Effortless English

English Trauma

There I was, in an English class, in Japan. The

Japanese teacher was standing in front of a
class of middle school students. The students
were young and eager. I sat to the side, watching.
The teacher wrote an English sentence on the
blackboard: John is taller than Mary.
Then she began to talk in Japanese. As she
talked, she circled different words of the sentence. She circled the word John with blue chalk. She talked, and talked, and talked.... in
Japanese... as she pointed to the word John.
The students opened their notebooks and began writing. The teacher also began writing more on
the board- in Japanese. Long sentences in Japanese. Then she pointed to the word John
again.
I couldnt understand Japanese and I wondered, What is she talking about? How can she talk so
much about just one word-- its just a name.
Finally, the teacher circled the word Mary. Then she started talking again, in Japanese. She pointed to the word. She wrote long notes in Japanese. The students wrote, and wrote, and wrote in
their notebooks. They looked serious and a little confused. The teacher continued talking-- always
in Japanese.
Finally, after almost 10 minutes, she finished explaining the word Mary (in Japanese). The students were now looking stressed and tired.
The teacher underlined the word is next, using white chalk. Then she did it again--- talking, talking, talking, talking, talking, and talking in Japanese. Writing, writing, writing, and writing... in
Japanese.
This continued for the entire class. She eventually circled taller and than with green chalk, and
talked for over 20 minutes about these two words. By the end of the class, the young students
were tired, stressed, and totally confused.
In 50 minutes, they had heard only one sentence in English, repeated only one time. In that same
time, they had heard the teacher speak Japanese for nearly 49 minutes.

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I couldnt believe it. However, the sad truth is that this was a typical English class. Everyday, the
students listened to their teacher explain sentences in Japanese.
After three years of English classes, none of the students could speak even simple English. All of
the students hated English. The classes were stressful. The tests were complicated.
Every day they analyzed very complex grammar rules. Every day they memorized long lists of
English words.
Unfortunately, many English students, in many different countries, have had similar experiences.
Because they learned English this way, they believe English is difficult and complicated. They have
no confidence with English speaking. They feel stress every time they hear or try to speak English.
One student called this feeling English Trauma.

The Causes of English Trauma

What causes English Trauma? Why do so many students feel nervous when they try to speak
English? Why do so many students have trouble speaking English?
Its not the students fault. English trauma is caused by schools, not students. Specifically, English
trauma is caused by specific teaching methods.
These methods confuse students and create stress. These methods damage students ability to
speak well. These methods are ineffective-- they are failures.

Trauma Cause 1: Analyze & Memorize

Traditional English teaching focuses on analyzing English grammar and memorizing English words.
In the typical class, students spend most of their time listening to explanations in their own language
(not in English). During almost every class, the teacher focuses on grammar points-- complicated rules about the structure of English.
These rules are very difficult to use and remember. In fact, during a normal conversation, at normal speed, these rules are IMPOSSIBLE to remember and use correctly. It simply takes too much
time to remember all of these rules while listening and speaking at full speed.
Thus, students learn to pass grammar tests. They sometimes learn to read and write well. But they
rarely learn to speak easily and quickly.
Likewise, a lot of time is spent memorizing English words. Typically, students must memorize long
lists of vocabulary-- and translations. Students learn to efficiently memorize many words for a test.
After the test, they forget most of them.

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The result-- students who do very well on grammar and vocabulary tests-- but cannot understand
normal English speech, and cannot speak easily and quickly. Because of this, most English students feel very nervous about speaking. They have no confidence.
They feel more comfortable taking a test than having a real conversation.

Trauma Cause 2: Speak Dammit!

Traditional teaching methods focus on output. What does this mean? It means that most schools
want students to immediately produce English. In other words, they force students to write, to take
tests, and sometimes to speak.
For example, in that Japanese class, the teacher sometimes put the students in small groups. She
then told them (in Japanese), Practice using comparatives. Each student say a sentence in
English, comparing two other students.
The students always looked confused and nervous during
these activities.
This kind of speaking is unnatural. It is stressful.
Of course, we all want to speak English. The problem-- traditional classes force students to speak
too soon, before they are ready. Also, they force students to speak in totally unnatural ways.
Language research shows that understandable input is the key to speaking well. In other words, you
need to listen to a lot of natural English BEFORE you can speak easily and quickly. The more you
listen, the better you eventually speak.
There is also an emotional problem. When teachers force students to speak when they are not
ready, students become very nervous. This feeling is repeated and strengthened again and again.
Eventually, the student feels stress every time they try to speak English! In other words: they get
English Trauma.

Trauma Cause 3: Youre Stupid!

Traditional English teachers love to correct errors. You take a test, and the teacher identifies your
errors. You try to speak, and immediately your errors are identified and corrected.
In many classes, students are forced to speak while the whole class listens. Of course, this makes
the student feel very nervous. However, it gets even worse. As the student speaks, the teacher will
sometimes identify their errors and correct them-- while the whole class listens.
Of course, this feels terrible. Its embarrassing. Its super stressful. It makes the student feel stupid.
And its doesnt work. Research shows that error correction has NO EFFECT on accuracy. Thats
right-- absolutely no effect. For example, we divide a class into two groups.

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In group 1, the teacher constantly corrects every error the students make. In group 2, the teacher
never corrects errors. At the end of one year, we test both groups of students. The result (every
time): there is NO difference in accuracy... NO difference in the number of errors that students in
each group make.
Error correction seems logical, but the truth is-- it is totally ineffective.
In fact, error correction is worse than ineffective-- it actually damages the students.
There is another result we find when we compare Group 1 and Group 2:
same number of errors, BUT Group 1 speaks more slowly.

They both still make the

In other words, error correction kills fast speech. Error correction causes students to think ABOUT
English. Error correction causes students to always analyze and translate before they speak.
These students cannot speak English easily and quickly.

Bored, Stressed, and Confused

Here is the result of traditional English teaching:
A student
A student
A student
A student

who
who
who
who

is bored, who thinks that English is boring.

is stressed, who feels nervous every time they try to speak English.
is confused, who thinks that English is very difficult and complicated.
has good tests scores, but cannot understand or speak well.

And usually:
A student who quits, who believes they cannot and will not ever speak English well.
A student who thinks, Im not good at English.
In other words, a student with English Trauma.

Listen To The Audio Of This Report

Practice your English listening by listening to the audio version of this report.

httw://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com/trauma.html
Download it at:

Learn How To Cure English Trauma At:

http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com/free.html

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Effortless English
Learning Languages Like Children

By Dr. J. Marvin Brown

In 1984, the American University Language Center in Bangkok started using a new approach to
teach the Thai language. The method is called The Listening Approach. In more recent years its
become known as Automatic Language Growth.
The method says that any attempt to speak (or even think about language), before automatic
speaking comes, will cause damage and limit final results! In other words, the method uses a
very long "silent period".
During the "silent period", students focus only on listening. After 6 - 12 months of intensive listening, students begin to speak spontaneously and naturally-- without effort and without thinking!

ONE - THE CHILDS SECRET

Everyone knows that when people move to a new country the children will eventually speak the
language natively and the adults wont. The normal explanation is that children have a special
talent that they lose as they grow up.
Teachers said that for adults, languages should be taught and studied instead of learned naturally.
But are we any better with present language teaching? Why, for example, do adults in Central Africa
do better when they move to a new language community than our modern students do? Could it be
that early teachers were mistaken? Maybe adults can do what children do. Maybe its just adult
behavior (not lack of talent) that prevents them from succeeding.
THE MISTAKE Children can do something that adults cannot.
THE UNASKED QUESTION What would happen if an adult were to just listen for a year without
speaking?
OUR ANSWER Both adults and children can do it right, but only adults can do it wrong.
Imagine a 4 year-old child and an adult reacting to somebody talking to them in a foreign language.
The child most often just listens, while the adult usually tries to talk back.
Now imagine that not trying to speak was the childs secret. It makes sense that listening to
things that are always right would build the language right, while saying things that are always wrong
would build it wrong.

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What would happen if adults were to do the same thing children do, (that is, just listen for a year
without trying to say anything).
In 1984, the AUA language center in Bangkok started doing exactly this in its Thai classes. The
students just listened for as much as a year without speaking at all. We found that adults get
almost the same results that children do. If adults understand natural talk, in real situations, without trying to say anything, for a whole year, then fluent speaking with clear pronunciation will
come automatically.
It seems that the difference between adults and children is not that adults have lost the ability to do it
right-- but that children havent yet gained the ability to do it wrong (that is, to destroy it with forced
speaking).
Forced speaking damages adults. Consciously thinking of ones sentences with translations,
rules, substitutions, or any other kind of thinking prevents you from speaking like a native.
Natural speaking (speaking that comes automatically) wont cause damage (not even when its
wrong). The damage doesnt come from being wrong; it comes from thinking about the language.
What were suggesting is this. The reason that children always end up as native speakers is
because they learn to speak by listening. And the reason that adults dont is because they learn
to speak by speaking.
Adults talk too much.
The formula is this: Listen, Dont speak, and Be patient. And now it appears that this is not
only the childs secret. Its everybodys secret. And while children do it more faithfully, adults can
do it faster.

TWO - HOW ALG WORKS

Most language teachers are constantly telling their students to try to speak as much as they can,
and to think carefully before they say anything, so theyll get it right. And now Im saying that this
kind of speaking and thinking is the exact thing that prevents adults from learning languages well.

THREE PUTTING ALG IN THE CLASSROOM

We look at children who have moved to a new country, and we see them listen, laugh, and stare.
The childs secret; ears open, mouths shut, no tests. They become near-native within two years.
Then we look into language classrooms around the world, and we see just the opposite; ears
practically closed (the students use their eyes instead), mouths open, and a lot of tests. Very
few of these students become near-native.

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Two things are needed for modern students.

First, they need experiences in the language that are so interesting (fun, exciting, suspenseful,
etc.), that the students forget that a new language is being used.
And second, the students understanding must be high enough to learn - and this means 80-100%
from the very first day!
It takes a lot of work to train teachers to be both interesting and understandable. But it is the
secret to success! Interesting and understandable listening, and a long "silent period", is the key
to speaking like a native.

RESOURCES
Free Email Course: 7 Rules for Excellent English
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com/free.html
Effortless English Lessons
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
Automatic Language Growth (Dr. J. Marvin Brown)
http://www.algworld.com
Dr. Stephen Krashen: Language Learning Research
http://www.sdkrashen.com

www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com/free.html

Rule 1
Hi. How are you doing today? I'm writing because you asked for my 7Day email course and you want to improve your English. You will get 8
emails from me-- one every day for 8 days.
This Email Course is sent only to subscribers.
To unsubscribe, go to {!remove_web}
My name is A.J. Hoge. I live in San Francisco, USA. I am an English
teacher. I have a Masters degree in Teaching English. I enjoy travel,
SCUBA diving, motorcycle riding, movies, and learning Spanish.
I will teach you a new method for learning. I will teach
you how to study-- to speak English faster and more easily.

***Your First Suggestion

Imagine speaking English automatically... without thinking. The words
come out of your mouth easily, and fast. You understand instantly.
To do this, you must change the way you study English. Your first action
is to stop studying English words. What?
Stop studying English words.
That's right, do not memorize words. Native speakers do not learn
English by remembering single words. Native speakers learn phrases.
Phrases are GROUPS of words that naturally go together.
**Learn 4x Faster
Research by Dr. James Asher proves that learning with phrases is 4-5
times faster than studying individual words. 4-5 Times Faster.
Also, students who learn phrases have much better grammar.

***RULE 1: Always Study and Review Phrases, Not Individual Words

Never study a single, individual word. Never.
When you find a new word, always write down The Phrase it is in. Always.
When you review, always review all of the phrase,.. not the word.
Collect phrases. Your speaking and grammar will improve 4-5 times
faster. Never again study a single word. Never write a single word in
your notebook, always write the complete phrase.
Learn Phrases Only.
**Your Next Tip Comes Tomorrow
During this week, I will teach you 7 rules for learning English. I will send
you a new rule each day, for 7 days.
I look forward to helping you improve your English!
Have a great day :)

Cheers,
AJ Hoge
Director
Effortless English
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com

Hi. How are you? Are you having a good day? I'm doing fine. Let's get
started with Day 2 of your email course.
**Rule 2: A Story From Angelina
"My name is Angelina and I'm a student from Paraguay. When I started
learning with A.J., I couldn't speak any English. I had studied English
grammar many years, but I couldn't speak.
The first day with A.J.'s Effortless English I thought I would study
grammar. However, he surprised me because he never taught grammar
rules.
Instead, he told a story. He told it many times, in a strange way. He
constantly asked questions, and I answered the questions. The questions
were super-easy.
Honestly, I was a little confused. I thought he was kind of a crazy teacher
:) I thought I needed to learn more grammar.
I continued with Effortless English and then, after only two weeks,
something amazing happened. My speaking improved! My friends asked
me, 'How are you improving so quickly?'
I realized that A.J. was quite clever, and the stories and questions and
articles were teaching me to speak English, without studying grammar
rules. Wow!"
Angelina is a great student. She learned extra fast because she listened
to Effortless English 5 hours a day. However, you can improve with just
one hour a day.
You can get the same results... but you must follow Rule 2.

**RULE 2: Don't Study Grammar

Angelina quickly improved speaking-- when she stopped studying
grammar. This is your second rule.

Stop studying grammar.

Stop studying grammar.
Right now. Stop. Put away your grammar books and textbooks.
Grammar rules teach you to think about English, you want to speak
automatically-- without thinking!
With Effortless English, you learn English without grammar study. Your
speaking improves quickly. You succeed. You speak English naturally.
So Rule 2 is: Don't Study Grammar!

*The Vital Secret For English Learning Power

In the next email, I will discuss the most important rule for speaking
English easily.
Have a great day and continue to improve your English :)

Take Care,

AJ Hoge
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
Director
Effortless English

PS: Ignacio Almandoz wrote and said:

"I've just sucessfully downloaded the 'A Kiss' lesson set. Congratulations
on your teaching program! I'm learning a lot through your lessons!"

Hi! This is A.J. again, with the next day of your 7 Rules Email Course. I
really enjoy emailing you and helping you improve English.
Today is the most important rule.
Most schools ignore it.
**Rule 3: A Story
Humberto is from Venezuela. He moved to Canada a few years ago. He
studied English in Venezuela for many years-- mostly grammar.
In fact, Humberto learned English with his eyes- by reading textbooks, by
studying grammar books, by remembering word lists.
He thought his English was good. But when he came to Canada he was
surprised and shocked-- he couldn't understand anyone!
He joined an English school in Canada. He went to school everyday.
What did they teach him? More textbooks, more grammar books, more
word lists!
After 12 months of school, Humberto was angry and frustrated. The
school cost over $10,000 for one year-- but he still could not speak
English. He didn't know what to do.
He said:
"I couldn't believe it A.J. After one year, I still couldn't speak English. I
told the teacher, 'this is a waste of time'. I was very upset.
Thank God I found a better way. Now I can speak English. I understand
native speakers. I talk to Canadians every day. I feel confident. I can't
believe I wasted so much time with schools... and so much money too!"

**RULE 3: The Most Important Rule-- Listen First

What is the rule that Humberto found? Simple. The rule is listening.
Listening, listening, listening.

You must listen to UNDERSTANDABLE English. You must listen to

English EVERYDAY. Don't read textbooks. Listen to English.
Its simple. That is the key to your English success. Stop reading
textbooks. Start listening everyday.
**Learn With Your Ears, Not Your Eyes
In most schools, you learn English with your eyes. You read textbooks.
You study grammar rules.
Effortless English is a listening system. You learn English with your ears,
not your eyes. You listen 1-3 hours every day.
Your speaking improves quickly. You speak English easily-- just like
Humberto.
Spend most of your study time listening- that is the key to great
speaking.
* The Next Powerful Method
Good luck. I know you can do it.
Have a great day. Enjoy these emails and enjoy your English learning!
Take Care,
AJ Hoge
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
Director and Founder
Effortless English
PS: Hiroshi Ichikawa writes:
"Hi AJ, Ever since I joined Effortless English Club, I have been listening to
every lesson I downloaded into my MP3 player for 5-6 hours a day.
Whenever my boss is not around, I put a headphone on and start listening
to them!"

Hi. Its me again ;) I hope you are feeling good and are enjoying the 7
Rules Email Course. Here's rule 4.
**Rule 4: A Story
Hyun, a student from Korea, said:
"Im a very serious student. When studying English in Korea, I memorized
50,000 English words for a big test. Fifty Thousand!
My problem was-- I couldn't USE them. I could pass an English test. But
I could not understand native speakers.
With Effortless English, I learned to instantly understand English. I learned
how to automatically use vocabulary. After 6 months, I could speak
easily. I didn't need to think.
Thanks so much!"
**RULE 4: Slow, Deep Learning Is Best
Hyun learned a lot of words in a short time. Her learning was short and
shallow. That's why she quickly forgot the words. That's why she could
not use them.
The secret to speaking easily is to learn every word & phrase DEEPLY.
Its not enough to know a definition. Its not enough to remember for a
test. You must put the word deep into your brain.
To speak English easily, you must repeat each lesson many times.
You must learn English deeply.
Learn deeply, speak easily.
Learn deeply, speak easily.
How do you learn deeply? Easy-- just repeat all lessons or listening
many times. For example, if you have an audio book, listen to the first
chapter 30 times before you go to the second chapter. You could listen

to the first chapter 3 times each day, for 10 days.

**Deep Learning Of Grammar
What about grammar? How do you learn it deeply, without studying
grammar rules?
I'll tell you in the next email.
Have a great day :)

A.J. Hoge
Director
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
Effortless English

PS: Mona Hassan of Palestine wrote:

"I downloaded many English lessons and everyday I listen to them 1 hour
a day. In short -THEY'RE GREAT!"

Hi. How are you today? Are you having a great day? I'm doing well.
Today I'm back to explain Rule 5. I hope you are enjoying these emails :)
On Day 2, I told you never to study grammar rules. But, of course, you
want to use correct English grammar.
Maybe you are thinking, "How can I learn English grammar if I don't
study English grammar rules?"
Well, today I will tell you.
I will teach you a way to learn grammar naturally. Use this method and
your grammar will improve automatically. You will automatically use the
correct verb tense. You won't think. You won't try.
**Rule 5: A Story
Miyuki did very well on grammar tests. She knew all of the grammar
rules. She knew English verbs.
But Miyuki had a problem. She couldn't USE the grammar in a real
conversation. She could explain the past tense, but when speaking, she
would say "Yesterday I GO to school".
Miyuki was confused. How could her grammar tests be so good, but her
speaking so bad?
Miyuki said:
"Before Effortless English, I knew all the grammar rules, but I couldn't
speak correctly. I couldn't feel English grammar. After using Point of
View stories, I feel it and use it correctly.
Now my grammar is great when I speak. I never think about it, I just
automatically use correct grammar. Thank you A.J.!"
Miyuki learned this grammar naturally. She never studied
grammar rules. How did she do it?

First she listened to a short story in the present tense. She listened to it
everyday.
Then, she listened to the exact SAME story-- but this time it started with
"10 years ago...." She learned to "feel" the past tense by listening to this
story.
Next, I gave her the exact same story. This time, it started with "Since
2004..." Miyuki learned to FEEL the perfect tenses by listening to this
story.
Finally, I gave her the exact same story... beginning with "Next year". She
learned to FEEL the future tense simply by listening to this story.

***RULE 5: Use Point Of View Mini-Stories

I call these stories "Point Of View Mini-Stories". They are the most
powerful way to learn and use English grammar automatically.

Use Point of View Stories for Automatic Grammar

Use Point of View Stories for Automatic Grammar

You must learn grammar by listening to real English. The best way is to
listen to the same story... told in different times (points of view): Past,
Perfect, Present, Future.
How do you do this? Easy! Find a story or article in the present tense.
Then ask your native speaker tutor to write it again in the Past, with
Perfect tenses, and in the Future. Finally, ask him to read and record
these stories for you.
Then you can listen to stories with many different kinds of grammar. You
don't need to know the grammar rules. Just listen to the Point of View
stories and you will improve grammar automatically!
You can also find Point of View lessons and use them to learn grammar
automatically.

It is powerful. It is simple. It is successful. You will succeed. You will

use correct grammar naturally and automatically.
This is the secret to English grammar.

**How To Learn Real English

In the next email, I will tell you how to avoid textbooks and learn only real
English.
I guarantee you will succeed. Don't quit. You can do it :)
Have a great day!
Good luck with your English learning,

A.J. Hoge
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
Director
Effortless English

Hi again :) It's me, your English teacher... with another rule!

I want you to think about something today: You have studied English for
more than 4 years- why do you still have trouble understanding native
speakers?
Nothing is wrong with you. Something is wrong with the schools you
went to, and the textbooks you used. English textbooks and audio tapes
are horrible.
You never learned REAL English.
You learned TEXTBOOK English.

**How To Understand Native Speakers

Megdelio studied English for 5 years in Venezuela. Teachers said he
was an advanced student.
When he came to the USA he felt good. He was excited to meet
Americans. He was ready. He wrote:
"One day I tried to talk to an American woman and everything changed.
The woman started talking-- and I couldn't understand her. Not at all!
Her pronunciation was totally different than the textbook tapes and CDs I
listened to. She used idioms, slang, and many casual phrases.
I was totally confused. That's when I realized I needed to learn real
English!"
**You Must Learn Real English
I taught Megdelio to learn with real English materials-- learning the
English we use everyday in conversations, books, movies, TV shows,
comic books, audio books, articles, newspapers, magazines, and
podcasts.
**Stop Learning Textbook English

If you want to understand native speakers, you must stop learning English
from textbook tapes and CDs.
To learn real English, you must listen to English that native speakers
listen to. You must watch what they watch. You must read what they
read.
Listen only to real English
Listen only to real English
Listen only to real English
How do you learn Real English? It's easy. Stop using textbooks. Instead,
listen only to real English movies, TV shows, audio books, audio articles,
stories, and talk radio shows. Use real English materials.
After 6 months of real English, Megdelio could speak easily. He could
understand real English from real native speakers. You will too.

**RULE 6: Only Use Real English Lessons & Materials

You learn real English if you want to understand native speakers and
speak easily. Use real magazines, audio articles, TV shows, movies, radio
talk shows, and audio books.
Learn Real English, Not Textbook English
Learn Real English, Not Textbook English

**The Final Rule

In the next email, I will tell you the final rule. I'll teach you how to speak
2-3 times faster.
Until then, have a great day and enjoy learning English!
Good luck,

A.J. Hoge
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
Director
Effortless English
PS: Ana Rodriguez wrote:
"I'm finally enjoying English! I'm finally talking to Americans! Thank
You!"

Rule 7
Hi. Today is the last rule! Remember, I promised to send you 8 emails.
Today is number 7 :)
Today is the last Rule, and it is the easiest:
Most English CDs use "listen and repeat". The speaker says something in
English, and you repeat exactly what they said. This method is a failure.
**Rule 7: A Story
Emi, a Japanese woman, had a problem. Her speaking was SLOW. She
could not answer questions quickly.
Emi listened to many English tapes and CDs. She listened. She repeated
what the speaker said.
Emi emailed me. I recommended "Listen & Answer" lessons. I told her not
to use "listen and repeat".
I told her to use "Listen & Answer" Mini-Stories.
I told her that "listen and repeat" is not enough-- when you repeat, you
only copy the speaker. But when you hear a question and you ANSWER it- you must think in English.
After using listen & ANSWER lessons for just 4 months, her speaking was
fast, easy, and automatic.
Emi was excited. She wrote:
"The lessons are FANTASTIC! I love them. My speaking is so much faster
now. I understand quickly and I can now speak English without thinking.
I can't believe it!"

**RULE 7: Listen and Answer, not Listen and Repeat

Use Listen & Answer Mini-Story Lessons

Use Listen & Answer Mini-Story Lessons
In each Mini-Story Lesson, a speaker tells a short simple story. He also
asks a lot of easy questions. Every time you hear a question, you pause
and answer it.
You learn to answer questions quickly-- without thinking. Your English
becomes automatic.
How can you use Listen & Answer Stories? Easy! Find a native speaker
tutor. Ask him to use this method: Ask him to tell a story... and to
constantly ask you easy questions about it. This will teach you to think
quickly in English!
You can also find Listen & Answer lessons. They will teach you to think
quickly in English.
**What's Next?
That is the last rule! How can you continue?
A great way to use the 7 Rules is to use my Effortless English
Club lessons. I teach you to speak English easily, and fast.
My lessons use all of the 7 Rules.
To get my Effortless English Club lessons, go to:

http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com

Use the lessons and I guarantee you will succeed :)

Thanks for allowing me to teach you.

**One More Email

You will get only one more email from me for this course.
Have a great day!

Take Care and Good Luck,

A.J. Hoge
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
Founder and Director
Effortless English

The Key To Excellent English

What is the most important English skill? What skill must you have to communicate well?
Obviously, number 1 is Fluency. What is fluency? Fluency is the ability to speak (and understand)
English quickly and easily... WITHOUT translation. Fluency means you can talk easily with native
speakers-- they easily understand you, and you easily understand them. In fact, you speak and
understand instantly.
Fluency is your most important English goal.
The research is clear-- there is only ONE way to get fluency. You do not get fluency by reading textbooks. You do not get fluency by going to English schools. You do not get fluency by studying
grammar rules.

Listening Is The Key

To get English fluency, you must have a lot of understandable repetitive listening. That is the
ONLY way. To be a FANTASTIC English speaker, you must learn English with your ears, not with
your eyes. In other words, you must listen. Your ears are the key to excellent speaking.
What kind of listening is best? Well, it must be understandable and must be repetitive. Both of
those words are important-- Understandable and Repetitive.
If you don't understand, you learn nothing. You will not improve. That's why listening to English TV
does not help you. You don't understand most of it. It is too difficult. It is too fast.
Its obvious right? If you do not understand, you will not improve. So, the best listening material is
EASY. Thats right, you should listen mostly to easy English. Most students listen to English that is
much too difficult. They dont understand enough, and so they learn slowly. Listen to easier English,
and your speaking will improve faster!
Understanding is Only Half The Formula.
Understanding is not enough. You must also have a lot of repetition. If you hear a new word only
once, you will soon forget it. If you hear it 5 times, you will still probably forget it!
You must hear new words and new grammar many times before you will understand them
instantly.
How many times is necessary? Most people must hear a new word 30 times to remember it forever.
To know a word and instantly understand it, you probably need to hear it 50-100 times!
That's why I tell my students to listen to all of my lessons many times. I tell them to listen to the
Mini-Stories, the Vocab Lessons, The Point-of-View Stories, and the Audio articles everyday. I recommend that they listen to each lesson a total of 30 times (for example, 2 times a day for two
weeks).

So, the two most important points are: listen to easier English and listen to each thing many
times.

Powerful Listening and Excellent Speaking

1. Practice Narrow Listening
Narrow listening means listening to many things about the same topic. This method is more powerful than trying to listen to many different kinds of things. Students who listen to similar things learn
faster and speak better than students who listen to different kinds of things.
For example, you can choose one speaker and find many things by him. Listen to all of his podcasts, audio books, and speeches. This is powerful because all speakers have favorite vocabulary
and grammar. They naturally repeat these many times. By listening to many things by the same
person, you automatically get a lot of vocabulary repetition. You learn faster and deeper!
Another example is to choose one topic to focus on. For example, you could read an easy book, listen to the same audio book, listen to a podcast about the book, and watch the movie.
I did this with my class in San Francisco. We read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Then we
listened to the audio book. Then we watched (and listened to) the movie. Then we listened to interviews with actors in the movie. My students learned a lot of vocabulary in a short time, and their
speaking improved very quickly.

2. Divide Your Listening Time

Which is better: to listen for two hours without a break, or to divide that time during the day? Well,
dividing your listening time is best.
By dividing your time throughout the day, you remember more and learn faster. So its much better
to listen 30 minutes in the morning, then 30 minutes in the car or train, then 30 minutes coming
home from work, then 30 minutes before sleep. In fact, this is the exact schedule I recommend to
my students!

3. Use an iPod or MP3 Player

iPods are fantastic. You can put a big listening library on one. Then you can carry your English lessons everywhere. You can learn English while walking, while shopping, in the car, in a train, while
cooking,.......
With an iPod or MP3 player, you dont have to worry about CDs. Also, you can find a lot of English
listening on the internet. You can find lessons, stories, podcasts, TV shows, interviews, and audio
books. Simply download the audio, put it on your iPod.. and learn English anywhere!

4. Listen To Movies
Movies are great for learning English BUT you must use them correctly. Dont watch all of an
English movie. You will not understand it, and therefore you will not learn anything.
Only watch one scene or segment per week (maybe 2-3 minutes). Follow this method:
a) First, watch the scene with subtitles in your language. This will help you understand the general
meaning.
b) Second, watch the scene with English subtitles. Pause. Use a dictionary to find new words you
dont understand. Write the new sentences in a notebook.
c) Listen to the scene a few times, with English subtitles. Do not pause.
d) Listen to the scene a few times, without subtitles.
e) Repeat a) - d) everyday for one week.
On the second week, go to the next scene/segment and repeat again. It will take you a long time to
finish a movie. Thats OK, because you will improve your listening and speaking VERY FAST. This
method is powerful-- use it!

5. Read and Listen at the Same Time

Listening and Reading together are very powerful. While you listen to something, also read it. This
will improve your pronunciation.
Reading while listening also helps you understand more difficult material. Read and listen to learn
faster. After you do this a few times, put away the text and just listen. You will understand a lot
more and you will improve faster. Always try to find both audio and text materials.

To start, you can read my blog and listen to my podcast at:

Audio & Text
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com

Another great idea is to get both a book and its audio book (ie. the above example of Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory).

6 Months To Excellent English Speaking

Follow the above suggestions (and the 7 Rules in my email course) and you will speak excellent
English.
I have been teaching over 10 years. Every student who follows these methods succeeds. Always!
The Effortless English method is the key to speaking excellent English. It is the key to fluency.
You only need 6 months-- 6 months and you will speak easily to native speakers. 6 months and
you will speak quickly and naturally. 6 months and you feel relaxed when you speak English.
You have tried the old ways. You tried textbooks. You tried schools. You tried grammar study.
It is time to try something new!
Good luck. I wish you success with your English learning!

A.J. Hoge
Director
Effortless English LLC

Listening & Learning Resources On The Internet

7 Rules of Effortless English (Free Email Course)
http://effortlessenglishclub.com/7-rules-to-learn-excellent-english-speaking
The Effortless English Podcast (Listening)
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
The Effortless English Blog (Text for Audio)
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com

Effortless English Lessons (Listening and Text, Intermediate & Advanced Level)
http://www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
Flow English Lessons (Listening and Text, Intermediate Level)
http://effortlessenglishclub.com/learn-english-with-flow-english
LingQ (Listening and Tutors, Advanced)
http://www.lingq.com
ELLLO (Listening)
http://www.elllo.org
KanTalk (Internet Chats and Conversation)
http://www.kantalk.com
VOA News (Listening)
http://www.voanews.com/english/podcasts.cfm
Business English Pod (Listening)
http://www.voanews.com/english/podcasts.cfm
ESL Pod (Listening)
http://www.eslpod.com
Just Vocabulary (Listening)
http://justvocabulary.libsyn.com/