CCSP English Minute 20

CCSP English Minute

Aulas curtas de inglês, duas vezes por semana (2ªs e 5ªs), exclusivamente no Clubeonline

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10.000 horas

This is the twentieth and final installment of CCSP English Minute. Thank you for reading this series of articles. I hope it has helped you to improve your English!

To conclude the series, let’s talk about the book Outliers: The Story of Success. Written by Malcolm Gladwell, this book discusses why some people become superstars, while others with the same intelligence and talent lead unremarkable lives. The author argues that real success can only be achieved through hard work. And according to Gladwell, the amount of time you must work to achieve success – even if you are Bill Gates or Paul McCartney – is about 10,000 hours.

If you want to succeed at English you must develop four distinct skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. And, naturally, the skill you practice the most is what you’ll be the best at. For instance, if you spend a lot of time on the internet, reading English may be easy for you. If you’re a fan of British rock bands or American sitcoms, then listening may be your strength. Most students have a harder time with writing, since this skill demands more effort. And speaking is especially difficult, since you need another person to practice with.

Sadly, there are no short cuts. If you want to improve, you simply must find the time to study and practice. As Gladwell pointed out, you must put in your 10,000 hours!

So what can you do to speak English better? Take conversation classes. Make friends with a native English speaker on the internet or where you live. Or, best of all, spend time abroad. If you don’t have anybody to practice with, read an article in English out loud every day - slowly at first and then at a faster pace. This isn’t as good as a real conversation, but it does count as practice.

When I arrived in Brazil I didn’t speak any Portuguese. After three months I could communicate my basic needs. After six months I could express myself well. And after a year I was fluent in the language. Not everybody has a chance to live abroad. But if you’re reading this article, I have good news: you’ve already spent hundreds – maybe thousands – of hours studying and practicing English.

Success is likely closer than you think.

Confira aula anterior aqui.

Conheça o site de Jason Bermingham: www.vozemingles.com