that many intermediate and advanced English learners are not familiar with them. They include vocabulary words, phrasal verbs and idioms. Next, do the Fluent in 15 Minutes exercises. Last, read the conversation out loud. Try recording yourself and listening to your pronunciation! These conversations are shortened versions taken from the Go Natural English Premium Course, Fluent in 15. As part of the course, you get the video and audio of the conversations, as well as chances to practice using the focus phrases. To learn more, visit http://gonaturalenglish.com/fluent15. Finally, before you begin the next section of Conversation exercises, note that the answer key is in the Resources section. Try to read through as many of the conversations, and answer as many of the follow on questions as you can first before checking your answers.

CONVERSATIONS 1-6 Conversation 1 Brittany and Gabby meeting in a professional, casual setting and getting to know each other. Gabby: Hello, Brittany. How are you? Brittany: I’m fine. Gabby: Great. Great. I’m really excited you’re here with us today. We have some mutual friends online, and I reached out to you, and I’m so happy you came over to talk with us. So, can you tell me a little bit about you? Brittany: Well, I’m from Las Vegas. Gabby: Nice. Brittany: I was born and raised. Gabby: City of Sin? Brittany: Yes. Gabby: Oh, I’m sorry. (Laugh) No. Is that offensive? Brittany: No. Gabby: Okay, good. Okay. (Laughs) It’s just the stereotype is, like, casinos, gambling... Brittany: No, it’s just fun. Gabby: Okay. Okay. Brittany: The casinos. Gabby: Just fun. Brittany: The gambling. Gabby: Okay. Brittany: Yes. Gabby: Okay. That’s the stereotype about the city. So, it’s a fun city, but obviously you’re from there. You’re not going to the casino every day, right? Brittany: No. Gabby: All right. All right. All right. So, you were born and raised in Las Vegas. Tell me a little bit about what it’s like to live there not as a tourist. Brittany: Well, not as a tourist, we still do the regular stuff like all of you guys. Gabby: Uhmm. Brittany: We go to school. Yeah. Gabby: Some of us go to church. There is a church in Las Vegas. Brittany: Gabby: I want to say, “hallelujah.” (Laughs) That’s good. That’s good. You don’t picture Las Vegas and churches except to get married, like the Elvis churches, right? Brittany: Yeah. Gabby: That’s famous. Cool. Okay. So, school, church and regular people things. Brittany: Yes. Gabby: Okay. Okay. Great. Awesome. You’re from Las Vegas in the U.S., and did you come straight out here to Tokyo from Las Vegas? Brittany: Yes, I did. Gabby: Okay. Cool. Well, I want to ask you a little bit about your interests and your hobbies and kind of what you like to do. So, let me ask you...

That was the end of the first transcript. What did you think? Now, try and answer as many of the following questions as you can without checking the answer key.

Focus Phrases Match the bolded phrases from the conversation with their definitions A person who was born and grew up in the same city. An assumption, prejudice, or guess, that may or may not be true. A question to use when you want to ask for more general information. A phrase that Christians use in church to praise God. To arrive directly from another place.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions 1. What is the nickname of the city where Brittany is from? 2. What kinds of things does Gabby think of when Brittany says she is from Las Vegas? 3. Does Brittany currently live in Las Vegas?

Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Born and raised means you grew up in the place you are talking about. Stereotype means a kind of sound system. Tell me a little bit what it’s like means you want to know more. Hallelujah is the name of a person. Come straight out here means to go directly from one place to another.

Conversation 2 Gabby: I want to ask you, what are you into? Arniel: Oh, man. A lot of stuff. Gabby: Hahaha! Arniel: Uh … Whew. We have music. Gabby: Okay. Arniel: Basketball. Uhm, a bit of … a bit of fashion. A little bit of everything. Film. The Arts. Yeah. Yeah. Martial Arts. Yeah. Quite a lot. Yeah... Gabby: What kind of fashion? Arniel: Uhm, I like just looking at like, fashion magazines. Gabby: Like men’s fashion? Arniel: Yeah. Yeah. Gabby: Okay. Okay. Cool. Cool. Arniel: Men’s fashion. Yeah. Gabby: Do you try to follow the fashion like where the trends are? Arniel: A little bit. A little bit. It’s hard though. You know, I’m a father (laughs), right? Gabby: So, you’re going to prioritize your budget. Arniel: I’m on a budget. Yes. Gabby: Baby food. Forget that. Arniel: Yes. Yes. Gabby: I need the new pair of jeans (laughs). Arniel: No, no, no, no, no, no. It’s vice versa. The other way around. Gabby: Oh yeah. Of course. Of course. Arniel: Take care of family first and then uh ... Gabby: Yes. Arniel: I’m into like … like, it’s kind of called Goodwill hunting, basically, hitting the thrift store… and just like searching for like the best finds in the thrift store.

Focus Phrases Match the bolded phrases from the conversation above with their definitions Use this question to ask what someone is interested in, for example a hobby or passion. This means to put first, or to put a lot of importance on. This means the other way around, or reversed. This is the name of a chain of thrift stores mainly in the US. This means to go there. It’s a casual way of saying “to go.” A store where you can buy used items. It may also be called a second-hand store or resale shop.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions Yes or No? 1. Is Arniel interested in fashion? 2. Is Gabby serious when she suggests that Arniel “forget baby food?” 3. Does Arniel always buy new, designer clothing? Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? 1. 2. 3. 4.

“What are you into?” means “What is your job?” “To prioritize” means to make something important. “Vice versa” means the reverse. “To hit” a place means to buy something there.

Conversation 3 Chuck and Gabby talk about his career as a professional martial artist and his current projects. Gabby: Alright, so we’ve been talking about martial arts and your career as a stunt person, and I think that’s super cool. I just want to know a little bit about how it’s going these days. What kind of current projects are you doing? What are you looking forward to in the near future? How’s it going? Chuck: Yeah, things are going pretty well. The most recent thing is I had a chance to go back to the States to start teaching … which is a really interesting development that I didn’t necessarily expect… I spent such a long time doing fight choreography out here in Asia, and the quality … this is where martial arts comes from, especially for Westerners, right? So, naturally fight choreography out here is huge and it’s just everywhere. Gabby: The Mecca of martial arts, really. Chuck: It is, it is, right? So, especially for martial arts style fight choreo, so, as a function of the fact that I’ve been working out here for 10 years plus, all of a sudden I’m getting a lot of offers and things to teach in the States. This past year I got to go back to teach in Seattle, and then also in Chicago. I’m hoping to get into more of that … particularly because there’s a lot of little things that they do really differently out there that I’d like to share with the entertainment community in the states as well. Gabby: Wow, that’s great! So, when was the last time you were in the states? Chuck: Just this past winter… in Chicago when it was about four million degrees below zero. Gabby: Oh, no. That’s the worst time to be out there. Chuck: It was so cold. Gabby: Man, and how about here in Tokyo? Do you find yourself teaching here too? Chuck: Yeah, I teach … I run a Taekwondo school in Korea Town, in Shin-Okubo. And beyond that I also teach fight choreo classes here. Gabby: Wow! Very cool.

Focus Phrases Match the bolded phrases from the conversation with their definitions This is a great question to ask a professional or student as you get to know them, or if you know them but you have not seen them for a while. The Holy Pilgrimage city of Muslims. It is used in the conversation as a colorful way of explaining the importance of a place. This means because x, then y. For example, as a function of the fact that I love learning English, I am always looking for opportunities to practice. This means I had the opportunity to return. This means to become interested in something. This means that you realize you are doing something new and different. It may be a surprise. This means to manage, for example “to run a business.” A shortened form of “choreography,” meaning the art of planning dance or martial arts movements. Sometimes long words are shortened in conversation. Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions Yes or No? 1. Chuck traveled to Mecca. 2. Chuck wants to teach more in the US. 3. Chuck actually lives in Korea.

Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? 1. “Mecca” is used to mean an important center of activity. 2. “I got to go back” usually is a good thing. 3. “To find yourself” doing something means it is somewhat unplanned or a surprise.

Conversation 4 Daniel and Gabby talk about learning languages. Daniel: So, Gabby, you’re a native English speaker. Gabby: That’s right, yeah. Daniel: I think that opens many doors everywhere you go. Gabby: I feel pretty lucky, yeah, yeah. Daniel: But have you studied any other language? Can you speak any other language now? Gabby: Yeah. So, in college ... actually the first language that I studied was French. And I studied for a couple years in college, and I really wanted to go study abroad, maybe use French in an immersion environment but, I never had that opportunity. I did go to Canada once, so, really ... they speak French in Montreal... So, I had that experience but then I came to a point where I wasn’t really able to use French. I was living in the U.S., living in Maine, and I looked around me and thought, “Do I want to continue with French which is a language that’s beautiful and I like it but I don’t have any opportunity to use it, or maybe I should switch to Spanish because I saw a lot of … Spanish speakers around me. In the U.S. we have a lot of Spanish speakers. I said, “OK, I’m going to switch to Spanish. I want to learn Spanish. So, I minored in Spanish in college but like I mentioned ... I feel like I didn’t really learn how to speak Spanish... in my university studies. It was more like grammar, and reading, and writing. So, actually I wanted to study Portuguese... but in my university, we didn’t have Portuguese. It’s not a small university but not a big university, and anyway, Portuguese is still not that popular in the U.S. So I had to pause on my Portuguese, but later on after I graduated, then I started to study on my own just with friends, and through pop culture. You can learn through music, TV, friends who speak the language. So, I started to learn Portuguese, and we were talking before about how that’s interesting when you know Spanish because you think you know Portuguese already. .

Focus Phrases Match the bolded phrases from the conversation with their definitions This means that it gives you opportunities. This means at a certain time. This means to change to an alternative. This means when you study at a university and choose a degree plan, you have a major (your main focus) and a minor (your secondary, smaller focus). Use this phrase to remind your conversation partner of something you said previously and to return to the same topic. Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions Yes or No? 1. Gabby started to study Spanish because she had more opportunity to use it. 2. Gabby studied Portuguese in university. 3. Gabby learned Portuguese through pop culture. Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? 1. “To open doors” means to make life easier, to offer chances you would not otherwise have. 2. “To switch to” means to chose something different. 3. “To minor in” means to become interested in something as a hobby.

Conversation 5 Ariele and Gabby are two Americans in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Gabby wants to talk about the biggest differences between Asia and the US, especially in terms of the service industry, like eating out at restaurants and going clothes shopping. Gabby: So, I’m curious. You’ve lived in the U.S. You’re from the U.S., and now you’ve been out here in Asia for how long? Ariele: About two years total. Gabby: OK. What are some of the biggest differences that you notice between Asia and the U.S.? Ariele: There’s quite a number. This is ... I guess, this is a little bit of an unusual one but for me this is something that I noticed really quickly and it took some adjustment ... ... and it has to do with the way service industry-oriented businesses work. So, things like restaurants and any kind of shops that sell pretty much any kind of goods ... Gabby: Well, I know of course with restaurants you don’t have to tip as you do in the U.S. Ariele: That’s different, yeah. Gabby: Is that what you mean or is there something different? Ariele: That’s one of the things that comes to mind but the others ... it’s mostly the way that as a customer you interact with the people who work in a restaurant. For example, here when you sit down at a table ... and this of course depends on what kind of place it is. Is it more of a street food place, or is it a finer dining restaurant? Sometimes you have to call your waiter or waitress over just to get a menu, or a drink. Whereas in the U.S. when you sit down, somebody should be over right away giving you a water ... saying, “Hi, how are you? Welcome to this place” ... “Here’s a menu.”... this is my name”, and you feel really warm and welcome. Gabby: So, I guess in the U.S., what would we do? Oh, you put your hand up, right? Or I don’t know, maybe eye contact. Ariele: Yeah, but the thing about dining in the U.S. is that if a server isn’t over to help you, then that’s poor service. If you have to call them... the service isn’t good. Gabby: It’s not normal, it’s bad. Yeah.

Ariele: And something else that’s interesting too is in a situation like shopping for clothes. It’s a little bit the opposite. Like in the U.S., I was used to walking into a store and someone might greet you and say, “Hi! Is there anything I can help you look for today?” And you would say, “No, that’s OK, I’m just looking around.” But here, rather than giving you the space, someone will hover and walk right behind you as you’re looking, and I want space when I’m shopping for clothes. Gabby: Yeah. It makes me feel a little anxious ... when someone’s following me around because we’re not used to it, so, I mean, like you said, you go into a clothes store usually someone will say, “Can I help you find something?” or “Are you finding everything OK?” And I just say, “Yeah, I’m just looking” and that’s it. Then, there’s no one next to you. Ariele: She’s holding up different things suggesting what you should try. Gabby: Actually, in the U.S. I feel like if someone’s following you around the store, it feels to me like they’re worried that I’m going to steal something … Yeah, they think you’re a little suspicious... that’s kind of offensive. Ariele: Yeah, yeah, but it’s a complete reversal. Restaurants in the U.S. are a place for extensive service ... and clothing shops aren’t, and it’s the complete opposite here. Gabby: That’s really interesting. Ariele: Yeah, it’s something that really I had to ... felt like I had to really adjust to because I like shopping for things and I like going to restaurants. Gabby: I think that’s a really interesting observation, too because if you’re learning English, you might be interacting with people in different countries, different places, maybe from different cultures and just to be aware that there’s so many differences like that and try not to ... I’m thinking for myself here ... try not to be offended if someone doesn’t give the same service ... or treat me in the same way as back home. Ariele: Yeah, I think that was ... there’s a good lesson in that for me ... Gabby: Yeah. Ariele: ...so, I’ve tried to adjust and not be offended or offensive. Gabby: That’s awesome!

Focus Phrases Match the bolded phrases from the conversation with their definitions Another conversational way of asking, “How long have you been in Asia?” There are a lot. This is a great phrase to ask for clarification. Asking for clarification and confirmation is important to clear communication! This phrase means something that you think of. This means to ask someone to come close to you. This means to raise your hand. This means to feel comfortable with it and do it often. This phrase is used by staff in a store, such as a clothes shop. You can use this phrase to respond. This means to get used to, or to become comfortable with something. This phrase means that you have learned something important from an experience. This means to feel that someone or something has disrespected you. This means to disrespect others. This is a common, casual way to give positive feedback, similar to “that’s great.”

Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions Yes or No? 1. Ariele thinks there are only two big differences between the US and Asia. 2. When you eat out in the US, you should not normally always have to call your waiter over. 3. When you go shopping for clothes in the US, you should expect the staff to ask if they can help you, but not much more.

Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? 1. “Quite a number” means “many.” 2. “To come to mind” means to ask someone to come close to you. 3. “To be used to something” means that you feel comfortable with something and you do it often. Conversation 6 Rob and Gabby are two Americans in Tokyo, Japan. Gabby wants to know why Rob is in Japan and how it’s going for him. Gabby: that.

What brought you out to Japan? Tell me a little more about

Rob: Again, opportunity brought me here. My background is in higher education. I was working at the university in Maryland. I came here to work overseas and get international experience. Get the culture. Get some of the language, before it was too late, if you will. Gabby:

What do you mean by too late?

Rob: Too late. Too late. Before I settle down and get a family, and I'm not able to move around like I could as a single person. Gabby: Okay.... Very cool. So far you're happy that you made that leap, you took that leap of faith to come over here? Rob: That's exactly what it was. You always hear stories about taking that leap... It's really frightening and scary, however ... To answer your question, yes… My cushion was, I knew one person here. Gabby:

Your safety net. Lean on them.

Rob: That was my crutch. But again, my crutch only lasted for a certain amount of time, because I allowed it to, if you will. Once I got my feet wet, as a good friend of mine told me years ago, just teach me how to fly and I will be okay. So I learn how to fly. Gabby: Now you're flying! Rob: Oh baby! Gabby: Wow. Rob: Yeah, exciting! Gabby: It's kind of the opposite of the Cheers theme. You know that song 'where everybody knows your name'. Here it's like 'where nobody knows your name'

Focus Phrases Match the bolded phrases from the conversation with their definitions This phrase means “why did you move to Japan?” Use this phrase to continue a conversation and learn more about your friends. This phrase means that you have experience in a specific field. This phrase means, usually, to have a permanent residence and to have a family. This means to chose to do something new when you do not know the outcome. Use this phrase when answering a question after you get a bit off-topic. This, metaphorically speaking, can be something that helps you or comforts you. This phrase means a backup plan, a plan B, or plan in case of failure. This can mean something that helps you when you are weak. This means to start to have experience in a new area. This phrase can be used to show your excitement. Use it sparingly, as it may be offensive to some if misinterpreted. This was a popular TV series in the 1980’s and 1990’s with a theme song that says Cheers is a bar “where everybody knows your name.” Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions Answer the questions according to what you understand from the conversation. Check your answers in the Appendix. 1. 2. 3. 4.

What brought Rob to Japan? What did Rob do for work before? Why did Rob decide to go to Japan at this time? Even though Rob was a little scared to move across the world to Japan, what was one thing that made him feel safe? 5. What is “Cheers?”

Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? 1. To have a background in something means that you stopped and do not do it anymore. 2. To take a leap of faith means you are a religious person. 3. A cushion, safety net, and crutch are all used in this conversation with similar meanings.

Well that’s the end of the conversation training. How did you do? Were there some questions and conversations that were easier to understand than others? Did you have trouble with certain words or phrases that you thought you had already mastered? Take a few minutes before moving on to the answer key to really think about the previous lessons. Maybe go back to the areas where you had trouble and make a few notes for yourself; notes that you might ask another English speaker about. When you’re ready, check the answer key and compare it with your notes and the areas you had the most trouble with. Try to use those new phrases a couple of times over the next few days while practicing your English. Then, come back to these exercises again to see how much you’ve improved. Now, we’re almost to the end of this eBook, but before that I wanted to share a story with you and some lessons that I learned after making a goal for myself to accomplish what seemed at first, like an impossible task! But, after setting smaller goals, along with some steady practice and a positive mindset it turned out to be quite possible after all!

CONTINUE YOUR TRAINING For my 30th birthday, I wanted to do something really challenging. I decided to train for a race. In training, and on the day of the race, I learned many things that I now apply to language learning. I would like to share with you four valuable lessons that I learned during my Half Ironman Race, a 113K competition, that you can use to become a better English learner. The Ironman is a company that puts on races; they’re endurance races. So you have a swim portion of the race, you have a bicycle section of the race, and you have a run part of the race and it’s very long. I learned some things that you can apply to your English learning. During the race day, it’s very intense. And the only way that I got through that distance is by not thinking about the entire distance. That’s very overwhelming to think, ‘I have 70 miles to go.’ That is really overwhelming. So the only way I got through that day was to ask myself, whenever I felt too tired to go on, I would ask myself, “Well, do I have the energy and the ability to take one more step?” If the answer’s “yes,” then I took that step. Put one foot in front of the other. Just keep taking that step and that next step, little steps eventually add up to long distances. How does this relate to learning English? Well it’s important to remember it’s not about trying to become fluent and an expert English speaker all at once. You should have goals, like finishing the race, but do not focus on everything that you need to do to reach that goal because that’s overwhelming. There is a lot that we need to do to become competent and then fluent in a language, but if you just focus on the next smallest action that you can take, taking one more little step in your English to advance, you’ll see that over time, those little steps will add up to the full distance, your full goal. Just keep it moving. Even for someone who’s somewhat athletic, it does take time to prepare. So it took about six months of training on almost daily, an almost daily basis. So each day, it was like making a deposit into my training bank. I’m using an analogy here, putting money in your bank account. I was putting my training time, maybe an hour a day, three hours a day, five hours a day in the, in the end. It gets very intense, but each training session is a deposit into your training account or your, your energy account, your athletic account, whatever we want to call it -- I call it my training account -- so that when I needed those hours during the race, when I needed that energy and that ability, I could withdraw them. I could use them. And so this applies to English because one thing I encourage you to do is to study a little bit every day. If you study 15 minutes, half an hour, one hour a day, that time is being deposited in your account, so that when you need the language, when it really matters, when you need to have that conversation in English, you’re ready. So if you want to feel confident when you go in for that exam, or you go to that party, ready to have that conversation, that’s where the confidence comes from. It’s not from being lucky in that moment that I happen to feel like I’m speaking well. It comes from the daily training. Even though it was my first time doing a half Ironman, I was confident that I could complete it. That was my goal, to finish

the race within the allotted amount of time and I knew I could do it because I had put my practice time in. That was how I was confident. I didn’t go to the race with a, a friend, and I didn’t go to the race with family. Now, I had people supporting me and saying, “You can do it,” but they stayed at home. I decided that’s okay and I’m still going to do it on my own. So I traveled on my own. The point here for you is that even if you don’t know other people who are learning English, you can do it alone. You have resources out there, like online resources. Obviously, you have Go Natural English. You can find information out there to support you and it’s okay to do it alone. And eventually, you will find other like-minded people who are studying English. I learned that there are thousands of people out there who love to be athletic and run triathlons, and so I’m meeting new people who are my tribe or my community. Even if you have friends or colleagues who are learning English, you might be the only one who’s taking on a proactive way of learning. The rest of your friends or family members are going to a traditional class, or studying from books, or maybe they’re doing it in a different way, and they’re not finding improvement, they’re not improving. I have one last bonus point is that what happens when you train for an athletic event is that other aspects in your life improve as well. I noticed that as I scheduled my training, I also had to schedule the rest of my day in a more methodical way and have some process there about how to get my work done with all these hours of training. But I noticed that that actually improved other aspects of my life. I was getting more done with work and even in my social life. So once you start scheduling training, and, and putting some habits, positive, healthy habits into your life, it’s going to affect other areas of your life too.

Resources APPENDIX: OTHER RESOURCES Go Natural English Premium Courses -- Join as a monthly member for fresh materials and several ways to practice online, or instantly access and download video, audio and text materials when you purchase a premium course. Learn more at http://gonaturalenglish.com/premiumgne 1-to-1 English lessons -- http://gonaturalenglish.com/1to1 Dictionary.com -- Check the actual, traditional meaning of words Thesaurus.com -- Build your vocabulary by learning other ways to say things VoaNews.com -- Read and listen to the news, made for advanced ESL learners GraphWords -- Explore new words in the English dictionary with this visual thesaurus. Simply type in a word you want to know more about and you will be shown all associated words. http://graphwords.com/ Anki -- Create your own flashcards for vocabulary. http://ankisrs.net/

KEY Fluent in 15 Minutes Exercise Yes or no? 1. “I’ll help you with your homework,” means to volunteer to help. Yes. 2. “I’m going to help you with your homework,” means a plan you already thought about to help. Yes. 3. “Maybe I’ll go to Paris,” is a definite plan that you’ve already made. No. 4. “I’m going to Paris,” means a dream, not a definite plan. No.

Fluent in 15 Minutes Exercise Can you match the phrasal verbs with “get” with the more formal way of saying the same thing? To have the opportunity = to get to To arrive = to get in(to) To exit = to get out To wake = to get up To be accepted = to get in(to) To do just enough = to get by To complete = to get through To become interested = to get into

Fluent in 15 Minutes Exercise Answers Conversations 1 Focus Phrases Questions A person who was born and grew up in the same city. Born and raised An assumption, prejudice, or guess, that may or may not be true. stereotype A question to use when you want to ask for more general information. Tell me a little bit about what it’s like A phrase that Christians use in church to praise God. Hallelujah To arrive directly from another place. Come straight out here

Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions What is the nickname of the city where Brittany is from? City of Sin What kinds of things does Gabby think of when Brittany says she is from Las Vegas? Casinos and Gambling Does Brittany currently live in Las Vegas? No, she lives in Tokyo now (she came right out to Tokyo from Las Vegas). Focus Phrases Questions True or False? Born and raised means you grew up in the place you are talking about. Yes Stereotype means a kind of sound system. No Tell me a little bit about what it’s like means you want to know more. Yes Hallelujah is the name of a person. No Come straight out here means to go directly from one place to another. Yes

2 Vocabulary Definitions Use this question to ask what someone is interested in, for example a hobby or passion. What are you into? This means to put first, or to put a lot of importance on. To prioritize This means the other way around, or reversed. Vice versa This is the name of a chain of thrift stores mainly in the US. Goodwill This means to go there. It’s a casual way of saying “to go.” hitting A store where you can buy used items. It may also be called a second-hand store or resale shop. Thrift store

Comprehension Questions Yes or No? Is Arniel interested in fashion? Yes. Is Gabby serious when she suggests that Arniel “forget baby food?” No. Does Arniel always buy new, designer clothing? No. Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? “What are you into?” means “What is your job?” No. “To prioritize” means to make something important. Yes. “Vice versa” means the reverse. Yes. “To hit” a place means to buy something there. No, not always.

3 Vocabulary Definitions This is a great question to ask a professional or student as you get to know them, or if you know them but you have not seen them for a while. What kind of current projects are you doing? The Holy Pilgrimage city of Muslims. It is used in the conversation as a colorful way of explaining the importance of a place. Mecca This means because x, then y. For example, as a function of the fact that I love learning English, I am always looking for opportunities to practice. As a function of the fact that This means I had the opportunity to return. I got to go back to This means to become interested in something. To get into (something) This means that you realize you are doing something new and different. It may be a surprise. Find yourself This means to manage, for example “to run a business.” I run A shortened form of “choreography,” meaning the art of planning dance or martial arts movements. Sometimes long words are shortened in conversation. Choreo

Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions Yes or No? Chuck traveled to Mecca. No Chuck wants to teach more in the US. Yes Chuck actually lives in Korea. No

Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? “Mecca” is used to mean an important center of activity. Yes “I got to go back” usually is a good thing. Yes “To find yourself” doing something means it is somewhat unplanned or a surprise. Yes

4 Vocabulary Definitions This means that it gives you opportunities. Opens many doors This means at a certain time. Came to a point This means to change to an alternative. I should switch to This means when you study at a university and choose a degree plan, you have a major (your main focus) and a minor (your secondary, smaller focus). I minored in Use this phrase to remind your conversation partner of something you said previously and to return to the same topic. Like I mentioned

Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions Yes or No? Gabby started to study Spanish because she had more opportunity to use it. Yes Gabby studied Portuguese in university. No Gabby learned Portuguese through pop culture. Yes

Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? “To open doors” means to make life easier, to offer chances you would not otherwise have. Yes “To switch to” means to chose something different. Yes “To minor in” means to become interested in something as a hobby. No

5 Vocabulary Definitions Another conversational way of asking, “How long have you been in Asia?” Now you’ve been out here in Asia for how long? There are a lot. There’s quite a number This is a great phrase to ask for clarification. Asking for clarification and confirmation is important to clear communication! Is that what you mean or is there something different? This phrase means something that you think of. That’s one of the things that comes to mind This means to ask someone to come close to you. To call your waiter or waitress over This means to raise your hand. Put your hand up This means to feel comfortable with it and do it often. I was used to This phrase is used by staff in a store, such as a clothes shop. “Hi! Is there anything I can help you look for today?” You can use this phrase to respond. “No, that’s OK, I’m just looking around.” This means to get used to, or to become comfortable with something. Adjust to This phrase means that you have learned something important from an experience. There’s a good lesson in that for me This means to feel that someone or something has disrespected you. Offended This means to disrespect others. Offensive This is a common, casual way to give positive feedback, similar to “that’s great.” That’s awesome!

Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions Yes or No? Ariele thinks there are only two big differences between the US and Asia. No When you eat out in the US, you should not normally always have to call your waiter over. Yes When you go shopping for clothes in the US, you should expect the staff to ask if they can help you, but not much more. Yes Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? “Quite a number” means “many.” Yes “To come to mind” means to ask someone to come close to you. No “To be used to something” means that you feel comfortable with something and you do it often. Yes

6 Vocabulary Definitions This phrase means “why did you move to Japan?” What brought you out to Japan Use this phrase to continue a conversation and learn more about your friends. Tell me a little more about that This phrase means that you have experience in a specific field. My background is in This phrase means, usually, to have a permanent residence and to have a family. Settle down This means to choose to do something new when you do not know the outcome. Take a leap of faith Use this phrase when answering a question after you get a bit off-topic. To answer your question This, metaphorically speaking, can be something that helps you or comforts you. My cushion This phrase means a backup plan, a plan B, or plan in case of failure. Your safety net This can mean something that helps you when you are weak. That was my crutch

This means to start to have experience in a new area. Once I got my feet wet This phrase can be used to show your excitement. Use it sparingly, as it may be offensive to some if misinterpreted. Oh baby! This was a popular TV series in the 1980’s and 1990’s with a theme song that says Cheers is a bar “where everybody knows your name.” The Cheers theme. Fluent in 15 Minutes Comprehension Questions What brought Rob to Japan? Rob says opportunity brought him to Japan. What did Rob do for work before? Rob worked in a university. Why did Rob decide to go to Japan at this time? Rob wanted to have an international experience while he is still single. Even though Rob was a little scared to move across the world to Japan, what was one thing that made him feel safe? He knew one person living in Japan who would help him. What is “Cheers?” Cheers is an American TV series popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. The theme song includes the lyrics “Where everybody knows your name.”

Focus Phrases Questions Yes or No? To have a background in something means that you stopped and do not do it anymore. No To take a leap of faith means you are a religious person. No A cushion, safety net, and crutch are all used in this conversation with similar meanings. Yes

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