Everyone who does international business needs good, confident English.
English is the world’s language of business. This is true in any field. That is why global professionals — including lawyers, bankers, architects, engineers, importer-exporters and executives in sales and finance — come to me for Professional Corporate English Training in my Adult English Classes.
In my Online English Classes for Adults, students improve their English speaking, pronunciation, and accent. They learn how to speak with ease and confidence in any professional business situation.
My Business Presentation Skills Training teaches students how to speak to corporate leaders and executives.
Good pronunciation is the most important thing students learn in my online Business English Lessons. Without good pronunciation, people cannot understand you! Even if they can understand you, it is difficult to listen to bad pronunciation. It is not good for you or for your clients.
Good pronunciation in English is not difficult. In my Online ESL Classes for Adults, students get quick results in their English pronunciation along with learning a great American accent.
Here is a “big secret” about English grammar. It is easy! Grammar is the “structure” of language. Grammar is the way all the words fit together. When you were in school studying your own language, maybe grammar seemed difficult. It is not! It is simple logic. It is like a game! Good grammar is an important (and fun) part of my Business English Writing Lessons. I teach everything from the fundamentals of English grammar to advanced English lessons depending on your needs.
Does your job require you to give presentations in English? Do you want to interact or have better meetings with your clients? My Online English Classes for Adults specialize in professional English speaking that is perfect for writing clear speeches that you and your clients will enjoy!
My Business English Lessons Online specialize in good English “delivery” to ensure your audiences receive the message you are presenting.
If you speak but people do not understand you, you have not “delivered” your message. Good delivery is easy and fun to learn in my Private English Lessons Online.
My students are busy people. Therefore, my Corporate English Training on Zoom is designed to fit your schedule. My students are worldwide. When you are ready, I am ready!
Learn more details about how to book a virtual English lesson and our prices.
I am Christopher Phillips, your online English Teacher.
I am a graduate of Yale University. I was an editor at The New York Times for 23 years. I have been an English teacher for more than 20 years. I have studied 12 languages – including French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, and more!
Book Your First Virtual Business English Lesson
It’s easy to book your Business English Lessons Online. Start with a Free First Meeting! Select your available time for a first diagnostic meeting to discuss your professional English speaking goals.
How long are your Business Classes for Adults?
My Adult English Classes are either one hour or an hour and a half. Usually, one hour is best for English Speech Lessons. Business English Writing Lessons are sometimes an hour and a half.
I am not in New York. How do I take your Online ESL Classes for Adults?
All Global Corporate English Training is on Zoom. Your Virtual English Teacher is wherever you are!
Do you do group Online English Classes for Adults?
I give Private English Classes Online. If you want to add a friend, there is no extra charge. We can also arrange Group Classes on request.
Where should I start getting better at Business English? Should I start with Speaking and Grammar or should I start with Business Presentation Skills Training?
Start with a Free First Meeting. At the Free First Meeting, I will listen to your English and hear your goals and your needs in Corporate English Training. We will make a plan of study. Book Now!
Please note: All bookings must be at least 48 hours in advance.
All times mentioned are New York time (GMT -5).
New York is usually 6 to 7 hours earlier than Europe and Israel; 8 hours earlier than U.A.E.; 12 to 13 hours earlier than Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong. Use your phone’s “World Clock” settings to make sure.
I invite you to schedule a FREE INTRODUCTORY ZOOM MEETING. Let’s begin!
Choosing a language teacher is a very personal choice. It is a question of “chemistry.” A teacher might be well-qualified, but still might not be right for you. That is one reason why I offer all new students a free first meeting: Only you can decide if I am the right teacher for you.
Only study with a native speaker! There are nuances and fine points and instincts that only a native speaker has. When choosing a native speaker, avoid someone with a very strong regional accent (like Scottish or Mississippi!) When you are studying a foreign language, you are also studying the country. A language is more than words: It is a style of communicating. To learn American English properly, you must interact with a real American!
Do you like the way your teacher talks? Does their English sound beautiful to you? Do they have a nice voice? Is that how you want to sound? Listen carefully and decide.
Your teacher should be able to analyze your English problems and have a clear plan. Your teacher must always be on time and prepared.
As an adult learner, you need a teacher who does not only teach “it” (meaning English), but who will teach YOU. You need someone who will analyze your English skills, your problems and your goals and create a program just for you. People often ask me which textbook I use. I say: “The student is the textbook.” How I teach depends on what that student needs and the individual way that student learns. From there, I choose teaching materials.
Your English teacher should have respect for your own culture and language. It is better if he or she knows a little of your language: That often gives a clue to your problems. In working with my students, I am always glad I have studied 12 languages. I can usually find some example that helps the lesson.
Really, the only right way to choose an English teacher is to take a few lessons with someone and decide if you enjoy them and whether you are learning something. Who is the right English teacher for you? Only YOU can answer that!
Yes – it is strange but true. A simple sound like “to” is spelled three different ways: to, two, and too.
It is very easy to tell the difference:
“Two” only means the number 2. “Too” means “also” or “more than enough” (including an extreme). (Peter went, too. It was too far to walk and the day was too hot.)
“To” is used for everything else.
Whenever you want to write a word that sounds like “to,” ask yourself: Is it a number? Does it mean “also” or “more than enough” or an extreme? If not, it will always be “to.”
(Technically, there is one other use of “too” – to make something emphatic. A stubborn child might say: I will too go there if I want to! But you can consider this another form of “also.”)
Students who learn English with me learn simple and direct ways to solve many confusing problems in the language.
I’m sure you know that English spelling is not always easy, for foreign students or even for Americans! (There are reasons why English spelling is so strange. I can explain those reasons…)
Here are some simple rules for familiar problems in English spelling:
If the word is pronounced “ee,” it is usually “I-E,” with some important exceptions.
When American children learn English spelling in school, they all learn a little poem: “I” before “E,” except after “C” or when sounded like “AY” as in neighbor or weigh.
That’s why “believe” is spelled one way and “receive” is spelled the other. (In the word “receive,” it is “E-I” because it comes after “C.”)
But all rules need exceptions, right? Here is a sentence that contains some exceptions to the “I” before “E,” except after “C” rule. It is a good idea to memorize it: “Neither leisure nor their weird foreign caffeine helped them seize the height.”
Avoid this easy trap! The word “full” has two “L”s. However, when -ful is added to the end of another word (as a suffix), it has only one “L.” Examples are: joyful, beautiful, plentiful, faithful.
When a word ends in “Y,” that letter becomes an “I” when other syllables are added to the end. For example: Happy/happiness; beauty/beautiful; lovely/loveliness; lonely/loneliness; silly/silliness.
Foreigners who learn English as a Second Language (E.S.L.) often ask me whether they should learn an American accent or a British accent. I am in favor of the American accent.
This is a subject that interests me very much. Accents are a specialty of mine. I lived as an American in England for many years, so I have thought about this a lot.
It is true that a real Oxford-Cambridge British accent is very beautiful. (For a great example, listen to Margaret Thatcher on YouTube.) However, in all my years in London, I never once heard a foreigner speak with a correct British accent. It is almost impossible to capture! Even Americans who try to learn British accents almost always fail (especially in the theater).
One of the problems with a British accent (and by this I mean English, not Scottish or Welsh) is that it must be 100% perfect or it sounds really horrible. (And I mean REALLY horrible!) To any British person, even a 90%-correct English accent sounds 100% wrong! This is not true in America. Here, the rules are not so strict. Foreigners can easily learn English with a fine American accent.
There is another, more important, problem with accents in England: Even within a city like London, there are many, many different kinds of accents, and each accent represents a different social class. If you have seen the movie musical “My Fair Lady” (it’s a great one to rent – it is all about a lower-class Englishwoman trying to learn “proper” English), the story is all about this problem.
Every time English people speak, they are advertising their regional or social class background. Every accent puts you into a kind of “box.” These differences are tiny but very important. Even a school can have a specific accent: I went to a famous British boarding school called Eton, and I often know if someone went to that school when I hear them talk. Many foreigners think a British accent sounds elegant: Actually, if you learn the “wrong” accent, it is just the opposite!
As a foreigner studying English, you can easily avoid this whole problem if you decide to learn English with an American accent.
American accents are usually not signals of social class. If possible, you should avoid extreme regional accents – for example, from the South or from Boston (or even some parts of New York City!). These can sound beautiful, but again, they put you into a kind of “box.”
In my classes, students learn English with a simple clear standard American accent. I find that is the best solution.