Beyond Thank You: How to Show Appreciation and Express Gratitude in English

Take a moment and think about how many times you’ve said “thank you” today. If you’re living in the United States or another English speaking country, you’ve probably said it more times than you can count. “Thank you” has become such a common response that we often don’t notice when we’ve said it. As a non-native speaker, you may be surprised by how much Americans say “thank you” for doing something that’s common courtesy, or … Read the article and watch the video lesson

How to Breathe When Speaking English | Get Started with Breathing, Pausing, and Thought Groups

When was the last time you thought about your breathing when speaking English? After all, breathing is an automatic process, right? When you run out of air, you breathe again. We usually don’t pay that much attention to our breathing unless we have a cold, or we’re feeling short of breath, maybe we’re nervous, or doing a sport or other activity like singing that requires breath support. That’s why I’m here to remind you that … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Find Your Voice in American English: Vocal Exercises for Non-Native Speakers (Pitch & Resonance)

Let me ask you something. How do you feel about the sound of your voice when you’re speaking English? If you’re like most people, you probably have some concerns about your voice. Maybe you feel like your pitch is too high or too low. Maybe you have trouble changing your pitch or you feel like your voice sounds a little monotone. Maybe you think your voice sounds too nasally or too high in your head, … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Contrast: Sound More Natural and Interesting in American English 🎶

Over the past few months, I’ve been hearing from a lot of non-native speakers who are concerned that they sound monotonous, robotic, bored, or even annoyed when they’re speaking English. They’ve been working on their accent, but they feel like something is missing. When you’re trying to improve how you sound in English, you’ll find a lot of tips out there. (You can find quite a few of them right here!) But if you really … Read the article and watch the video lesson

How to Handle Uncomfortable Questions You REALLY Don’t Want to Answer in English

Let me ask you something. How do you feel when someone asks you an uncomfortable question? When you’re chatting with new people at a social event or a party, or you’re interacting with strangers while waiting for the bus or the train, you might get asked an awkward question you really don’t want to answer. For example: How old are you? Why do you wear so much makeup? Why do you cover your hair? Why … Read the article and watch the video lesson

How to Change the Subject or Conversation Topic in English

Imagine this situation: You’re having a great conversation with a person you’ve just met. You’re talking about a topic that both of you are really interested in, and you’re sharing ideas back and forth. You’re both asking great questions and responding with enthusiasm, but then suddenly… silence. This particular conversation topic has come to its natural conclusion. You’ve said all you have to say on this subject. Does that mean the entire conversation is over … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Cookie Policy

We use cookies to make our website easier to use and to make the content you see more relevant to your needs.

Cookies allow us to record important information about how you arrive at, use, and move through this website. This helps us to make the content on this website better for visitors.

We also use cookies to analyze visitors to help us improve the structure and content of our website. This information is collected anonymously and we cannot identify you personally from this information.

Review the Cookie Policy for this site.

You can adjust all of your cookie settings by navigating the tabs on the left hand side of this menu.