The Lighthouse Newsletter

Navigating your Way to English Fluency

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Tags: fluency

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Practical Tips to Improve your Fluency

There is a voice inside the head of every English learner that goes: “Is it to me or for me?” “Do I use the present perfect or the past simple?” The good news is that this voice has a name: microplanning. Because I'm fascinated by all I'm learning about fluency from a cognitive science perspecti...

Oct 27, 2025 fluency macroplanning microplanning

On Patience - Wrapping Up The Pillars of Fluency

I can't wait for you to read today's newsletter because it's the last post of our Pillars of Fluency series. Have you noticed how often we say "I can't wait to (insert something)," as in "I can't wait to start speaking English more fluently"? Sure, this phrase denotes excitement and expectation,...

Sep 01, 2025 fluency patience

Dreaming Big is Great for your English - The Pillars of Fluency

First off, I need to say I’ve been blown away by the response to this series. Every piece of feedback I get from you gives me that extra push to keep writing. In other words, your positive response motivates me… why not talk about the link between motivation and language learning? Could motivati...

Aug 18, 2025 fluency motivation

The Bridge: Connecting Input and Output - The Pillars of Fluency Series

If you’ve been faithfully following this fluency series, you’ll remember some terms we’ve covered so far: Input – The language you receive/ are exposed to (through listening or reading). Output – The language you produce (through speaking or writing). Automaticity – The ability to use language ...

Aug 11, 2025 automaticity fluency input intake output

Speaking Every Day and Still Not Fluent – The Pillars of Fluency

"I speak English every day, and still, I'm not fluent." I hear this complaint a lot, especially from fellow immigrants who live here in the US. I used to say "if you want to sound fluent in English, you just have to speak more. That's it, so simple." Is that all they need to do? Of course not, ...

Aug 04, 2025 connection fluency

Fluency is not a Goal - The Pillars of Fluency Series

If you're a faithful reader of The Lighthouse, you are already familiar with the idea that learning a language is a journey, not simply a destination. But what if I told you that fluency is best seen as a result rather than a goal? In my own experience as an English learner, and in the many art...

Jul 28, 2025 comprehensible input fluency

New Series: The Pillars of Fluency

Today we're kicking off a brand new series on fluency (my current obsession). Don’t worry, phrasal verbs are still dear to my heart. You may ask yourself, "why fluency?" That's because every student I’ve ever worked with has said something like: “I want to be fluent.” “I just want to sound natu...

Jul 21, 2025 automaticity fluency

How do you know you're fluent in English?

If I were to ask you whether you are a fluent English speaker, how would you answer my question? Yes? No? It depends? Not sure? Well, while going for a quick walk with my family yesterday (and quite honestly, while trying to escape the mosquitoes), we stopped by a small man-made waterfall to res...

Jul 07, 2025 fluency journaling listening

Is Immersion the "secret" to fluency?

I look forward to doing house chores. I couldn’t have imagined saying this three years ago. Back then, chores were just... chores—something I had to do. So, what changed? As a mom of two under three, I now crave any chance to do something that’s not changing diapers or reminding toddlers to go p...

Jun 16, 2025 fluency imbibe immersion

Chunking? Chunks of Language?

You are smart. In fact, you are brilliant. Your brain is amazing. As you read these words, your brain is predicting what word comes next with each word you read, what we call predictive processing. E.g., The cat climbed up the... tree? Did you think tree? Maybe? What’s also fascinating about you...

Jun 09, 2025 chunking collocations fluency phrasal verbs

The One Thing you Might be Missing...

When we think about achieving fluency in a language, body language is probably one of the last things that comes to mind. But there's a reason it's called body language! Our bodies, just like our words, communicate. In today’s post, I want to explore how paying attention to the gestures of Engli...

Apr 28, 2025 body language fluency gestures phrasal verbs

Celebrations and Fluency in English

"A journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step." ~ Chinese Proverb This past week marked another important celebratory season for my family. On Sunday, we gathered with friends to celebrate Easter with a delicious Mexican meal (guacamole and chips included… yum!). On the way there, I told m...

Apr 21, 2025 celebrations fluency progress small wins

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The Lighthouse Newsletter

Navigating your Way to English Fluency

Tags: fluency

The Lighthouse Newsletter

Navigating your Way to English Fluency

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