6 Daily Habits that will help you continuously Improve Spoken English
To improve Spoken English the key is to continuously make improvements in your grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. It is a task that needs to be done a little bit at a time, but regularly, so that you are continually getting better without feeling overwhelmed.
The best way to improve Spoken English this is by adopting small habits that you can keep up with daily to push your learning forward. They don’t have to be things that take up a lot of time or require a big effort or outlay of cash. As with more and more things these days, if you have an internet connection, you can accomplish a lot.
Here are six ideas for small daily habits to adopt that can help you improve Spoken English:
Watch or listen to the news in English
Even if you don’t have cable or access to English language TV or radio stations, you can certainly find video or audio newscasts or podcasts to stream via the internet. The reason we suggest the daily news is twofold: first, it’s different every day, so you don’t get bored; and second, it helps introduce you to new vocabulary while remaining in a similar format that you can rely on and get accustomed to.
But if you’re really not a news person or you prefer to get your news locally and in your native language, consider a humor or satire show or a podcast. And while we’re talking about vocabulary….
Learn three new words every day
Buy yourself an English dictionary, and every day choose five words to memorize and try using in sentences. Choose a time to do this whenever you consistently have five minutes to sit down and look at the dictionary, perhaps after supper or before bed. Write out the word; say it aloud a few times; use it in two different sentences. Keep a notebook of the words you’ve learned so you can go back and review if you forget them.
You can make a game out of it and use colourful sticky notes to post the new words around the house (maybe in the kitchen?) and challenge other family members to help you remember the words and how to use them.
Read aloud in English
It’s not enough to simply read English books or magazines. Reading out loud helps you build accent, pronunciation, and most importantly, confidence. And confidence is a must if you want to improve Spoken English in the long run.
If you’re not sure how to pronounce a word, the dictionary or the internet can help. Try reading a book to yourself, or to your partner or children, a chapter a day, and see how much easier it gets as you progress through the book. The Harry Potter books are great for this because the first two books are written at an elementary school level and then they get progressively more complex and challenging as you move through the series.
Listen to English music and sing along
Again, this builds comprehension, pronunciation, and a good ear for language. It’s also fun and a stress reliever! No matter what kind of music you prefer, there’s bound to be something out there for you. If you’re at a beginner level, try children’s songs like Schoolhouse Rock; intermediate learners can try anything on the top 40 charts (country and western works too). Advanced English speakers might want to try their hand at (clean) rap because it’s great for learning about rhyme and the natural cadences of English speech.
Talk to a native English speaker
Whether it’s in a formalized manner like a Skype English conversation class, or simply a casual chat with a friend, colleague, or teacher, try to speak with someone whose first language is English as often as you can, preferably daily. It’s the single best way to improve Spoken English skills – and you might also make new friends and build work connections at the same time.
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Learn some facts about an English thing you like
Whether it’s Pokémon Go or Shakespeare plays, take up an interest in something whose origins are in English, and each day try to learn a few more facts or stories about it. You can participate in online forums or discussion groups or share your knowledge with your friends or family members.
You don’t have to adopt all of these habits in order to successfully improve Spoken English; even doing two or three of them on a regular basis will help you a lot. If you want to find out more about Skype conversation classes and how they can help you get better at speaking English, why not try out a trial Conversational English lesson? It doesn’t take long and you’ll be amazed at how easy and convenient it can be. Good luck!
