Why do you want to learn English?

There are many different reasons for studying foreign languages, and the best way for you to study English depends on your reasons for studying it. Some people - like English teachers, translators and secret agents - need a very detailed knowledge of the language and a very high degree of accuracy in using it. For others - people who need English in their work or social life, for example, or travellers - the ability to understand and communicate is more important than absolute accuracy or knowledge of the rules.

The English Advisor is for Polish learners who want to use English to exchange ideas and information, through speech and/or writing, with native speakers of English or of other languages, whether or not your English is (or ever will be) "perfect". It concentrates on improving your ability to communicate, not on accuracy.

That doesn't mean that The English Advisor encourages mistakes.
If you are a teacher or a superspy, you can quite safely use The English Advisor without risking any damage to your English; in fact, I hope it will help you improve your English by clarifying some points that very few of the books widely available in Poland explain.

But the main idea behind this book is that accuracy and communication are not the same. It's quite common for learners to be accurate but not communicative, or vice versa. And I'm afraid that it's even more common for learners - especially Polish learners - to worry so much about accuracy that they don't communicate.

Accuracy itself doesn't interfere with communication, but worrying too much about accuracy can interfere a lot. First, it takes a long time to become very accurate, and emphasizing accuracy too much can be very frustrating to people who want to use their English for communication now. Second, a learner who is too worried about accuracy and takes too much time and effort to formulate a "perfect" sentence can be harder to communicate with than someone who makes mistakes with structure and vocabulary.

Spis treści:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction / Wprowadzenie

How to Use This Book
Jak  postugiwac sie.  ta ksiazka

Learning Strategy #1
Chapter One:    Time for Minimalists

Learning Strategy #2
Chapter Two:   Tenses for Minimalists

Learning Strategy #3
Chapter Three:   What No One Ever Told You About English Verbs

Learning Strategy #4
Chapter Four:   Calm Down, Carry On and Don't Give Up!

Learning Strategy #5
Chapter Five:   To Err Is Human, But Being Right Is Nice, Too

Learning Strategy #6
Chapter Six:    Everyday Etiquette

Learning Strategy #7
Chapter Seven:   Taboo English

Learning Strategy #8

Learning Strategy #9
Chapter Eight:    US and UK

Learning Strategy #10
Chapter Nine:   A, An, The or 0?

Learning Strategy #11
Chapter Ten:   False Friends and Close Relatives

Learning Strategy #12
Chapter Eleven:   Wanna, Gonna, Lemme and Inne

Learning Strategy #13
Chapter Twelve:     Mistakes Poles Love

Learning Strategy #14
Appendix, dla Tych, Ktorzy zaczynaja