Are you looking for a new and fun way to learn American English? Come hang out with Lindsay and Michelle from Boston and New York City and have fun while you improve your English listening skills! All Ears English is an English as a Second Language (ESL) podcast for intermediate to advanced learners around the world. We will show you how to use everyday vocabulary and natural idioms, expressions, and phrasal verbs and how to make small talk in American English. We will also give you special tips on American culture, customs, etiquette, and how to speak with Americans as well as conversation and commentary on study tips, life in America and Boston, how to apply to university in the US, dating, travel, food and more. You'll get TOEFL, IELTS, and TOEIC help also from our IELTS and test expert Jessica Beck. This podcast is for adult students who are professionals and university students as well as ESL teachers. Join our community to learn to speak American English like a native! Connection NOT Perfection!
AEE 226: How to "80/20" Your English to Make More Friends with italki Teacher Nick Vance
What should be your focus when learning English?
How can you make the most of the time you invest in studying?
Today Lindsay talks with Nick Vance about the 80/20 principle, and how it can improve your English conversations!
Taking IELTS?
Get our free IELTS video training course now
Nick believes that 80% of the positive benefits of something come from 20% of the input. In business, some customers are more valuable than others. With friends, though you may have many, only a few are truly close.
In learning English, most of the grammar mistakes a new learner makes are really the same mistake over and over. Correcting these most common 20% of mistakes would eliminate 80% of all grammar mistakes. The best way to identify these is by working with a teacher who can help point out your mistakes.
Another way to work with the 80/20 principle is to prepare answers to the most common questions you might get from native English speakers. This will help you comfortably get conversations started — which is probably 80% of the work!
You might prepare answers to questions like:
- Where are you from?
- How long have you lived here?
- What do you do for a living?
Do you see the 80/20 principle working in your life?
How so?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
Nick Vance is originally from Kentucky and has lived in North Carolina, Washington DC, San Diego and Portland. He has been living in Berlin, Germany for 2.5 years. Nick’s degree is in math but he left that field when he realized how much he enjoyed helping others learn English. Nick has been helping people improve their English for 4 years and have been teaching online via Italki for about one year.