Daffodil International University
Faculty of Humanities and Social Science => English => Topic started by: Souren on March 22, 2011, 10:01:35 AM
-
A lot of students ask from the teacher what is it that they should do to improve their Spoken English. So here is a post to tell them what we feel can improve in English skills.
Thinking about it and realized that we were lucky to be born in a family where, despite being Bangladeshi, Indians, and any other country English was the language of choice.
A lot of people don't have such a family environment. The first language they learn is their mother tongue. The next will be Bengali language (as indigenous people), if they are based in Bangladesh. Then when they reach school they finally learn English as the third language.
As a result, here are a few tips that I have collected to help improve Spoken English.
1. Get comfortable with the language. Read for 20 minutes in English. It can be a newspaper, a short story, a poem, or even a novel.
2. Develop your written language. If you don't have the requisite vocabulary you won't be able to communicate.
3. Start Speaking. Try out your spoken English on anyone who will be able to respond to you. Don't be afraid of making mistakes.
4. Keep your ears open for the accent. Watch the English news on Television. Watch BBC for the British Accent, CNN for the American Accent and NDTV 24/7 for the urban Indian Accent.
5. Record yourself. Listen to your voice and catch your pronunciation mistakes. Make a deliberate effort to avoid them.
6. Grammar is important. The parts of speech, tenses, form of verb, articles and modals all contribute to fluency. Make an effort to learn them.
7. Make the Dictionary your best friend. Familiarize yourself with its meaning and use it in a sentence that very day.
8. Have someone proficient read aloud to you. A storybook or a newspaper article will do. Watch how they move their lips while pronouncing certain words.
9. Learn one, two or three new word a day. To increase your active vocabulary start memorizing the meaning of a word you had heard but were not sure of. Use it regularly to absorb it into your vocabulary.
10. Start writing a Diary. It will allow you to practice the language in a totally non threatening environment. Write one entry of at least 100 words every day.
11. You mustn't be afraid of making mistakes but once you make them you have to rectify them with the help of a grammar book or a dictionary
12. The best way to improve your fluency is to not just speak in English, but think in English, because if you are thinking in your mother-tongue and you try to translate your message to English before actually saying it, you will not only speak in a slow way, but you will spoil that day's English advantage and learning. Just try to speak inside of your mind (think) in English, and it will come out in a more natural way.
13. Also, when you're out and about, or even at home, think, and also SPEAK OUT LOUD, the things you are doing, the things you see. And speak to other people! Always remember it's good to make mistakes, because you can learn from them and improve by remembering what you did wrong and improve that.
14. It’s a good idea to speak loudly.
15. Listen to English songs as much as possible and try to sing along.
16. Read English articles, books and reviews as much as possible.
17. Whenever you come across a new word write it down somewhere and find out the meaning.
18. BE CONFIDENT. Give yourself auto suggestions that you have good English
Consequently your Spoken English will improve, but not if you are lacking in commitment. It's all very well to be pumped up today about learning the language and forgetting all about it tomorrow.
Always remember the skills involved in any language are Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.
Good Luck
-
It is helpful every student.
-
The Best way to learn English is PRACTICE.
Please start practicing the following:
Start reading English newspaper at least for one hour daily. For sometime, you can read it out but please make sure you are not irritating people around you. However, you should hear your voice. Initially read it slowly just to get control over pronunciation. Also, don't bother for the meaning of the words. After one week or so start understanding the meaning of the words, sentences. You should take help of a good dictionary. Also, you can note down difficult words with meaning and pronunciation. Try to use these words in your day-to-day life.
Start talking in English with friends, family members, colleagues. Avoid using same words again and again.
Hope this will help you to start speaking English.
-
Regular practice is important in improving speaking skill.
-
"The following suggestion is given by an expert who teaches English
"The real effective approach to improve SPOKEN ENGLISH is the following.
1. Practice FREE SPEECH every day and if possible record your voice and later find out the flaws you have made and later correct them by verifying,this way you will keep eliminating your errors
2. Observe and watch DIRECT SPEECH of native speakers....not newspapers and news but INTERVIEWS AND INTERACTIVE SHOWS.This way you can learn correct PHRASES,DICTION AND PRONUNCIATION as well.Reading newspapers can improve rapid reading,voice modulation and knowledge but there you run the risk of pronouncing as per your pronunciation,just as the way we learned our mother tongue by observing,listening and responding and not reading.Reading is a tool to be used later to enrich an already grammatically correct speaker.
3.start THINKING IN ENGLISH as your FIRST LANGUAGE INFLUENCE problem will be aborted and you will construct sentences first in mind and then speak hence less errors.
4. ABOVE ALL....HAVE PATIENCE & PRACTICE WITH PEOPLE as it is a gradual but dynamic process.
I have incorporated these techniques with my participants who are from vernacular medium and have reaped results dramatically.
Hope it turns the same for you,Wishing you kindle the flame of knowledge and good speech."
-
Dear Shibli Sir,
Thanks for sharing such effective tips with us.Do you have the videos on interactive shows available with you?or do you have any link from which I can download?Please inform.It will be a great help for my speaking class.
Regards
Shamsi
-
There are a lot of videos on Youtube and other websites that you may try. Once Chairman sir has posted a lot of links here; i am looking for those links. Please search here in the Forum or in the google.
-
The single biggest problem facing students who learn English is personal fear of failure. The mind plays interesting tricks on all of us from time to time. We think others are watching and listening for our mistakes. The fear is so pronounced that the most intelligent person feel very shy and timid in their speaking.
I believe that learning a foreign language is a long and complicated process demanding a lot of concentration, diligence, patience, self-motivation and ambition. You can't master a language with your 'switched off' brain, so to say, for it demands drilling, thinking, analyzing and practising.
-
It is not making the mistake that helps us learn. It is not being afraid of making mistakes that let us learn. That is because it is impossible to pronounce something correctly the first time. We have to practice over and over to get it right. If we are afraid of sounding stupid and don't speak, we won't ever get it right.
-
Speak English for 30 to 60 minutes per day. Speaking English allows you to identify your mistakes while speaking, and it offers you a chance to understand how certain words and sentences are spoken.
-
Practice speaking English everyday. Find someone that you can practice within the community.
-
If we can't find anyone with whom we can speak English,we can speak with ourselves.Always,we think a lot of things,we converse a lot with ourselves.We can carry on that thinking,that conversation in English.Thinking in English and self-conversation are good ways of practising English.
-
We can improve our listening skills by listening to BBC or other English news channels or movies. In doing so, we should try to focus hard and understand as much as what the speaker is saying.
Reading can be improved by reading English newspapers, novels and also research papers. We should try to increase our speed and try to understand and memorize as much as we can when reading a certain passage.
Writing can be improved by writing more and more………and same is with speaking i.e. we should speak with our family and friends as much as we can.
But apart from this, we should also consult a good dictionary like Oxford or Cambridge Dictionary for Advanced Learners.
We should try and improve our English by the methods mentioned above.
-
Try to relax when you speak. Not only try to get rid of the psychological side of your stress, but also of the physical one. When you are stressed out, all your muscles get tense, including the facial muscles and vocal chords, responsible for the correct pronunciation. That is why it may be hard for you to pronounce English words correctly during face-to-face conversation, although you were able to do it well alone at home.
http://english-speaking-tips.com/v/3abc04ad36f1218a4f1ce2289c82e6e437
-
Remember not to speak too fast. Of course, you need to speak in the natural rhythm of the native language, but if you speak too fast your conversation partners will not be able to understand you properly. Therefore, it is better to speak a little bit slower and be sure that you will be correctly understood.
-
Try not to translate what you hear into your native language in your head. It is a very hard habit to get rid of, but it slows down the process of communication and makes concentrating on producing correct English sentences harder, because you are distracted by the rules and grammar of your own language that differ in many aspects from the English ones. It really takes too much time to construe an answer if you have two languages in your head and try to use them simultaneously. Plus, it makes you too hesitant.
-
Train all your English skills: listening, speaking, grammar and vocabulary. Do not forget about any of them, do not train only one separate. Any single one skill cannot be developed in isolation, because every language is a complex structure build from many little elements. Every unit has its place and is connected with others. Therefore training only one skill and forgetting about others does not have much sense.
-
I think the first post will be helpful for the students.
Thank you Shibli sir.
Regards
Sahmsi
-
Decide what type of vocabulary might be most useful for you. There are words that appear quite often in every type of conversation, connected with every sphere of our lives. It would be beneficial to learn them, so you can be sure that even in the most stressful situation you will be able to use them effortlessly. It is also good to learn work-specific vocabulary, connected with your job. You will need to use such words on everyday basis and knowing them by heart will reduce the level of stress during your conversations with others.
-
One of my finding is that, our students have less exposure to listening English than necessary.Listening works a lot.
-
All of our students should follow these to improve their speaking ability. Each and every tip is important and helpful.
-
Try to practise speaking at the front of a mirror. Just sit on a chair in front of a mirror in you house, preferably the biggest one, and start speaking.The topic doesn't matter. At the beginning choose one that you are most comfortable with or the one that seems most interesting. Then... just start speaking. Try to speak at least for five minuts, look at the topic from different prespectives, cover all the aspects. Try to speek fluently, without long pauses. See what you do with your hands, legs, do you fidget for example or play with a pen? When you feel you don't have anything else to add, just stop talking. Thanks to this exercise you build your confidence in your speaking abilities, as well as you are aware of your body lanuage, so you can try to eliminate the unnecessary or weird moves, e.g. playing with your hair.
-
Think in English. It may be difficult at first, but with the passing time you will see that it gets easier. Try to say quietly, in your head, to yourself what you see before you, what the weather is, how is somebody dressed, etc. A good idea might be also to imagine a conversation with somebody and to take part in it in your head. In such situation you gain confidence in your verbal skills. As a result, you are less stressed when you speak for real.
http://english-speaking-tips.com/v/14a352097723ab4711029dc41d897f0b598
-
Effective advice. I have already started practice to talk in front of the mirror. Thank you sir....
-
Certainly, these are good ideas to improve our spoken English. We should try to follow the instructions and more practice to be a good speaker.
-
Be an active member of an English-speaking message board. This way you will be less intimidated when you communicate in English. Although you are writing and not speaking, every opportunity to fight off the stress connected with using English is good. When you stop worrying that you may make a mistake, your ability to speak in a foreign language will benefit from it greatly. And you will not be as nervous while speaking as you were previously.
-
You are right sir.For a successful development of any language skill,it has to be integrated with other skills as well.It is not something that can be learned in isolation.And for a good speaking skill,it is important to be stress free which can be practiced through writing a regular diary,speaking to oneself,planning events,sorting out problems and many more in English.
I wish you a very successful teaching career.
Regards
Shamsi
-
Try to read aloud a lot to hear the way you speak and to get accustomed to your own voice. If you have a corresponding cassettes read aloud alongside the recordings. Finally, after some practice, record your own "performance" and listen to it critically. See what mistakes you make and try to get rid of them, so they won't bother you anymore.
-
Practise speaking on regular basis. Set yourself up a schedule and try to stick to it. For example, try to devote one hour per day to speaking English. The regularity is one of the most important features of every training. You will see the first effects of your training very fast, as far as you will stick to your schedule.
-
Do not lose faith in yourself! You won't be able to improve the command of your spoken English overnight. Learning language is a long and difficult process. However, it is important not to give up and to believe that you will get to the desired point sooner than later. This faith and belief is the driving force that helps you to achieve your goals. After all the hardships will come a moment when your spoken English will be on a very good level. So, remember: don't give up!
-
Try using international instant messaging programmes with voice chat option, like Skype or ICQ. You will find there a lot of people willing to speak with you in English. Not only native English speakers, but also many learners from different countries. This way, you will not only be able to practise your command of spoken English, but also to get accustomed to different accents people have. Thanks to that, you will have less problems understanding what other say - and that's the key to the -participation in any conversation!
-
Use every opportunity when you meet a native to talk with them. This way you will be able to experience the way they talk, which constructions they use and what kind of vocabulary is most useful in everyday situations. Do not panic and do not think that you won't be able to form a fluent sentence. Even if you happen to stutter, the natives won't laugh about you. Try to be confident and see such situations as a great opportunity to improve you spoken English. After all, natives can give you some great tips about how to speak their mother tongue.
-
Yes Shibli sir, talking to natives work a lot.
When I was in 2nd year of my graduation I got a friend named Harry from Bosnia.Talking with him I grew more fluent than earlier.
-
To improve language skill 4 things are very important. These are -
1. reading
2. writing
3. speaking
4. hearing
If we practice those we can improve our spoken English.
-
Dear English learners,
Do we find it difficult to speak English? Are we wondering why we can ONLY read and write in English but have a hard time putting together a simple sentence?
Do we feel shy or scared to speak to other people in English? Does it take us a very long time to say a simple sentence in public?
Are we tired of studying English without seeing improvements in our speaking skills?
The most popular question I get is, "How can I speak English fluently?" or "I can read and write, but I cannot speak English. What do I need to do?"
There are 5 basic problems
why people study English for many years and still cannot speak English.
1. Too much emphasis on grammar
1. Studying grammar will help us with exams, but will slow us down when trying to speak English
2. Too much time spent on studying words and vocabulary
1. We will know 1000 words, but will not be able to communicate
3. Spending most of the time on listening and reading, but not practicing speaking
1. We will be able to read, write, and understand, but will not be able to speak
4. Not surrounding ourselves in English
1. English speaking will continue to be difficult by not surrounding ourselves in English
5. Studying the wrong material
1. We will spend countless hours studying without any results
Steps to English Fluency.
A complete and efficient solution for English speaking will be fruitful if we practice speaking continuously.
To become a fluent English speaker, we also have to study and thus master reading, listening, and speaking.
By Swapan Kumar Bhowmik, DIU Faculty
-
The post important for all.
Sir I am know many word meaning but how can i fluently English.
Thank u sir
-
Thank you for this important topic...it really help me
Md. Mehedi Hassan (Real)
19th batch
dept. of English
-
Practice with a good partner is very necessary for developing English speaking fluency.