So many people email me asking me this question:  What is the best way to learn English vocabulary?

I’ve given this a lot of thought and it’s not an easy one actually.  I could give a lot of simple advice about different methods for improving English vocabulary that you probably already know but I don’t want to waste your time with that.  I want to actually help you learn and remember.  If you are learning new words and not remembering them, a very common problem, then you aren’t learning at all and you certainly haven’t found the best way.

Here is the thing.  You really need to know and understand yourself and your personality.  You need to know your own learning style and your strengths and weaknesses.  You need to know what you like and what you find boring.

I personally like a combination of reading and listening.  You probably already know that I learned Chinese by myself ie. I learned online instead of in a classroom.  That was one of the main reasons that Add and I made this website.  We knew it was actually possible to learn online.  I found it fun.  I think that was the main reason I kept studying.

Learning from dictionaries is a total waste of time and effort.  You will only get at your “short term memory”.  You might be able to remember words for a while but you will forget them after a very short while.  If you can’t use what you learned in daily life, then you really didn’t learn at all if you are being totally honest with yourself.

I can give you a couple of tips that I think everyone can benefit from.  Before I do that let me tell you about the coolest learning software program for vocab.  I’ve personally seen over 10 friends use it and ALL of them improved a lot:  Ultimate Vocabulary

1.  Make sure you are learning the words that you want to actually use.  If you don’t use the word in your own language than you won’t use it in a new language.  Pay very close attention when you find some new word interesting.

2.  You need quality examples of how to use the words in real sentences.  If you don’t have these, you will forget fast.  One reason that this podcast should help is that we use the same words over and over again.  It will help the words “sink into” your brain.  This process will make it much easier when it comes to speaking later.

3.   Make sure you know what the new words are and how to spell them.  This last one is very important and it’s something that I haven’t been great with to be honest.  I don’t think spelling is as important as many people do.  For example, it doesn’t matter if a word has 2 L’s or one.  The important thing is that you know the necessary parts of each word.  Native speakers make spelling mistakes all the time.  But English learners very often make mistakes that show they really have no idea what the word is.

Let me give you an example of what I mean.  There are thousands of examples but this one is a good one I think.

Let’s use the word “Character“.  I think most people know how to spell this but a native speaker might make a mistake and think the word is “Karacter“  The second spelling is totally wrong but at least it shows that the speaker knows how the word should sound.  A new learner might think the word is “Charater“.  It almost looks correct but there is no “c” in the middle of the word.  If you actually think that is the spelling, your pronunciation will be really bad.  People won’t understand what you are trying to say.  You will keep making mistakes over and over again until you finally learn the basic idea of the word.  I hope this is making sense.

I usually don’t recommend other people’s learning material because I find it quite bad.  I finally found one really good exception though.  I’ve been using this vocabulary software program with some of my friends and I’ve really noticed a big difference in their understanding of words.  They write much better now and they speak with better pronunciation and use a bigger and better vocabulary.  In my opinion, the best way to learn English vocabulary is to use this product along with the podcasts here.  Obviously, if you can read this, you are not a beginner.  This is no time to be modest.  Your English is already pretty good but I want to make it better so I’m going to recommend this.  You can try it for free so there is nothing to lose.  I’ve seen so many happy people who use this and I know that I need to tell you about it in case you might find it useful too.  I think that by using it for 10-15 minutes every day, you will notice that your English is better in all areas and that you will be able to understand our podcasts much better.  Here it is, check it out and let me know what you think.  Learn English Vocabulary

In my opinion, one of the coolest parts of REALLY understanding English is about having more fun in your life and laughing more.

There are so many hilarious TV shows, movies, jokes, and cultural stuff that are only funny in English. Jokes can never be properly translated in any language so forget about subtitles. I’ve watched hilarious TV with friends who need subtitles and they don’t laugh at the parts that are actually funny. Then when their English gets good enough, they start laughing uncontrollably at the same stuff just a few months later. It takes a whole new and deeper level and understanding of English to get there. Good news is that it really can be done, just most people fail because of a terrible study method.

I know that there is a lot of funny things in every culture. I also know that if you learn the stuff we find funny in English, you will be loving life at a whole new level. In any language, the truly hilarious stuff comes from a deep cultural understanding and a great command of the language.

That’s what we’re really trying to do over here in the free lessons and the VIP room. “Laughter is the best medicine” and it’s a lot better to be having fun and laughing a lot than it is to be listening to annoying bosses, husbands and wives, and depressed people in general. It doesn’t really matter how rich you are, if you are laughing a lot each day, you know, really laughing and not the fake kind, you are probably having a pretty sweet life already.

Think about this for a sec. People from all over the world come to USA, Canada, Britain, and Australia and mix their cultures and senses of humor. The western world has been relatively “rich” for a long time. I feel that really good humor comes when enough people in a culture have enough free time to think about the world in new ways. That’s where the jokes come from. People who work too much are never funny at all. Think about the jokes your grandparents find funny. They are funny for them, but come on, what they laugh at is really nothing compared to what’s funny today. It’s not their fault. It’s just the way it is.

People in the past were too busy trying to live a life and earn enough money. They worked hard, raised kids, and became grandparents. I guess they did a bit more in between but you get my point. There wasn’t the time to be “goofing around” and thinking up funny stuff to put on Youtube or whatever. Life was too serious then because it had to be.

Things are different now. For a lot of people around the world, money has been getting kind of boring. Buying all the latest brands doesn’t really make people happy for long. Sure you get a smile on your face when you buy a new Ipad or cool clothes, but it goes away. Some of the richest people in the world think up some of the most boring ways to spend their money. They are too busy working. I’m not trying to judge, it’s their life, but I think there is some truth to it.

The funniest people in the world are different. They enjoy entertainment. They want to make people laugh and lead a hilarious life. As long as there is enough money to live pretty well, the next step is to actually enjoy life. It sounds easy but most people don’t do it. More money doesn’t do anything but sit in a bank and give people headaches after a while.

So, my basic point is, Add and I are really trying our butts off to get you guys to TOTALLY understand every little thing that will help you not only make more cash in your career, but also get you to see what’s hilarious about this world from another perspective.

You already have your own culture and humor and that’s great. Now you can add another one for double the laughs. Trust me on this one. If you can read this blog and totally understand this now, your English is really good already. Seriously. Now you just need to put the finishing touches on it and get the full benefits for your life.

Love to hear your thoughts as always. If you didn’t already check it out, also take a look at my last blog

Hey guys,

I just got back from another cool trip to Seoul Korea. I love the south part of the city. I wish I could speak Korean and hopefully one day I will be able to! I know a couple of funny words but then the conversation goes dead because I can’t really continue the conversation with my 20 word vocabulary. Lol.

I slept almost the entire way home during the flight. I used to be terrible at sleeping while I sit but I’m getting good at it now. I guess I shouldn’t be too proud because it’s not a very impressive skill. It is quite useful though if your Ipod runs out of batteries and you are bored. It was funny, I woke up about 10 minutes before we landed and made sure I got my “food”. Everyone knows that airplane food is terrible but I had to feel I wasn’t wasting money or something. I’m not sure exactly which stupid thought I was using at the time.

Actually, airplane food is much better than it used to be, maybe with all the competition. I don’t know.

Continue reading…

If you want to speak fluent English you need to use a different method than most people use.  Most people who want to improve their speaking fail miserably.  Why?

They spend too much time reading and writing.  They learned that method in school and they just keep on doing it.   What they should be doing is listening to native speakers.  Think about it.  There are so many girls who can speak fluently because they have a western boyfriend.  Often, these same girls can barely read or write.  They spend most of their time listening.  If you don’t have an English speaking boyfriend of girlfriend then you should listen to podcasts.  15 minutes a day will get you speaking in no time at all.  Here is a good place to get some excellent lessons for a great deal.

Click here:  How to Speak Fluent English

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me how they could improve their spoken English I’d be rich. I’m going to try to avoid wasting time with the most obvious answers: Spend more time studying, spend more time speaking, bla bla bla. Everyone knows those basic things. Let’s look at the slightly less obvious answers.

For the newest information, check out: How to Improve Spoken English

1. Practice saying new things:

It’s easy to get into a habit where you always express your ideas the same way. Native speakers use different ways of saying things to spice up their language. Pay careful attention when you hear native speakers speak English. They will often use phrases that you don’t use. You will understand what they say, but you probably wouldn’t think to use those words yourself. Make a note of what they say, repeat it to yourself a few times, and try to use that same expression the next time you have a chance.

2. Spend more time listening.

Listening to native English will help your spoken English in two ways. First it will give you a chance to hear the expressions native speakers use. It will allow you get a feel for the grammar. The more time you spend listening, the more fluently you will speak. (Of course, listening alone isn’t enough. You really do need to practice speaking.) The second way it will help you with your spoken English is that it will improve your accent over time. It may be impossible to get a 100% pure native accent, but that certainly doesn’t mean your accent can’t be improved. Pay close attention to the way native speakers sound and how you sound. Notice the differences and try to constantly improve them. Many ESL learners get lazy with this, and once they are understood, they stop trying to work on their accent. It’s not necessary that you sound like a native speaker, but remember that you can get closer to that goal if you want to.

3. Read and think out load.

You will probably feel weird while doing this but It could actually help. Just because no one is there to listen, it doesn’t mean you can’t practice. Pretend someone asked you a question, and answer it out load.

4. Record your voice.

Buy a tape recorder and record your own voice. Listen to native speakers say something and then record yourself saying the same thing. Play it back and notice any differences. Record yourself several times, each time trying to sound closer and closer to the native speaker.

Most ESL learners get lazy and don’t take these steps. Try them for yourself and let me know how quickly your spoken English improves.

Andy