Have a read of the below list and we are sure you will find a lot of helpful tips to improve your English!
- Don't be afraid to make mistakes. ...
- Surround yourself in English. ...
- Practise every day. ...
- Tell your family and friends about your study plan. ...
- Practise the 4 core skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
- Speak out loud.
The best way to improve your language skills is by speaking the language. There is no substitute for practicing with real people. - Develop intrapersonal communication.
Think in English. Talk to yourself in English in your mind. Plan your day in English. Talk about things you see in English. For instance, talk about the weather while walking on the road.“Oh, It’s so hot today. Should have brought umbrella to avoid the scorching sun. The road is so narrow and dirty. Who puts all this trash on the road? I hope I reach office on time today. Why isn’t the bus coming? Been standing here for so long.”
- Try to imitate/emulate/reproduce
/mirror/copy the speakers you admire.
Listen to speech or dialogues and repeat it out loud. Repeat it until you feel satisfied. It will be fun and when you do it frequently, you will start enjoying it. This will help mouth, lips and vocal chords get into action. This will also help in losing the mother tongue influence and gaining good pronunciation. - Watch News. Journalists are very good communicators.
The news channels try to be succinct because more words costs them more money. Observe the choice of words of the journalists, guests, experts, correspondents who try to put forth their argument in a convincing and persuasive manner. Observe how they present a story in a structural manner. - Pick a topic to talk about.
Pick any topic and start speaking. Talk about the articles you read. Express your thoughts on issues like Deforestation, Climate Change, World Hunger and Poverty, Global Warming, Global Financial Crisis, Human Population, Environmental Issues, etc with your friends. You can even talk about your morning. - Paint a picture with your words.
Go to a good place and describe the photograph to your friend. Try to paint the picture with your words. Speak about the contents of the picture, the expression of the people. What do you feel when you see the picture? Does it remind you of something? Try to express yourself. - Watch the TV shows you like.
Watch television shows like Seinfeld (any show you like; I am just a big fan of seinfeld) with subtitles to see how the thoughts are expressed effectively and concisely in humorless or humorous manner. Watch anything you enjoy. It is important that you enjoy what you are watching. Observe the body language, emotions and expressions in connection with the speech or dialogues.
TECHNIQUE
This is a technique known as 'shadowing' that I learnt in Japanese class, which I find tremendously helpful for short-term oral fluency improvement.
Watch your favorite English language TV show or movie, and as the characters speak, repeat loudly the exact words they are saying the moment you hear them. In other words, 'shadow' their dialog in real-time. Don't worry about getting every word or sound right - focus on listening carefully, moving along quickly and keeping pace. After the movie ends, repeat the exact same movie and do it again. And again.
By forcing yourself to speak at native speed, your brain becomes hyper-receptive to what you are hearing, and you will find yourself not only picking up the words quicker and quicker, but also unconsciously mimicking the inflections and vocal nuances that are usually difficult to learn for a non-native. It will also fix the stammer that comes with uncertainty or lack of confidence. In this way, the actors in the movie become your speaking partners.
This will be perfect practice just before your interview. Look for some interview practice videos on YouTube, then shadow the entire conversation. Practice the same dialogs again and again. You will be amazed how that will improve not only your speaking, but also your ability to actively listen and react. Best of luck.
Watch your favorite English language TV show or movie, and as the characters speak, repeat loudly the exact words they are saying the moment you hear them. In other words, 'shadow' their dialog in real-time. Don't worry about getting every word or sound right - focus on listening carefully, moving along quickly and keeping pace. After the movie ends, repeat the exact same movie and do it again. And again.
By forcing yourself to speak at native speed, your brain becomes hyper-receptive to what you are hearing, and you will find yourself not only picking up the words quicker and quicker, but also unconsciously mimicking the inflections and vocal nuances that are usually difficult to learn for a non-native. It will also fix the stammer that comes with uncertainty or lack of confidence. In this way, the actors in the movie become your speaking partners.
This will be perfect practice just before your interview. Look for some interview practice videos on YouTube, then shadow the entire conversation. Practice the same dialogs again and again. You will be amazed how that will improve not only your speaking, but also your ability to actively listen and react. Best of luck.
