Tips for speaking English - part 2

Seven top tips to help you speak better English

Photo by Yura Timoshenko on Unsplash

Hello again!

How are you? I hope you’re having a good week! I’ve been quite busy with online lessons this week but I’ve found a few minutes to write some more speaking tips for you!

You might also like this post from a couple of weeks ago.

1. Use contractions

You’ll sound more natural (and less like a robot!) if you use contractions. For example, say “I’m” instead of “I am”, or “don’t” instead of “do not”. You can also use contractions when you write informally but you should avoid them in formal writing. 

2. Be careful with idioms

Learn a few idioms if you like but be careful how you use them. Learners think that using idioms makes them sound more natural. It can do but if you overuse them or get them even slightly wrong, you’ll actually end up sounding less natural.

3. Pronunciation

Work on your pronunciation. Look for videos online to help with this or just watch any video in English and try to imitate a few phrases. Look at yourself in the mirror to see if your mouth is making the same shape as in the video. Try reading out loud and thinking about your pronunciation as you do.

4. Grammar and vocabulary

Remember that to speak better, you have to study grammar and vocabulary as well. You can’t explain something easily if you don’t know the words and you can’t put the words together if you don’t know the grammar.

5. Mistakes

Don’t worry too much about mistakes. Don’t be so worried about getting it wrong that you are afraid to speak. We all make mistakes and most people will be kind and will still understand you! And don’t forget that you can learn from your mistakes!

6. Reading and listening

Read in English. Read books, newspapers, websites, anything! Listen to English. Watch films or TV shows, watch YouTube videos, or listen to music. This will help you learn more vocabulary and give you a feel for natural language.

7. Writing

Did you know that writing in English can help you with your speaking? This is because speaking and writing are similar skills. They both involve thinking about how to produce correct sentences. When you write, you have more time to think about the grammar and vocabulary so this will help you with accuracy.

I hope you find something new to try in this list!

See you next week!

Katie