English lessons for adults can be a stressful experience for students- especially when they are corporate sponsored. Everyone wants to put their best foot forward at work in order to make a good impression. And when your boss needs you to improve upon English language skills, adults feel the pressure more and are slower learners than children who tend to pick up a new language easier and quicker. A silver lining here, is that all of our corporate language training programs are private classes✅, and never exceed 15 learners. Providing decision makers with the ability to customize is what sets us apart from similar companies- whether that means incorporating elements of professional skills trainings like combining negotiation skills with employee English lessons, or improving upon presentations and public speaking for ESL employees or even industry specific English courses- all of our online language training for businesses can be customized to meet all of your business needs✅. Despite the class size, and the level of attention our expert instructors✅ provide your associates, there is always room for improvement. Making mistakes should be encouraged, and associates shouldn't be afraid to make them during class. Making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn, and besides... everyone makes them at some point. So here's a few common mistakes and how to overcome them:
English lessons for adults: making mistakes & overcoming them
1. "L" sounds get confused with "R" sounds during English lessons for adults
The mistake: Saying "I walked in the office today" when they meant to say "I worked in the office today." In many languages L and R sounds don't exist. Particularly common in many Asian languages like Japanese and Hangul (the Korean language), many native Asian language speakers find it especially difficult to pick those sounds out, and tell them apart; let alone make those sounds for themselves.
How to overcome it: Start at the beginning! Learning where to place the tongue in your mouth and even listening to those sounds on repeat is the starting point. Once you have this down, move on to tongue twisters like "Lucky rabbits like to cause a ruckus."
2. Contronyms are difficult, especially with English lessons for adults
The mistake: A contronym is a word that 2 meanings that are opposite of each other. Words like this pop up in the English language more and more as people use words ironically over time. For example: "Hold up" means to support or sustain something (hold up the sign), AND delay or hinder something (the accident is holding up traffic), depending on the usage. Other examples include "off" which means activated and deactivated at the same time ("the alarm went off" vs. "the cameras are off") and "bolt"; which means to secure something (bolt it to the ground) and to run away (he made a bolt for the door).
How to overcome it: Understanding that words can have opposite meanings is a hard concept to grasp for any ESL learner. Using words in all tenses and forms is the best way to understand, and to keep an ear out for how the same word is used in different contexts.
Our highly engaging In-Person English Training for employees and interactive Corporate English classes online with live native-speaking teachers are easy to access from wherever you are. We offer Real-Time Private and Group Corporate English Training. Get a Free Quote for your Industry Specific Onsite or Online English Classes for Companies.
For more information contact our Language Training Department:
Phone: (617) 731-3700
Email: training@languageconnections.com
