Speaking in English without hesitation is an important goal for many. During our school years as well as daily lives, being able to communicate effectively in English has become an essential skill. Speaking, reading, and writing in English fluently has turned into a fundamental part of our lives.
However, speaking fluently means building a strong vocabulary, mastering grammar, and using proper pronunciation. Often we hesitate because we fear committing errors or humiliating ourselves in front of others. Sometimes errors are unavoidable. If you practice regularly and follow these steps, you can improve your spoken English skills :
Speak, Speak & Speak:
Basically, speaking is the best way to speak better. Engage in regular practice with as many people as possible. Do you currently reside or study abroad? Take advantage of the thousands of native speakers in your immediate neighborhood, inducing your friends, their families, co-workers, classmates, and many more. If you’re learning in your own country, meet your classmates after class, find a partner for language exchange, or join an online community of learners to practice.
Have Conversations in English:
You need to use English interactively and practice your own speaking skills, in addition to reading and writing tasks. If you are lucky, you’ll make friends with a few native speakers, who can assist you. Another option is talking to yourself in the mirror or recording yourself. Although it may feel awkward, listening to your own voice will enable you to hear errors that you were unaware of previously.
Record Your Voice:
We know that most people don’t like to hear their own voice recorded, but it can actually help you improve your speaking. Things you might not have known about yourself are revealed when you listen to yourself on recording ( maybe you’ve tended to speak fast when you are nervous or swallow your mumble).
Watching Movie in English:
Even though watching Netflix series won’t exactly improve your formal debate skills, it will help you to understand the language better and get used to conversational and informal forms of English, this gives you an implicit sense of the language. You could also try to find words that sound more casual. There are also a lot of documentaries available online. Being presented to a language for the length of a film could assist you start thinking in English.
Reading books, Magazines & Newspapers:
A great method for improving one’s reading and vocabulary skills is to pursue various books, magazines, and newspapers. It is necessary to select the books that children read based on their comprehension levels.
If they are at the beginner or intermediate level, then pick a children’s book or any easy to read magazines. Reading newspapers is the best way to learn because it exposes them to a lot of new vocabulary.
Turn on Music in English:
Music & rhythms have been found to animate the brain and develop learning. According to research, music can be an extremely useful tool for learning English because it helps in pronunciation, word boundaries & vocabulary.
Write:
Writing & sparking are two useful skills in the language. The ability to correct mistakes is one of writing’s greatest advantages. Make daily entries in an English journal. Write as though you are communicating in English– don’t think too much about it and let your thoughts write on the paper. After that go over your work & edit it. This is where you’ll see your strengths and weaknesses in English.
Use your phone wisely:
While you’re learning English, your mobile phone can be your dearest companion. Try intimating movie dialogues to improve your listening and speaking skills.
Record yourself repeating the dialogue in the movie by listening to what actors are saying. By following this way, you can improve your pronunciation and reproduce them in your own speech as closely as possible. You can also use various English learning apps like Duolingo, Hello talk, Beelinguapp on your smartphone. A portion of these are paid, however there are many free apps that will assist you to develop your English skills.
Try talk to yourself in English:
We converse with ourselves multiple times in a day.
We usually do this in the language we feel most comfortable with. When you have free time, you can try speaking out loud, sitting in front of a mirror. This way you can practice your accent, pronunciation and body languages.
Practice more and more:
When it comes to improving English, the key to success is consistent practice. If you use the mentioned guidelines on a regular basis, then it will be effective.
- Spend just 1 hour everyday to improve your English.
- Listen to a short video clip and imitate.
- Read aloud and summarize your own words.
- Look at what you read and the new words.
In conclusion, English plays a vital role in communication because it is the language that is spoken mostly worldwide. Worldwide business goes well due to English. English also helps students understand the subjects that are written in English. Even though the people speak a different language and come from different countries, it keeps them in touch.
“Learn a new language and get a new soul”
— Czech proverb
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Writer
Anamika Ghosh Shreya
Intern, content writing department
YSSE