A thirty-day vocabulary building program which includes a pronunciation guide and word origins and histories.

Learning Chinese can be frustrating and difficult, partly because it's very different from European languages. Following a teacher, textbook or language course is not enough. They show you the characters, words and grammar you need to become proficient in Chinese, but they don't teach you how to learn them! Regardless of what program you're in (if any), you need to take responsibility for your own learning. If you don't, you will miss many important things that aren't included in the course you're taking. If you study on your own, you need to be even more aware of what you need to do, what you're doing at the moment and the difference between them. Here are some of the questions I have asked and have since been asked many times by students: How do I learn characters efficiently? How do I get the most out of my course or teacher? Which are the best learning tools and resources? How can I become fluent in Mandarin? How can I improve my pronunciation? How do I learn successfully on my own? How can I motivate myself to study more? How can I fit learning Chinese into a busy schedule? The answers I've found to these questions and many others form the core of this book. It took eight years of learning, researching, teaching and writing to figure these things out. Not everybody has the time to do that! I can't go back in time and help myself learn in a better way, but I can help you! This book is meant for normal students and independent language learners alike. While it covers all major areas of learning, you won't learn Chinese just by reading this book. It's like when someone on TV teaches you how to cook: you won't get to eat the delicious dish just by watching the program; you have to do the cooking yourself. That's true for this book as well. When you apply what you learn, it will boost your learning, making every hour you spend count for more, but you still have to do the learning yourself. This is what a few readers have said about the book: "The book had me nodding at a heap of things I'd learnt the hard way, wishing I knew them when I started, as well as highlighting areas that I'm currently missing in my study." - Geoff van der Meer, VP engineering "This publication is like a bible for anyone serious about Chinese proficiency. It's easy for anyone to read and written with scientific precision." - Zachary Danz, foreign teacher, children's theatre artist About me I started learning Chinese when I was 23 (that's more than eight years ago now) and have since studied in many different situations, including serious immersion programs abroad, high-intensity programs in Sweden, online courses, as well as on the side while working or studying other things. I have also successfully used my Chinese in a graduate program for teaching Chinese as a second language, taught entirely in Chinese mostly for native speakers (the Graduate Institute for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University). All these parts have contributed to my website, Hacking Chinese, where I write regularly about how to learn Mandarin.

In the world we are living in, English has become the common language that people from different countries and cultures can use to communicate with one another. There are many reasons why people would want to learn English, but for a lot of them; It is work-related. Most large companies around the world require their employees to speak English. In some cases, these companies are requiring their workers to only use English at the workplace. English has also been referred to as “the language of business”. If you have ambitions to become an international businessman or to work at some bigger companies, it’s almost essential that you’re able to speak English fluently. From The Intermediate Level to The Advanced Level From my years of teaching, I am confident to say that it is easy for an English learner to go from a beginner English level to an intermediate English level. However, it takes more time to go from an Intermediate level to an advanced English level. A lot of students have studied English for years but still aren’t able to speak English on an advanced level. They have tried many methods, attending classes, learning how to pronounce every single word and even getting a private English tutor to improve their spoken English, yet they still have a hard time pronouncing English words correctly or feeling too nervous to speak. The Best Proven Way to Learn and Speak English In this book, Christopher Hill, “THE INTERNATIONAL ESL PROFESSOR ” (with 20+ years of experience) will show you powerful unique ways to rapidly improve your spoken English. With topics you already have interest in, you will find out how easy and effortless to learn and speak fluent English. This effective method is simple, yet powerful. You will able to learn and improve your spoken English 3 to 5 times faster compared to the traditional way of learning. Inside This Black Book, You will Discover: - The 3 Golden Rules of Speaking Fluent English - The Power of Immersion - The Process of Shadowing - How Intensive Listening works - The Best Accent Reduction Techniques - Bonus Guide: The Secret Method to Become Super Fluent in 21 Days How do you know this book is for me? This book is for busy Intermediate students who wish to get to the Advanced English Level. If you can understand 60-80% of an English speaking movie and understand what you are reading so far, you have found the right book. Stop Using Ineffective Ways to Learn and Speak English. When you are using proper methods to learn, you’ll find that improving English is effortless. Learn and adopt these Proven techniques, tips, and many more secrets revealed in this black book. Don’t Learn Using The Old-fashioned Way. Get a Copy of “The Black Book of Speaking Fluent English” and Start Speaking Fluent English :)

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • For anyone who wants to learn a foreign language, this is the method that will finally make the words stick. “A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide to learning new languages.”—Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar Zero At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources—and here he wants to show others what he’s discovered. Starting with pronunciation, you’ll learn how to rewire your ears and turn foreign sounds into familiar sounds. You’ll retrain your tongue to produce those sounds accurately, using tricks from opera singers and actors. Next, you’ll begin to tackle words, and connect sounds and spellings to imagery rather than translations, which will enable you to think in a foreign language. And with the help of sophisticated spaced-repetition techniques, you’ll be able to memorize hundreds of words a month in minutes every day. This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.

Written by an expert in the field, this book has the tools you need to become a relaxed, effective, and commanding public speaker. A clear, concise, step-by-step approach with dozens of inside tips, 10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking will help you: Overcome nervousness and discover your own natural style Connect with your audience with your very first words Write a speech that builds to an unforgettable conclusion Expertly blend humor and anecdotes into your talks Use proven techniques to memorize your speech