(To any of you firends, you can use these)
How's everything?
What's up?
what's new?
What's happening?
(You can use these anytime,but they sound like that you are not that close)
How are you?
(for the first meeting)
Nice to meet you.
(To the people you know,but you don't know them well)
Nice to see you again.
(To your fiends that you haven't seen them for a short time)
How have you been?
(To your firends haven't seen for a long time) Long time no see.
Understanding English slang is very important in learning English. You probably have the same confusion. You have accumulated a lot of vocabulary, but when you talk to a native American, you still don’t understand what they talk about, because they use a lot of slang. For example, if a person says: “Let’s hang out tonight.” You may think what “hang out” means. If you explain this phrase literally, you may think the meaning is hanging something out, but, actually, it doesn’t really mean that. It means “Let’s go out tonight and have some fun.” So, understanding slang is very important for communication.
Here, I’d like to share my experience of how to understand some English slang. Having conversations with native speakers as many times as possible, the more you talk, the more you understand. Reading newspapers as much as you can, there is a lot of slang being used in the newspapers, try to understand them, and use them in your real life. You can also buy some English slang books, which will help you understand slang more easily.
Anyhow, as long as you go to great lengths to concentrate on this learning, you will find that your English will be improved quickly.
How to learn English: This question is always asked by students.Some of them mentioned a very popular book entitled Don't ever study English! containing a "Five Step English Study" program. The learner summarizes the steps below
Step 1: Select one audio tape suitable for your English level. And just listen. Don't try to understand everything the speaker says.
Step 2: Without a script, write down on the paper what the speaker says. In this step, never use dictionary.
Step 3: Compare what you wrote to the script. Correct the errors in it. And find the words that you don't know using dictionary. During this, find all the words that you don't know at the explanation of the words. After doing this, read it loudly again and again.
Step 4: Select one video tape. Repeat the above steps.
Step 5: Buy a magazine or newspaper. Read it from the simple section as if you were a reporter. And find the words you don't know as you did in the third step. And read it loudly.
The learner asked for my opinion on the method. :
My reply: So what do I think of the advice in the five step method?
Well, much of it is very sensible. For example, it is an excellent idea to read and listen to a lot of English that is suitable for your English level. I think this is much better than trying to learn from some grammar book (which I am sure is what the Korean author means by Do not study English). If you do listen or read a lot, I recommend that you find books or cassettes on a topic that is interesting or important to you, There are two reasons for this. Firstly, you will already know something about the topic; and secondly you will probably try harder to understand than if you are reading/watching something you find boring. Both of these aspects will help you to comprehend harder English than you would normally understand. This will speed up your progress.
I do not fully agree with the other advice in the five steps. For example, I would recommend hearing the audio tape two or three times (maybe, on the second or third occasion, reading the transcript at the same time) and trying to make more sense of it each time. Any words you don't understand after three hearings could be looked up, and then you could listen again for a fourth or fifth time.
Writing a transcript of the tape is a quite a good idea, but I would then recommend writing a summary of it or a personal reaction to it. If possible, find another learner with whom to discuss your reaction. In general, I certainly agree that you should train yourself to guess the meanings of words from the sentences and paragraphs they are in, without immediately looking them up in a dictionary.
I am not sure about the idea of reading the text aloud. If you have someone who can correct your pronunciation and intonation, this may be helpful. But remember that there is little connection between reading aloud and being a good speaker.If you want to practise your spoken English but have no communication partners, it is much more helpful to listen to some natural dialogues of native speakers talking, and try to practise shorter phrases or sentences with natural intonation. This is certainly better than reading aloud a long chunk of text that you have found in a newspaper.
But the best advice in language learning is that you should try different methods and see which one works best for you. If the advice from the book works, that's great, but you could still try following my advice to see if my suggestions work even better! Good luck with learning English.
Feeling nervous when speaking English This question came from someone who has lived in the US for a long time but still hasn't learned English very well. She wrote how nervous she was when she had to speak.
reply: The best way to learn English in your situation is to dive into it like diving into a pool of water. Watch English TV and movies, read English newspapers, listen to English radio, talk with English people, chat on English internet discussion groups.
If you don't need to write English, then don't worry about your spelling and grammar - it's not important. If writing English is important, then read a lot of English, and your writing will improve.
Learning English is like learning tennis. You get better at tennis by playing a lot of tennis. You get better at English by hearing, reading, writing and speaking English. Do not worry about making mistakes - who cares?? Everyone makes mistakes in their second language - just imagine how many mistakes the person you are speaking to would make if they were speaking your language! - the important thing is to communicate and keep talking. Good luck!
There are 4 key skills when you learn a language:
listening
speaking
reading
writing
Which one of these is the "Odd-One-Out"? Which one of these is different from the other three? The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone, on your own, without anyone else. You can listen to the radio alone. You can read a book alone. You can write a letter alone. But you can't really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be "dangerous" because men in white coats may come and take you away!!
That is why you should make every effort possible to find somebody to speak with. Where can you find people who can speak English with you? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?
At School
If you go to a language school, you should use the opportunity to speak to your teachers and other students. When you go home, you can still practise listening, reading and writing, but you probably can't practise speaking. If your teacher asks you a question, take the opportunity to answer. Try to say as much as possible. If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible. Don't worry about your mistakes. Just speak!
Conversation Clubs
Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another. Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you. They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.
Shopping
If you are living in an English-speaking country, you have a wonderful opportunity. Practise speaking to the local people such as shop assistants or taxi drivers. Even if you don't want to buy anything, you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop. "How much does this cost?" "Can I pay by cheque?" "Which do you recommend?" Often you can start a real conversation - and it costs you nothing!
Anglo-Saxon Pubs and Bars
Even if you don't live in an English-speaking country, there are often American, British, Irish and Australian pubs in many large cities. If you can find one of these pubs, you'll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.
Language is all around You
Everywhere you go you find language. Shop names, street names, advertisements, notices on buses and trains... Even if you are not in an English-speaking country, there are often a lot of English words you can see when walking in the street, especially in big cities. And there are always numbers. Car numbers, telephone numbers, house numbers... How can this help you? When you walk down the street, practise reading the words and numbers that you see. Say them to yourself. It's not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to "think" in English. For example, if you walk along a line of parked cars, say the number on each car quickly as you pass it. Test yourself, to see how fast you can walk and still say each number. But don't speak too loud!
Songs and Video
Listen to the words of an English-language song that you like. Then repeat them to yourself and try to sing with the music. Repeat the words as many times as possible until they become automatic. Soon you'll be singing the whole song. Or listen to one of your favourite actors on video and repeat one or two sentences that you like. Do it until it becomes automatic. It's good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.
Above all, don't be afraid to speak. You must try to speak, even if you make mistakes. You cannot learn without mistakes. There is a saying: "The person who never made a mistake never made anything." So think of your mistakes as something positive and useful.
Speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress.
Two simple definitions
to hear: to receive sound with the ears
to listen: to try to hear
You are very good at languages. That's obvious, because you already speak one language very well - your own! And if you can learn and speak one language well, then you can certainly learn and speak one or more other languages.
But did you ever ask yourself: "How did I learn my own language?" In fact, you never really "learned" it at all - you just started speaking it. One day, when you were about two or three years old, you started speaking your language. A few words at first, not full sentences. But you spoke. And very soon you made progress without even thinking about it. It was like magic!
But it wasn't magic. It was the result of hearing. For two to three years before you spoke, you heard people speaking your language all day, and maybe all night. You heard people speaking your language. Maybe you listened to people, but more importantly you heard. them. Then, as if by magic, you started to speak. All that hearing was necessary for you to start speaking. For two to three years words went IN to your head. Then words came OUT of your head! That is why hearing (and listening to) English as much as possible is so important to you now. The more English you put in, the more you'll get out!
So how can you hear a lot of English when you're not in an English-speaking country or family? Fortunately, there are many ways of hearing English in almost all countries of the world.
Radio
You can receive English language radio in most countries. Two of the best international networks are the BBC World Service and Voice of America. Both of them have special programmes for learners of English. You can find information about times and frequencies for your country on their web sites. Click here for links to radio stations.
Television
TV is an excellent resource for hearing and listening to English. The pictures help you understand what is being said. If you don't have access to English-language TV, you may be able to watch TV on Internet.
Internet
It is now a lot easier to hear English by Internet. If you're reading this at your computer, you can probably listen to some English-language radio news right now, without even moving! To be able to listen to radio on the Internet, you'll need to have special software called a "player" installed in your computer. Most sites work with two players - the RealPlayer from RealNetworks and the Windows Media Player from Microsoft. Don't worry. Both these players are free and you may already have them installed on your computer.
Music/songs
Songs in English are everywhere, even on foreign-language radio and TV stations. Listen to them often. Buy some cassettes or CDs, or make recordings, and try to write the words for an entire song. But choose one that is not too difficult. That means it should be reasonably slow, and with real words sung clearly. Some pop songs are very unclear and are difficult even for native English-speakers to understand fully!
Cinema
Outside the English-speaking world, many large cities have cinemas that show films in English, usually with sub-titles. Make it a habit to go to these films. If you need to read the sub-titles, at least you'll be hearing English even if you don't understand it.
Video
Video has one really great advantage. You can play it again . . . and again. You can use video to watch film cassettes that you buy or borrow. If there are sub-titles, you can cover them with paper (which you can remove if you really don't understand after listening several times). And you can use video to record programmes from television and then watch them several times to improve your understanding.
Friends
Try to make friends with English-speaking people so that you can practise your English through conversation. Of course, this will practise your speaking as well as your listening. And if you don't have a lot of time to go out and meet people, at least you can chat a little by telephone.
Finally, don't worry if you don't understand everything you hear. Hearing comes first! Understanding comes next!
Introduction: Standard American English TipsSpeaking English is not only about using proper grammar. To use English effectively, you need to understand the culture in which it is spoken. Here are a number of important tips to remember when speaking English in the United States.
General Points to Remember
Most Americans only speak English: While it is true that more and more Americans speak Spanish, most Americans only speak English. Don't expect them to understand your native language.
Americans have difficulties understanding foreign accents: Many Americans are not used to foreign accents. This requires patience from both of you!
Conversation Tips
Speak about location: Americans love to talk about location. When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they are from and then make a connection with that place. For example: "Oh, I have a friend who studied in Los Angeles. He says it's a beautiful place to live." Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences living or visiting that particular city or area.
Talk about work: Americans commonly ask "What do you do?". It's not considered impolite (as in some countries) and is a popular topic of discussion between strangers.
Talk about sports: Americans love sports! However, they love American sports. When speaking about football, most Americans understand "American Football", not soccer.
Be careful when expressing ideas about race, religion or other sensitive topics: The United States is a multi-cultural society. Especially in the last few years, Americans are trying very hard to be sensitive to other cultures and ideas. Talking about sensitive topics like religion or beliefs, is often avoided in order to be sure not to offend someone of a different belief system. This is often referred to as being "politically correct".
Addressing People
Use last names with people you do not know: Address people using their title (Mr, Ms, Dr) and their last names.
Always use "Ms" when addressing women: It is important to use "Ms" when addressing a woman. Only use "Mrs" when the woman has asked you to do so!
Many Americans prefer first names: Americans often prefer using first names, even when dealing with people in very different positions. Americans will generally say, "Call me Tom." and then expect you to remain on a first name basis.
Americans prefer informal: In general, Americans prefer informal greetings and using first names or nicknames when speaking with colleagues and acquaintances.
Public Behavior
Always shake hands: Americans shake hands when greeting each other. This is true for both men and women. Other forms of greeting such as kissing on the cheeks, etc., is generally not appreciated.
Look your partner in the eye: Americans look each other in the eyes when they are speaking as a way of showing that they are sincere.
Don't hold hands: Same sex friends do not usually hold hands or put their arms around each other in public in the United States.
Smoking is Out!!: Smoking, even in public places, is strongly disapproved of by most Americans in the modern United States
Pronouncing every word correctly leads to poor pronunciation! Good pronunciation comes from stressing the right words - this is because English is a time-stressed language.
Difficulty Level: Hard Time Required: Varies
Here's How:
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Learn the following rules concerning pronunciation.
English is considered a stressed language while many other languages are considered syllabic.
In other languages, such as French or Italian, each syllable receives equal importance (there is stress, but each syllable has its own length).
English pronunciation focuses on specific stressed words while quickly gliding over the other, non-stressed, words.
Stressed words are considered content words: Nouns e.g. kitchen, Peter - (most) principle verbs e.g. visit, construct - Adjectives e.g. beautiful, interesting - Adverbs e.g. often, carefully
Non-stressed words are considered function words: Determiners e.g. the, a - Auxiliary verbs e.g. am, were - Prepositions e.g. before, of - Conjunctions e.g. but, and - Pronouns e.g. they, she
Read the following sentence aloud: The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.
Read the following sentence aloud: He can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the evening.
Notice that the first sentence actually takes about the same time to speak well!
Even though the second sentence is approximately 30% longer than the first, the sentences take the same time to speak. This is because there are 5 stressed words in each sentence.
Write down a few sentences, or take a few example sentences from a book or exercise.
First underline the stressed words, then read aloud focusing on stressing the underlined words and gliding over the non-stressed words.
Be surprised at how quickly your pronunciation improves! By focusing on stressed words, non-stressed words and syllables take on their more muted nature.
When listening to native speakers, focus on how those speakers stress certain words and begin to copy this. Tips:
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Remember that non-stressed words and syllables are often "swallowed" in English.
Always focus on pronouncing stressed words well, non-stressed words can be glided over.
Don't focus on pronouncing each word. Focus on the stressed words in each sentence.
Try this short exerciseSay this sentence aloud and count how many seconds it takes. The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.Time required? Probably about 5 seconds. Now, try speaking this sentence aloud.He can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the evening.Time required? Probably about 5 seconds.Wait a minute the first sentence is much shorter than the second sentence!The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distanceHe can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the eveningYou are only partially right!This simple exercise makes a very important point about how we speak and use English. Namely, English is considered a stressed language while many other languages are considered syllabic. What does that mean? It means that, in English, we give stress to certain words while other words are quickly spoken (some students say eaten!). In other languages, such as French or Italian, each syllable receives equal importance (there is stress, but each syllable has its own length). Many speakers of syllabic languages don't understand why we quickly speak, or swallow, a number of words in a sentence. In syllabic languages each syllable has equal importance, and therefore equal time is needed. English however, spends more time on specific stressed words while quickly gliding over the other, less important, words.Let's look at a simple example: the modal verb "can". When we use the positive form of "can" we quickly glide over the can and it is hardly pronounced.They can come on Friday. (stressed words underlined)On the other hand, when we use the negative form "can't" we tend to stress the fact that it is the negative form by also stressing "can't". They can't come on Friday. As you can see from the above example the sentence, "They can't come on Friday" is longer than "They can come on Friday" because both the modal "can't" and the verb "come" are stressed. So, what does this mean for my speaking skills?Well, first of all, you need to understand which words we generally stress and which we do not stress. Basically, stress words are considered CONTENT WORDS such as
Nouns e.g. kitchen, Peter
(most) principal verbs e.g. visit, construct
Adjectives e.g. beautiful, interesting
Adverbs e.g. often, carefullyNon-stressed words are considered FUNCTION WORDS such as
Determiners e.g. the, a, some, a few
Auxiliary verbs e.g. don't, am, can, were
Prepositions e.g. before, next to, opposite
Conjunctions e.g. but, while, as
Pronouns e.g. they, she, usLet's return to the beginning example to demonstrate how this affects speech. The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance. (14 syllables)He can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the evening. (22 syllables)Even though the second sentence is approximately 30% longer than the first, the sentences take the same time to speak. This is because there are 5 stressed words in each sentence. From this example, you can see that you needn't worry about pronouncing every word clearly to be understood (we native speakers certainly don't). You should however, concentrate on pronouncing the stressed words clearly. Now, do some listening comprehension or go speak to your native English speaking friends and listen to how we concentrate on the stressed words rather than giving importance to each syllable. You will soon find that you can understand and communicate more because you begin to listen for (and use in speaking) stressed words. All those words that you thought you didn't understand are really not crucial for understanding the sense or making yourself understood. Stressed words are the key to excellent pronunciation and understanding of English.I hope this short introduction to the importance of stress in English will help you to improve your understanding and speaking skills.
Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, you are communicating quite fluently, but: Listening is STILL a problem!
First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult task (noun=exercise, job) for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. So, now you know you are not alone....! OK. The most important thing is to listen, and that means as often as possible. The next step is to find listening resources. This is where the Internet really comes in handy (idiom = to be useful) as a tool for English students. First you need to:
Download The RealPlayerfrom RealMedia.com The RealPlayer allows you to listen to RealAudio and use the Internet like a radio station.
Many sites now also provide listening using the Windows Media Player - or even have their own players on the site. Once you have the RealPlayer you can begin to listen to English as it is used in everyday life. The possibilities are almost unlimited. You can:
Listen to All Things Considered news stories on NPR
Listen to the BBC.
Strategies
Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated (adjective=upset) by limited understanding. What should you do?
Here is some of the advice I give my students:
Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.
Keep cool (idiom=stay relaxed) when you do not understand - even if you continue to not understand for a long time.
Do not translate into your native language (synonym=mother tongue)
Listen for the gist (noun=general idea) of the conversation. Don't concentrate on detail until you have understood the main ideas. I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn't understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This approach (synonym=method) usually resulted in confusion. Then, after the first six months, I discovered two extremely important facts; Firstly, translating creates a barrier (noun=wall, separation) between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm (adjective=relaxed), I noticed that - even if I spaced out (idiom=to not pay attention) I could usually understand what the speaker had said. I had discovered some of the most important things about listening comprehension:
Translating creates a barrier between yourself and the person who is speaking
While you are listening to another person speaking a foreign language (English in this case), the temptation is to immediately translate into your native language. This temptation becomes much stronger when you hear a word you don't understand. This is only natural as we want to understand everything that is said. However, when you translate into your native language, you are taking the focusof your attention away from the speaker and concentrating on the translation process taking place in your brain. This would be fine if you could put the speaker on hold (phrasal verb=to make a person wait). In real life however, the person continues talking while you translate. This situation obviously leads to less -not more- understanding. I have discovered that translation leads to a kind of block (noun=no movement or activity ) in my brain which sometimes doesn't allow me to understand anything at all!
Most people repeat themselves
Think for a moment about your friends, family and colleagues. When they speak in your native tongue, do they repeat themselves? I don't mean literally (adverb=word for word), I mean the general idea. If they are like most people I have met, they probably do. That means that whenever you listen to someone speaking, it is very likely (adjective=probable) that he/she will repeat the information, giving you a second, third or even fourth chance to understand what has been said.
By remaining calm, allowing yourself to notunderstand, and not translating while listening, your brain is free to concentrate on the most important thing: Understanding English in English.
Tips
Listen to something you enjoyProbably the greatest advantage about using the Internet to improve your listening skills is that you can choose what you would like to listen to and how many and times you would like to listen to it. By listening to something you enjoy, you are also likely to know a lot more of the vocabulary required!
Listen for KeywordsUse keywords (noun=principal words) or keyphrases to help you understand the general ideas. If you understand "New York", "business trip", "last year" you can assume (verb=to take for granted, suppose) that the person is speaking about a business trip to New York last year. This may seem obvious to you, but remember that understanding the main idea will help you to understand the detail as the person continues to speak.
Listen for ContextLet's imagine that your English speaking friend says "...I bought this great tunerat JR's. It was really cheap and now I can finally listen to National Public Radio broadcasts." You don't understand what a tuneris. If you focus on the word tuneryou might become frustrated. However, if you think in context (noun=the situation explained during the conversation) you probably will understand. For example; bought is the past of buy, listen is no problem and radio is obvious. Now you understand: He bought something - the tuner- to listen to the radio. A tunermust be a kind of radio! This is a simple example but it demonstrates what you need to focus on: Not the word that you don't understand, but the words you dounderstand.
SummaryIt might seem to you that my ideas on how to listen encourage you to not understand everything. This is absolutely correct. One hundred percent understanding is something to work towards(phrasal verb=to have as a goal, a plan for the future) and not to expect of yourself now. Listening needs a great amount of practice and patience. Allow yourself the luxury of not becoming nervous when you do not understand, and you will be surprised by how quickly you dobegin to understand.
Listening often is the most important way to improve your listening skills. Enjoy the listening possibilities offered by the Internet and remember relax.....
Here are some tips to help you improve your pronunciation.
First of all, don't worry about not having a native-English accent. It's important to be able to speak clearly, so that people can understand you. However, it's almost impossible to sound exactly like a native English speaker if you are learning English as an adult in a non- English speaking country.
However, there are many things that you can do to improve your pronunciation and your speaking skills.
1. Listen to spoken English as often as possible.
Listen to how speakers pronounce various words and phrases and "model" your pronunciation on what you hear.
2. Learn the phonetic alphabet.
Use the phonetic alphabet page (at the beginning of most good dictionaries) as a guide to pronouncing new words.
3. Don't forget to learn the word stress of a new word.
Every English word has its own stress, or intonation. For example, the word "believe" has two syllables (be and lieve), but only the second syllable is stressed. We say be'lieve and not 'be lieve. Your dictionary will show the syllable stress by an apostrophe (') before the syllable to be stressed.
Word stress is important. In fact, it is more likely that someone misunderstands you because of wrong word stress than because of the wrong pronunciation of a sound.
4. Work out which sounds cause you most problems in English.
Depending on what your first language is, you may have problems with certain sounds. For example, French speakers have difficulties with "th"; speakers of Mandarin have difficulties with "r" or "l", and Arabic speakers have difficulties with "p" and "b".
5. Practise the sounds you find difficult.
A useful exercise is a "minimal pair" exercise. For example, if you have difficulty distinguishing between "p" and "b", try practising pairs of words which are the same except for the sound "p" and "b":
For example, "pair" and "bear"; "pond" and "bond"; "pie" and "buy" etc.
6. Be aware of intonation and sentence stress.
Not all words in a sentence have equal stress, and generally only the "information" words (nouns and verbs) are stressed.
'Where's the 'pen I 'gave you?
'Where's the 'red 'pen I 'gave you?
Where's the 'red and 'blue 'pen I 'gave you 'yesterday?
The unstressed words (such as "the", "I", "you" and "and") don't carry as much "weight" as the stressed words. They become much smaller in length, and are almost abbreviated. For example, "and" becomes "un".
Changing stress
Sentence stress isn't "fixed" like word stress. In fact, you can stress words that are normally unstressed in order to highlight different meanings.
For example:
I 'love you. (Love, rather than just like.)'I love you. (With the stress on I to highlight that it's me rather than another person who loves you.)I love 'you. (And nobody else.)
Intonation
There are a couple of easy to remember rules about intonation. Usually our voices go up at the end of the sentence to show a question, and down at the end to show a statement.
Intonation is also important in "tag questions":
You know him, don't you? (With rising intonation on "don't you?" to show it's a question)You know him, don't you. (With falling intonation on "don't you" to show it's a statement you expect the other person to agree with.)
7. Learn to recognise spelling patterns.
For example, "tion" on the end of a word is pronounced "shun", while "sion" can be pronounced "zhun". There are often many ways to pronounce a particular spelling pattern, but it certainly helps to know what the variations are. For example, the pattern "ough" can be pronounced "uff" as in "enough" and "tough", or "or" as in "ought" and "bought" or "oh" as in "although" and "dough".
8. Don't rush.
If you speak too fast, the danger is that you could skip over some words, fail to pronounce them completely, or mix them up. If you speak too slowly, you might end up sounding unnatural. But it's better to speak slowly and clearly than too quickly.
Improving your English speaking skills will help you communicate more easily and effectively. But how do you become a more confident English speaker?Practise where you can, when you can. Any practice is good - whether you speak to someone who is a native English speaker or not.
It's important to build your confidence. If possible, use simple English sentence structure that you know is correct, so that you can concentrate on getting your message across.
Try to experiment with the English you know. Use words and phrases you know in new situations. Native English speakers are more likely to correct you if you use the wrong word than if you use the wrong grammar. Experimenting with vocabulary is a really good way of getting feedback.
Try to respond to what people say to you. You can often get clues to what people think by looking at their body language. Respond to them in a natural way.
Try NOT to translate into and from your own language. This takes too much time and will make you more hesitant.
If you forget a word, do what native English speakers do all the time, and say things that 'fill' the conversation. This is better than keeping completely silent. Try using um, or er, if you forget the word.
Don't speak too fast! It's important to use a natural rhythm when speaking English, but if you speak too fast it will be difficult for people to understand you.
Try to relax when you speak - you'll find your mouth does most of the pronunciation work for you. When you speak English at normal speed, you'll discover that many of the pronunciation skills, such as linking between words, will happen automatically.
Remember, when speaking English…
Try to become less hesitant and more confident.
Don't be shy to speak - the more you do it, the more confident you'll become.
Remember to be polite - use "please" and "thank you" if you ask someone to do something for you.
