13 Awesome Ways to Practise Spoken English at Home

All English-speaking learners want to be able to express their ideas and opinions with both friends and in business.  In today’s world with the use of technology it is very important that we can all converse with ease and be understood.  The more you practise spoken English the better and more confident you will become.  Here are 13 creative ways to practise spoken English at home:

Watch English speaking films and television series.

 

This is a great way to learn how English is spoken both with American English and British English accents.  You can also listen to programmes on the Internet, for example films and series on Netflix or Amazon Prime.  There are also many clips on YouTube that you can watch, listen and learn about how English is spoken.  It is important to listen to what is being said.

 

Record yourself speaking English.

 

This may in the beginning feel strange to be speaking ‘out loud’ but this is a good way of practising and then replaying what you have just recorded.  Start with simple pieces to record, then repeat until you become more confident before continuing with more difficult pieces to say ‘out loud’ and keep on recording.  You can practise reading from books starting with easier books before progressing to harder books as you become more confident. This will also help with learning about written English.

 

Sing songs in English

 

There are so many songs that are sung in English which many people of every language have heard and know.  Listen to these songs either on the radio, YouTube or on a music list either on Spotify or your mobile phone and then try learning the words and singing along to the song.  This is an easy activity to do at home.

 

Use a mirror

 

Stand in front of a mirror and practise speaking out loud.  Try this for a few minutes every day and talk on any subject.  By watching yourself talk to a mirror you can see how your mouth forms the sounds and how fluently you seem to be speaking.

 

Read books

 

Start by reading easy books and then as you become more confident start reading more difficult books.  Practise reading out loud several paragraphs each time you read as this will help with the fluency of the English language without the need for you having to think of putting words together in the correct order.  Reading also helps you learn tenses which will impact on your spoken language.  There are many books which will appeal to all ages and to all abilities. Also try reading magazines and newspaper articles in English.  Read with yourself or read with friends who also want to learn to speak English.

 

Practise tongue twisters.

 

These are sayings which help us learn how to pronounce letter and consonant sounds.  By practising these tongue twisters your spoken English language will improve very quickly. Start with easy tongues twisters and then continue with harder one to help with specific sounds.

 

For example:

 

Can you can a can as a canner can can a can? 

Which watch did which witch wear and which witch wore which watch?

A sailor went to sea sea sea to see what he could see see see but all that he could see see see was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea.

 

Collocations

 

A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly used together in English.  Practise saying these collocations out loud to yourself.  Here are some examples of collocations:

 

Collocation                 Example

 

Make the bed              She needs to make her bed every day

Do the homework       The children need to do their homework each day after school

Open an account         Would you like to open a (bank) account?

To save time               He needs to save time as he is in a hurry

A big decision             We have to make a big decision as to whether we sell the car

At great length            The teacher spoke at great length to explain the situation

 

Phrasal Verbs

 

These phrasal verbs are often action words, for example running, cooking, eating and are put with either a preposition and/or an adverb.  Try learning a few phrasal words every week and also practise saying them out loud.  Here are some examples of phrasal verbs:

 

Phrasal verbs               Example

 

To turn off                   Switch off the television

Use up                         Your brother used up the last of the tea bags

Eat up                          I have plenty of food so please eat up

Go through                  He passed through the longest tunnel on his journey

 

Use apps to help you speak English

 

There are many apps that can be downloaded from the Internet which can help you practise spoken English at home.  Some are free and there are some that there will be a charge for.  Duolingo is an example of a free app which can be used for anyone learning English.  Practise with any one of these apps on a daily basis. Practicing 10 minutes per day will really help build your confidence and increase your fluency in speaking English.

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Keep a notebook

 

Write down all the new words that you learn together with their meanings.  Then reread your notes and see how many you can remember.  Also practise saying these words out loud.

 

Think in English

 

Go about your daily life trying to think in English.  Try and learn the words in English for items that you use every day.  Make a note of both the word in your language together with the word in English and see how many you can remember each day.  Practise saying these words out loud.

 

Speak with friends

 

Invite friends who also want to learn English for coffee or tea or lunch and practise spoken English together.  Share what you have been learning and try and meet on a regular basis.  This will help build your confidence.

 

Listen to the stress of English speakers

 

By listening to how native English speakers talk, you will hear how they alter the stress and intonation when they are talking.  Stress is how we emphasise certain syllables in each word and also as part of sentence structure.  The more you listen to conversation the more you will understand how stress helps the learner understand what is being discussed.

 

 Practise spoken English every day using any of the above suggestions.  Try speaking and learning English for even 10-15 minutes every day.  Start by speaking English slowly and as you become more confident you will find that your speaking pace will quicken. You will make fewer mistakes in the beginning by starting speaking more slowly.  Enjoy these creative ways to Practise Spoken English