For the 1st time, I’m speaking real English, & I’m motivated!
by Yeonji (Lindsey)
Hello! I have been in Canada for 5 years, and I’m going to graduate from college this year (2022).
Like most people, I thought I would naturally learn English if I studied abroad! However, my English didn’t magically grow as I imagined it would just by living in an English-speaking country. In fact, it was hard to speak English. As my confidence kept dropping, I created an environment where I could live without English by hanging out with my Korean friends, shopping in the Korean area of the city and staying quiet in class.
I realized that if I didn’t change, I would always hide from using English but then what would have been the point of studying abroad. I wanted to pursue my dreams in this country, not limit myself with a language barrier, so I decided to find a tutor.
I’ve taken other English classes before, but I didn’t learn anything new. Either the teachers would review content that I already knew or they understood what I was saying, even though I made many mistakes, and would move on without correcting me; so, I just paid for the opportunity to speak English, but I don’t think I got any better. I even studied on my own through shadowing native speakers online, but I didn’t know if I was doing it correctly, so I ended up creating some wrong speaking habits.
I’ve been taking Joe’s lessons for 3 months. The class is focused on speaking and pronunciation, and teaches many new things that I’ve never learned before; it made me wonder why I had only heard of these things with Joe and never before at any of the private tutoring or various language schools that I attended.
When I say a sentence, Joe doesn’t just try to understand the meaning of it and move on, but he teaches me what I did wrong and how I could’ve said the sentence differently, like a native. Little by little, I’ve been gaining confidence in my English by coming to know what I was pronouncing wrong. Now I can adjust and correct myself as I talk. I still don’t think I’m done improving, but I think I’ve taken a small step forward. For the first time, I’m speaking real English, and I’m motivated to learn more. I did really well to study with Mr. Joe. As always, thank you teacher, and I will continue to study with you!
Pronunciation is more important than grammar!
by Tomo
Every time I took Teacher Joe’s class, it was like scales falling from my eyes. First, at a regular language school, the basics of pronunciation are not taught well or not at all. Japanese tend to focus on the pronunciation of R and L, but we don’t realize that the pronunciation of A and other vowels are a bigger challenge. By taking teacher Joe’s class, I was able to learn how to pronounce every problem sound and use them in conversation. Also, if I made a mistake in pronunciation or grammar while speaking, he immediately corrected it.
I didn’t believe Joe in the beginning when he told me pronunciation was more important than grammar, but it’s true. If your grammar is correct, but your pronunciation is wrong then you won’t communicated clearly. However, if your pronunciation is correct, you can still say what you want to say, even if you have some grammatical mistakes. In addition to improving pronunciation, Joe also teaches “real English”, like useful vocabulary, simple grammar and natural speaking ability.
If you want to speak English, make sure to learn the basics of pronunciation and take Joe’s lesson!
I improved my IELTS speaking score from 6 to 8!
by Kohei
Joe’s lesson is arguably the best one in Toronto. The lessons are balanced and improve all areas, like: pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, etc. Before meeting Joe, I was really impressed with my English ability, but then I realized I had a lot of problems with pronunciation. I had opportunities to talk to other tutors, but the only person who could fix my mistakes was Joe. In fact, I was able to stretch my IELTS speaking score from a 6 to an 8. Without any doubt, I was only able to get this far with Joe’s teaching. I definitely recommend Joe’s lessons to everyone.
I was surprised at how many new things I learned!
by Keiko
I have attended four language schools because I was never satisfied and kept searching for better classes. I thought the quality of a language school depended on its students and the atmosphere of the classroom. Now I realize my thinking was incorrect; I should have looked for a school that gave me better results. When I first started taking Joe’s lessons, I was surprised because I learned new things that were completely different from the language schools I attended. Not only did he teach me pronunciation but how to speak in a more native way. I remember thinking that this was the English I wanted to learn. I was delighted by Joe’s enthusiasm and unique teaching style. He made learning English fun again and helped me speak English simply instead of having to translate Japanese expressions. I am very happy to have learned more practical English and more effective ways to study.
I improved my listening on TOEIC from 220 to 420!
by Kazumasa
When I first arrived in Toronto, I went to a language school. However, I didn't feel like it was fun or interesting, so I stopped immediately and looked for a new school. I found TES where teacher Joe corrects pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar mistakes instantly and continuously.
I also highly recommend this class for those who want to improve their listening. He said that if I can't hear sounds correctly then I can't pronounce them correctly. After taking Joe's lesson, my TOEIC listening score increased from 220 to 420!
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I learned to pronounce English like a native!
by Satoko
When I came to Canada on a working holiday visa, I had trouble with English. Of course, I didn’t have any vocabulary or grammar, but my pronunciation was the worst. I couldn’t convey simple words and went to various English school trials without any results. TES was really helpful because my pronunciation was thoroughly corrected, and my speaking improved. I would never have learned how to pronounce English like a native without taking this class. TES focuses on pronunciation and speaking, and Teacher Joe will explain any grammar that you do not understand. I was really happy to take this class. Thank you very much!
I was shocked at how much I needed to be corrected!
by Saaya
I went to a language school for about two months. Afterwards, I took a TES lesson, and I was shocked at how much I needed to be corrected every time I spoke. I don’t think there are many teachers, like Joe, who can make such corrections so carefully.
Unlike other ordinary language schools, TES knows what Japanese people stumble on and what they are not good at, so lessons are specialized accordingly, especially in pronunciation.
Thanks to TES, I can understand native speakers more than before. If you are going to a language school like I did and have a hard time improving or want to learn English well, I recommend taking Joe’s lessons.
Now I can speak English with confidence!
by Masako
Joe was a wonderful teacher. It’s really difficult to pronounce English sounds correctly, especially all the vowels (a, i, u, e, o). However, Joe thoroughly and clearly explained how to pronounce everything, so all I had to do to improve was follow his instructions.
He said that if you can pronounce a sound correctly, then you will be able to hear it correctly. At first, I was skeptical, but it was true. At first, I couldn’t understand native speakers. In Japan, everyday words such as “lemon”, “milk” and “level”, sounded quite different when spoken by a native person, and I often couldn’t understand them. As I started going to TES and practicing, I gradually improved my pronunciation and was able to understand native speakers. There has been a more dramatic change at TES than at my previous ESL school.
Joe was a really wonderful teacher. I was very lucky to have him teach me English and help me improve a lot. Now I can speak English with confidence. My listening has grown dramatically too. If you want to learn real English, I recommend taking Joe’s class!
I finally got unstuck!
by Yoshiko
I left my previous ESL school halfway through, so I could go to TES. At my old school, I didn’t feel like my language skills were growing. To be honest, I thought my previous school was a waste of money, and I could have had the same experience at a free language exchange.
At TES, my pronunciation and grammar mistakes were always corrected during every lesson. In fact, he relentlessly pointed out every mistake (laugh). Eventually, the repeated corrections helped me to improve naturally, resulting in the correct use of articles and plurals. I noticed many of my pronunciation mistakes, like TH, R, F, etc., also improved. Lastly, Joe always taught me patiently even when I kept forgetting the meaning of the same words because of my poor memory. I believe I developed good speaking habits and would recommend TES, especially for those of you who feel stuck at the intermediate level.
I got custom lessons that targeted my weak areas!
by Minami
Joe patiently corrected me every time I made a mistake, especially in pronunciation and grammar. Joe helped me feel confident speaking in English.
Thanks to Joe, I realized that even though I understood the grammar in my head, it was another matter whether I could automatically use it correctly in a conversation. I felt Joe was different from other tutors and online English conversation classes because he targets your weaknesses, and helps you thoroughly learn the basics of English, so you build good speaking habits. I felt that my weakness in English gradually diminished, and now I can communicate well.
Even though, I took a limited number of lessons, I improved and noticed the difference. Don’t regret your English; take Joe’s lesson.
