how to *actually* improve your English speaking skills

Summary

In this video, the instructor introduces a technique called 'Super Sentences' to help students improve their English speaking skills and confidence. The method involves taking a simple sentence and gradually making it more complex, level by level, while encouraging students to practice speaking along. By building longer, more advanced sentences, learners can train their speaking ability like a muscle, increasing fluency and accuracy. The video emphasizes the importance of regular practice and discomfort as essential for progress in language learning.

Takeaways

• 😀 The teacher introduces a method called 'Super Sentences' to help students improve their English speaking skills step by step.
• 📈 The technique involves starting with a simple sentence and gradually making it longer and more complex.
• 🗣️ Students are encouraged to practice saying sentences out loud either by shadowing the teacher or by pausing the video and repeating.
• 💡 Each level adds more details to the sentence, training the brain to handle more advanced sentence structures.
• 💰 In the example, the base sentence is 'A man opens a bank account,' and more reasons and actions are added as the levels progress, such as 'to save money,' 'for his future,' and 'to invest.'
• 📊 By level 10, the sentence includes advanced ideas like financial stability, emergency funds, and major life events such as buying a house, getting married, and starting a family.
• 🧠 The exercise is designed to build both sentence complexity and student confidence in speaking longer, more detailed sentences.
• 💪 The teacher compares this speaking practice to working out a muscle, emphasizing that discomfort is a necessary part of learning and improvement.
• 👨‍🏫 The teacher encourages students to engage in 'deep work' with the lessons, suggesting they dedicate 1-2 hours to practice for effective improvement.
• 👍 The teacher asks students to like and comment on the video to support the channel and suggests turning 'Super Sentences' into a series if there's interest.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the 'Super Sentences' technique introduced in the video?

The 'Super Sentences' technique is designed to help improve English speaking skills by building progressively longer and more complex sentences. This technique helps train the brain to handle more complex sentence structures, increasing both fluency and confidence.

Why does the teacher emphasize practicing out loud with him or by pausing the video?

The teacher emphasizes practicing out loud to engage the brain in active speaking practice. Repeating the sentences helps learners become comfortable with complex sentence structures and improves pronunciation, fluency, and confidence.

What is the purpose of starting with a simple sentence and gradually increasing its complexity?

The purpose is to build the student's speaking ability step-by-step, allowing them to stretch their language skills progressively. Starting with a simple sentence helps establish a strong foundation before moving on to more complex structures.

What is the sentence at level one, and how does it evolve through the levels?

The sentence at level one is 'A man opens a bank account.' As the levels progress, details are added to explain why the man opens the account, what he plans to do with the money, and other factors like financial goals and life events.

How does the sentence change at level four, and what new information is introduced?

At level four, the sentence changes to include the man's plans for the future: 'A man opens a bank account to save money for his future and plans to invest.' This introduces the idea that he is not just saving money but also planning to grow it through investment.

What does the phrase 'achieve financial stability' mean as it is introduced in level seven?

The phrase 'achieve financial stability' refers to the man's goal of reaching a secure financial position where he does not need to worry about his financial situation. It implies that he wants his finances to be steady and predictable.

Why does the teacher compare learning English to training muscles at the gym?

The teacher compares learning English to muscle training to highlight that just as muscles grow stronger through exercise, language skills improve with consistent practice. Both processes require effort, repetition, and gradually increasing challenges.

What does the term 'setting aside funds for emergencies' refer to, and why is it important?

The term refers to saving money specifically for unexpected situations, like medical bills or urgent repairs. It is important because it provides financial security and helps avoid debt during unforeseen crises.

What are 'major life events,' and how do they affect the man's financial planning?

Major life events are significant milestones like buying a house, getting married, and starting a family. These events typically require large amounts of money, so the man is planning ahead to ensure he has the funds to cover these costs.

What is the significance of practicing longer sentences at the speed of a native speaker?

Practicing longer sentences at the speed of a native speaker helps learners improve their fluency and ability to process and speak complex thoughts quickly. It mimics real-life conversation speed, preparing learners for natural spoken interactions.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Welcome and Introduction to 'Super Sentences'

The teacher greets students and introduces the concept of 'Super Sentences.' He shares that while English speaking skills won't magically improve, this technique will help learners quickly build speaking confidence and proficiency. The lesson starts with a basic sentence and gradually makes it more complex, encouraging students to repeat aloud to train their speaking ability.

05:00

💡 Level One: Simple Sentence

The first sentence, 'A man opens a bank account,' is introduced. The teacher encourages students to practice saying it out loud and explains the basic meaning of the sentence. He sets the stage for making this sentence more complex in future levels.

10:01

📈 Level Two: Adding Purpose

In level two, the sentence is extended to 'A man opens a bank account to save money.' The addition explains why the man opens the account—to save money. The teacher explains various ways to express this intention, such as saving up or building savings.

15:03

🔮 Level Three: Saving for the Future

Level three builds on the previous sentence by adding 'for his future.' The teacher explains that the man is saving money not just for the present but to secure his future, ensuring he has financial options down the line. The importance of planning for the future is emphasized.

20:05

💼 Level Four: Introducing Investment Plans

The sentence is now extended to include 'and plans to invest,' introducing the man’s intention to grow his wealth. The teacher explains that investment is a way to increase money, much like growing a plant. He encourages students to say the sentence out loud to practice.

📊 Level Five: Investing in the Stock Market

The sentence grows further with 'plans to invest in the stock market.' The teacher explains that the man is choosing the stock market as his investment strategy, making it more specific. The importance of knowing how and where to invest is highlighted, and students are encouraged to practice.

💰 Level Six: Growing Wealth

The sentence now includes 'to grow his wealth,' emphasizing the man's goal to increase his financial assets. The teacher explains the meaning of 'wealth' and the idea of growing it through investments. Students are encouraged to practice saying the sentence, as it’s becoming longer and more complex.

💵 Level Seven: Achieving Financial Stability

At this level, the sentence adds 'and achieve financial stability,' focusing on the man’s goal of long-term financial security. The teacher explains that financial stability means being secure and not having to worry about money, contrasting it with financial instability, which is precarious and risky.

⚠️ Level Eight: Preparing for Emergencies

The sentence now includes 'while also setting aside funds for emergencies.' The teacher explains that the man is preparing for unexpected financial emergencies, such as car repairs or medical expenses. He introduces the concept of a 'financial emergency fund' and encourages students to practice the increasingly complex sentence.

🎉 Level Nine: Major Life Events

The sentence becomes more detailed with the addition of 'and major life events,' which refers to significant milestones such as weddings or funerals. The teacher explains that setting aside money for both emergencies and major life events is part of good financial planning. Students are encouraged to practice saying the now very complex sentence.

🏠 Level Ten: Specific Life Events

In the final level, the sentence includes 'such as buying a house, getting married, and starting a family,' providing specific examples of major life events. The teacher explains that these events are expensive and require financial preparation. He encourages students to push through any discomfort in speaking long sentences, likening it to building muscles through exercise.

Keywords

💡Super sentences

The main concept in the video, 'super sentences' refers to a technique designed to help English learners improve their speaking skills by gradually increasing the complexity of sentences. The instructor starts with a simple sentence and adds more details at each level, challenging students to practice speaking longer, more complex sentences.

💡Shadowing

'Shadowing' is a language learning technique mentioned in the video where learners repeat what the teacher says immediately after hearing it. It involves speaking along with the speaker to mimic their rhythm, pronunciation, and intonation, helping learners improve their fluency and pronunciation.

💡Financial stability

In the context of the video, 'financial stability' refers to the goal of having a secure and predictable financial situation. The man in the example sentence opens a bank account and invests in the stock market to ensure he has a steady flow of money without worrying about future financial crises.

💡Invest

'Invest' refers to putting money into something, such as stocks or a business, with the goal of growing it over time. In the video, the man plans to invest in the stock market as part of his strategy for building wealth and securing his financial future.

💡Stock market

The 'stock market' is an avenue mentioned where the man plans to invest his money. It refers to the marketplace where shares of publicly held companies are traded. By investing in the stock market, the man hopes to grow his wealth over time.

💡Wealth

'Wealth' is the accumulation of valuable resources or money. In the video, growing wealth is one of the man’s goals for opening a bank account and investing. It refers to the man's desire to increase his financial resources over time.

💡Emergency fund

An 'emergency fund' is money that the man in the example sets aside to handle unexpected financial needs, such as medical emergencies or home repairs. The video explains the importance of preparing for unforeseen expenses by saving money specifically for emergencies.

💡Major life events

'Major life events' refer to significant milestones such as buying a house, getting married, or starting a family. In the video, the man is not only saving for emergencies but also for these major events that typically require large financial commitments.

💡Achieve

'Achieve' means to successfully reach a goal, often through effort. In the video, the man is trying to achieve financial stability, which means reaching a state where his finances are secure and predictable. The concept of achieving goals is central to the man's financial planning in the example.

💡Set aside

'Set aside' means to reserve or save something for a particular purpose. In the video, the man sets aside money for emergencies and major life events, showing how he carefully allocates his resources to prepare for future needs.

Highlights

English speaking skills won't magically improve, but there is a technique to quickly and effectively enhance them.

Introduction of 'Super Sentences' – a method to stretch simple sentences into more complex ones to improve speaking and confidence.

Level one starts with a basic sentence: 'A man opens a bank account.'

At level two, the sentence evolves: 'A man opens a bank account to save money.'

Level three adds purpose: 'A man opens a bank account to save money for his future.'

Level four introduces investment: 'A man opens a bank account to save money for his future and plans to invest.'

By level five, specifics are added: 'A man opens a bank account to save money for his future and plans to invest in the stock market.'

At level six, the goal becomes clearer: 'A man opens a bank account to grow his wealth and achieve financial stability.'

Level seven includes multiple objectives: 'A man opens a bank account to save money, invest, and achieve financial stability.'

Level eight expands the scenario: 'A man sets aside money for emergencies and future financial security.'

Level nine elaborates on major life events: 'A man sets aside funds for major life events, like buying a house or getting married.'

The final level combines all elements: 'A man saves, invests, and prepares for emergencies and major life events like starting a family.'

'Super Sentences' helps train speaking by making sentences more complex over time, akin to building muscle.

Engaging in this technique promotes both sentence complexity and improved fluency in spoken English.

The series focuses on long-term practice to build confidence, with encouragement to practice each level out loud.

Transcripts

welcome back to all of my incredible

students so good to see you again guys I

have good news and I have bad news first

the bad news your English speaking

skills are not going to magically get

better

but I have some good news too today we

will learn a technique a way to quickly

and effectively improve your speaking

skills and your confidence at the same

time it's something that I like to call

Super sentences this is episode one and

here's how it works we will begin with a

simple sentence then level by level we

will stretch this sentence longer and

longer making it more and more advanced

more difficult more complex now each

time we stretch the sentence I want you

to practice saying it out loud with me

you can Shadow me in other words I speak

you speak or you can pause the video and

repeat it Out Loud by doing this we are

training our brains to speak longer more

complex sentences so if you're ready to

get started click like on this video to

support me as your YouTube English

teacher and let's get going level one

yeah we're starting with a very basic

simple sentence you can say it with me

or you can pause the video and repeat

after me ready a man opens a bank

account again a man opens a bank account

okay I think we all probably know what

this means right we have a guy a man a

male okay an adult man he opens a bank

account yeah he goes go to a bank he

opens an account I guess he wants to

start using this Bank let's see what

happens next level two once again you

can say this with me or pause the video

and repeat out loud a man opens a bank

account to save money again a man opens

a bank account to save money ah okay now

we know now we know

why he is opening the bank account right

he's opening the bank account to save

money in order to save money in order to

have some Savings in order to save up

some money these all mean the same thing

let's say level two one more time ready

a man opens a bank account to save money

level three here we go getting a little

bit more difficult now repeat after me

or say it with me here we go a man opens

a bank account to save money for his

future ah okay now we know why he is

saving money he is saving money for his

future he wants to make sure that his

future self him in the future has enough

money yeah he has an option right he

could spend all of his money today and

tomorrow have none or he can spend less

today and tomorrow have more let's say

this one more time say it with me or

pause and repeat out loud a man opens a

bank account to save money for his

future level four getting even trickier

now a man opens a bank account to save

money for his future and plans to invest

ah okay one more time a man opens a bank

account to save money for his future and

plans to invest okay we have an and here

telling us that he's not just saving

money for his future yeah he has two

reasons why he's opening this account

the first one is he's saving money for

his future the second reason is he's

planning to invest what does that mean

that means he wants to grow his money

right maybe he wants to invest in the

stock market maybe he wants to invest in

a certain company okay he's looking for

a Smart Way a long-term way to grow his

money right much like growing a plant in

the garden he wants to take the money he

has and grow it bigger by investing

let's say this one more time level four

a man opens a bank account to save money

for his future and plans to invest okay

great job level five getting even more

complex say it with me or pause and

repeat a man opens a bank account to

save money for his future and plans to

invest in the stock market one more time

a man opens a bank account to to save

money for his future and plans to invest

in the stock market okay remember in

level four we were sort of

contemplating we were sort of thinking

about wondering about where he's going

to invest his money how he's going to

invest his money right what is going to

be his Avenue right what is going to be

his Avenue for investing his money well

now we know in the stock market now we

know

specifically how he's going to invest

his money okay we have our how so let's

say this one more time before we move on

a man opens a bank account to save money

for his future and plans to invest in

the stock market level six we're getting

really serious now guys okay let's take

a look at this a man opens a bank

account to save money for his future and

plans to invest in the stock market to

grow his

wealth wow it's getting to be quite the

mouthful quite the mouthful what does

that mean that means it's a little bit

difficult to say especially in one

breath right let's try one more time a

man opens a bank account to save money

for his future and plans to invest in

the stock market to grow his wealth okay

great what does this mean grow your

wealth wealth is just money right it's

the money you have he wants to grow his

wealth he wants to

increase okay increase his wealth by

investing in the stock market so sounds

like this guy is taking his future very

seriously let's say this one more time

in one breath ready a man opens a bank

account to save money for his future and

plans to invest in the stock market to

grow his wealth wow that was pretty

quick are you guys keeping up with me if

you find my speed to be a little bit

fast you can pause the video Try saying

it yourself at your own speed okay let's

level up again level seven say it with

me or repeat after me ready a man opens

a bank account to save money for his

future and plans to invest in the stock

market to grow his

wealth and Achieve Financial

stability wow I had to take a breath in

the middle of that because now this

single sentence is getting to be such a

big super sentence that I can't say the

whole thing in one breath let's try it

again are you ready a man opens a bank

account to save money for his future and

plans to invest in the stock market to

grow his wealth and Achieve Financial

stability okay let's take a look at the

blue part what are we adding to this

sentence okay so we know that he's

investing we know where he's investing

in the stock market we know why he's

investing to grow his wealth but now we

know a second why there's the first why

to grow his wealth here's the second why

he wants to Achieve Financial

stability that's a pretty complicated

expression right Achieve Financial

stability stability okay achieve if you

achieve

something then you get something

done okay for example here on my YouTube

account I have achieved the

accomplishment of gaining 25,000

subscribers that's something I've

achieved something I have tried to do

and successfully done okay to get

something done maybe we could say

successfully okay so what is he trying

to do he wants to get financial

stability Financial just means about

money stability means that something is

stable it's stable okay it's um not

going to tip over right if a chair is

stable you know you sit in it the chair

is not going to fall over if you take a

glass and put it on a table the glass

doesn't wobble it doesn't fall over the

glass is stable well your finances can

be stable as well your financial

situation in other words he doesn't want

to have to worry about money like okay

this month where is my money coming from

will I have enough money what will I do

if I don't have enough money that kind

of situation we could call Financial

instability we could add an i in to make

it instability meaning that your

situation is not stable it's kind of a

precarious situation oo there's a big

word precarious if you guys can use this

word I'm sure native speakers would be

very impressed precarious just means

kind of um kind of a risky situation

kind of an

uncertain situation kind of a dangerous

situation the situation is a little bit

precarious just means uh my financial

situation is a bit precarious that means

it's not very stable okay let's say it

one more time and then move on

a man opens a bank account to save money

for his future and plans to invest in

the stock market to grow his wealth and

Achieve Financial stability level eight

there are 10 levels total if you guys

are still with me give yourself a pat on

the back you're doing great you are

building up that spoken English

confidence little by little we're

stretching these sentences longer and

longer we're making it more and more

complex you you know your spoken ability

is a lot like a muscle if you're

training your biceps you go to the gym

right you have certain exercises that

really train that muscle well that's

what we're doing today okay say it with

me ready a man opens a bank account to

save money for his future and plans to

invest in the stock market to grow his

wealth and Achieve Financial stability

while also setting aside funds for

emergencies okay wow this is getting

really complicated right we've just

learned something new that he's doing

something else that he's doing okay he's

setting aside funds for

emergencies funds just another way to

say money that's used for something this

is my travel fund my money that I'm

saving to be spent on travel

right this is my school supplies fund

this is the money that I'm saving to be

spent on school supplies well he's

setting aside funds for emergencies

setting aside just as another way of

saying saving he's taking this money

he's putting it over here so that he

won't spend it he's going to save it

he's going to keep it for a certain

reason that reason is emergencies M yeah

you know maybe there's a storm and

lightning strikes his roof he has to get

the roof on his house repaired maybe

he's driving and he hits a nail and he

gets a flat tire the tire on his

car

deflates deflates the air goes out of it

right maybe he's you know walking to

work and he trips and he breaks his

ankle something bad happens and he needs

money now what we're talking about is a

financial emergency a money emergency

right so all of the stuff he's doing is

in preparation for these things for a

financial emergency he's prepping here's

a good word prepping just means getting

ready getting

ready he's getting ready for financial

emergencies okay let's say this one more

time I'm going to go a little bit quick

a man opens a bank account to save money

for his future and plans to invest in

the stock market to grow his wealth and

Achieve Financial stability while also

setting aside funds for

emergencies okay guys level 9ine we're

getting close to the end here we go a

man opens a bank account to save money

for his future and plans to invest in

the stock market to grow his wealth and

Achieve Financial stability while also

setting aside funds for

emergencies and major life events major

life events what could that be a major

life event major just means big a big

life event you know could be a wedding

something good something happy like a

wedding okay could be something bad like

a funeral something where you know

there's there's a big event a big

milestone in your life okay

Milestone basically just means something

big that happens in the Journey of your

life right and he might have to set

aside some money for that so there's two

reasons why he's setting aside funds

setting aside money the first reason is

emergency

the second reason major life events okay

are you ready to say this again a little

bit faster this time a man opens a bank

account to save money for his future and

plans to invest in the stock market to

grow his wealth and Achieve Financial

stability while also setting aside funds

for emergencies and major life

events wow guys we have grown this

sentence by a lot okay remember how

small this sentence was when we started

out I'm willing to bet that you have

never spoken a sentence this long am I

correct if I'm correct down in the

comments section you can let me know

yes uh teacher Connor you are correct

this is the longest sentence I've ever

spoken or you can say you know teacher

Connor actually know I have spoken

sentences this long before let's say

this one more time really quick and then

we'll move on to the final level let's

go ready a man opens a bank account to

save money for his future and plans to

invest in the stock market to grow his

wealth and Achieve Financial stability

while also setting aside funds for

emergencies and major life events W okay

Level 10 the final level if you guys are

still with me you're doing fantastic

let's keep going come on push you

probably feel a bit of discomfort right

you probably feel a little bit

uncomfortable but think about it without

discomfort there is no improvement no

advancement another way of saying that

is no pain no gain something you hear a

lot from people who work out who go to

the gym right that's exactly what we're

doing the unfortunate reality of

learning a language is that if you are

not willing to experience something

discomfort then you're not going to make

any progress so okay first with level 10

we're going to take it slow okay so say

it with me or repeat after me ready a

man opens a bank account to save money

for his future and plans to invest in

the stock market to grow his wealth and

Achieve Financial stability while also

setting aside funds for emergencies and

major life events such as buying a house

getting married and starting a family

now we know specifically what the major

life events are remember in level 9 we

weren't certain what they were we

weren't sure what he was talking about

we had to

speculate

speculate we had to guess okay we had to

place conject

is another fancy way of saying that

right we had to take a guess we had to

take a shot in the dark that means take

a guess when you're not really sure okay

so yeah we said oh maybe a wedding maybe

a funeral now we are getting some

specific examples of what is being

discussed okay so uh such as buying a

house that's a major life event getting

married that's a major life event

starting a family that's a major life

event okay now all three of these

Milestones life Milestones all three of

these major life events these cost a lot

of money these are expensive things so

it makes sense that this guy wants to

open an account and save money and plan

for his future and invest his money in

the stock market and grow his wealth and

get some Financial stability achieve

some Financial stability while at the

same time also setting aside funds for

emergencies okay uh you know yeah even

if you start a family you still need uh

an emergency fund right what if your

child needs an operation you know knock

on wood knock on wood that's something

we really don't want to happen so knock

on wood right but uh he's really

covering his

bases

covering his bases that means he's

thinking about every possible problem

every possible scenario right he doesn't

want there to be some expensive surprise

that drains all of his funds

drains right or sucks away all of his

money okay let's say this one more time

at more of a medium speed now once again

you can say it with me or pause the

video and say it by

yourself a man opens a bank account to

save money for his future and plans to

invest in the stock market to grow his

wealth and Achieve Financial stability

while also setting aside funds for

emergencies and major life events such

as buying a house getting married and

starting a

family now I'm really willing to bet

that this is the longest sentence you

guys have ever spoken if you have ever

spoken a sentence longer than this one I

will be really surprised okay let's say

it one more time quickly are you ready

I'm going to say it at the speed that a

native speaker would probably say it at

a man opens a bank account to save money

for his future and plans to invest in

the stock market to grow his wealth and

Achieve Financial stability while also

so setting aside funds for emergencies

and major life events such as buying a

house getting married and starting a

family wow okay yeah guys you did it

that was level 10 so you guys the other

night I was getting ready for bed I was

lying in my bed my head was on my pillow

my eyes were closed I was getting ready

to fall asleep and suddenly this idea

came to me uh the idea of super

sentences and taking a small sentence

and stretching it longer and longer in

order to train that muscle work out that

muscle because so many of you guys have

been asking me teacher Connor how can I

improve my speaking well this is my best

answer for you guys uh super sentences

so if you guys like this video if you

want more videos like this I could turn

this into a ser series for you guys and

we could have all sorts of different

super sentences about all sorts of

different topics okay so for more videos

on super sentences make sure you click

like click like on this video I'm still

a very small YouTube channel so if you

click like that helps me a lot it helps

me grow my channel even better comment

more like this you know guys my videos

are all deep work lessons meaning they

are meant to be used meant to be studied

in a certain way yeah you guys should be

spending at least an hour you know up to

two hours uh with my videos getting a

deep work session a deep work lesson in

that's the best way to use my videos and

increase your your English level improve

your English very quickly so if you are

currently right now in the middle of a

deep work study session keep keep going

okay I'm going to put another one of my

videos up here on the screen go click on

it and I'll meet you there