Not by Way of a Textbook

Unlike what many educational institutes, schools and companies will tell you, you cannot learn a language through a book. I cannot teach you to speak English through using a book. You have to learn to speak and listen in English the natural way, not the way of books. You don't grow up speaking your language from a book. That is impossible.

The best way to learn speaking skills is by listening to a native speaker, and answering questions from the speaker, repeating what the speaker says, and trying to use the words and concepts used by the speaker. I listen to my students and correct them when I hear mistakes. I often text or IM them the correct way of saying what they want to say. This is an excellent way of learning via phone or Internet.

Don't let anyone persuade you into buying an English textbook with the hopes that you will become fluent in English. That is not going to happen. Books are only good for going deeper into the language and learning grammatical structures, vocabulary, and to practice reading skills. Most of my students want to be able to converse and listen in the English language, not read or write it, although, they learn that too. Learn by doing, not by opening a book to a page and studying that page. Hahaha. Nobody learns that way. We are not robots.

For my Skype or phone lessons, I use an interview approach to teaching English. I ask students a series of questions. The questions are related to a topic. Students answer the questions and I make corrections as necessary. I use questions based on the level of the student. I use the same topic but for advanced students they receive advanced questions on the topic. For beginning students, I use simple questions related to the topic.

Some of the topics include:
Advantages and disadvantages of living in your city
Transportation problems
The crime situation
What you do on your time off
How you celebrate holidays
Why people learn languages
Questions from a news topic
A practice job interview
The Generation gap
Sports
Jobs and occupations

Let's Talk Modals

Let's talk modals. This is an important lesson in learning to converse in the English language. Yes, modal verbs are very useful, and are followed by an action verb. Many native speakers do not think about modal verbs since their use is so routine, and common. The modal verbs are: will, may, can, shall, could, should, would, must, couldn't, shouldn't, mustn't, can't, won't. They are often followed by an action verb, but can sometimes stand alone. Here are some complete sentence examples with modal verbs and their followers: 

I could be there by 5:30 tomorrow morning. I should be there by 5:30 tomorrow morning. I must be there by 5:30 tomorrow morning. I will be there by 5:30 tomorrow morning. I can be there by 5:30 tomorrow morning. 

The strongest two sentences in this group are: I will be there.., and I must be there...  "I will" statements give a definite, unswerving statement that something will be done, without any question to uncertainty. If I say I will do something, then I must do it. It is an obligation. I could say it differently so it would not be an obligation or a certain fact. I could say: I might be there..., I could be there..., I should be there..., I would be there.... "I must" statements have the order of law in them. Something has to be done. Something must be done. The consequence if not done can be very bad. "I must work to pay the bills." If I don't work, I don't eat. "I must help my son with his school work." I am the parent and therefore have an need to help my child do good in his studies. I must help him so he will be successful. 

As a standalone verb, someone could ask: "Will you help Susan with the assignment?" "Will you take the trash to the recycling center?" Yes, I will. or Yes, I can. We can end a sentence with a modal verb in these examples. 

Once you master modality, using modal verbs becomes fun. It is fun to use modal verbs and also adds more to your linguistic repertoir. You can express yourself much better when you know how to use the modal verbs. English speakers always use modal verbs in conversation. Listen for these modal verbs when you are listening in on conversations, reading blogs, posts online, watching television, or listening to audio broadcasts.