Many people try very hard to become fluent in English, but fail.
The chief reason is this: They use the wrong method. Yes, the wrong method. That is, they follow methods that are not suited to fluency building. But they're not aware of that truth.
This happens because there are a lot of misconceptions about what exactly the fluency skill is, and about how non-native speakers would be able to achieve this skill in spoken English. Because of these misconceptions, many people have wrong ideas about fluency building. And they assume those ideas to be true and base their fluency building efforts on that assumption.
And people have these wrong ideas, mainly because all the facts they need to know about fluency building have not yet come to their attention.
So here are all the fluency facts you need to know about fluency building.
You'll find these facts given as answers to 14 questions. These are questions that a number of advanced learners and expert-level users of English have asked us over the years.
Here we go:
Q1: First off, what exactly do the Fluentzy books do to help their users speak fluent English? Can you put it in a nutshell, in as few words as possible? Show answer
Q2: I know English fairly well, but I can't speak it fluently. Some people say that a few months of speech-delivery practice would make me fluent. Do you think this is possible? Show answer
Q3: So if 5 or 6 people who aren't fluent in English get together and practice speaking by having conversations in English, won't they be able to achieve fluency in a few months? Show answer
Q4: Many people think that if they do speech practice in the presence of a teacher, that kind of practice would make them fluent, because the teacher can correct their mistakes. Is that true, do you think? Show answer
Q5: Fluency is an oral skill. And the course I’ll be able to do with the Fluentzy books is a self-study programme. I wonder how I'll be able to learn an oral skill through a self-study programme. I mean, how will I be able to speak fluent English without getting oral training? Show answer
Q6: The course I’ll be doing with the help of the Fluentzy books is a self-study programme, and so I won't get face-to-face instruction from a teacher in a classroom. Won't this handicap me and make it difficult for me to become fluent? Show answer
Q7: So do you mean to say that I can learn to speak fluent English without taking part in classroom practice sessions or contact classes? Show answer
Q8: Could you explain the last point in detail? Many people think that if someone wants to speak English fluently, they must get training in interaction in a classroom - by actually taking part in group conversations and discussions and by trying to speak in English to other learners and to the teacher. Now, the course of study I’ll be able to do using the Fluentzy books is a self-effort, and it won't give me this sort of classroom training in interaction. Are you saying that this sort of classroom training in interaction is not really necessary, as far as educated adult learners are concerned? Show answer
Q9: Some people say that if I want to learn to speak fluent English, I must live in an environment where people normally speak in English. If what they say is true, how can a self-study course help me? Show answer
Q10: If an instructor does not get feedback of my work from me, and if I don't get feedback of my performance and progress from the instructor, can the fluency training I get be effective? Show answer
Q11: I agree with what you've said. By the very nature of things, feedback can't be as important in fluency training as in learning other subjects or skills. True. But many people think that some sort of a final exam or test may help an instructor to evaluate the performance of a learner. Do you think they're right? Show answer
Q12: Suppose that learners who do self-study using the Fluentzy books run into difficulty. How will they get help? Who from? Show answer
Q13: The course I’ll be able to do with the help of the Fluentzy books — that course is a self-study course. So some people may think that it is best-suited only to people for whom alternative ways are not available to become fluent. Would they be right if they thought so? Show answer
Q14: There is one more thing I'd like to ask you about. I've been wondering whether a self-study course will be able to teach me English pronunciation. Do you think this can be done? Show answer
Q15: You see, I haven't thought of these things along these lines before. Now I understand three things perfectly well: First, for an adult learner who already knows English, classroom instruction is not really necessary at all - to learn to speak English fluently. Second, suppose you try to become fluent simply by listening to others speaking in English and by trying to speak to others in English. Then you're going to take a long time - several years, actually. Even then, the chances are, you may not become as fluent at speaking English at length as a person who has learnt fluency techniques. Third, the quickest way of becoming fluent is to learn fluency techniques and train yourself in them, and to gain experience by putting them to practical use in real-life situations. Am I right? Show answer
Answer: Prof. Kev Nair’s Fluentzy books are ideal for use as a self-study course — a self-directed self-study course. Essentially, they deal with your fluency problem from two different directions. You see, there are certain factors that prevent you from speaking English fluently. From one direction, the Fluentzy books help you get rid of those factors. This will smooth your way to high levels of fluency, and make your progress easier. From the other direction, Fluentzy books teach you a series of fluency techniques, and these techniques build and add to your fluency.