How to learn to speak English: language courses, communication with a native English speaker, self-study, learning material

Table of contents:

How to learn to speak English: language courses, communication with a native English speaker, self-study, learning material
How to learn to speak English: language courses, communication with a native English speaker, self-study, learning material
Anonim

Those who want to understand how to learn how to speak English well should learn from the experience of its native speakers from the UK and the USA. The natives of these countries grow up in an environment dominated by this language and learn it through constant contact and social interaction. They use English as a very practical tool for establishing relationships with other people, studying, working, receiving and exchanging information. Without fluency in the language, life would be difficult for them, since it is the basis of almost everything they do.

You have to ask yourself, “Do I really want to learn how to speak English?” If the answer is yes and there is a strong desire, then more time should be devoted to learning the language. To do this, you should change your lifestyle so that contact with him becomes regular. The article provides recommendationshow to do it most effectively.

Dip Method

It's not enough to say to yourself: "I want to learn how to speak English." It is necessary to allocate time for daily activities and give them high priority. They should be seen as an investment in the future. Classes should be regular - the speed with which the desired result will be achieved depends on this.

You need to actively introduce English into your daily life. For example, you can read the news on your tablet during breakfast, listen to an audiobook or radio station on the way to work, use your phone to take a 10 new word test during your lunch break, write an email to a foreign colleague or friend, watch a 5-minute video from study channel, read grammar, study on Skype several times a week, watch a movie in the original once a month, etc.

How to learn to speak English if 99% of the time is given to your native language? It is necessary to reduce its use. This method includes changing the language on your mobile phone, watching TV shows, and reading books in a foreign language instead of your native language.

English should be seen as a way of life, not a subject of study. Any contact with the language will eventually help you speak more fluently, so don't limit yourself to traditional classes and textbooks. This will make the learning process much more interesting.

Get others involved by asking them to help you practice, check your vocabulary, or correct your writing. They can playan important role in supporting the new "English lifestyle".

English immersion
English immersion

Persistence and realism

The best things in life often come from consistently achieving a goal over a long period of time. This is true in this case as well. Today there are many books and websites that promise to tell you how to quickly learn to speak English. However, there are no easy ways. Those who are looking for a quick fix or don't invest enough time, effort, and money into learning are in danger of failing. You need to take responsibility for yourself, and not shift it to others. It is impossible to quickly learn to speak English like a native speaker.

Many set unrealistic goals for themselves, don't stick to a schedule, and are then disappointed with the end result. You shouldn't fall into this trap. You can start with a series of small and achievable short-term goals (for example, for 3 months) and, finding free time, make a plan.

You need to come to terms with the fact that it is impossible to achieve a 100% native English level. But 90% is a very realistic goal. You should work on improving your skills. You must always remember your goals. For example, for an accent, the main thing is that everyone understands it, that is, you need to have a clear standard pronunciation with minimal confusion in similar sounds.

You should visualize your progress to assess the level you have reached. This will help control the improvement of skills. For example, you can take a 20-word test every week. Vocabulary makes it easier to understand, andalso helps to speak English more fluently.

How to learn to communicate in English
How to learn to communicate in English

Motivation

One of the problems with traditional learning is that it lacks a personal touch. The old style of teaching can destroy interest in the language and demotivate learning. Those who wish to know how to speak English must focus on themselves, establish a closer connection with the language and increase their own motivation in order to gain greater freedom of action.

You need to connect your hobbies and interests with English. The language will never get bored if you read something interesting in it. You can take a paper and write down a list of your hobbies and interests that motivate and stimulate in everyday life, and figure out how to tie them to English. For example, tennis fans who read articles about the sport in their native language should start doing so in English. At the same time, they will have quick access to the latest news, as there is no need to wait for the translation to appear.

Boring textbooks can be demotivating, so don't use them. Try a variety of materials to see what works best.

How to learn to speak English fluently? You need to communicate regularly with other people. This could be family or friends, members of a local English club, classmates, a Skype teacher, etc.

Thanks to the Internet, even outside of an English-speaking country, one can access the "opportunities" of English by joining forums wherelike-minded people correspond on interesting topics. There you can learn by marking frequently used expressions and constructions that can be used later. Another advantage of the forums is the use of modern colloquial expressions.

Teaching English online
Teaching English online

How to get fluent?

Fluent spoken English is impossible without a wide vocabulary, a good understanding of speech and grammar. Therefore, you should not focus only on communication.

To learn how to speak English like a native speaker on your own, you need to keep learning new words. This will give you more opportunities to express your thoughts. It is important to constantly work on increasing your vocabulary through conscious and passive learning. Many simply do not have enough words to express their thoughts, or they cannot formulate a sentence quickly enough. In this case, working on expanding the vocabulary helps a lot.

You should study words and expressions that will be used regularly. You can write them down in a dictionary and take quizzes every month to pick out the most useful, or use an app like Wordsteps to compile lists and test your vocabulary over time.

Want to start speaking English well? Then you need to learn to listen well. Fluency in a language is often achieved by memorizing what others say. There are many accents and regional forms in English, so it is important to improve your listening skills. For thisyou can watch modern series, movies with sub titles, Youtube channels, etc. Music lovers can choose their favorite track, print out the lyrics, translate it and maybe even sing.

Reading will help you learn the word order, grammatical constructions, idioms and expressions used by native speakers. If you read many articles on the same topic or several books by the same author, you may find that some words and phrases are repeated from time to time. The more you read these texts, the easier it becomes to understand them.

For more natural speech, you need to study how native speakers use the language in their everyday conversations. Dialogues can be taken from textbooks or rewritten from television programs (such as soap operas and comedies). At the same time, you can notice that more phrasal verbs, abbreviations and simplified forms of time are used in colloquial speech (especially in American). This one is different from traditional textbooks and provides valuable information about modern English. You can try role-playing games and practice speaking in different situations. Many words and phrases are often repeated, so it is worth knowing them well.

Teaching English in groups
Teaching English in groups

Grammar or speech?

The main problem for English learners is that they were taught by non-native speakers who are more grammar oriented than speech oriented. This is understandable because school programs often favor structure over interaction and teachers lack confidence in their oral skills. However, the fact is that students cannotlearn to speak English fluently if they are denied the opportunity to regularly develop their speaking skills.

Grammar is important, but it is learned not only from textbooks. The English rarely learn grammar formally. This mostly happens through trial and error writing essays and other texts, which are then corrected by their teacher. They learn the rules of grammar through communication and constant contact with the language. Therefore, you can learn by regularly listening to foreign speech and copying the correct constructions and expressions.

Those who want to know how to speak English well should not ignore non-standard forms, regional accents and dialects. According to statistics, only 2% of Britons speak standard English. This "elite" form is in decline and not seen as desirable. Many BBC announcers now use the standard version with soft regional accents - Welsh, Scottish, Northern, Southern, etc. A wide range of accents and dialects can be heard on TV. While it is not necessary to adopt them, it is important to understand them because most native speakers are at least somewhat different from the standard.

Teaching English via Skype
Teaching English via Skype

Using modern content

To learn how to speak English like a native speaker, you need a modern role model. Even outside of English-speaking countries, the internet provides fantastic learning opportunities in the form of news websites, forums, social media, educators, learning sites, and more.you need to use outdated textbooks or materials that do not reflect the modern language. Literature can be used if there is a distinction between obsolete forms and the ability to make the right choice.

Most ESL students are unable to identify the correct words and phrases to fit the context. This is a difficult skill and mistakes often come from using old textbooks and manuals. Foreigners speak too formally. This is due to the wrong choice of words - for example, the formal terms postpone and collect instead of put off and pick up.

It is often best not to use textbooks and other resources written by non-native speakers as they are likely to be buggy and outdated.

Continuous development

To learn how to speak English like a native speaker, you need to adapt to the changing nature of the language and constantly learn. The locals never stop learning it as it is constantly evolving under the influence of media, advertising, fashion, politics, foreign languages, etc. Therefore, one should constantly listen to modern content. Communication with native speakers is also a big advantage.

Watching reality shows, series and soap operas can provide valuable information about the English spoken today in most English-speaking countries. It is not always pretty, polite, or consistent with standard pronunciation and grammar, but it illustrates modern usage and gives an idea of the language spoken by the British and Americans today.

Teaching English withteacher
Teaching English withteacher

The importance of practice

To learn how to speak English like a native speaker, you need to maintain a good active vocabulary. Most are prevented from doing so by a lack of practice (i.e., repetition). The human brain is like a computer and the active dictionary is stored in a "temp folder". If the information is not used for a certain period of time, it is simply deleted or forgotten. Therefore, if you want to learn how to speak English fluently, you need to use memorized vocabulary and grammar in practice and communicate regularly.

Using materials that deal with the same topics is a good way to become familiar with a certain set of vocabulary through constant contact with the same words, phrases and constructions. For example, after reading 25 articles about tennis, you can learn all the common phrases related to sports. The same goes for any other topic.

Using the latest technology

Scientific and technological progress is changing the way we acquire knowledge. Learners all over the world are using the internet to improve their English through learning websites, social media, webinars, Skype lessons, and more. Many prefer to install language learning apps on their mobile phones. This is a great idea because it allows you to practice more without having to carry books around.

Although great progress has been made in artificial intelligence over the past decade, computers still cannot understand and reproduce speechthe way people do it. This means that English speaking apps are often limited. Therefore, regular communication with native speakers and people who simply speak it is necessary.

Imitation

To learn how to speak English like a native speaker on your own, you need the right role model. In the same way that children learn to speak by imitating their parents and others, you can learn a language through content (texts, audio, video) and by interacting with a teacher or friends.

You must select one English option. Between the language used in the US and the UK, there are significant differences in vocabulary, pronunciation and even grammar. During conversation and writing, confusion often occurs when different varieties of English are mixed. To avoid this, you need to opt for one thing.

A teacher can be a great source of regular communication practice and error correction. He can become a role model, increasing motivation and interest in the language. You can also select a TV host, Youtube star or celebrity if you have access to video and audio content.

Teaching English with a Smartphone
Teaching English with a Smartphone

Regular communication

You can learn to speak English like a native speaker if you provide constant speech practice. Live communication helps to improve listening skills and provides an opportunity to put theory into practice. This type of communication is less formal and organized than lessons, and not all mistakes will be corrected, but the presence of an English-language socialnetworks can be extremely helpful in improving confidence when speaking.

English is the most popular foreign language studied in the world today. This means that there are clubs and societies for its study everywhere. Information about them can be found through Google or Facebook. Often they are free, but some collect small membership fees. The idea of these clubs is to organize weekly or monthly meetings during which people can socialize in an informal setting.

In addition, by installing a microphone, you can chat with other players during the game and find a lot in common with people around the world.

Classes with a native speaker

While many skills can be improved on your own, fluency is rarely achieved in isolation due to the need for regular interaction and error correction. Having a teacher can help coordinate daily activities. They must be a qualified teacher with experience who can provide instruction and practical training several times a week.

This can be done in a classroom at a private language school, at home or with a teacher. In addition, English lessons are available via Skype (or using another VoIP program). This method gives you more choice and saves time and money.

You can search for speakers living in the city. This can be done through Google or Facebook, as well as through the international department of a local university, or even a Mormon mission. If they are interested in learning the language of the host country, then you can offer them an “exchange” andmeet weekly at a coffee shop to practice for 30-60 minutes.

Recommended: