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How to Improve Your Spoken English
Learning a new language like English isn’t easy. You have so many things to consider like the words, the grammar, and the pronunciations. Also, language learners tend to copy the accent of a native speaker to sound right and feel like a local. These are some of the reasons that may discourage you from learning English.
With some effort, you can gain experience and learn to speak well. Every day, try to speak in English whenever you get the opportunity.
Here are some tips that will help you focus on learning this wonderful language:
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- Think in English
- Pay Attention to Stressed Sounds
- Practise Self-talking
- English Speaking Before A Mirror
- Focus on English Fluency, Not Grammar
- Try English Tongue Twisters
- View and Read
- Sing-Along To English Songs
- Learn New Words and Phrases
- Learn Your Most Common Sayings
- Prepare for Specific Situations
- Take Online Speaking Courses
- Describe Your World
- Read In English
- Narrate A Story From Your Language In English
- Record Your Speaking Practice On A Smart Device
- Use Apps With English Audio
- Keep Notes Of Your Mistakes
- Think in English
We always tend to think in a language we are comfortable with. But, since you’ve made up your mind to learn English, try and learn to think in English. Form English sentences in your mind. Think of what to say and how to speak. You may find this interesting to do, so be enthusiastic about it. Over some time, you’ll realize that your English-speaking skills are improving. Be patient and enjoy the learning process.
- Pay Attention to Stressed Sounds
The English language has complex rules particularly when it comes to pronunciation. Stresses in words, syllables, and sentences are used to give them different meanings.
By following the way native speakers emphasize the words and syllables when they speak, you must try to imitate them. This will improve your style of speaking.
This will help you hasten your process to learn English speaking daily.
Here’s a simple example. Consider the word papaya. Do you pronounce all the syllables the same? Do you say PA-PA-YA? No, isn’t it! When you hear someone say papaya, we can hear that one syllable is stronger and more emphasized. pa-PA-ya. That’s what we call stress in English!
Mispronouncing words can sound funny. So, learn to hear these stresses when someone is speaking!
- Practise Self-talking
Whenever you’re alone or have some free time, you have an opportunity to improve your English. Speak your thoughts out aloud. You can have a conversation with an imaginary person. Initially, you may feel awkward. But it’ll boost your confidence to speak aloud in front of people.
You can try and read out loud, too. This will help you improve your pronunciation of words.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
- English Speaking before a Mirror
See yourself speaking in front of a mirror. Be your judge. Simply choose a topic that you feel comfortable speaking about and speak loudly for three to four minutes.
Watch your expressions, your body language and study them. Do you feel nervous? Then do it many more times, over many days, till you can reflect confidence.
The best part is no one will criticize you if you do it alone. If you get stuck on a word you can’t remember, always look it up in a dictionary to recall it.
Practice will make you perfect.
- Focus on English Fluency, Not Grammar
Do you suddenly lose confidence while you learn English speaking? Do you stop mid-way?
This can happen because of a lack of confidence. The less comfortable you are, the less confident you’ll become. Grammar can be an obstacle because there’s so much to keep in mind.
The best way to handle this situation is to focus on speaking fluently instead of bothering about being grammatically correct.
- Try English Tongue Twisters
Tongues twisters are an amusing way to practice English speaking. They are statements or series of words that are not so easy to speak quickly. Start slowly. Say the tongue twisters clearly at first. Then try to speed it up. Initially, you may find it difficult to say it correctly. But, with time your fluency will improve.
One example is: “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.”
Try saying this a few times! It’s not easy.
For an excellent compilation of tongue twisters, click here.
- View and Read
To keep yourself interested in the English language, you must watch English movies, TV serials, YouTube videos, and more.
Keep watching new and exciting programs, especially TV serials with subtitles. Read while you watch the programs.
When you read the subtitles aloud, you must try to sound just like the native speakers.
Whenever you watch shows with English speakers, it could be a talk show or news, try to copy what they say either after or while they talk.
- Sing-Along to English Songs
Singing is something that comes from the heart. Pick your favourite English songs. Try and sing along by following the lyrics. You’ll enjoy the experience of learning English.
Choose lyrics that you are comfortable with. This is rhythmic, and the best way to learn English.
- Learn New Words and Phrases
Learn as many English words and phrases as you can. This will make speaking easier. You’ll become more confident too because you can describe or express your emotions with the right words. You will hesitate less while you speak because you have all the right words.
As you improve, you can move on from the textbook way of speaking to a native style of speaking. Instead of saying, “how do you do?” you can ask like a native speaker would “how’re you doing?”.
- Learn Your Most Common Sayings
On an everyday basis, take some time to learn some interesting proverbs. Proverbs are wise sayings and they make the conversation engaging.
Memorizing proverbs will also help your brain to become better at forming good English sentences.
Here are two thought-provoking proverbs:
1) As you sow, so you shall reap – It means your actions, good or bad, determine what you get.
2) A thing begun is half done - A good beginning makes it easier to complete the rest of the task.
Check out the video below to see how valuable learning basic native expressions can be and how they change depending on the context.
- Prepare for Specific Situations
Preparing for job interviews is one of the best ways to learn English. There are other situations too. It could be when you are in a meeting with your Juniors and Seniors present. It could be with a relative or a friend who speaks fluent English.
Do practice what you have to say before you start speaking. Learn all the right phrases and words too.
The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be.
- Take Online Speaking Courses
English language learning solutions for English speaking are becoming more popular. Teachers from countries where English is a native language teach interested learners from all around the world. There are numerous courses available online.
Three courses that might work for you as a beginner are:
Speaking and Writing English: Improve your speaking and writing abilities with the guidance of native speakers.
Speaking English Professionally: In offices, you’ll have to speak English fluently to get your ideas across
Business English: In the business arena, English is the most preferred language
- Describe Your World
You can easily describe what you are more familiar with than you can imagine. So, here’s a fun way to get accustomed to speaking in the English language.
If you’re standing on your balcony, try and describe what you see. Narrate the sights, sounds, and smells that you see, hear, and experience. You may feel like you are taking a relative on a guided tour of your surroundings.
It will surely help you enjoy having conversations with other people.
- Read in English
To speak in English, you need to read in English too. You need to practice and improve other areas of understanding English as well.
English language learning solutions offer thoughtfully created content to make reading in English an interesting experience. They will help you memorize more words and improve your speaking skills. When you read, you will be listening to yourself pronouncing the words.
Some of the best reading materials are newspapers, books, poetry, and more. The more you read, the faster your brain will gain the ability to groups words that go together. When such patterns form in your head, you can use them in your conversations without hesitation.
- Narrate a Story from Your Language in English
When you were a child, your grandparents or your parents must have narrated exciting stories to you in your mother tongue. You must be able to recall some of them too.
Now, here’s what you must do. Recall the story in English. Focus on those words that can help you express the story well. Enjoy the process.
- Record Your Speaking Practice on a Smart Device
Speaking in a new language doesn't come easily. You have to learn from your mistakes. So, take the help of your conversation partner. Record yourself speaking with him. Then you can play it back and try and understand how much improvement you’re showing. This will help you track your progress, be it your pronunciation, grammar, or choice of words.
- Use Apps with English Audio
Download an App that teaches English. It is one of the most convenient, fun, and interactive ways to learn.
With Apps, you can work on your English-speaking practice anytime in the comfort of your home.
You can listen to audio pronunciations of words and phrases and enrich your vocabulary. You also get feedback, quizzes, and a recording tool to help you analyse how you are speaking!
- Keep Notes of Your Mistakes
Initially, speaking in English can be embarrassing. After all, it’s a new language for you. But you have to be persistent.
If you feel you’ve made a mistake, write down or remember the mistakes. Then get your doubts corrected. Learn from the mistakes you make, be it your pronunciation, grammar, or word choice.
It will help you improve your skills and boost your confidence.
If you follow each of these steps, you’ll surely improve your spoken English all by yourself. One day, you’ll go on to become a confident speaker who wins everyone’s hearts with fluent English.
