How To Get The Hang Of Better English Speaking Skills

By Janet Russell


Learning a new language can be tough. Even though you might be able to master the grammar, expressing yourself verbally in that language can be hard. You might know a lot of the vocabulary but stringing together a sentence can be difficult. Here are some tips that will come in handy when you want to improve your English speaking skills.

The more you speak the language, the better you will become with time. Therefore, take advantage of any opportunity you get to speak the language. Immerse yourself in the community and speak to your colleagues, neighbors or even other students. If you are not in a place where there are many speakers of the language, then the next best thing you can do is to find a native speaker that you can be practicing with on a regular basis.

Try and memorize as many vocabularies as possible. In addition, do not just learn individual words, but also how they are used in sentences. When you learn a word, practice how you can use it in different sentences. This way, you will learn how to string together sentences and short phrases.

When you are talking to other people, learn to listen to them keenly, so that you can pick up new words. Do not spend your time concentrating too hard on what you are going to say in return. Listen to the way they pronounce the words and their intonations. If there is anything that you do not understand, ask them for clarification.

Try as much as possible to use the new language when you are thinking. The advantage of this is you will save yourself time spent translating the language to a different one in your mind and when you are conversing with others.

Practice by yourself, when you are all alone. Speak loudly to yourself. If you want, you can even practice when looking at your own reflection in the mirror, as if you are talking to someone else. Practice saying whole sentences or paragraphs fluently.

Find TV shows in the language that you are trying to learn and watch them. If possible, find shows which have subtitles. They will help you pick up new words, as you are watching them. This will help to improve your fluency. Pause the programs and repeat the words that the characters are saying. Also, find videos and songs that you can sing along to. It will help you to familiarize yourself with the words used.

Do not put yourself under undue pressure. You will eventually get a hang of the language, as long as you keep practicing and give yourself adequate time to learn. In case you mess up when you are conversing with someone, just pause and try again. No need to beat yourself up over it. In addition, try and speak more slowly until you have a better grasp of the language.




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