Frequently Asked Questions

It is one practical technique that allows learners to practise all the skills of reading, or listening, writing and speaking at the same time depending on how the method is used.

Grammar is practised and vocabulary is developed along the way.

Learners improve because they actively practise English, not just study rules.

Free online courses are rare.

You can of course, access masses of free online resources to help you 'learn' English but finding free practice sessions is problematic.

Yes, you can find free sites that offer free practise sessions.

You can join group chats.

Or one-on-one chats, often with native speakers who have varying levels of expertise in English to help you.

But most will be text-based 'chatting'. You will be practising only your written English.

And it can be tiring.

And can you really trust your chat partner?

The real downside to free chatting is the lack of structure to chats.

It's often the case that despite learning English often for a long time, learners still struggle to write or say anything more than very basic English.

Saying 'Hi' and answering 'How are you today' is often the limit.

One- or two- word answers are common. That is not practising your English.

I have written a blog article on this topic and you can read it here.

Language apps operate like games, designed to keep you on the site for long periods of time.

And we are familiar with the problem of long periods of online use.

My Methods are different.

You learn the Methods online - but the real practice happens offline - in real life.

You are off your phone, and practising by yourself or with others.

You are practising in the real world, not responding to an app's exercise.

My Methods offer a much better learning experience and lead to real progress in your English fluency.

Self-directed learners progress at their own pace.

They can revisit material as needed.

Usually, because the Methods are easily and quickly learned, the 'idea' is in their heads.

The only time to go back and revise is to check if how they are practising has not changed from the initial lesson.

I would encourage learners to do this: go back and check after a short time practising.

Learners can focus on areas where they need the most improvement — which often leads to faster mastery than standard group lessons.

Practice of the Spelling and Pronunciation Methods does not require class participation; students can practise on their own.

With My 'simply better' Method, however, I would recommend practising with a friend or two rather than practising on your own.

The only stipulation is that group practice requires all participants to know and follow, strictly, the workings of the Method for best re

sults.

Any problems, you can contact me.

Find the email address in the footer (the dark section at the bottom of the page here).

Look for Contact Me.

Many learners study grammar and vocabulary for years but rarely practise using them together, which is why progress feels slow.

No, I'm sorry, I don't.

My 'Simply Better' Methods are designed for self-instruction.

This means you teach yourself with the materials provided.

It helps if you have a library of resources (dictionaries, text books, 'realia' such as newspapers, books, TV or radio programs or podcasts etc.) to assist your learning.

Limited support is offered for free.

New subscribers to my Newsletter get 2 weeks of FREE basic and some more advanced English lessons.

So, I offer many ways to help you learn (or brush up on your) English at no cost.

My aim is to offer you these resources for free to enable you to continue PRACTISING with my Methods to improve your English skills.

The methods are designed so learners can practise effectively on their own, although teachers can also use them.

In fact. I believe if more English teachers or tutors used these Methods, more learners would progress faster.

My Name is Michael Finemore (pron: fin-a-more) and I am an Australian-born man living in NW Victoria, in Australia.

By the way, I am a native speaker of English and I try to be clear in my speaking; that is I don't believe I have a strong ' Australian' accent; it's quite neutral.

Learn a little more about me here.

My 'simply better' methods are designed to build your confidence by providing practical ways to practise your listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills.

As long as you follow the Methods and use the resources I provide you will see rapid improvement. They will build your confidence quickly.

I also offer Methods for Pronunciation and Spelling.

The best way to begin is to start with my free tools and later move on to my Methods for real practice.

You can also go here to begin finding out more about how I can help you.

For customers who have purchased any of my Methods, I offer limited support.

Customers are invited to join my Private Facebook group for free practice.

As I mentioned in the previous question, my business is based on students taking charge of their own learning.

Otherwise, extended online support defeats the purpose and becomes a free online lesson.

And I don't do that.

Others will but I don't.

I'm sorry.

My 'simply better' methods are developed over 20 years of teaching ESL students - from kindergarten to middle school, college and university and adults.

They are based on practical, easily-learned, field-tested, unique techniques for unlimited offline practice.

No classes for weeks or months on end; they are designed for self-teaching.

They promise fast results without textbooks and come with free online one-on-one and group support.

The best place to start is by going to the Start

Here page.

Click the button to learn more.

This page should answer your question.

But if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

You will find my contact details here.

Look in the footer for the link (Contact Me) to my email address.

Email is preferred. I will reply to you asap.

The Apex English Tutoring practice system includes structured lessons.

Usually, it is one lesson to teach the Method.

And to learn it might take just an hour or even less.

But there are auxiliary lessons included that help prepare for the Method, or act as additional resources of knowledge.

Motivation is up to the learner to keep practicing.

There are opportunities for celebration of achievements along the way built in to, especially My 'simply better' Method.

Customers are invited to join my private facebook group for practice - with me - and other members.

Participating in chats there (and I will pop in regularly) offers plenty of motivational tips, advice, and encouragement.

This post might provide extra help with this question.

And the same with this article too.

Consistency matters more than intensity.

In other words, regular practise is better than long sessions.

We recommend 30–60 minutes per day, plus optional practice exercises, for noticeable improvement in a few weeks.

After learning My 'simply better' Method, and starting to practise with it, you should see immediate effects.

For spelling, find words that you have trouble spelling correctly, use the Method to practise.

Just 5 words a day, will result in 150 words learned in a month.

It's the same with pronunciation.

Just a few words a day (with the Method) builds to nearly a thousand (or more) over a year.

In the end, it's up to the individual learner how hard they work at their English.

But with my Methods, you can be guaranteed to see genuine results, often very quickly.

That might be one of the drawbacks of learning - and practising - by yourself.

With the Spelling and Pronunciation Methods you will know if you are right or not.

Without explaining the idea behind My 'simply better' Method to you, knowing if you are correct is a bit harder.

If you follow the Method, you will be able to check yourself.

When you buy this Method, you will be invited to join my private facebook group. There, you can practise with others (and me) who will let you know if you are correct or not.

It's OK to be wrong. And you should not be offended if you are corrected.

It's how we learn.

Remember, you will be surrounded by like-minded learners of English like yourself.

Thanks for your question.

There are several ways to see how much my Modules cost.

1 You can do it yourself using a currency converter online.

Here's a free one for you to use:

2 If you are in a country outside Australia, the prices will appear in your currency.

However, you must accept the Cookies (at the bottom of the page when you first opened this site) for this to work properly.

3 You can find out how much my Modules cost in your currency by clicking the Buy Now button (or similar), which will take you to the payment page for that Method (or bundle).

There, you will see a Currency Converter.

Click and scroll to find your Currency, click it and the cost of the Method, eBook, or Course will change to your currency.

There are about 140 currencies available.

if your currency is not there, please get in touch with me and I shall try to help you.

There is also a 'floating' currency converter on each page.

Find it and click to use it.

Many learners begin with one method to understand the approach and start practising immediately.

However, the bundles are designed for learners who want a complete set of tools to improve their English more efficiently.

All English skills are connected.

Listening is important for pronunciation and spelling.

Listening is an important skill for My 'simply better' Method.

This Method focuses on unlimited practice of reading, listening, writing and speaking with an easily-learned technique.

Vocabulary is also developed naturally as you practise.

And as you see progress, your confidence increases.

My 'simply better' 12 English Tenses Mini-Course is included to help prepare you for practising with the Method.

The bundle also includes lessons that address two other areas learners often struggle with: pronunciation and spelling.

The Guide to Phonetics eBook teaches you the complete English Phonetics Alphabet.

It is essential to understand phonetics to practise the method in My 'simply better' Pronunciation Method.

The Method teaches you how to learn the pronunciation of any word using phonetics rather than guessing from spelling.

And the 11 Exercises eBook gives you a mixture of exercises to practise pronunciation.

My 'simply better' Spelling Method helps learners understand how English words are formed.

But it goes further by teaching a very simple way to learn the correct spelling of words with a way to practise to never forget.

It's a lesson for life, because you will stop having to look up the spelling in a dictionary especially if you are writing offline.

Because these lessons support each other, many learners find that having them together makes practising English simpler and more effective.

The bundles are also priced lower than buying each method separately, which makes them a good option for learners who want the complete system from the beginning.

Most English courses focus on instruction. Students spend weeks or months studying grammar rules, vocabulary lists, or theory about the language, but they often receive very little real practice using English.

My programs focus on the part that is often missing: effective practice.

My 'simply better' Method teaches learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, and speaking together, so they develop real confidence using English rather than just studying it.

The bundles also include a few key lessons that solve common problems learners struggle with.

For example, there is a pronunciation lesson that shows you how to pronounce any English word using phonetics, and a spelling lesson that helps you understand how English words are formed.

Instead of hundreds of disconnected lessons, the goal is to give you a simple method and the essential tools you need to practise effectively and improve your English.

Sometimes a simple solution to a long-standing problem can seem expensive at first.

But if that solution finally helps you practise correctly and build real confidence in English, many learners find it is worth far more than spending years studying without real progress.

In fact, many learners say their biggest regret is not the cost — it’s discovering much later that improving English can actually be this simple.

Every Method is divided into separate PDFs.

Each contains a single lesson, usually,

You can revisit challenging topics at ay time, and at your own pace.

Some Methods have targeted exercises where you can test your understanding along the way.

You can also use supplementary resources we provide until you feel confident.

Nothing is stopping you from going online if what is provided is not fixing your difficulty.

Simply put a search term into Google and you will be given many free resources to use to help you.

Absolutely.

There is no requirement to buy text books to learn my Methods.

All resources are supplied.

You would need a dictionary for Spelling - to check your spelling before practising with the Spelling Method.

You can learn grammar online too. many sites specialise in teaching English - from basic to advanced.

Learning as much as you can online for free will definitely help you practise more effectively with My 'simply better' Method.

Pronunciation resources can be found online too. You can listen and learn the sound.

But my Pronunciation Method will show you how to practise pronouncing words correctly so that you will remember how to say those words.

In My 'simply better' Method, I teach you how to use ChatGPT to provide unlimited resources to practise with.

I am sure that AI can also teach you English!

But it cannot practise with you in a structured way. If it asks you a question, do you have the vocabulary or the grammar to reply correctly?

My Method helps you to practice in a much better way.

Yes indeed.

My 'simply better' Methods are entirely online, designed for learners worldwide, and use internationally recognized English conventions.

As long as you have an internet connection you can access the Methods.

There are many 'Englishes': British, US, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, South African, to name just a few.

Most native English speakers can understand any of these (Scottish is quite difficult) because they have been exposed to many of them - via movies, radio, tourists.

I believe strongly that no 'English' is somehow 'better' than another.

Which one should you learn?

it depends what you want to DO with the English you learn.

If, for example, you intend moving to the US, I suggest you adopt an American accent.

But which one? New York? Californian? Alabama?

Where you will be living in the US (or any other country, state or even county/province) more or less decides which accent you choose.

Australians (and I think I am one who does) have a neutral accent. We spell 'naturalised' not 'naturalized' as Americans do.

Siri uses an Australian accent to guide us around a city with directions.

Imagine Siri with a Scottish accent!!

I can speak with a New Zealand or an American accent whenever I want.

And people will understand me.

The crucial thing for you to remember is: clear spoken communication is necessary but not vital: keep your accent but if it slows down communication ("Sorry, what did you say?" "Say it again, please, but more clearly.") then you need to work on your pronunciation.

So, the question again for you: Which one do I choose?

It's up to you.

Just take into consideration the advice I have given you.

Be consistent with your choice.

If you choose US English then speak and write as an American. The same with the others.

No, I am sorry.

Apex English Tutoring only deals with adult learners.

But, because the Methods I teach would benefit younger learners, there is nothing stopping an adult getting my Methods and teaching their children how to practise.

The Methods are absolutely ideal for parents (even native English speakers) home-schooling their children in English.

Most English courses focus mainly on instruction — explaining grammar rules, vocabulary, and language theory.

While this information is useful, learners often spend months or years studying English without practising how to use it naturally.

Real improvement usually happens when learners regularly practise using grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, and speaking together, rather than studying each skill separately.

That is the idea behind My 'simply better' Method.

Instead of adding more lessons to study, it gives learners a clear way to practise English actively, which is often the missing piece in traditional language learning.

Many learners discover that once they start practising English in this way, their confidence and fluency begin to improve much faster.

Understanding that their pronunciation is improving: people asking them fewer times to repeat what they said develops confidence.

Spelling correctly also develops confidence.

But knowing how to learn correct spelling at any time in the future is priceless - a lesson for life.

I use it too!

I welcome questions because I enjoy chatting with new people.

If you'd like to know anything, you can ask me a question - or questions - about my Methods or Systems by writing to me here.

Or you can chat with me at Facebook Messenger here.

New questions - with answers - will appear in my FAQs.