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My Background
I'm a US native English speaker with Trinity College TESOL certification from the Oxford House in Prague, CZ. I'm fortunate to be able to say that I'm a traveler who loves picking up languages along the way. I'm conversant in French and am currently studying Bulgarian; I've also studied Tibetan, Czech, and Norwegian. As a professional musician, I am obsessed with sound and the ways we produce it; I strive to fine tune my students' listening and pronunciation in lessons. My goal is for you to have the confidence and clarity in English that you've always wanted.
The most important aspect of lessons is TALKING (and consequentially listening) - I want you to talk, to learn to think in English. It's not practice that makes perfect, but *perfect* practice that makes perfect, which is why I'll be there every step of the way guiding your improvement.
Teaching Style
PRONUNCIATION - Being able to be understood, whether or not the grammar is exactly correct, is *half* the battle. I'll break down pronunciation, phrase by phrase, phoneme by phoneme, so that you can hear exactly how natives talk and learn the *hows and whys* of English.
GRAMMAR/VOCAB/COLLOQUIALISMS - English is about learning the rules... to understand how to break them. We'll discuss a myriad of topics, from the insane to the mundane.
FLUENCY - TALK AT ME! I constantly take notes so you'll have concepts to integrate into your daily practice.
AFTER HOURS - Hear a weird phrase in your sitcom? Message me on Skype and I'll explain it, in or out of a lesson.
Level A1/2
If you are currently using google translate to understand this description, then this is probably the class for you ;) (No shame in that, it's an amazing tool that we all use and love! What matters is that you're taking that step forward!)
Just to reiterate, *all lessons are completely personalized to your needs* - the following is a basic overview of what is usually covered in A1/A2 courses so that the learner has a solid basic grasp of the language and would be able to make small talk in an English-speaking part of the world.
Together, we'll cover...
~ important, basic verbs and their conjugations (be, go, have, want, need, etc.)
~ present simple (I go), present progressive (I'm going), simple past (I went), and simple future (I'll go)
~ important, basic vocabulary (people, food, places)
~ numbers (and their very important pronunciation distinctions)
~ phrasal verbs (call off, come across, etc.)
~ common sentences and phrase structures (conditionals with "if/then," modals with "might/may")
~ anything that's important or relevant to you
Individual Lessons
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30 minute lesson - $18.99 USD
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60 minute lesson - $28.99 USD
Lesson Packages
-
5 x 30 minute lessons - $90.00 USD
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5 x 60 minute lessons - $140.00 USD
Level B1/2
If you're able to get through this description with very little help from a translation app or an English-speaking friend, I'd say you're ready for the B1/B2 level!
Just to reiterate, *all lessons are completely personalized to your needs* - the following is a basic overview of what is usually covered in B1/B2 courses so that the learner who already has a firm grasp of the basics would be able to carry on a more in-depth conversation in an English-speaking part of the world.
Together, we'll learn...
~ how to write and speak descriptively
~ how to sound more fluent in your conversations with key phrases and markers
~ how to express emotions and opinions
~ past progressive (I was reading), future progressive (I'll be reading), past perfect (I had read), present perfect progressive (I've been reading), and more
~ colloquial language (i.e. That's really cool)
~ modals and conditionals
~ adjectives vs adverbs
~ intensifiers
~ anything that's important or relevant to you
Individual Lessons
-
30 minute lesson - $18.99 USD
-
60 minute lesson - $28.99 USD
Lesson Packages
-
5 x 30 minute lessons - $90.00 USD
-
5 x 60 minute lessons - $140.00 USD
Level C1/2
At this level of the language, I prefer to focus on fluidity/pronunciation and nuance in expressing oneself clearly. Like all languages, English has its own rhythms and cadences. Accents vary widely, so if you're looking to be able to sound more British than American, or say even more like a Kiwi (New Zealand), I can help you nuance your speech. Colloquialisms, using different verb tenses in surprising ways, being able to understand fast talkers, and more will be covered.
Just to reiterate, *all lessons are completely customized to the students' needs.*
Individual Lessons
-
30 minute lesson - $18.99 USD
-
60 minute lesson - $28.99 USD
Lesson Packages
-
5 x 30 minute lessons - $90.00 USD
-
5 x 60 minute lessons - $140.00 USD