ESL tutoring over the internet using Skype (A free voice over internet program).
Lessons are conducted using Skype with headphones and microphone and also a webcam if wanted. A writing assignment is e-mailed to me before each lesson. I correct it in red using the MsWord "Track Changes" option and e-mail it back to the student before the lesson.

These lessons are for those who already have a basic understanding of English, and wish to improve their speaking and writing skills. I do not teach those who are absolute beginners. I will be constantly correcting you as you speak or write, then you will repeat it the correct way. I was tutoring ESL to some Korean students, four days a week during the 1996-1997 school year, and adapted my lesson plan until I found the most effective way to improve their English. One of the student's parents have asked me to carry on over the internet, now that he has returned to Korea, so I am offering my services to others online in the same manner.

Watch how a baby learns to speak its mother tongue. The baby speaks, the mother corrects and then the baby repeats it the correct way. Within about 5 years the child is fluent in the language with the correct pronounciation. Since you will be starting with a basic knowledge of English, your progress should be much faster.

LESSON PLAN - 1 hour lesson

• SPELLING and VOCABULARY - to increase the number of words that you know.
  You will be expected to be able to spell and know the meanings of the homework vocabulary. Each lesson will begin with a spelling and vocabulary test, and you will be given approximatly 10 new words to learn for each lesson.
  
  
• WRITING - to improve sentence construction.
  Before each lesson you will have written a page of freehand writing which you will e-mail to me. This is to let you try and put your own sentences together, while still having time to think about the correct grammar. When you are speaking, you don't really have time to think about the grammar. We will go through your writing together during the lesson and correct any mistakes. You should rewrite the corrections for homework to reinforce them.
  
  I found that my Korean students could get 100% on their assignments when they filled in one-word answers, but they were unable to constuct a complete sentence correctly on their own. When they started writing, their pages were full of red corrections, but by the end of the semester, their writing had improved dramatically and as a consequence, so had their spoken English.
  
  
• CONVERSATION - to get you used to talking in English
  We will chat about whatever interests you for part of each lesson. I will correct any mistakes, and you will repeat the corrected sentence back to me.
  
  
• READING - to improve pronounciation.
  I have been using the BBC News online website http://news.bbc.co.uk/ to find material written in Formal English (The English in your text books) for reading practice, as the parents of my Korean student wanted him to learn some politics and general knowledge, as well as learning to speak English. Any other online reading material is acceptable, so long as the English is gramatically correct. I find it easier to correct your pronounciation as you read, so you will read out loud to me while I correct your pronounciation, and I will explain new words to you as you come to them. We will also discuss the content of the passage as we read. The new words will be added to the day's homework vocabulary list.
  
  
• GRAMMAR
  I do not teach grammar as a separate topic. Your grammar will be corrected as you speak or write. I can recommend an excellent grammar book - it has one grammar topic on every left hand page, and questions on the right. The answers are in the back of the book. I will be happy to help you if you have problems with it.
  
  
• LATIN ROOTS - to increase your ability to guess unknown words. This should also help you if you have to take the TOEFL test where there are a lot of unfamiliar words which you have to guess.
  I learnt Latin in high school for 4 years, and have come to realize that a great number of English words, and especially the more difficult words, have their origins in Latin, and, to a lesser extent, in Greek. The Latin prefixes are the most important to become familiar with, and we will start the vocabulary assignments by learning these.
  Following are a couple of examples.
  
  

  Latin Prefix	English		Latin Verb	English Verb
  in.. or im...	into		migrare	to move from one place to another
  e... or ex...	out of		portare	to carry

  
  
  This gives us:-
  
  

  to migrate	migrare + nothing	to move from one place to another
  to immigrate	im + migrare	to move into a new country
  to emigrate	e + migrare	to move out of your country
  to import	im + portare	to carry into (the country)
  to export	ex + portare	to carry out of (the country)

ABOUT THE TUTOR
I was born in England and went to a private English boarding school for my high school studies. Consequently, I speak formal English, which is the English in your text books. I lived in England for 28 years, and then emigrated to Canada, where I have been living for the last 30 years. I am able to speak Canadian English or British English, whichever you choose. The grammar is the same, but many of the nouns are different. However, I usually speak Canadian English now because I live here.

As a teenager I learnt 5 languages, namely English, French, Latin, German, and spoken Italian. I also have a B.Sc. in Physics with a subsidiary in Electrical Engineering from Birmingham University in England.

While my children were growing up, I worked as a realtor for 12 years, owning my own office for 3 of them.

FEES
$30 per hour over the internet. Payment for each lesson is due in advance. The first half-hour of the first lesson is free while we make sure everything is working. You may pay using PayPal which is a secure payment site. PayPal allows you to make a payment using your Visa or other credit card even if you do not have an account with them. You can either use the Make Payment link above, or I can send you an e-mail with a request payment link to PayPal.