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The most common reason why students have tutoring with me is to improve their speaking. Expressing yourself clearly in another language can be quite challenging and requires regular practice and correction.
I can help you with various aspects of your speaking: everyday (colloquial) English, business/professional English, academic English, and standardized test preparation for tests such as the CELPIP, Duolingo, and IELTS.*
~Please go here to learn more about learning speaking through phrasal verbs.~
During your speaking lessons, I will also target other aspects of your spoken English that you would like to improve, such as your listening, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and idiom use.
Here are some benefits of learning speaking with me:
- You will have the chance to speak a lot of English during your lessons, talking about topics that are interesting for you. You can practice what you already know and learn new and useful grammar, vocabulary, phrasal verbs, and idioms.
- I will tutor you at a speed and in a way that is comfortable for you, based on your goals, level of English, interests, and learning style. I will talk as naturally and as fast as possible (depending on your level) to help you with your listening comprehension.
- I can answer questions at any time during your lessons. If necessary, I can also explain why something you said is incorrect.
- Although I have a dictionary that I can access online, my students have called me a “walking dictionary.” I have a good ear for language: besides being a native speaker of English, I have studied Spanish, French, and German to the intermediate level.
- I can give you helpful tips on how to improve your speaking when you’re not having tutoring (when you’re studying by yourself, when you’re out, etc.).
- I can recommend resources (books, websites, etc.) that I think will help you to improve your speaking.
- You may record your lessons to listen to later.
- I can help you remember your corrections by reviewing the lesson at the end of the lesson or at the beginning of the next lesson. We can also review material every month.
“This is the main benefit of Sarah’s tutoring: it encourages students to speak from the bottom of their hearts. I like that she teaches English not only as a tool for communication but also as a way for expressing ourselves, like music or art.” –Yoriko, Japan
I have two types of speaking lessons to choose from, depending on your budget and learning needs.
Type 1: Preparation is not included (in other words, you choose what you want to talk about during each lesson, but I can give you some conversation resources if necessary)
During your free first lesson (1 hour), we will talk about you, including what you would like to learn. After you tell me your English goals, we can discuss the different options for the content of your lesson. After that, you will choose the topics of your lessons based on what you want to improve.
Here are the three common choices for the content of speaking lessons.
1) Discussion topics: If you would like to improve your conversation skills, you can choose a topic(s) that you would enjoy talking about: your day, your life, a social issue, or another topic that interests you. If you are not sure what topics you would like to choose, we can talk about different options during your first free lesson. I can recommend some resources that might be useful for you, including topics from this site. You may also talk about interesting articles you’ve read.
2) Questions about English: You may also ask me questions from self-study, school, or work. For example, you may want to know what to say in everyday situations (on the phone, in a coffee shop, etc.). Or maybe you have a lot of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, or other questions. During the lesson, I can answer your questions and give you extra speaking practice on these points, if possible.
3) Test preparation: If you need to practice your speaking for standardized tests (such as the CELPIP, Duolingo, or IELTS*), you may also choose this type of lesson.
Or you may choose to do a combination of 1), 2), and/or 3). Your lessons are very flexible, so it’s up to you what you learn. Some students, for example, practice the oral presentations that they have to do for professional or academic reasons.
During your lessons, I will correct (and explain, if necessary) your speaking mistakes, including grammar, word choice (vocabulary), and pronunciation mistakes. My corrections will help you to express yourself more clearly and accurately. They can also help you to express yourself in a more sophisticated way. I will write down or type your corrections so that you can review them after each lesson.
Because you choose the content of each lesson, I do not prepare lessons for you. (However, if you need about five minutes of preparation by me for each lesson, it will be my pleasure to help you.)
Rate: $25/hour (student) and $30/hour (regular)** (a one-hour lesson)
Type 2: Preparation and/or homework are included (in other words, I design a lesson for you and sometimes or always give you homework)
For this type of lesson (unlike a Type 1 lesson–see above), I create lessons that are based on your specific speaking goals. After I find out what your goals are during your free first lesson, I will target the areas of your English that you want to improve by giving you in-class speaking practice and suitable homework (such as a reading topic or a TED Talk).
Like during a Type 1 lesson, I will correct (and explain, if necessary) your speaking mistakes and write down or type the corrections so that you may review them later. My corrections will help you improve your grammar, word choice (vocabulary), and pronunciation.
During this type of lesson, I will be happy to answer any questions (including grammar or vocabulary) that you have from self-study, school, or work.
You might also choose to practice the speaking sections of the CELPIP, Duolingo, or IELTS* during this type of lesson.
Because I prepare a Type 2 lesson just for you, this lesson type is more structured than a Type 1 lesson. This lesson type includes research, preparation, homework, and/or some learning materials. For this type of lesson, I might recommend a textbook that we can work with and that you will need to buy.
Rate: $45/hour (student) and $50/hour (regular)** (a one-hour lesson and one hour of preparation by me)
For more information or a free lesson, please email Sarah at esltutor500(at)gmail(dot)com or call (902) 452-5557 (leave a message).
Sarah Carter, BA, TESL Cert. 