Tools & Techniques

Learning to write – in English

09.06.2010

Is there any difference between writing in your language and English? The answer is “no and yes.” If you can get your ideas from your mind into someone else’s mind clearly, quickly, and economically when you write in your language, that will help you when you write in English. However, there are some differences that make writing in English different than writing in other languages.

Learning to write – almost anything

08.31.2010

Xurxo knows the secret of learning to write. When I read one of his essays and asked him where he learned to write so well, he said, “Reading New York Times essays.” The secret to learning to write is fairly simple – if you want to write essays, read essays. In other words, read the kind of thing you want to write.

Is your reading getting the job done?

08.20.2010

Are you reading – or listening – effectively? If you’re a regular visitor to Successful English, you already know that reading is the key to acquiring language. Here’s a checklist – from two articles I read this week – to help you make sure your reading is helping you get the job done.

Learning to write – introduction

08.17.2010

Jazz musician Paul Desmond once said that “Writing is like jazz. It can be learned, but it can’t be taught.” Desmond understood something very important about writing: good writing doesn’t come from direct instruction. And the writers, writing teachers, and language specialists I know agree. If you want to learn where good writing comes from and how to write better, be sure to read all of the Learning to write articles.

A word every language learner should know

07.29.2010

There’s no question. None at all. Fluency in any language comes from what we read and what we hear. This is what the research tells us. And this is what the experience of many language learners tells us.

The most important principal of language acquisition is very simple: we acquire, or pick up, language when we read or hear interesting and comprehensible, or understandable, input. Now there’s a new word that helps us choose what to read or listen to.

Better English for medical – and other – students and professionals

07.14.2010

When you use what you learned in your first language to make English more comprehensible, or understandable, you improve your ability to acquire more English. Stanford University just made that easier for medical students and professionals. And even if you’re not in medicine, you can learn how to use what you already know in your area of study or work to improve your English.

Spotlight – great ideas and academic English delivered to your desktop.

07.10.2010

The best way to improve your writing and speaking is to read good writers and listen to good speakers! Today I’d like to spotlight three great reading and listening sources for more advanced English learners. All three of them contain a lot of academic English. And all three of them provide RSS feeds so you can feast on more great ideas and good English every time they add something new.

Expert answers – meeting a new word

06.30.2010

English students frequently ask me what to do about unfamiliar words when they read. Many of them feel obligated to do something, like look them up in a dictionary. They feel guilty if they ignore them. Today’s Expert Answer from Dr. Frank Smith will help you understand what happens when you meet a new word and what you can do about it.

My English Journey

06.14.2010

In Is my English getting better? I described several things that English students can do informally to get an idea of how much their English has improved. Today I’d like to describe My English Journey, a more formal way to do the same thing.

Is my English getting better?

06.07.2010

Is my English getting better? This is a common, and important, question asked by many English students. They certainly hope so! And if it is getting better, they feel good about themselves and they’re motivated to keep working at it. But how can they know?

Frustration to success: how he did it

04.25.2010

Frustration to success told Adrian’s story as an English learner. This article adds important details: What did Adrian do to achieve success? What is he doing today? And what can we learn from his experience?

How to learn something (including academic English) for nothing

04.19.2010

The most important thing TOEFL test-takers can do to prepare for the test is to build their academic English by reading and listening; it will affect all aspects of their English – reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This article describes new sources of good academic English for reading and listening.

English language coaching: path to fluency and success

03.25.2010

Most English learners dream of the day they’ll be able to use English effortlessly and fluently. But they’re not sure how to get there. English language coaching shows them how.

Getting the most (English) from your reading

03.24.2010

There is no doubt that reading for pleasure is the best way to improve your English. Research clearly shows that readers have larger vocabularies, better grammar, and write better than non-readers. This article describes several things that you can do to get the greatest benefit from your reading.

Look at the pictures!

02.08.2010

Anything you do to make English more comprehensible (understandable) while you read will help you acquire more English. That makes picture books and comics good sources of comprehensible English.

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Welcome to Successful English

Successful English is a comfortable place for intermediate and advanced English learners to learn how to make English a permanent part of their life.

It was created in 2006 by Warren Ediger, an adult ESL specialist and former college and university instructor. He lives in southern California, about 15 minutes north of Disneyland.

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From a Successful English reader

"I started reading the book The Kite Runner.... I should confess now while I was reading it I wasn't aware of the time totally. Four or five hours passed in a blink of an eye for me.

I actually carry two or three books or magazines with myself when I go out and go at work. I work in a pharmacy and I try to read even in the gaps between two patients. Reading and listening are the integral parts of my life. They are like brushing my teeth, taking my meals and other necessary tasks everyone does in a single day." (S.V., Iran)
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