Spoken English Tips (Learner's Experience) The following tips helped me improve my spoken English and overcome my hesitation in the language Hope they are useful for you too Don’t worry about making mistakes because you will Be patient This isn’t a one day process Learn certain phrases that can be used in multiple situations Learn how to greet someone properly Talk slowly and carefully Don’t rush through your sentences Restrict yourself to simple sentences until you gain confidence Watch out for your pronunciation Many online tools will tell you how to pronounce a word correctly Check one of them out when you’re in doubt Carefully observe how proficient speakers of the language pronounce words and frame their sentences Ask your friends, relatives and anyone you can to point out your mistakes and correct them 10 Speak to them in English only Practice is a must 11 Record yourself reading one article aloud every day Focus on pronunciation, speed, clarity and emphasis 12 Many online sites offer you the opportunity to voice chat with another user This is an effective way to practice 13 Learn at least one new word every day and use it as a part of your conversation with people By the end of the week, you should know seven words really well 14 Learn new words everyday 15 Read at least one article of your choice aloud every day 16 Watch English movies with subtitles 17 Watch English shows 18 Read books and magazines 19 Keep a pocket dictionary handy for any word you may need to know the meaning of 20 When you hear a new word, try to find its usage and its antonyms Best of luck! How to Improve English The importance of the English language cannot be overemphasized Comfort with English is almost a prerequisite for success in the world today Regardless of the industry, proficiency in English is an important factor in both hiring and promotion decisions A lot of us have studied English in school and are fairly comfortable with reading and writing However, we hesitate while speaking because we feel that we lack the fluency and may make grammatical mistakes We are afraid of speaking English in formal situations and we are quick to switch to our native language once we are in the company of our family and friends There is no quick fix when it comes to improving your command over a particular language It always requires a lot of time and effort Here are EnglishLeap’s top ten tips for success in achieving proficiency and fluency in English: Do not hesitate Talk to whoever you can Decide among your circle of friends that you will only talk in English with each other This way you can get rid of hesitation and also have your friends correct you when you are wrong Start a conversation with strangers in English Since you not know them personally, you will feel less conscious about what they would feel about you Maintaining a diary to record the events of your day is a great way to practice your writing skills Take your time to use new words and phrases when you write in your diary Read the newspaper Read it aloud when you can Concentrate on each word Note down the words you don’t understand and learn their meanings Try to use these words in your own sentences Watch English movies and English shows on television Initially, you can read the sub-titles to follow the conversation As you practice more, you will realize that you are able to follow the conversation without needing to read the sub-titles Set aside an hour every day to watch English news channels This is one of the most effective ways of improving your comprehension Podcasts are available on the internet These are audio and video files and many of these can be downloaded for free These are a great way to practice listening skills and develop an understanding of different accents It is usually quite difficult for a beginner to understand the words of an English song as there is background music and the accent of the artist may be unfamiliar to the listener Read the lyrics while you listen to the song and you will comprehend better Once you start following the voice of a particular singer, you will find it much easier to understand the singer’s other songs too Another effective way is to record your own voice and listen to it You will notice hesitations and pauses You may also notice that you make some grammatical mistakes while speaking that you not make while writing You must aim to improve and rectify these mistakes in subsequent recordings 10 Ask people who speak better for advice There is no shame in seeking help especially if you are trying to improve yourself Talk to them in English and ask them to correct you whenever you are wrong Improve Spoken English-Learn How to improve Spoken English (Learners Experience) The English language is spoken in many nations including India Speaking the language fluently allows one to feel confident while communicating or interacting with different people Not being fluent in English often leads to embarrassing situations for us; we feel unsure of ourselves and that only makes things worse Here is what helped me overcome these situations and become confident in English: Ever wondered why you are so fluent with your mother tongue? It is because you speak and hear the language more often What does this suggest? The first and the most crucial step to improve spoken English is to speak it as often as you can Speak in English with friends, family, relatives etc Do not worry about making mistakes In fact, encourage people around you to correct you as often as they can This will help you speak correct English and boost your confidence Feeling under confident forces us to speak rapidly because we stumble with words or feel unsure about the pronunciation Do not let this happen, it shows anxiety and the other person will struggle to understand what you are saying Speak at a comfortable pace and pronounce your words correctly There’s is no reason to feel shy or intimidated We all make mistakes and the only way to learn is to practice and have others correct us Use a dictionary to learn new words or to find out the meaning of a word you may have heard Make a list and use these words as often as you can Read books, newspapers and magazines This will allow you to understand the language better and help you learn new words to widen your vocabulary Watch English movies preferably with subtitles This too will aid you in understanding the language better Read one article out loud every day and if possible,and ask someone to listen and correct you Focus on speed, clarity and correct pronunciation Record your own voice and listen to it This will help you gain confidence and work on your mistakes Try and find a partner who is also interested in improving his/her spoken English Practice together, correct each other and learn together Think in English instead of translating sentences from other languages that you’re familiar with Doing this leads to grammatical mistakes and deteriorates the quality of your spoken English Join an online English learning course Such a programme provides you with the right content and also provides you with opportunities to practice with other users Besides this, your answers are corrected and proper feedback is provided 10 tips for speaking in English Manek, an engineering graduate from Bhopal, said that the following practices helped him when he was learning English: The first thing I would after getting up every morning was read the newspaper, front to back It doesn’t matter which newspaper you subscribe to, as long as it is a major English-language paper, such as The Hindu, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, etc While different people have different opinions on the quality of each paper, they are all more or less equally useful in getting to learn the language It is also not necessary to read every page and article; it is timeconsuming and sometimes boring However, you should most definitely look for articles that interest you I bought a pocket dictionary They are cheap, compact and useful There were many words I came across on a day-to-day basis that I did not know, and carrying a pocket dictionary everywhere allowed me to look up these words immediately so that the matter would not slip my mind later Once learned, I also made a conscious effort to use the words in conversation This instilled the words in my head and I was able to draw on them whenever required I convinced some of my friends to come together and form something of a ‘study group’; we were all interested in learning English, and I figured it would make it easier and more fun for us to it together We met twice a week in the evening and discussed the words and phrases we had come across, suggested articles, magazines, and books to each other, etc Another thing my group of friends and I kept in mind was the importance of talking only in English, whenever possible During our weekly meetings, not a word of Hindi (the only other language any of us poke) was uttered This sort of commitment is absolutely necessary if you want to develop fluency A couple of weeks into my learning experience, a friend broached the issue of language of thought during one of our meetings This, too, is an interesting aspect of one’s linguistic foundations: what language you think in? I realised that I thought in Hindi, and thus whenever I spoke in English, I was, in a way, translating in my head This made the entire process slower and more laborious, so I decided to start making a conscious effort to think in English When I spoke in Hindi, I was often trying to figure out beforehand what the phrase would be in English before I said it This takes some getting used to, but soon you will find it has become second nature; the phrases come fast and easy I made it a point to pick up at least one English book a month I cannot stress the importance of this enough; books introduce you to the possibilities of the language, expose you to the various ways in which words can be manipulated and played around with Your vocabulary of words, phrases, colloquialisms, etc will increase sharply this way Also, reading develops thinking, i.e as you read, you will automatically begin to think more in the language that your reading material is written in Every night I would watch an English news channel (NDTV, Headlines Today, CNN-IBN, etc) for at least half an hour The news anchors and reporters generally speak very crisp and proper English It is also useful to watch English TV shows My friends and I would rent the DVD of an English movie every week, and watch it with the subtitles on This way, you can always make out what the actors are saying, and the context of the movie helps you understand what unfamiliar phrases might mean 10 I developed the habit of paying close attention whenever I was within listening distance of a conversation in English This may seem like eavesdropping, but when someone is speaking loud enough in public for others to hear him or her, it is unlikely that anything very personal is being discussed At least, I defended my practice with that rationale, because it helped me pick up common phrases on a daily basis How to speak in English (Learner's Experience) Developing and constantly working on your English speaking skills will help you communicate more easily and effectively, and this is particularly important in today’s increasingly globalizing world Here are some basic pointers on how to improve: Practise wherever and whenever possible Practice is always helpful, whether it is with or without a native English speaker Be confident Do not live beyond your means, i.e stay within your comfort zone when speaking English Use short, simple sentences and get your point across confidently Utilise your vocabulary If you have learnt a new word, use it Try to use it in different situations, and not worry about whether it makes sense Everyone makes mistakes; you are more likely to learn the correct usage if you make a mistake that is pointed out by a native speaker Don’t translate This takes time, hinders fluency and makes you look uncomfortable Don't hurry! When speaking any language, a natural rhythm is important But try not to rush through your words; it makes it difficult for others to understand you To conclude: • • Don’t be shy about speaking in English Speak to as many people as you can Importantly, be polite Remember the magic words (‘please’ and ‘thank you’), and use them liberally Spoken English Exercises : Tongue Twisters Tongue twisters are phrases that are designed to be difficult to say, testing one’s articulation They are generally nonsensical, and rely generally rely on alternation between similar sounds, like that of s and sh, or on a sequence of sounds that requires ceaseless repositioning of the tongue Tongue twisters can be used a type of spoken word game They help develop articulation and reduce the probability of fumbling and stuttering during conversation Adeptness with tongue twisters will naturally lend confidence to one’s speech Here are some common tongue twisters that you can practice with: She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore The shells she sells are sea-shells, I'm sure For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore Then I'm sure she sells sea-shore shells Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? Betty Botter bought a bit of butter The butter Betty Botter bought was a bit bitter And made her batter bitter But a bit of better butter makes better batter So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter Making Betty Botter's bitter batter better Telling the time There are two ways in English of telling the time: Hour first, then minutes For e.g 06:45 – six forty-five Minutes first, then hour ‘Past’ is used for minutes 01 through 30, and ‘to’ is used for minutes 31 through 59 For e.g.: : 06:15 – fifteen minutes past six 06:45 – fifteen minutes to seven ‘Quarter past’ is a term that is often used in place of ‘fifteen minutes past.’ 06:15 – quarter past six ‘Half past’ is a term that is often used in place of ‘thirty minutes past.’ 06:30 – half past six ‘Quarter to’ is a term that is often used in place of ‘fifteen minutes to.’ 06:45 – quarter to seven Note: a b c 12 pm is also known as ‘noon’ 12am is also known as ‘midnight’ ‘o’clock’ is only ever used at the full hour 08:00 – eight o’clock 08:30 – NOT eight thirty/half past eight o’clock Similes The simile is a figure of speech that describes something by comparing or establishing its similarity to something else, using ‘like’ or ‘as’ This device makes the description more emphatic Similes are written in the following forms: [subject] [verb] AS [adjective] AS [noun] The athlete was AS nimble AS a cat [subject] [verb] LIKE [noun] This food tastes LIKE garbage He drives LIKE a maniac Here are some common examples of similes, with their meanings: as cool as a cucumber Cool-headed as gentle as a lamb Gentle, non-reactive as blind as a bat Completely blind as dead as a doornail Dead beyond a doubt as strong as an ox Very strong as wise as an owl Very wise to drink like a fish .to eat like a bird .to eat like a horse .to smoke like a chimney .to work like a dog .to sleep like a log To drink a lot To eat very little To eat a lot To smoke a lot To work very hard To sleep soundly Tag Questions The tag question is a special construct in English: a sentence consisting of a statement followed by a fragment of a question, converting the statement itself into a question We are all aware of this construct; the following examples will make the concept clear: You’re alright, aren’t you? You don’t love me anymore, you? It’s rather chilly today, isn’t it? The sentence in entirety is known as a tag question, while the ‘mini-question’ at the end is known as the question tag This construct is used to obtain confirmation Tag questions are structurally simple: Positive statements are followed by negative questions: You enjoyed yourself at the party, didn’t you? Negative statements are followed by positive questions: You don’t want this, you? Note: Words like never, scarcely, hardly, barely, rarely and seldom have negative connotations, even when used in statements Therefore, the question tag must always be positive if any of these words are used in the preceding statement For e.g.: You hardly see each other, you? You seldom know what you’re doing, you? Idioms involving Food • Apple of his/her eye : This phrase is used to refer to something or someone we like a lot o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o He was the apple of his teacher’s eye As cool as a cucumber : Used to refer to someone who is very cool headed and doesn’t get worried Dhoni is a great captain because he always remains as cool as a cucumber Egg on : To encourage someone Every time I faltered, he egged me on In a nutshell : In a few words We were told in a nutshell that our project would not be considered To spill the beans : To reveal a secret to someone who is not supposed to know The project was top secret but he spilled the beans Piece of cake : This phrase is used to refer to a task that is very easy Stealing the key was a piece of cake for him Take with a pinch of salt : This phrase is used when one believes only a small part of what one is being told He spoke highly about his company and its success but I took it with a pinch of salt Not my cup of tea : This phrase is used to indicate something you either don’t like much or can’t An early morning walk is not my cup of tea To sell like hotcakes : This phrase is used to refer to an object or commodity that is very successful and selling extremely well The new book by J.K Rowling sold like hotcakes To go nuts : This phrase is used to refer to someone who is very excited about something She’s going nuts because she got a scholarship Idioms on Colours • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o • • o Black and blue : To be bruised either because of a beating or otherwise I am going to beat you black and blue Catch someone red-handed : To get caught doing something wrong, illegal or unlawful He was spying on the minister and the police caught him red-handed Green with envy : To feel extremely jealous His expensive car made me go green with envy Off colour : A term used for someone looking weak or unwell He’d recovered from the attack but he still looked off colour Once in a blue moon : To refer to something that occurs very rarely I meet him only once in a blue moon See red : To be extremely angry about something After she betrayed him, he was seeing red To show your true colours : When someone shows their true colours, they reveal the kind of person they really are He behaved very well until he was asked to work overtime; it was then that he showed his true colours To pass with flying colours : To pass something with flying colours is to very well I had thought I wouldn’t clear the exams but I passed with flying colours Whitewash : To white wash something is to cover up its flaws The Indian government has been accused of trying to whitewash the Commonwealth games scandal Golden opportunity : A golden opportunity represents an opportunity that is very hard to come by and rather unexpected The deal was a golden opportunity and anyone would have been foolish to have not signed it Idioms involving Body Parts • o Blow your mind/Mind blowing : Something that blows your mind is extraordinary or unbelievable The treasures in the palace were mind blowing • o By heart : To learn something very well or to know something word-for-word Rohan knew the poem by heart • All ears : To be all ears is to be very interested in what someone else is saying Raghav was all ears when he heard the teachers talking about the question o paper • o • o • o • o • o • o • o Close shave : The phrase close shave describes coming very close to an accident or narrowly avoiding it The car almost hit me It was a close shave Get on your nerves : The phrase is used for something that annoys or irritates to a great extent I really don’t want to meet them, they keep asking questions and it gets on my nerves Hale and hearty : This phrase is used to refer to someone who is well or in great health My uncle was admitted a couple of days back for a minor stomach ache but now he is hale and hearty Let your hair down : To relax and enjoy After a stressful day at work, Rita went to a friend’s party and let her hair down No sweat : This phrase is used to refer to a task that is easy to do/ will take no effort This work is no sweat Roll your eyes : To roll your eyes at something is to show little interest or express disbelief He rolled his eyes at the presentation Most of the information was incorrect Slip of the tongue : 'Slip of the tongue' is a phrase used when someone says something accidentally I’m sorry I told her about the money It was a slip of tongue Homophones and Homographs Homophones are those words that are spelt differently but pronounced the same way Homographs are those words that are spelt the same way but have different meanings and may or may not be pronounced the same way Understanding the difference between homophones and homographs is an important part of learning English and one that makes the experience very interesting Homophones are used in everyday English and many people use them wrongly Complete the following exercise to understand them better FILL IN THE BLANKS-1 I at (Eight/Ate) I ate at eight Do you if she said yes or ?(No/Know) Do you know if she said yes or no I’m too to step out this (weak/week) I’m too weak to step out this week And now, let’s move onto those homophones that are more confusing Are you going watch a movie? May I come ?(too/to) Are you going to watch a movie ? May I come too? They are over , in new car (their/there) They are over there in their new car I don’t think the of us can carry these suitcases the bus stop Maybe he should come along (too/to/two) I don’t think the two of us can carry these two suitcases to the bus stop Maybe he should come along too Homographs are used in everyday English and are often used wrongly Attempt the following exercise to understand them better FILL IN THE BLANKS-2 Use words that can be utilized in both blanks but ensure that your choice is based on spelling, not pronunciation (a) I to this (OBJECT) (b) Do we need to have this at home? He placed , coming in only half a after the leader (SECOND) (a) The is blowing hard (b) Can you _ up the clock? (WIND) [...]... suitcases the bus stop Maybe he should come along (too/to/two) I don’t think the two of us can carry these two suitcases to the bus stop Maybe he should come along too Homographs are used in everyday English and are often used wrongly Attempt the following exercise to understand them better FILL IN THE BLANKS-2 Use words that can be utilized in both blanks but ensure that your choice is based on spelling,