In business and elsewhere, everything you do and say sends a message. You cannot avoid communicating. People form an opinion of you within seconds based on how you’re dressed and how you speak, sit, walk, sit and gesture.
Folks spend lavishly on clothes to communicate to their business or social environments that they are beautiful, successful or smart, and then speak incorrect English. Pop, the image is destroyed.
In virtually any work environment, speaking and writing English very well are conspicuous, and are universally recognized skills that communicate competence, confidence and intelligence. It’s especially true in international companies and with people from different countries and cultures. Achieving them is not easy, but it can be done with practice and knowledge, and we’re here to help you.
We’ve prepared a little quiz you may use as one measure of how well you communicate in English. It goes beyond grammar to correct use of words, eliminating redundancy and empty words, and factors impacting syntax, defined as “the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.”
On the quiz form, if the verb tenses in the (bracket) are correct in grammar and meaning, with no redundancies or other flaws, leave it blank. If it’s not correct, indicate that and identify the error.
NOTE: To know some answers you will need to know how to use verb tenses correctly.
That has been discussed in previous blogs, but now we can offer a review of all verb tenses and uses in a single, one-page table.
- If you provide us with your email address, we will send you the table. Send your email address
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Every small improvement makes a difference immediately. You may never be perfect, and that’s ok. Even native speakers make mistakes. But as you become more confident in your ability to communicate in English, you’ll see the benefits.
We strongly believe that confidence is built through doing. That’s why our teachers will always encourage you to take the next step. Speak out, and try to speak out faster.
Practice and application are more important. To improve your conversational skills in English, you need to “do more” and “understand less”. That’s why we focus on practical topics that you can apply at the office the next day.
Not sure which course to join?
Test your level and we will advise you.