Hi ,

I hope you're having a great Monday, and that the week that follows will be joyful and productive.

One of my readers asked me (this is the translation of the original message):

In what way am I supposed to use your newsletter? You promised they'd improve my English, but I don't see much improvement. Is there an instruction manual?

I felt a bit defensive and resentful when I got it. 

But then I realized that it was a totally logical question. I should have provided "an instruction manual" for my newsletter. Better late than never, huh?

So, here goes…

The main thing you get from reading my emails is regular immersion into English. As a result, even if you don't do anything else apart from reading, these emails will help you maintain your level and will somewhat improve your passive vocabulary.

But if you want to get more out of my emails, here's what you can do:

1) Look up the word's meaning ▶ Increase passive vocabulary

I try to make my emails easy to read, and only include 2-6 words that might be challenging. I often make links to dictionary explanations (Eng-Eng), so that you can look them up quickly. Sometimes I link them to the translation dictionary (Eng-Ukr), where you can choose your language of translation. I also experimented with providing a short glossary at the end of my email.

Let me know which method you prefer (or if I shouldn't do anything at all with potentially unfamiliar words)

2) Activate new words ▶ Increase active vocabulary and review grammar

Want to make sure you remember this new word or phrase? Use it in a meaningful way - write me a reply where you use this word in the same content I used it. It can be a statement or a question - one simple sentence is sometimes enough to make it stick.

I occasionally ask a question at the end of my emails - you can try answering it using the word or the grammar you want to activate.

3) Use the resources I share ▶ Optimize your learning process

There are a lot of learning resources nowadays - tools, apps, extensions, websites, etc. Whenever I find something useful, I'll share it with you. Check them out and see if it suits your needs. You can build your English-learning routine using the available resources. For example, I recently shared the free tools Language Reactor and LangCorrect. You can find more in my free collection of English-learning tools.

4) Ask me questions ▶ Understand what matters to you

If you've ever learned something interesting, you know that questions are inevitable.

If you really like learning English, you are probably curious about a lot of things: if "affluent" is a synonym for "rich", can I use them instead of each other? How often is Present Perfect Continuous used in normal conversations? Why does English have articles (a/the) and how can I remember which one to use where?

Of course, you can google them, but isn't it easier to reply to my email and ask me your question? I had these questions myself, and I love looking for answers and providing them.

5) Answer my questions ▶ Give feedback to get better content

You'll find more useful answers and solutions in my emails if I know what challenges you have with English or what you're trying to achieve.

That's why I regularly ask questions about your situation and if you provide the answers, I can send you the content that fits your needs.

🚩Answer these questions 🚩

That's how you get the most out of my emails. Do at least 1 thing from the list whenever you get my email, do it regularly for 2-3 months, and you will see an improvement. 

Let me know if this email was useful.

Talk soon, 

Tania.