Improving your English Writing
Add and I are working on making many useful bonus courses to help you guys in all areas of your English learning.
We’re going to keep doing the podcasts of course, we’re just going to add a lot to what we’ve been doing. I have a lot of things that I can think of teaching you guys off the top of my head. Here are 3 of them:
1. How to negotiate to earn more money in your current job
2. Modern and effective ways to look for a better job
3. How to totally kill a job interview and make sure you get the great job you found.
Those 3 things above are about making more money and getting a higher paying and more interesting job.
I’d also like to make some bonus courses about lifestyle things like dating and relationships. Add was thinking about making some cooking courses (possibly with video) Add is a great chef.
Before we get too crazy with making this bonus material, we’d love to hear from you guys about what you’d like to see the most. We can really make any kind of courses that you guys want. It just makes sense to get your advice first before we go too wild.
We did already make a first course, however, on Email Writing for Business. I think it’s an extremely important topic. I haven’t seen any good information on this stuff either, so we decided to go ahead and make our first bonus course. This is going to be the first of many to come. Please help us out by saying what YOU would like to learn about and we’ll do our best to make what you want.
By the way, I love the comments you guys keep leaving on these blogs. I hope that you keep leaving more. It helps your writing, and it helps us see some common writing errors. I’m considering making another course about correcting the top 50 common mistakes non-native speakers make when they write general comments. What do you think about that?
Our entire goal is to improve all areas of your English to as close to the “native” level as possible. I KNOW this really CAN happen.
Again, here is the first course: Business Email Writing Course
Looking forward to your comments. Thanks!
November 23rd, 2012 at 7:35 am
I’d like to see some conversations we can use at the party or a bar. Say, if there is girl u’r interested in the party, how’d u talk to her at the first place. I’m pretty lame at it in spoken English, I couldn’t really think about any word to say except asking the girl (she is from Norway) what’s her job or where is she from..do u like this place……then finished the conversation and walked away…. it’s so difficult when talk to girls by using your second language.
November 23rd, 2012 at 7:41 am
Thanks Mardy. Great advice. I’ll add this to my list of what to focus on. Thanks!
November 23rd, 2012 at 7:59 am
I think the latter one is a great idea. We love to know what kind of mistake we usually make, we really need to be warned by someone. you guys are doing great. I guess some course about cooking is a great idea, specially if u teach how to make a particular food, name of its ingredients and stuff. We moved in to USA recently and I dont know how to buy some stuff for cooking I used to buy in my country, because their name or package are different here. I’d love to learn how to cook a Canadian or American food. That would be fantastic if Add does that. Although I learned alot from your video of making sandwich on youtube. Also video about cards, drinks and sport stuff were definitely helpful for me. Thank you so much.
November 23rd, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Thx a lot for your content
I want to ask you, what should i do to improve my pronunciation ? Can i do so, or if i was born in non-englishspeaking country i can’t sound like native speaker ?
November 23rd, 2012 at 2:08 pm
How to soften up a thick/strong accent? Any useful tips regarding this issue would be more than welcome. As I’m from Pakistan, I have had this common problem for so long now that it really bugs me to the core.
November 23rd, 2012 at 3:51 pm
That’s awesome guys. Thanks so much for the idea. For the past couple hours I’ve been working on a kick ass pronunciation/accent course that I’m sure will help you guys.
Please keep going with the ideas of stuff that you need to learn. I’m going to make a lot of courses for you guys to take your English to the level you want.
November 23rd, 2012 at 9:39 pm
I loved the top 50 common mistakes idea as well I would love to watch Add’s cooking videos!!! I’m looking forward to seeing all of this, guys!
November 23rd, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Hi guys ! I hope every thing is cool over there. Do you know that millions of people takes TOEFL tests every year all around the world.Some online tutors charges 45 dollars of one hour lesson for preparing for TOEFL…..!!! and some TOEFL materials can cost you over 500 dollars, I’m telling you all that guys because I’m preparing for my TOEFL exam and really it like huge invesment, I’m just wondering if you think of including a TOEFL section in your teaching stuff.
November 24th, 2012 at 1:27 am
I have the same problem as Mardy has….I can’t start an interesting conversations with guys in bar or party…so I couldn’t find boy friend yet
November 24th, 2012 at 8:46 am
Hi
I am persian , from iran , i am 21 years old
I am studying water & wastewater civil engineering and i like to go abroad to continue my studies.
But i have a serious problem with TOEFL ibt and GRE exams .
I like you to write a blog about English exams
Thank you very much
November 24th, 2012 at 9:23 am
Hi guys, the email writing course is really great!! And with the prospect of upcoming work-related lessons I’m all the more happy to be your VIP member.
Just one question, if it’s not advisable to use Dear Sir/Madam, how can we address a person the name of whom we don’t know at all? Many thanks.
November 24th, 2012 at 10:37 am
Many thanks from both of you!
I am really eager to see 50 most common mistakes in non- native speakers.
And actually, watching Add’s cooking videos!
Thank you again
P.s. by the way, your captcha is too difficult!!!
November 24th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Sorry!
I made a mistake!
I am really eager to see the most 50 common mistakes in non-native speakers!
November 24th, 2012 at 11:31 am
I think we all are interested in Common Writing/Speaking Mistakes Course and How To Improve Your Pronunciation Course. Since I’m going to take FCE and later CAE exams I really am interested in a course devoted to any exams of English language. There is a variety of different exams but all of them have a lot in common so it would be great to make a course on different exams, not this or that very exam.
And please do not forget about cooking course – you will get so many fans from your female audience! And maybe you will share some of your intercultural experience, I mean living in another country and communicating with people from other countries, I’m sure you have a lot of funny stories to tell us! And maybe we, your listeners, will share our funny stories and you will edit them to correct our mistakes and retell these stories to everyone:)
November 24th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
I would be really grateful if you do some curses about cooking
November 24th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Thanks for all the great ideas guys. We’ll definitely get working on this stuff.
It looks like TOEFL, Cooking, Common Mistakes, and Pronunciation/Accent courses will be a hit. I’m excited to be working on these. Please let me know any more ideas that pop into your minds.
Martinda, Great to hear you are loving the email course!
As to your question of not knowing the person’s name, see if you can find a way to write the email without using any name. You can start with, “Hi,” for the first line, and then just get right into the email. I hope that helps.
November 24th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Hi homey,
You know guys when I am listening to sport news, news teller uses such slang stuff that I can’t really understand. I really love to follow sport news and even watching football but getting and understanding those slang terms are totally difficult. Would you please add more courses in this case?
Moreover, as you know guys in English we (of course YYYOOOUUU) have a bunch of synonym words. When I am trying to use them in my speaking I don’t know whether or not I used it in a right way. You know some of them are out-of-date words but we still find them in books such as GRE barrons, or 1100 Essential word for TOEFL. I also love your idea about correcting the top 50 common mistakes of non-native speakers.
Just one more thing that I think it is essential to be added in your courses. You know in your program you two guys speak very slowly and everybody can get what you said. Please use different style in order to our ears get accustomed to real world of native English speakers.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Hey Andy,
the e-mail course is super useful guide! I am working for US company and this will noticeable improve my e-mails.
Love to learn further from the 50 common mistakes.
Thanks indeed!
Milan
November 24th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
Thanks Milan!
So awesome to hear about you guys already getting a benefit out of the email course
The 50 mistakes course will be coming up. I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s ready to go.
Also, Thanks for your ideas Hamad. They are great ones!
November 24th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
“Hamid” sorry. Not “Hamad”. That was a typo.
November 24th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
I feel as I learn further about English, writing becomes more and more important. I love the ideas of bringing on topics on job searching and interviews, which may be the top things we young professionals and students graduating soon think about all the time, well, besides dating and relationships:)
Besides, I would be very excited to hear some specific topics on how to mingle with American coworkers, bosses as well as subordinates, how to effectively communicate with them, and how to solve issues and arguments raised because of culture and background difference flawlessly.
Can’t wait to watch the cooking video from your guys:)
November 24th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Hi
My name is Yalda and I immigrate to united states recently.It’s about three months that I’m seeking any jobs and I think I fill in all applications in California, but never receive any response.
so the idea of writing about ” Modern and effective ways to look for a better job” is very helpful for me.
I’m very enthusiastic of reading your new courses.
thanks indeed
November 25th, 2012 at 8:00 am
Hi..:) Business n Cooking course is really really interesting…. Especially cooking. Hmmm…I also like reading both fiction n nonfiction books but find them difficult to understand because of limited vocabulary. So i need help about this….:D Thank’s.
November 25th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
Hey dear Andy and Add
I just checked out your Business Writing Course and if you want my take on it I’ve gotta say it’s great. I’m kind of suck at writing business emails!
But there’s something weird about it. Y’know it’s loaded with informal words and phrases like “give somebody a shout/buzz”…
you think it’s OK to use such slang phrases in a business email? can you please make it clear to me.
November 26th, 2012 at 7:58 am
Hi,
You guys are doing great! However, I’ve a suggestion that you guys make a course on customer care, as most people don’t know how to deal with customers appropriately. There are a lot of situations wherein customer care executives/supervisors don’t know what to say. Like how to say ‘No’ politely. They say unfortunately it is not possible. But there must be better ways of saying that. So a course on customer care skills would be best. Also, there should be some sort of chat layout or may be email communication, wherein people who want to improve their communication skills can contact you people directly with their particular situation in relation to their conversation with customers, so that you can guide them in a proper way.
Regards.
November 26th, 2012 at 10:09 am
Hi guys, to make up a list of most common mistakes is an excellent idea! Very much looking forward to it…
November 28th, 2012 at 2:21 am
Hi guys,
this is the first time for me to comment,
first, I would like to thank you for your efforts, you have made English much simpler for me,
I’m from Saudi Arabia and currently in the U.S. taking ESL classes to get high score on TOEFL,
this is my nightmare!
I have good listineing comrehension therefore the listening section isn’t the case for me,
what I’m struggling with is writing section!
generating the ideas and supporting them is my problem.
I hope you can help me on that.
Thank you so much!
November 28th, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Hello guys,
I would highly appreciate it if you made the top 50 common mistakes non-native speakers make article. I really learn from being corrected. I remember most if not all of the corrections my native English speaker friends have helped me with. This sounds like a great idea! Also, another thing with which I struggle a lot is the pronunciation of the letter “s” as if it were a “z”, as in years, eyes, knees, closet, etc. Is there any rule or hint to get to know the right pronunciation? Or is it just a matter of getting used to it by listening? Thanks for your awesome material and all your support.
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Hey guys! What about adding some material about vulgar words? Don’t get me wrong now. Probably, for the non-native speakers there is no such a need as to know words like f**k, c**nt, fa**t, but in my opinion, you could teach the most common ones. In the long run, it’s up to the individual whether to use such words or not. Keep on doing your awesome job!