Become a Native
English Speaker

Welcome!

Here’s a short introduction to this page.

  • 25+ Years of teaching in public schools

  • 8000+ hours of private tutoring

  • Read an English dictionary cover to cover

  • Have an extensive collection of books that include dictionaries, thesauruses, and books of grammar, idioms, and history of languages

  • Visited China multiple times

  • BONUS: Taught English in Japan for 6 months.

  • BONUS: Studied Chinese, Spanish, German & French for 1yr+ each and am enthusiastic about learning languages in general

  • BONUS: Finished Duolingo Chinese Course on Legendary Level

Common Challenges on
Your Path to Mastering English

Common Mistakes of Pronunciation

This video describes the differences between tonal (Chinese/Vietnamese) and non-tonal (English) languages. These sounds although similar, are not the same and as a result, are often overlooked by students.

The 3 Main Differences in Spoken English & Chinese Languages

This video describes phonemes (the sounds within a language) and how they shape the structure of words, sentences, and language overall. Some of the phonemes are common in English and Chinese languages, others, however, have slight differences that are important to distinguish.

Sentence Structure Similarity

This video discusses the similarities and differences in sentence structure between Chinese and English. What words we put first, second, and last are more important in some languages than others.

Get in touch

Don’t hesitate to contact me regarding questions you might have on your English learning journey.

Some words from students

My Latest Duolingo Achievements

A little bit about me

I’m Mark and I’ve been living most of my life in Los Angeles, California.

Ever since I was young - languages have fascinated me and I’ve put in a lot of years studying a number of them.

Starting with English - I would read a dictionary cover to cover to identify definitions as well as the similarities and differences between words. This curiosity followed me throughout college, where I studied Chinese, Spanish, German, Japanese, and French.

During my college years, I lived in Tokyo, Japan for a period of time - teaching English to kindergartners, high school & college students, and also professionals that included business executives.

Coming back to the United States, I started my career as a public school teacher and taught in various schools and classrooms for over 25 years. During the same time, I would privately tutor students in multiple subjects which included English - learning their different personality types and skill levels along the way in an effort to help them reach the best results.

My lifelong fascination with the Chinese language and culture has only become stronger in the years since I first visited Hong Kong in 1976. I’ve visited China multiple times since then, admiring the rich culture, distinct cuisine, and the wonderful people that live there every time.

These days, I enjoy reading, gardening, riding my bicycle, tutoring English to my students over video calls, and keeping my Duolingo streak strong.

Maybe one day - this will result in me moving to China permanently instead of my frequent trips there.

More words from students

Get in touch

Don’t hesitate to contact me regarding any questions you might have on your English learning journey.