Speak English like a Spy: Speak Natural & Confident English

Name: Speak English like a Spy: Speak Natural & Confident English
Rating: 4.5 (94 reviews)

Boost your English Speaking, Grammar & Pronunciation. Speak English Fluently & Use English like a Native |B1, B2, C1, C2

Created byCambridge Certified Professional ESL Teacher Tina

Last updated 5/2020

English

What you'll learn

Top-7 reasons you don't sound like a native.
Pronunciation: linking, informal contractions & reduction.
Circumlocution: a longer sentence is not a better sentence.
Idioms: how many is too many?
Articles: basic and not-so-basic ways we use a/an & the.
Order of words: does it even matter?
Denotation & connotation: what you should pay attention to when you're learning new words.
Phrasal verbs: how common are they?

Course content

1 section • 19 lectures • 43m total length

Introduction3:02
Discover seven reasons you don't sound native and learn to speak like an American, covering linking, contractions, reduction, circumlocution, idioms, articles, word order, denotation and connotation, and phrasal verbs.
Pronunciation1:07
Explore how pronunciation affects understanding and why accents rarely hinder communication. Learn practical steps to approach standard English, regardless of your native accent, for more natural, confident speech.
Pronunciation: Linking (1 out of 2)3:26
Explore how linking connects words into smooth sounds to sound natural, not choppy, including consonant to vowel and consonant to consonant links with wake up and this summer.
Pronunciation: Linking (2 out of 2)2:15
Practice listening and repeating to improve pronunciation through linking, embrace repetition as midwife of excellence, and learn how t and j and d and j connect in what you doing.
Pronunciation: Informal Contractions (1 out of 2)1:28
Explore informal contractions such as 'gonna' and 'wanna', their role in casual American English, and when to avoid them in formal speech or writing, including apostrophe usage.
Pronunciation: Informal Contractions (2 out of 2)2:57
Master the pronunciation of informal contractions such as ain't, gimme, gonna, gotta, kinda, lemme, wanna, watcha, and y'all with clear examples and short forms.
Pronunciation: Reduced Words in Connected Speech (1 out of 2)2:28
Pronunciation: Reduced Words in Connected Speech (2 out of 2)1:54
Circumlocution2:17
Learn to avoid circumlocution and replace long, confusing sentences with clear, concise language. Use short words over long ones and focus on communicating your point.
Number of idioms1:58
Learn when to use idioms naturally by avoiding overuse and mismatched phrases; compare everyday examples to distinguish formal and informal contexts and improve confident, natural speech.
Articles: a/ an, & the2:33
Articles: the definite article "the"2:44
Articles: the definite article "the" (with country names)2:16
Learn when to use the definite article the with country names and geography, including the United States and United Kingdom, plus seven usage rules.
Articles: indefinite articles "a/an"1:45
Learn when to use the indefinite articles a and an based on sound, including vowel sounds and mute h, with singular nouns, and see how meanings are limited or quantified.
Articles: no article2:10
discover when not to use any article, including with possessive determiners, uncountable versus countable nouns, and official titles; see examples with who, education, and occupations.
Word order1:45
Master English word order and grammar by learning the standard subject–verb–object structure, recognizing how sentence arrangement affects meaning, and practicing with examples like the fox ate the treat.
Denotation & connotation2:57
Explore denotation and connotation, compare neutral and emotional word choices like mother vs mommy, and learn to assess words for tone, culture, and context.
Phrasal verbs1:41
Explore phrasal verbs, their usages and frequencies, including more than 10000 phrasal verbs, as you master 10 common phrasal verbs and their 47 meanings to speak natural and confident English.
Summary2:22
Discover seven core reasons nonnative speakers reveal themselves, from pronunciation and linking to informal contractions and reduction, circumlocution, idioms usage, articles, word order, denotation and connotation, and phrasal verbs.

Requirements

Prerequisite Vocabulary

Description

Is your spoken and written English good but not as good as you'd like it to be?

Can people easily tell that you're not a native speaker?

It may not bother you, but if it does, this course will tell you what you can do to sound more natural and native.

I'll outline the main reasons you don't sound native yet and tell you what you need to do to sound more natural.

In the course we’ll go over the following things:

1. Pronunciation.

You will be able to use linking, informal contractions, and reduction, which will make you sound a lot more like a native speaker.

2. Circumlocution

We’ll figure out why you may want to reconsider the way you phrase your thoughts. This will help you express your ideas in a clear and easy-to-follow way.

3. Number of idioms

I will give you examples of using idioms in a good and bad way. You will understand why this very popular among English learners approach to using idioms, which follows the “the more the better” principle, is often unnecessary, awkward, and unnatural.

4. Articles

You will learn basic and advanced ways of using definite (the) and indefinite (a/an) articles in your speech.

5. Order of words

By using examples I will show you why the order of words in English is inflexible and why it is important that you stick to it.

6. Denotation & connotation

You will learn that words can be neutral, positive, negative, offensive, sexual, etc., and why it is absolutely crucial for you to take this into account when you’re working on expanding your vocabulary.

7. Phrasal verbs

I will point out why phrasal verbs are a challenge worth accepting.

After this course, you will know what you should and what you shouldn't do to get closer to the level of English you've been dreaming about. :)

Who this course is for:

Intermediate+ (Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, Advanced) English learners
Pre-Intermediate learners living in English-speaking countries
Fluent English-speakers who want to sound natural & native
NOT for beginners. Please watch the introduction to make sure you can follow my train of thought. :)