Hello, welcome to the Effortless English Podcast. This is A.J. Hoag in San Francisco, California.

Let's get started. Today I want to tell you a story about one of my students. Her name is Angelina. Angelina and I recently talked and she

told me about her experience in my class one year ago. One year ago she came from Paraguay in South America and

she came to class she spoke almost no English.

Of course, in Paraguay, she had studied English for many years.

But, like most students, she mostly studied grammar in her schools in Paraguay they taught her English grammar grammar grammar grammar grammar So when she came to the United States she knew a lot of

grammar but she couldn't speak and she couldn't understand Americans.

When she came to my class on the first day, the beginner's class,

she came with a textbook.

She was ready to study more grammar.

She thought that's what you do in English class.

That's how you learn English. You must study grammar.

But she was a little surprised because learn English you must study grammar.

But she was a little surprised because I never used the textbook in the class.

Instead, I told her a story, a very short story, kind of a funny, foolish little story.

And I told it many times. The first time I told the story very slowly and then the second time I told the story again

But this time I asked many, many questions.

Now with a beginner's class, it was very simple, so I might say,

there is a boy.

And then I asked the students,

is there a boy?

And they answer yes.

...