13 Guaranteed ways to Improve Spoken English on your own
There are several ways to practice one’s English when one is on one’s own. The aim is to be able to speak English fluently and be understood by other English speakers. The best way is to speak with a native British English or American English speakers but this is not always possible. Here are tips to help one improve one’s English when one is by oneself:
Listen to radio or programs on the Internet
Start by listening to any radio or Internet program in English. This will help you with accents whether British English or American English and will help you improve Spoken English at your own pace.
Watch television and films either in British or American English
There are many television and films in English whether on the television or on the Internet. Netflix is one possibility where one can choose a film or series spoken in either British or American English. Choose a topic or film that one is interested in and this will make it easier to follow whilst watching these films. Any film will help any level of English although one could start with children’s films for beginners. There are many classic films, which will appeal to all ages for example many of the Walt Disney films and there is a new film on Mary Poppins coming out soon. The Crown and Poldark are two examples of British films to help with British English accents. There is a huge library of films to watch in English.
Think in English
Try and work out the words in English that one is trying to learn. Look the words up in a dictionary and write the words in both languages. Go shopping and learn the words in English of the items you want to learn. Try and think in English on all the topics one is thinking about or involved in during the day. Make a note of all these new words so that one will not forget and this is a good way of learning as one can refer back to the list and see if one can remember the word in English. Buy a good bilingual dictionary and perhaps combine with a good thesaurus, which will explain words and meanings and alternative words in more depth.
Read books in English
There are many books that can help improve one’s level of English. This will also help with grammar and learning the tenses. Go to a library and borrow books or download books via the Internet or borrow books from friends who may have books written in English. Start with easy books on topics that one is interested in and then progress as one’s English improves. Again make a note of new words and look meanings up in the dictionary. This can include reading English newspapers whether British English or American English newspapers or a combination of both.
Speak in front of the mirror
Try practicing speaking in English as much as one can is the best way to improve Spoken English. Start with perhaps a few simple word blocks for example months of the year, colors, days of the week, numbers, word blocks and then work from there starting with simple sentences for example the cat sat on the mat. The more practice one can do, the more quickly one can improve and progress to higher levels. Use a mirror to help or record one’s voice and play back.
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Idioms and phrasal verbs
Look up English idioms (together with their meanings) and phrasal verbs, as they will help with learning the language. To improve Spoken English to a native level/advanced level it is essential to know subtle nuances of the language such as idioms and phrasal verbs.
Try writing either every day or most days of the week
Start with writing simple sentences as often as one can. Keep a note of one’s progress so one can see how one has improved. Try writing a few new words every day and their meanings. Refer back to these new words on a weekly basis.
Speak slowly
It is very easy when one is learning to speak English to speak too fast. This makes it more difficult for English people to understand what one is trying to say both in business and personal conversations. Until you improve Spoken English, speak at a slower speed than you speak your native language.
Set aside a set time to practice every day
Try and set aside a set time to practice English as many times a week as one can. Work out a time to suit, whether morning, afternoon or evening and the times could vary depending whether it is a weekday or weekend.
Language apps on a mobile phone
There are language apps on mobile phones that can help one with practicing learning English. Duolingo is one of these apps and can work with converting any language to English and can help focus learning English at a time to suit for just 10 to 15 minutes per day.
YouTube
Watch English videos on YouTube or listen to English songs via YouTube and choose one’s music according to one’s musical taste.
Tongue twisters
Look up tongue twisters in English via the Internet and practice saying these out loud.
Try and encourage friends to learn English
Learning with friends is another excellent way to improve Spoken English. One is less likely to feel embarrassed learning English with friends and friends can help each other in all areas of improving English.
Be positive
There will always be days when we feel we make better progress than others. Keeping positive is very important and it is better to practice little and often and learn by one’s mistakes.
Obviously the best way to improve Spoken English is to practice speaking with a native English speaker but this is not always possible so using a combination of any of the above is a great way to start. Combining these with English conversations will help all areas of learning English. Learn by one’s mistakes and don’t get frustrated. Be realistic about the time one has available to learn English and little and often is always a good way to start, which then helps to build up confidence. Practice makes perfect
