Inna in English - course announcements & language learning tips

Hey there! Hope you're doing good 😊 Here's a new portion of educational content from the last two weeks or so

The word 'work' is one of those words that keeps puzzling learners of English. What I explained in the video could be written down as /wɜːk/ and that would be the Standard Southern British pronunciation. That weird symbol in the middle is exactly the vowel that I explain in the video. There's also a : there which means that this vowel is long.

In Irish and Scottish English, for example, they will pronounce the /r/ sound! In Irish English it's going to be like adding a normal English /r/ right where it's written. In Scottish English, the /r/ sound will more often be close to the Spanish /r/.

If you look up the pronunciation in General American, you'll see this - /wɝːk/. The vowel is long as well (hence the :) but it also has this weird addition that looks like a hook. That means a very specific position of the tongue for this vowel in American English, which is not actually the same position as when we pronounce the English consonant /r/! However, I'm not an expert in American English, so I just suggest that you check Rachel's English or Accent's Way with Hadar on Youtube. In short, your lips should be slightly spread and tense, while the tongue goes back, with the tip lying low and the back of your tongue going up.

Whichever way you choose to pronounce this word, you're going to be understood. Just make sure you're not pronouncing it with an /ɔː/ sound! That might lead to a situation when the other speaker will not easily understand what you're saying.

Find more about English pronunciation in "PRONUNCIATION TIPS" on my page and stay tuned for the announcements about the pronunciation course in June 2024!

Grammar textbooks tell you what you CAN or CAN'T do in English. The rules in grammars tell you how English works. And no, I'm not saying that you shouldn't use grammar textbooks! I just needed a catchy title for the video 😅 But yes, the reality is that a lot of native speakers use English differently from the way that is taught by grammar textbooks. Where does this difference come from?

Well, two reasons. The first is that language changes quicker than grammat textbooks are written. The publishing house will publish a textbook once every 10 or 20 years, they just can't be quick enough.

The second reason is that grammar textbooks teach you what is correct in NEUTRAL and FORMAL contexts, but usually NOT what is used in INFORMAL, CASUAL speech. Do I think they should include informal grammar as well? Definitely! But I'm not sure this is even possible (see reason 1).

So what should you do? Learn your grammar with a textbook first, because you need to know the rules if you want to break them well 😁 But also find a tutor who'll explain informal grammar to you or do your own research. For example, you can use the website that I used for this video. You'll find it in Tip no. 2 in "SELF-STUDY TIPS" on my page @inna.in.english

When I started my Bachelor's in Linguistics, my English was at the beginning of B2 approximately. Imagine my horror when we had to read Somerset Maugham's "Theatre" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde in my first year there! If I'm being honest, I tried reading them, but it was so hard that I gave up and read them in Russian + a summary in English and a just a few fragments from the original.

I know many tutors (especially those who are bloggers and/or polyglots) say that you absolutely must start reading as early on as possible. I've even seen lists of books (in the original, not adapted!) that a person can read at A1 and A2. Whatttt

I personally think that there's nothing wrong with taking it slow and learning with the textbook first. It's also great to be learning with a tutor who prepares the materials according to your level.

I think a reasonable level at which you might want to start reading in the original is the beginning of B2 or higher (in other words, intermediate or upper-intermediate). But then what often happens is that you pick up a classical novel and... you get super frustrated, because you understand not more than HALF of it!

That's why I suggest a different order. Sure, there are more complicated books both among self-help/nonfiction (like "How do we know we're doing it right?" by Pandora Sykes) and modern novels (like "Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt), but as a rule of thumb, this order words really well.

Are there any books you would recommend to someone who's at B2? Share in the comments! I'm sure the others will be grateful for your recommendations.

And check out my highlight "SELF-STUDY TIPS"