Speaker A
- Today, I'm gonna show you a simple technique that can dramatically improve your fluency, and it just takes five minutes a day.
Keith from Keith Speaking Academy shows how the 'chunking method' builds English fluency in five minutes a day, using verb and adverb chunks practiced in short mini-stories.
Key Takeaways
- Think and speak in chunks rather than individual words to become more fluent
- A daily five-minute drill with three verb chunks and adverb chunks builds fluency habits
- Meaning and logic matter less early on; focus on the sound and flow of chunks
- Recording and listening back to yourself reinforces progress
What the video covers
- Fluency comes from thinking and speaking in chunks of two or three words rather than focusing on individual words
- Learners often focus on individual written words, which slows speech down
- Native and proficient speakers process language as sound chunks, like buying a bunch of bananas instead of single bananas
- Grammatical chunks include verb chunks such as 'I tend to', 'I'm used to', 'I find it easy to'
- Lexical adverbial chunks include examples like 'at the moment', 'by and large', and 'at the end of the day'
- The five-minute drill: pick three verb chunks, practice repeating and substituting content, then add adverb chunks
- Chunks are combined into phrases and then extended with connectors like 'because', 'since', or 'as'
- Mini-stories can be illogical at first; the goal is practicing the sounds and flow, not meaning
- Recording yourself and listening back helps identify chunk sounds and intonation
- A downloadable PDF of additional chunks is offered, plus course and channel membership promotions
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction to the five-minute fluency technique
- 01:00Why focusing on words slows speech
- 02:35Types of chunks: grammatical and lexical
- 03:40Explaining the five-minute fluency drill
- 05:40Practicing verb chunks
- 06:40Practicing 'I'm used to' and 'I find it easy to' chunks
- 07:10Combining verb and adverb chunks
- 09:00Building a mini story with chunks
- 10:20Recap and closing remarks
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
(bright upbeat music) Hello my, friends, it's Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy. And here today to help you become a more fluent speaker of English.
Speaker A
Now this one technique I mentioned is called the chunking method. Now you've probably heard of this.
Speaker A
I've talked about it a little bit before. but I want to make it crystal clear, super easy for you today so that you can start practicing this straight away today and getting to that habit of five minutes a day
Speaker A
practicing this chunking. Sound good? Great. So in this video, I'm gonna show you how this works, how you can practice, and then we'll finish up with a little story to review this.
Speaker A
Let's do it. (screen whooshing) Now then, one of the reasons you're not fluent yet is probably because you focus on individual words.
Speaker A
And this is quite normal for students to do. The thing is, proficient speakers and native speakers, we don't focus on individual words, we focus on chunks, two or three words together.
Speaker A
And we speak with chunks and we think in chunks. If you focus on individual words, it slows you down.
Speaker A
And it's because normally, you've learned through writing and reading English. And so you're focusing on the written word that you see is individual words.
Speaker A
But when we speak, we don't think in words, we think in sounds and we speak with sounds.
Speaker A
So each chunk is a sound rather than an individual word, right? When I say "When I say," I don't say WEN-AI-SAY.
Speaker A
I say wen-ai-say, "When I say." It sounds almost Japanese: when I say, when I say.
Speaker A
But I think in sounds. And so it's much easier to speak with more flow and more fluently.
Speaker A
It's a bit like when you go shopping and you take bananas, and if you take an individual banana, put it in your bag and another, boom and another.
Speaker A
It's quite slow. If you take a bunch of bananas, it's much quicker. And it's the same with chunks.
Speaker A
It's a bunch of words put into one sound. That's the secret. Now there are different kinds of chunks.
Speaker A
There are grammatical chunks and there are lexical chunks. Let me give you a few examples today.
Speaker A
Grammatical chunks, we've got verb chunks, like I tend to, I'm used to, I find it easy to, I'd like to, okay?
Speaker A
Adverbial chunks, I'm sure you know, at the moment, at the moment, by and large, at the end of the day.
Speaker A
And when we say these, we just say them as one sound, one chunk, right?
Speaker A
By-and-large mm-mm. By and large, by and large. Meaning generally speaking, by and large, okay?
Speaker A
So verb chunks, adverbial chunks. So these chunks are our building blocks, and as we put them together, we build and speak with more flow and more fluency.
Speaker A
And the more you use them and the more you think in this way, the more fluent you're gonna become.
Speaker A
Let's move on. (screen whooshing) Great, let's have a look at this five-minute a day fluency drill.
Speaker A
So we're gonna look at three chunks, three verb chunks that we can practice with, and then later we'll add some adverb chunks.
Speaker A
So the verb chunk is what you do, the adverb chunk is how you do it.
Speaker A
And then we'll start building with blocks. So the first chunk we've got is, over here: "I tend to do something," meaning I usually do something.
Speaker A
It's a habit, right? I tend to, da da da da da, okay? So instead of saying "I tend to," we say I tend to.
Speaker A
That means repeat. I tend to wake up early. Wake up early, another chunk. Wake up early.
Speaker A
Good together. I tend to wake up early. Got it. Hear the difference between I tend to - wake up early, and I tend to wake up early.
Speaker A
Totally different building blocks rather than individual words. Let's try another one. I tend to - have a big breakfast.
Speaker A
Great, that's true for me. Tell me something true for you. Really? Another one: I tend to - drink tea.
Speaker A
Okay, I tend to drink tea. Great, and you? Three chunks now. I tend to - get nervous - before meetings.
Speaker A
Right, you've got it. Okay, so what we can do, we are just kind of repeating these little chunks.
Speaker A
Let's move on to chunk number two, which is I am used to doing something.
Speaker A
So instead of, "I am used to," it's I'm used to. I'm used to, that's it, getting up early.
Speaker A
That's another chunk, getting up early. I'm used to - getting up early. I'm used to - working - on my own.
Speaker A
Three chunks, right? I'm used to - working - on my own. I'm used to working on my own.
Speaker A
I'm used to - living - in the countryside. Okay, again, three chunks. I'm used to - living - in the countryside.
Speaker A
We put them all together with a bit of intonation. I'm used to living in the countryside.
Speaker A
It's almost one chunk, right? The more you do it, the better you get at it.
Speaker A
Chunk number three, "I find it easy to do something," okay? For example, for me, I find it easy to cook, okay?
Speaker A
The difference again between "I find it easy to cook," I find it easy to cook.
Speaker A
Practice that little chunk. I find it easy. I find it easy. Yeah, I find it easy - to learn languages.
Speaker A
I find it easy - to stay organized. And you? Excellent good. (screen whooshing) Now let's start combining a bit.
Speaker A
Let's start adding some adverb chunks. Do you remember like at the moment, okay? So I might say: "At the moment, I tend to wake up early." Kind of three chunks, right?
Speaker A
At the moment - I tend to - wake up early. I'm slowing it down a bit so you can hear the chunks.
Speaker A
Obviously, as you put them together. I would say, at the moment, I tend to wake up early.
Speaker A
I have the intonation, but that comes later. Just focus on the chunks first. Another one.
Speaker A
Right now, I'm used to living on my own. Okay, we've got this adverbial chunk and the verb chunk.
Speaker A
Another one: By and large - I find it easy - to stay organized. Stay organized or stay focused?
Speaker A
Stay organized, yes. By and large, I find it easy to stay organized. And what I could start to do is extend the sentence by having a because or since or as.
Speaker A
"At the moment, I tend to wake up early because I'm on holiday." No, that wouldn't make sense, would it?
Speaker A
At the moment - I tend to - wake up early because - I'm very busy.
Speaker A
That would make sense. But it doesn't matter if it makes sense. Actually, it's good not even to make sense.
Speaker A
Say something illogical, but focus on these chunks. De de de and you are building up your sentences, right?
Speaker A
The idea is not to make the idea of this practice. The five-minute fluency drill is just to practice fluency.
Speaker A
Practice these chunks, okay? We can do it with a mini story. Let me develop these into a mini story, and I want you to really focus on the sounds of the chunks as I speak, okay?
Speaker A
Whether it's logical or not. Here we go. (screen whooshing) At the moment, I tend to wake up early.
Speaker A
By and large, I find it easy to wake up early because I go to bed early.
Speaker A
Right now, I'm used to going to bed early because I'm on holiday, right? Mini story, but I'm just building blocks, building little sentences.
Speaker A
And in your practice, do this, make up stupid stories that make no sense, but just practice the chunks, right?
Speaker A
Later it will all start to work out. But this is the drill. This is where you're kind of like the soldiers learn to walk and to drill.
Speaker A
It's the basic footsteps. These are the footsteps of your language, if you like, okay.
Speaker A
(screen whooshing) So let me just recap, summarize this five-minute fluency drill. Very simple routine.
Speaker A
First of all, pick three verb chunks. You can use the ones we've done today.
Speaker A
I do have a PDF, boom, boom. And you can download that and get lots more chunks you can practice with.
Speaker A
First, pick three verb chunks. Practice repeating and changing something. Take some adverb chunks, practice repeating.
Speaker A
Put them together, building up little phrases, and then make a mini story, sentence after sentence, using these chunks or others, building them up.
Speaker A
It can be totally illogical. And then if you've got time, do a mini story but that's true for you.
Speaker A
And that's more difficult 'cause you have to think about meaning as well. But if you've got time, record yourself.
Speaker A
Great to listen back and listen to the sounds and the chunks. See how well you're doing.
Speaker A
You can do this five minutes a day. Seriously, three chunks, some adverb chunks. It's so easy.
Speaker A
Practice, first of all, with the ones you've seen today. Go and get the PDF.
Speaker A
There's loads more there you can start practicing. And just with this focus on sounds and chunks rather than individual words.
Speaker A
You will notice a difference after a few weeks. That's it for today. If you've enjoyed this video, subscribe to the channel, and why not even join my YouTube channel?
Speaker A
Become a member. You get emojis, custom emojis, but you also get access to private videos on all the different topics I talk about, especially IEL speaking, model answers really helpful for you.
Speaker A
Join, it's just $2 a month. It's price of a coffee in most countries. Anyway, and it also helps me, but I'll leave it to you.
Speaker A
It would be lovely to see you as a channel member. If you want to find out more about my courses, go and visit keithspeakingacademy.com.
Speaker A
You can find out all about the work that I do there. It's been lovely today.
Speaker A
Thank you so much for watching. I've really enjoyed it, and I will see you soon, maybe in the next video on YouTube.
Speaker A
All the best now. Take care, bye-bye. (bright upbeat music)
Topics:chunking methodEnglish fluencyspeaking practicelexical chunksverb chunksadverbial chunksfive minute drillESL speakingpronunciationEnglish learning
