Improve Your English Speaking and English
Pronunciation Skills
My first piece of advice is not to get too
hung up on trying to sound like a native speaker. Would you start learning the
piano in an attempt to sound like Mozart? The first rule of speaking English is
to learn to speak clearly and concisely and remember you won't just be speaking
to native speakers: There are roughly 380 million native speakers out there,
but as many as a billion people speak English as a second language, you do the
math.
Try to avoid using idioms and slang (I
always say learn it, but don't use it). It might sound clever to say
"You're barking up the wrong tree," but if you use it in the wrong
situation, or if the other person simply doesn't understand you, you'll only
look silly when you try to explain what you meant to say, or what it actually
means.
There's also a saying in English
"Have you swallowed a dictionary?" It is applicable to anyone who
uses long, complicated words when a shorter word will do. Short sentences are
just as good (if not better) than long rambling explanations. The value in what
you have to say is what you say, not how clever you look or sound when you say
it. So it's a good idea to try to use simple, clear vocabulary, KISS - keep it
short and simple, Here's a fun video that illustrates
what I mean.
English speaking tips
Get over any fear you might have of making
mistakes. You will make mistakes.
Be patient with yourself. Learning any language
can be frustrating, but frustration won't help you, so let it go.
Grasp every opportunity you have to speak
with people in English.
Talk to friends who are also learning
English. Go out together for coffee and only speak English to each other!
Read short stories out loud and try to
see, say and hear the words to reinforce your memory. Record yourself and play
it back later, how does it sound?
Find
English speaking friends:-
- You might not be able to find any
friendly native speakers where you live, but If you can't find anyone
who'll actually help you, don't worry, you'll still be able to
figure out if they can understand you.
- Get onto Second Life. It's the one
place I've found where you're guaranteed a conversation - it's an adult
environment, and you won't always want to talk to the people you meet, but
for every blood sucking vampire who asks if they can bite you, there are
at least ten, nice people who just want to socialise. If you want a list
of nice places to go, just contact me on the forum.
- There are several internet based
voice chat programmes out there: Yahoo! Messenger | Google Hangouts | Skype and I'm sure
there are lots more.
- Look for people with the same
interests as you. It's no good asking everyone you meet to help you with
your English, rather develop natural friendships based on your hobbies
etc. Eventually you will make friends and they will be much more likely to
give you correction / guidance.
- Join an English club or conversation
group. Around the world there are many English speaking clubs, these clubs
aren't just for expats but for people interested in the English way of
life. They can be friendly and fun. For a list of English clubs click
here.
Check magazines as well as your phone book, your local newspaper and your
local university. Or if there isn't one in your area - start one! Place an
advertisement in your newspaper for people interested in starting a group
or go to Meetup.
- Visit an Irish/English/Australian
theme pub or British food shop, you can usually find one in the larger
cities. Often, the waiters and waitresses come from English-speaking
countries, the menu is often in English too!
- Once your English is good enough, go
shopping in some tourist areas. You'll find lots of shop assistants speak
very good English.
- If you can travel to an English
speaking country, do it.
Singing
Try singing along to English songs. With
friends or in the privacy of your own bathroom. Lots of the major games
consoles have karaoke games nowadays, like Sing Star on the Playstation.
On the internet :- You can speak to
me on
Skype
or in Second Life (see the forum calendar for times and dates) - you can also
listen to or chat with other learners and native speakers there, or join one of
the many social networking sites. They are all free, so there are no more
excuses.
On the network:- Use the pronunciation pages to improve your
understanding. Use my Voice Thread to practise tongue
twisters, introductions etc.
On this site:- You can find
some karaoke resources and ideas on the learn English
through songs
page.
On the Network: You can find the
words to some popular songs on the English
magazine.
Pronunciation
skills
Accents really don't matter any more. You
can spend a fortune and waste a lot of time trying to "get rid of"
your accent, time and money that you could spend learning more English. So,
unless you are up for a role in a film, don't worry about your accent too much.
That said, people need to be able to understand you, so pronunciation and
enunciation are important.
Be playful. Mimic famous people, play with
the different accents in films etc. I do a mean John Wayne.
Learn the phonetic alphabet.
List words that have the same sound add to
the lists as you learn more words.
For example words that rhyme with me:-
Work on one problem sound at a time. Read
slowly concentrating on the pronunciation of particular words. Record yourself,
keep the tape and record yourself later, have you improved? Don't be shy - ask
a friend to listen to the tape too.
Don't worry about sounding like a native,
it is more important to speak clearly and pleasantly than it is to sound like
the Queen of England - Even the Queen of England doesn't sound like she used
to.
The most important thing to think about is
can people understand you? If you have a problem being understood then find
someone who speaks English clearly and try to copy the way they speak. Pay
particular attention to speed and enunciation.
- See more at:
http://www.learnenglish.de/improveenglish/improvespeakingpage.html#sthash.islgkeuZ.dpuf
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