Behind Better Speaking in English
BEHIND BETTER SPEAKING in ENGLISH
Hi Buddy. It’s nice to see you again in this English corner. We all know English is spoken all over the world. It is not a wonder that acquiring English is an urgent demand nowadays both spoken and written English. For this issue and the next, we are going to raise you up to become a more fluent speaker of English, and at some of skills you need for effective communication.
Are you eager to improve your English speaking; here are eight tips to build a more fluent speaker of English (1) Becoming a confident speaker, (2) Fluency or accuracy, (3) Finding the right words, (4) Learning language in chunks, (5) Showing where you are going, (6) Keeping the listener interested, (7) Being a supportive listener, and (8) Sounding natural
1. Becoming confident speaker
Confidence is a very important in learning to speak a language. Many learners worry that they are going to make a mistake or that the people listening will not understand them. You want to relax when you are speaking English; here are the tips to make you sound more confident.
a. Practice often. The more often you speak the easier it becomes. Try to think of people you can talk to in English, or places in your town where English is spoken a lot. Is it an uneasy way? If not, how about joining a conversation club?
b. Relax and think about the message. You are so easy become nervous if you only focus on the grammar rules in your speaking. In speaking what you want to say is more important than how you say it. Then the key of relaxing is talking something which is really interesting. Therefore, speaking is easier if you have what something to say and you enjoy having conversation.
c. Rehearse what you want to say. If you are very nervous, try to practice saying what you want to say to yourself a few times. Planning and rehearsal can make your speaking more confident.
2.Fluency or accuracy
Speaking English fluently is a goal for many learners of English. However, other learners have the goal of speaking accuracy. Which is more important for you? Basically, speaking a language well requires both fluency and accuracy. So, how can you develop both?
a. Identify your learning style. Is being correct when you speak in English the most important for you? Or do you always take risk in speaking English though it is not correct? Therefore, try to recognize what is easy for you and then working on what is difficult.
b. Focus on one area at a time. If you want to have fluency in speaking, you just make sure your listeners understand what you’ve said, not on avoiding mistakes (both tenses error, speak slowly, and vocabulary). So just focus on one area to improve your speaking.
c. Vary your practice. If you are joining a conversation club, make sure you vary the types of activities you do so that you get practice both fluency and accuracy.
3. Finding the right words
Vocabulary is important in learning a language. Using the right words for your expression in speaking is needed to become a fluent and confident speaker. Here are some tips to help in finding exact words for speaking well.
a. Explain what you mean. Don’t worry if you can’t find the exact word you are searching for. Instead, try to explain what you mean. In this case, you can give a short description, a short definition, even use you body language to demonstrate the meaning.
b. Start your sentence again. It’s not funny to stop at the middle of speaking as you lose your words. Remember that what you are saying is important for both speaker and listener. So, to give yourself more time to think of a word or definition, go back at the beginning of your sentence and start again.
c. Ask for help. If you get stuck in finding the right word, why not to ask the listeners for help. Together, you and your listener might be able to finds words for the idea you want to express.
4. Learning language in chunks
A chunk is a phrase or group of words which you hear together all the time. Chunk is important for better speaking since it can make our speaking sound natural and fluent. Curious in using chunk in your speaking, here are the tips:
a. Listen out for fixed phrases. Be keen on your English radio/television program. Are there any phrases which are repeated a lot in that program? Please focus on phases rather than individual word, then you can build your store of language chunk. It can help you become more confident since you will not need to think about each individual word in your sentences.
b. Record collocations. Collocation is defined as a sequence of words or terms which co-occur more often than would be expected by chance. For instances: ‘bank’ we have some collocations with words bank – bank account, central bank, bank river, bank deposit, and bank manager. When you are listing new vocabulary in your notebook, remember to think about any important collocating words. So your English will be more natural.
Do you have any gut to practice four tips above in order to improve your English speaking? So, please wake up and find your difficulties in speaking then fix it? Practice makes perfect, doesn’t it?
Stay tune on the next issue for the next tips…. (To be continued)
(Above article can be read on Tabloid RGB June 2006 issue and the material can be downloaded at http://www.bbc.co.uk in the form pdf)
Hi Buddy. It’s nice to see you again in this English corner. We all know English is spoken all over the world. It is not a wonder that acquiring English is an urgent demand nowadays both spoken and written English. For this issue and the next, we are going to raise you up to become a more fluent speaker of English, and at some of skills you need for effective communication.
Are you eager to improve your English speaking; here are eight tips to build a more fluent speaker of English (1) Becoming a confident speaker, (2) Fluency or accuracy, (3) Finding the right words, (4) Learning language in chunks, (5) Showing where you are going, (6) Keeping the listener interested, (7) Being a supportive listener, and (8) Sounding natural
1. Becoming confident speaker
Confidence is a very important in learning to speak a language. Many learners worry that they are going to make a mistake or that the people listening will not understand them. You want to relax when you are speaking English; here are the tips to make you sound more confident.
a. Practice often. The more often you speak the easier it becomes. Try to think of people you can talk to in English, or places in your town where English is spoken a lot. Is it an uneasy way? If not, how about joining a conversation club?
b. Relax and think about the message. You are so easy become nervous if you only focus on the grammar rules in your speaking. In speaking what you want to say is more important than how you say it. Then the key of relaxing is talking something which is really interesting. Therefore, speaking is easier if you have what something to say and you enjoy having conversation.
c. Rehearse what you want to say. If you are very nervous, try to practice saying what you want to say to yourself a few times. Planning and rehearsal can make your speaking more confident.
2.Fluency or accuracy
Speaking English fluently is a goal for many learners of English. However, other learners have the goal of speaking accuracy. Which is more important for you? Basically, speaking a language well requires both fluency and accuracy. So, how can you develop both?
a. Identify your learning style. Is being correct when you speak in English the most important for you? Or do you always take risk in speaking English though it is not correct? Therefore, try to recognize what is easy for you and then working on what is difficult.
b. Focus on one area at a time. If you want to have fluency in speaking, you just make sure your listeners understand what you’ve said, not on avoiding mistakes (both tenses error, speak slowly, and vocabulary). So just focus on one area to improve your speaking.
c. Vary your practice. If you are joining a conversation club, make sure you vary the types of activities you do so that you get practice both fluency and accuracy.
3. Finding the right words
Vocabulary is important in learning a language. Using the right words for your expression in speaking is needed to become a fluent and confident speaker. Here are some tips to help in finding exact words for speaking well.
a. Explain what you mean. Don’t worry if you can’t find the exact word you are searching for. Instead, try to explain what you mean. In this case, you can give a short description, a short definition, even use you body language to demonstrate the meaning.
b. Start your sentence again. It’s not funny to stop at the middle of speaking as you lose your words. Remember that what you are saying is important for both speaker and listener. So, to give yourself more time to think of a word or definition, go back at the beginning of your sentence and start again.
c. Ask for help. If you get stuck in finding the right word, why not to ask the listeners for help. Together, you and your listener might be able to finds words for the idea you want to express.
4. Learning language in chunks
A chunk is a phrase or group of words which you hear together all the time. Chunk is important for better speaking since it can make our speaking sound natural and fluent. Curious in using chunk in your speaking, here are the tips:
a. Listen out for fixed phrases. Be keen on your English radio/television program. Are there any phrases which are repeated a lot in that program? Please focus on phases rather than individual word, then you can build your store of language chunk. It can help you become more confident since you will not need to think about each individual word in your sentences.
b. Record collocations. Collocation is defined as a sequence of words or terms which co-occur more often than would be expected by chance. For instances: ‘bank’ we have some collocations with words bank – bank account, central bank, bank river, bank deposit, and bank manager. When you are listing new vocabulary in your notebook, remember to think about any important collocating words. So your English will be more natural.
Do you have any gut to practice four tips above in order to improve your English speaking? So, please wake up and find your difficulties in speaking then fix it? Practice makes perfect, doesn’t it?
Stay tune on the next issue for the next tips…. (To be continued)
(Above article can be read on Tabloid RGB June 2006 issue and the material can be downloaded at http://www.bbc.co.uk in the form pdf)
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