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YOU CAN DO IT! El último empujón a tu inglés
by
The English Coach
© Autora: Heléna Kurçab Bajo el sello The English Coach (www.theenglishcoach.es) jacci@theenglishcoach.es © Título original: YOU CAN DO IT! El último empujón a tu inglés. © Creación de audio: Javier Beltrán Martín Voz en off: Heléna Kurçab Edita © LoQueNoExiste (www.loquenoexiste.es) © Maquetación, ilustraciones y diseño de portada: Igor Blanco Fernández Campaña de Relaciones Públicas: Medialuna (www.medialunacom.es) Tfno: 91 567 01 72 comunicacion@medialunacom.es Primera edición: septiembre 2012 Segunda edición: noviembre 2012 ISBN: 978-84-939899-0-3 Depósito legal: M-16407-2012 Impreso en Madrid, 2012 Reservados todos los derechos ©
LoQueNoExiste C/Isabel Colbrand 10, Edif. Alfa III, 5ª planta, 28050, Madrid Tfno: 91 567 01 72 www.loquenoexiste.es editorial@loquenoexiste.es
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Dedicated to the memory of my father, Czeslaw Kurรงab whose life demonstrated what can be achieved through commitment, integrity and quiet determination.
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Mujer Empoderada
Content
Prologue............................................................................... 7
u Section 1. The first step to improving your English........11 u Section 2. The second step to improving your English.. 35 u Section 3. The third step to improving your English.......73 u In conclusion...................................................................... 79 Appendix: Imagine ..................................................................................85 Those were the days in English ............................................ 86 Sentences in their correct form . ........................................... 87 Jacci’s Ramblings.................................................................. 88
Testimonials....................................................................... 93 Aknowledgements............................................................. 95
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Prologue
El método más inteligente para dar el último empujón ¿Crees que nunca conseguirás el dominio del inglés, a pesar de tantos cursos, tantos libros de gramática, tantas academias? ¿Las lecciones tan teóricas no funcionan en la práctica, al comunicarte con otras personas de habla inglesa cuando viajas fuera del país? Si es tu caso, necesitas con urgencia leer este libro y escuchar el audio que contiene. You Can Do It! incluye el método más rápido, más inteligente y más eficaz, para aprender a pronunciar inglés correctamente. Para que des, de una vez por todas, el último empujón a tu inglés. Heléna Kurçab (Jacci para los amigos), con su singular sello The English Coach, aporta un método muy valioso, con atractivas imágenes que facilitan la comprensión de sus enseñanzas. También un CD para que el lector pueda escuchar al mismo tiempo -con la maravillosa voz de la propia autora- la sección 2 completa (The second step to improving your English). Jacci (con la ayuda técnica de su amigo Javier Beltrán) quiso dedicar muchas horas a la grabación de este material acústico, para acercarse más aún a sus alumnos, lectores de este libro. El audio nos permite practicar con ella, como si estuviera en casa con nosotros, dándonos la última clase de inglés. La definitiva. El método de la autora incluye un plan de acción para lograr la fluidez soñada, mantener lo aprendido y perder para siempre la inseguridad a la hora de practicar el idioma. Jacci aplica sus mejores dotes de coaching -para motivarnos y superar los obstáculos que hacen que el inglés sea la eterna asignatura pendiente- y de profesora con amplia experiencia.
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Prologue
En España, pocos profesores corrigen con suficiente constancia los errores de pronunciación de sus alumnos o valoran en su justa medida este importante aspecto. La autora sí. Tanto que, en apenas cien páginas, explica un método único, con tres pasos bien sencillos, para alcanzar esa cima del idioma que todos deseamos. Dados los tres pasos, uno puede convertirse en su propio English teacher con total garantía de éxito. Este es, en cierta medida, un libro de autoayuda. He tenido el privilegio de ser alumno de Jacci, mucho antes de que escribiera este libro, y de practicar su inteligente método. Con ella descubrí sencillos mecanismos de pronunciación que me han ayudado muchísimo. El lector apreciará las propuestas de Jacci para mantener siempre vivo el idioma y seguir avanzando. Por ejemplo, incorporar el inglés a la vida cotidiana, convirtiéndolo en algo rutinario, similar a la ducha de cada día o al cepillado de dientes. Son especialmente valiosos sus consejos sobre los objetivos: la importancia de marcarse pequeñas metas -ejercicios de tres o cinco minutos diarios- en vez de largas. Jacci no tiene rival como profesora de inglés. Recuerdo con gran afecto mi primera clase con ella: supo contagiarme su empeño por pronunciar correctamente. You Can Do It! es un reflejo de esa obsesión generosa por enseñar y de su amor por el idioma. Asimilando sus consejos, y practicando su método, podemos subir el último escalón. Estoy convencido de que muchos españoles, como yo, se lo agradecerán siempre. Miguel Ángel Martínez-Fresneda
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Section 2 The Second Step to Improving Your English Change the 'bricks' Now, unless you have attended one of my courses and are using this book as a refresher, you will have no idea what I mean by that phrase until I explain. I want you to imagine yourself building a new house. You would probably use bricks, (ladrillos), right? And, if the bricks were all a uniform shape, they would fit together nicely and you would build a strong foundation, on top of which your beautiful house would rise straight and tall. But imagine if the bricks were all different shapes and didn’t fit together. What would your house look like? Not very pretty, huh? All over the place. In addition, no matter how good the materials you put on top, it would still look bad because of the crooked (torcida) foundation. Language is similar, because in different languages; Spanish, French, English, Polish etc., the same ‘bricks’, the same letters, have different shapes (sounds). So, if I try to speak Spanish, with English bricks, my house is crooked, and if you try to speak English with Spanish bricks, again, your house will never be straight. The second thing I realised when I came to Spain was that students of English spend a lot of time learning grammar (the most difficult area in learning Spanish but the easiest in English) and vocabulary, but they never learn pronunciation, (the most challenging area in English). The result is that many, even after 20 years, are still speaking English with ‘Spanish bricks.’ I sensed that their never feeling really confident in the language stemmed from this, particularly when they were with native speakers. It is a bit like standing up in front of a group of well-dressed executives in 35
The second step to improving your english
borrowed clothes that don’t fit. How confidently could you convey your message with your jacket too big, trousers too short, collar too tight?... you get the picture. Gradually, I began developing a simple method for teaching pronunciation and found that students who applied it improved both their English and their confidence simultaneously. The subtle link that I suspected existed between the two, proved true. You will notice I underlined the word ‘Simple.’ That is because, often when things are simple, their importance is undervalued. If you want to get the most out of this book, please don’t make that mistake. The basics are always simple but they build a strong foundation from where one can rise high. If you want to rise high, get the basics right! Most students don’t need more English, they just need to straighten what they have... and then... magic happens. J
So, lets get back to basics:
The Foundation Begins With The Vowels Important! Please don’t read any further until you are somewhere where you can read aloud when necessary. Otherwise, you will waste your time and mine. You will not benefit from this by reading it in your head. Your mouth needs to be involved.
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You can do it!
The names of the vowels Unlike Spanish, each of the 5 vowels in English can be pronounced two ways. First we have the ‘names’ of the vowels in English which I know you have already learned: A E I O U (Just to make sure you haven’t gone off track. The third one, ‘I,’ is pronounced exactly the same as the first person pronoun and the last one, ‘U’, the same as the second person pronoun.) The sounds of the vowels Then we have the ‘sounds’ of the vowels. They are better recognised through this silly sentence: At Every Thirty Igloos Or Umbrellas So a as in ‘at’, e as in ‘every’, i as in ‘thirty’ and ‘igloos’, o as in ‘or’ and u as in ‘umbrella’. The reason I have two words for the ‘i’ sound is because it is one of the most difficult sounds to learn and until you can get it, your English will be more easily misunderstood. Practise this sound by isolating it when you pronounce the ‘i’ sound in ‘thirty.’ Most people say ‘thirty’ correctly, which is the reason I use that as your base word for this ‘sound’ in English. Please stop and take time to review and understand this page before going any further. This ‘i’ sound is important from another aspect. It is the sound we use further on in the book when I speak about the ‘neutral’ vowel. 37
The second step to improving your english
I realise while writing this, just how difficult it is to explain without demonstrating verbally so I trust you are listening to the audio while reading it.
The rule of the vowel I am now going to give you a ‘Rule of the vowel’ which you will not find in any grammar book. It is a rule of phonetics that I used when teaching my own children to read, and I realised when I came to Spain that it was useful for students of English. You will notice I begin it with “Most of the time”... because English is crazy and every rule has exceptions. However, in my opinion it is easier to have a rule and learn the exceptions than struggle trying to learn how to pronounce every word. So, here is the rule: Most of the time, when two vowels are together (in a syllable), or are separated by one consonant, the first vowel says its name and the second vowel is silent. Please read the following examples aloud. • 1. ‘at’ but ‘ate.’ Notice the ‘a’ changed from its sound to its name (2 vowels separated by one consonant, first says its name and the second is silent)
• 2. ‘set’ but ‘seat’ (2 vowels together, first one says its name, second is silent.) • 3. ‘if’ but ‘life.’ • 4. ‘on’ but ‘bone.’ (Careful with this one. Make sure you are using the ‘name’ of the ‘o’ in ‘bone’. Like the ‘o’ in ‘go’)
• 5. ‘us’ but ‘use.’ If you can become very familiar with the ‘names’ and the ‘sounds’ you can make a huge difference to your English. For example, many students find it difficult to make the difference between ‘fill’ (like the ‘i’ in ‘thirty’) and ‘feel’ (first vowel says its name, second is silent) and similarly ‘ship’ and ‘sheep.’ You may have been taught that one sound is just longer than the other, I would argue that the two sounds are actually differents. If you have difficulty with those words then you will have the same 38