Approximately B1 · 153 words

The Language I Almost Quit

A learner who can read English struggles to speak abroad, then begins practicing aloud every day.

Read at your own pace. Use the English meanings below, then answer the questions. The level is a teaching guide, not an assessment. Original stories include some British spellings and settings.

A person speaking with a speech bubble

The story

After two years of studying English I went abroad for the first time.

At the airport a man asked me a simple question.

I understood every word, and I could not produce an answer.

He waited, then said it was fine and walked away.

I sat down and seriously thought about giving up.

Two years of work and I could not answer one question.

On the flight home I tried to understand what had gone wrong.

I had read thousands of pages. I had done hundreds of exercises.

But I had almost never spoken out loud.

I had been training one skill and testing a different one.

So I changed one thing. Every day I spoke for ten minutes, alone, out loud.

It felt ridiculous for about three weeks.

Then it stopped feeling ridiculous and started feeling normal.

Progress in a language can be hard to notice from one day to the next.

English meanings

Save words to your review deck.

abroad
In or to another country.
out loud
With a voice that can be heard, rather than silently.
ridiculous
Seeming silly or unreasonable.

Check your understanding

Choose an answer for each question, then open its explanation. You can try again as often as you like.

1. Where did the narrator struggle to answer a question?
Show answer and story evidence

At the airport

The airport encounter makes the speaking difficulty clear. Read the guide

The story says: “At the airport a man asked me a simple question.”

2. Which skill had rarely been practiced?
Show answer and story evidence

Speaking out loud

Reading and exercises had not provided much spoken practice. Read the guide

The story says: “But I had almost never spoken out loud.”

3. What daily change did the narrator make?
Show answer and story evidence

Spoke aloud for ten minutes

The new habit was ten minutes of speaking alone each day. Read the guide

The story says: “So I changed one thing. Every day I spoke for ten minutes, alone, out loud.”