33 ways to speak better English without taking classes

By speaking better English, people all over the world can hear our voice.

Here are 33 ways to speak better English:

1. Record yourself speaking English. Listening to yourself can be strange at first but you get used to it. Listen to a recording of a fluent English speaker (a short audio file) and then record yourself repeating what they said. Compare the difference and try again. Humans are natural mimics so you will find yourself getting better and better. Soundcloud is an excellent tool for voice recording as you or your teacher can make notes about your errors.

2. Read aloud, especially dialogue. Reading aloud is not the same as speaking naturally. However, it is very useful for exercising the vocal muscles. Practise for 5 or 10 minutes a day and you will begin to notice which sounds are difficult for you to produce. Find transcripts of natural dialogues, such as these here, and practise acting them with a friend, you will also learn common phrases which we use when speaking.

3. Sing along to English songs while you’re driving or in the shower. The lyrics to pop songs are often conversational so you can learn lots of common expressions by listening to them. Humans are also able to remember words when used together with music which is why it is difficult to remember poems but easy to remember the words to songs. Here are some songs to get started with.

4. Watch short video clips and pause and repeat what you hear. YouTube is an amazing resource for language learners and you probably already have your favourite clips. My advice is to watch short clips and really study them. With longer videos, you may find your attention wanders. The key to improving by watching videos is to really listen carefully and use the pause button to focus on sounds and words. Many YouTube videos now have captions.

(...)

#How to #teach #conversational #lessons

Be Prepared: even for a purely conversational class, at minimum bring a pen and paper (to write down mistakes) and some conversation topics. While sometimes a conversation will flow organically from ‘What’s new?’ into something interesting, it’s good to have a list of about four or five interesting questions for when there is a lull in the conversation. Having a dictionary can also be helpful.

Don’t Talk Too Much: although some students are happy listening to their teacher’s wonderful English, they can do this at home with a DVD. In class, keep your talk time down and aim to have the student(s) do 70% of the speaking. Ask open-ended questions instead of Yes/No questions. Use a “Tell me more” approach. In group settings, have students talk together, while you play the role of a moderator. Guide the conversation without becoming the focus of it.

How to Overcome Your Fear of Speaking to Native Speakers in English

Today I'll show you 4 reasons why we fear talking to native speakers in English and how to overcome them.
It is natural to have fear of speaking in public. However, it can get worse if we are speaking English or a second language.
It is possible to get better at this, but first, we need to understand a few things.
Watch this video and learn how you can overcome this fear and speak more confidently.

Follow Teacher Prix - Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/teacherprixbr

Icebreaker - Speaking Games - Activities

Icebreaker Speaking - Games / Activities

 
Who Am I? 
First off we have “Who Am I?”. It takes a little prep (just some paper and tape) but students really seem to get into it. They may not get to know each other from this one, but they will certainly get comfortable talking to each other.
 
Two Truths One Lie
Next is a tried and true activity with virtually no prep. Great for students getting to know each other and can be a very short or very long activity. It can even be easily turned into a game.
 

Become A Confident English Speaker With This Simple Practice Trick

Have your words came out naturally and automatically – without hesitation – as if English were your first language, every time you speak…

Express your exact thoughts spontaneously, continuously and in detail, without being forced to change what you want to say – or only speak in simple sentences – because you can’t find the right words…

Understand everything you hear in English movies, TV shows, music and conversations, and finally speak confidently – without ever feeling nervous or worried about mistakes – with the smooth pronunciation of a native speaker…

And best of all, this 1 easy change in the way you learn will help you experience immediate improvement in your spoken English so you’ll finally be certain that you’re learning the right way.

How to give your opinion in English

When we give our opinion, we say what we think, feel or believe about something or somebody.

Below are some phrases that you can use to help express opinions. Some of these phrases are more appropriate for written English such as giving your opinion in an essay whereas some can also be used in spoken English.

Personal Point of View

We use these words and phrases to express a personal point of view:

“In my experience…”

“As far as I'm concerned…”

“I’m absolutely convinced…”

“Speaking for myself…”

“In my opinion…”

“Personally, I think…”

“I'd say that…”

“I'd suggest that…”

“I'd like to point out that…”

“I believe that…”

“What I mean is…”

“It’s obvious to me…”

There are at least 3 ways to give a personal opinion.

10 Simple Tips for Improving Your Spoken English

1. Practice to think in English

As a rule of thumb, the most important key to English fluency is the ability to think in English, so you need to practice to think in English as native speakers do. Here are some useful tips to help you improve this typical skill. 

• Stop the habit of translating between languages (if you have)
• Use an English to English dictionary to look up words
• Try to think in English anywhere, anytime. A student shared with us that she usually walks in the park and trying to describe people around her in English by using as much adjectives as she can. You can do the same, or create your own method to practice thinking English whenever you have “free time” to think.

You’ll notice that when you think in English, it’s easier for you to speak in English.

2. Talk to yourself in English

Whenever you’re at home, you can practice your English with your favorite person: yourself. The following tips would help you to talk to yourself in English.

• Read out loud from your favorite books
• Speak out loud with your own thoughts in English on certain topics (e.g. sports, family)
• Use a mirror to practice as you can see your partner J
• Use a recording device (e.g. your phone) to record what you read/speak (you will be able to hear yourself speaking English and then finding out the pros and cons of your tone, pronunciation and even accent).

The most significant benefit of this method is that you will be more comfortable in speaking English and be aware of your own strengths as well as weaknesses in speaking. Then you can find the right tips to improve the specific weak points in your spoken English.