Getting Started (English)

With the appropriate mindset, learning methods and learning strategies, you can learn English and continue to improve it. This blog introduces and discusses such mindsets, learning methods and strategies. By doing so it aims to convince the readers to want to achieve full functionality in English and to believe that they can do this just like anyone else.


It will also introduce useful learning materials such as videos, reading materials and writing topics.

The expected readers are those who:

• Are able to make themselves understood in English but want to comuncate better;
• Want to acquire information from around the world in English as well as communicate to the people of the world in English, and/or;
• want to achieve the same level of proficiency in both English and Japanese.

The levels of English proficiency for the target audience are as follows. The underlying concepts and methods can be applied to anyone learning English, however.

• The intermediate-level readers:
• Aim for Grade 2 (STEP Eiken test), 550 (TOEIC) and 61 (TOEFL iBT) or higher;
• Can talk about daily life and about themselves combining pieces of information learned;
• Can ask simple questions and survive;
• Can speak, on a sentence-level, in a manner that is comprehensible to those who are accustomed to conversation with a non-native English speaker.
• The advanced-level readers:
• Aim for Grade Pre-1 (STEP Eiken test), 740 (TOEIC) and 80 (TOEFL iBT) or higher;
• Can participate in conversations and and communicate about themselves, the society and national as well as international topics;
• Can handle concrete topics by means of narration and description in the major times frames of past, present, and future;
• Can deal with a social situation with an unexpected complication;
• Can speak in abundant language and in paragraph-level and communicate in a manner that is comprehensible to those who are not accustomed to conversations with a non-native English speaker.
• "ONI" (Distinguished)
• Can use language skillfully, and with accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness.
• Can reflect on a wide range of global issues and highly abstract concepts in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Can use persuasive and hypothetical discourse for representational purposes
• Can tailor language to a variety of audiences by adapting their speech and register in ways that are culturally authentic.
• Can produce highly sophisticated and tightly organized extended discourse. At the same time, they can speak succinctly, often using cultural and historical references to allow them to say less and mean more. 

I have referred to this score conversion example and the language proficiency guidelines the proficiency statements above.

Comments, questions and feedback are welcome in English as well.

List of articles

• Set Specific Purposes (Japanese)
• Embrace Uncertainty
• Learn the Rhythm (Japanese)
• Grasp the Point (Japanese)
• Grasp the Sense (Japanese)
• Look Up the Usage

Coming soon

• Create an Englsh Language Environment
• Use Learning Materials According to Purposes
• Paraphrase
• Practice Speaking by Writing
• Be Conscious of the Grammar