English is an
excellent language to learn, whether it's for business, travel or personal
reasons. Learning any language requires hard work, commitment and a willingness
to make mistakes, and English is no different. Read below to gather information
about learning English.
Part 1: Improving Your Spoken English
Speak a little English
every day. The absolute
best way to learn any new language is just to speak it. It doesn't matter if you
only know five English words or if you're practically fluent -- speaking
English with another person is the fastest, most effective method of improving.
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Don't wait until you
"feel more comfortable" speaking in English -- you probably won't
reach that level for a long time, so push yourself outside of your comfort zone
and start speaking English today. You' ll be amazed at how quickly your
language skills improve.
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Find a native English
speaker who is willing to spend some time speaking English with you -- you may
be able to offer them a language exchange, where they spend 30 minutes speaking
English with you and you spend 30 minutes speaking your native language with
them.
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If you live in an
English-speaking country, you can practice by starting simple conversations
with the people you meet, whether it's saying "hello" to a shopkeeper
or asking a stranger for directions.
Work
on your pronunciation. Even if you have an acceptable grasp of the English
language, with good grammar and an extensive vocabulary, native English
speakers may find you very difficult to understand if you don't work on your
pronunciation.
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Correct, clear
pronunciation is essential if you really want to improve your level of English.
Listen closely to how native English speakers pronounce certain words and
sounds and do your best to copy them.
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Pay particular
attention to any sounds that you are unfamiliar with or that do not exist in
your native tongue. For example some people have difficulty pronouncing the
"r" sound, as it does not exist in their native language, while other
people have difficulty with certain consonant clusters, such as the
"th" sound.
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Be aware that the
pronunciation of certain English words varies greatly depending on the part of
the world it's spoken in. For example, American English is very different from
British English. If you intend to travel to or live in an English-speaking
country, this is something you should take into account when learning how to
pronounce certain words.
Expand
your vocabulary and use idiomatic phrases. The wider your vocabulary and the more
English phrases you learn, the easier speaking English will become.
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Again, spending time
with native English speakers will help you to pick up on common vocabulary and
phrases in a natural way. Although reading, watching English TV and listening
to the news is also beneficial.
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Once you have learned
a new word or phrase, you should make an effort to use it in a sentence -- this
is the best way to commit it to memory.
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Another easy way to
commit new words to memory is to make labels for everyday household items and
stick them around your house or apartment. Then every time you use the kettle
or look in the mirror, you will see the English word for these items staring back
at you.
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You should also start
a notebook of idiomatic phrases that English speakers use all the time. Some
examples include "it's raining cats and dogs " (raining heavily), to
be on "cloud nine" (to be very happy) or saying something is a "piece
of cake" (when something is very easy). Sprinkling these kinds of phrases
into your conversation will bring your level of English up several notches.
Attend
an English class or discussion group. Another great way to incorporate some
extra English conversation into your weekly routine is to sign up for a class
of discussion group.
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Attending an English
class is a great way to focus on some of the more formal aspects of speaking
English. A class will teach you the grammatically correct way of speaking --
which includes proper sentence structure and verb conjugation and will
generally provide a very structured approach to language learning.
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Attending a discussion
group is a more informal and relaxed way of learning English, where the
emphasis is more on communication and relationship building than on speaking
"correct" English. Speaking English in this setting can help you to
become more comfortable with speaking in front of other people.
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Both of these
language-learning settings have their pros and cons, so it's best to do both if
you can!
Carry a dictionary. Carrying
an English dictionary with you at all times (whether it's an actual book or a
phone app) can be very useful.
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Having a dictionary
means that you will never be stuck for a word. It can save you a lot of embarrassment
if you're having a conversation with an English-speaker and forget a word in
the middle of the sentence -- all you have to do is take a second to look it
up!
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Aside from saving you
awkwardness, looking up the word you need then immediately using it in a
sentence will actually help you to commit the this new vocabulary to memory.
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It is also helpful to
have a dictionary to peruse throughout the day, during private moments, like
when you're sitting on the train, waiting to cross the street or just having a
cup of coffee. You could learn an extra 20 to 30 English words per day using
this technique!
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As a beginner, you
should should start with an English dictionary that provides definitions in
your native language. However, once your language skills improve, you should
switch to using an English-English dictionary, which provides English
definitions for English words
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