Listening-Understanding English vs Speaking English

                                                                                  Русский язык
How many times you have heard the following phrase:

“I understand completely what he is saying but…

I cannot speak.”

Whenever I hear this statement of regret, I am always surprised by naivety of those people who say that.

Why?

Because listening and understanding are the skills standing very far from the skill of speaking.

Think for a moment of watching Rafael Nadal playing tennis.

Do you not understand how he hits the ball or how he moves on the court?

Or NBA super star Michal Jordan?

Do not you understand how he attacks a basket?

On the contrary, all is clear as day light.

One thing is forgotten, though.

You know what it is?

How many hours champions spend daily with practicing the same skills?  

Interested?

Eight-ten hours and more!

And scores of learners of English hardly spend two hours a week for English and want to become good speakers of English?

No way!

Almost every week someone asks me how she can start speaking good English?

I always ask her back what she thinks about practicing English every day for an hour or so.

Nine out of ten asked respondents normally answer negatively.

With such an attitude, will any one be able to speak good English?

Very often I say to my students something like this:

“You know, Martina, what is the difference between you, an English-speaking girl from Prague and an American girl of your age?
You listen, read, speak and write English 2 hours a week when you come to my lessons, and she listens, reads, speaks and writes English 10-14 hours a day.”

After such a resume, my listener feels discouraged and doomed to develop her English endlessly.

However, not all is so bad.

Here’s my business offer to every one who wants to speak good English.

First, ask yourself the following questions:

• “How badly do I want to speak English?”
• “How fast do I want to start speaking good English?”
• “How much am I ready to pay to become a good speaker of English?”

As soon as you answer these three simple questions, e-mail me and I will send you a detailed plan how you can become a good speaker of English.

George Rusky

Georgerusky.net