How to improve your English spoken

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