These 5 tips for improving your fluency in English can really help! One of the biggest problems you can face when trying to learn English is getting the opportunity to practice your speaking skills, especially if you live in a non-English speaking country. However, there are some techniques that you can use to help.
1. Imagine conversations
In your daily life, you have a lot of conversations that are similar each day such as “How are you?” and “Did you sleep well?” for example. Start practising by seeing if you could translate the last conversation you had before coming online today.
You need to find out if you could have that same conversation again in English. If not, why not? Is it grammar? Is it vocabulary? When you have found the area you think needs improving, look around our site to find the learning material and exercises to help you.
2. Narrate your day
Of the 5 tips for improving your fluency in English, this is the one I recommend most! Spend at least a few minutes every hour narrating exactly what is happening in your life at the moment. Speak out loud if you can, or mumble quietly if it would disturb others. Talk about everything you are doing, feeling, seeing and planning. An example could be:
OK, now I’m going to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. It’s a little colder than normal this morning, but it’s still a nice bright day. After I’ve had my coffee I think I’ll continue with my IELTS preparations by sitting at the kitchen table. From there I can look out of the window and see my neighbour’s house.
The purpose of this narration is to get your mind and tongue in the position of speaking almost automatically. In time, this will then give you the ability to detach from what you are directly saying and spare some mental focus for what you’re going to say next.
3. Call freephone numbers
Many countries have free calling telephone numbers – find companies that speak in English (language schools are good!) and ask as many questions as you can. If the person on the other end of the phone wants to speak in your language, tell that you find speaking in English easier!
4. Watch television and listen to the radio – FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME!
Watching television and listening to the radio can definitely improve your spoken English, but watching and listening closely for 5 minutes is much better than paying less attention for half an hour. If possible, record a program and listen to it repeatedly. Pay particular attention to the pronunciation and intonation of words and sentences, and repeat what they say aloud.
5. Summarise what you have read from a newspaper article
Read a news article (aim for something with between 300 and 700 words if possible), then summarise the main points out loud. You can keep article open in front of you if that helps, but avoid reading directly from the page. The aim is for you to give a summary in 15 seconds or less, recording yourself as you speak. The pressure of the recording and time limit really challenges your fluency!
We hope these 5 tips for improving your fluency in English help, but make sure to become a member so you can keep a track of everything you’ve studied on our site and get updates on new pages!