Millions of students need to improve their spoken English and only a small percentage of them will succeed. It isn't a matter of money or intelligence. It is simply a matter of working consistently and having a proper study method. It amazes me how few people study correctly.
I've had hundreds of students ask me how they can improve their spoken English. They've been told that speaking to foreigners is the only way. Obviously this helps, but it's a poor attitude to think that the only way to really improve your speaking is to have a native partner all the time. It simply isn't necessary. I'm going to give you some useful secrets that I'm sure will help you.
1. Improve your listening.
Vocabulary is nothing if you can't understand it when it's spoken. English that us used daily by native speakers is much simpler and much different that anything you can read. Listen to what they say to each other and make note of it. The only way to get better at listening is to practice it. Podcasts are a great way to do it but you need to find one for your level. Young kids can speak fluently in any language but they can't read or write. They learn all of this from listening.
It doesn't matter your age, you can make huge improvements if you spend more time listening to native speech you can understand. After a certain point, the English will start to flow naturally from your mouth. Don't quit though. This takes several hours of dedicated listening before you will notice anything. If you listen for 50 hours, you will be shocked at how much you've improved.
2. Write down your thoughts
This is not essay writing like you'd do in school. I'm talking about keeping a diary about your daily life. Use descriptive words and write in a way that you would speak. Try to write stories. Try to write exactly what you would say to your friends. Write a story about your dream vacation. Write a story about what you did during your favorite summer. Write about the first time you fell in love. Write about what you want to do with your life in the future.
The answers to all of those questions will be in the form of how you would actually speak. They are much different than essays or what you'd read in the newspaper. The more you write, the more you'll notice what you need to work on. There will be some stories you can tell more easily than others. If you can't write your ideas, you won't be able to say them. If you can write down what you want to say clearly, your spoken English will follow.
It's the combination between this style of writing and listening that will give you major progress with your speaking. You need to do both or you will get no results. If you want to spend some time reading too, that's fine, just remember, reading should only be to learn new words and don't make it take up the majority of your studying. It's fun and easy to read, but spend more time listening and writing. You'll be amazed at how clearly you'll be able to express yourself with even a small vocabulary. Native speakers don't use a very large vocabulary when they are speaking anyway.
Take advantage of technology like Ipads, Iphones, Ipods, Podcasts, PDF's, Ebooks, and other useful English learning stuff. You should be able to listen and write anywhere with no more excuses. Check out this English course. It will really help you improve spoken English.
Article by: www.englishbaby.com
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