To improve your
English spoken follow all the
following tips as much as you can:
1-
Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well
and try to imitate them.
When you are watching
television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are
saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.
2- Until you
learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your
speech down.
If you speak too
quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a
hard time understanding you.
Don't worry about your
listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that
everything you say be understood.
3-
Listen to the 'music' of English.
Do not use the 'music'
of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way
of 'singing'.
4- Use the
dictionary.
Try and familiarise
yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct
pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.
5- Make a
list of frequently used words that you find difficult to
pronounce and ask someone who speaks the
language well to
pronounce them for you.
Record these words,
listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.
6- Buy books
on tape.
Record yourself reading
some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the
person reading the book on the tape.
7- Pronounce
the ending of each word
Pay special attention
to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that
you use when you speak English.
8-
Use some English idioms and phrases
Memorize some English
idioms & phrases , then use them at their correct time and attitude when
speaking.
9- Listen to
short conversation or phrases and repeat them
Listen to any conversation,
for example from a movie, TV or another. Then pause and repeat what was said.
10- Read
aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day
Research has shown it
takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for
speaking a new language.
11- Record
your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes
Many people hate to
hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However,
this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become
conscious of the mistakes you are making.
12- Be
patient
You can change the way
you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results
and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to
put some effort into it.
Quick tips
Various versions of the
English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and
start by improving the clarity of your speech.
- Focus on removing the
mother tongue influence and the 'Indianisms' that creep into your
English conversations.
- Watch the English
news on television channels like Star World, CNN,
BBC and English movies on Star Movies and
HBO.
- Listen & sing
English Nasheed or songs. We'd recommend Maher Zain, Sami Yousif,
Back street boys, Westlife,
Robbie Williams and others.
Teacher:
Yaser Al-radhmi
t-yaser@hotmail.com
