How to improve your English in a short time? How to improve your knowledge of English without teachers and courses Improving spoken English

Apply your heart to learning and your ears to wise words.

(parable of King Solomon)

Many people learning English often ask questions: “ How to improve your English?”, “How to learn English effectively?”, “How not to lose knowledge gained through hard work and maintain your level?”. In this article I will give useful tips for learning English, which will tell you how to improve your language level much faster and effectively maintain it in the future.

Remember that you won’t be able to improve your English without making efforts - you will definitely need strong motivation, time And patience. Of course, not everyone finds learning English easy. There can be many reasons for this: lack of time due to being busy at work, incorrect prioritization, systematic fatigue... But! We are adults and deep down we understand very well that in most cases it all comes down to one thing - lack of desire and laziness. I wish you that the tips for learning English in this article will be a good help on the path to free communication.

First you need to motivate yourself. If you don’t have a clear goal, if you don’t understand why you need it, then the effectiveness of your study will be low. Therefore, I suggest starting with making a list all situations where English would be useful to you. For example, if you have a small child, then your good knowledge of the language will help you save on a tutor in the future. If you are running a business, then you can avoid embarrassment and awkward situations when your colleagues speak to you in English. Finally, when traveling, you will be able to speak English on your own, without outside help. Probably, many can remember situations when, being abroad, they lacked knowledge of the language in various situations: customs, shopping, local orientation, etc. Your study goals, of course, depend on your lifestyle and desires. After all, everyone is looking for what is really important to them.

The next step is to consider and take action. For example, you can learn a language on your own, sign up for courses, or study individually with a teacher. These can be either traditional classes in the classroom or classes via Skype, the popularity of which is growing every year. Read about the advantages and disadvantages of classes via Skype in my article. From work experience, I can say that very few people can learn a language from scratch on their own. Therefore, I advise you to go through at least the initial level with a teacher. Then, when you already have a certain vocabulary and basic knowledge of grammar and phonetics, you can continue studying on your own. Important!!! Whatever method you choose, take your dictionary wherever you go systematically write down new words, interesting phrases, proverbs. Constantly return to the material you have learned and refresh your memory.

In order to be understood, it is not enough to simply learn grammatical rules and words. You need to be able to pronounce them correctly. Pronunciation is the most important part of any language. Take it seriously, otherwise incidents cannot be avoided. Study the book "English Pronunciation in Use" and your speech will be clear and understandable to everyone. And the announcer also talks about how important it is to work on pronunciation (with subtitles). And here lesson, dedicated to the sounds of the English language.
When working with an electronic dictionary, check the pronunciation of a new word by clicking on the “Listen to pronunciation” button. And repeat it several times in combination with other learned words.
Install the menu on your mobile phone and programs on your computer in English - you will simply have to write down incomprehensible words, which you will learn very quickly, because you will always return to them when necessary.
For those who know the language better than you, write SMS and e-mail in English - additional practice in writing sentences for you. And you can count on your friends to correct mistakes.
Of course, to compose a simple message, you need to have basic knowledge of sentence construction. In English, adhere to the following word order: subject + predicate (i.e. who/what + action) + object + circumstance (this is in short). The "" section will help you master the basics of English grammar - you can easily speak and write in whole sentences. It will only be a matter of vocabulary - of saturating sentences with new words.
Now about vocabulary. I consider one of the most effective means (flash from English - flash, moment, flash card [‘flæʃ’kɑ:d] a card with text and a picture. Try to write a new word in made-up sentences, say it in a dialogue with someone.
Learn one proverb/phrase/idiom per day.
One of my favorite sites is free video lessons in English. Suitable for a student of any level - the explanations from native speakers are extremely simple, presented with humor and not tiresome.
Install the English Trainer program, write down your favorite phrases and start using them. Spend a few minutes a day on it.
Learn English with your child - watch children's English-language channels, programs - now everything is available online or on TV. And, of course, try to keep a dictionary and discuss with your child what you saw and heard.
Keep a travel diary in English - this is possible for any level (if possible, then work through the recorded material with a teacher)!
Read and translate labels on food products - on juice boxes, cookies, bottles, etc. Make up your own diet in English, your loved ones, an elderly person, an athlete, an Englishman, a Chinese... - great vocabulary practice!
Listen and do tasks for them.
Listen to audiobooks in English.
For students at the Pre-Intermediate level and above, Ilya Frank’s reading method will be interesting and educational, promoting passive language acquisition. This method involves an adapted passage - a text interspersed with a literal Russian translation and a small lexical and grammatical commentary. Then follows the same text, but unadapted, without prompts.
Find out what the British Council is. They sometimes recruit students to participate in pilot programs for free, some of which last several months! Classes are taught by highly qualified specialists. For Ukraine - http://www.britishcouncil.org/uk/ukraine.htm Perhaps you will be the lucky one!
Try to THINK in English (for starters, at least 2-3 times a day, 2-3 sentences). Further more.
Aerobatics are dreams in English! I sincerely wish you to see them more often :)
Analyze the tips from this video:

If every day you do at least something from the list I have proposed and analyze these tips for learning English, choosing the most suitable ones for you personally, then after 10-20 lessons you will proudly notice your own progress, turning over the learned phrases, dialogues, words and grammatical structures. You will understand for yourself how to improve your English, what steps to take and in what direction to move. A person is designed in such a way that he constantly needs to see the result of his work to maintain motivation and enthusiasm. This applies not only to learning English, but also to any other activity. Therefore, mark EVERY step you take, even if it is unsuccessful - you will see what you need to work on more. Remember, this is your success, your work, your knowledge, your time devoted to the language! Do everything with soul and understanding, get inspired by the idea of learning a language - success will come much faster! And remember the wisdom of King Solomon's parable

In contact with

According to Winston Churchill, a pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty. Often, difficulties in learning English arise at approximately the Intermediate - Upper-Intermediate level, and not all people see these difficulties as an opportunity to improve their knowledge of English. Therefore, we decided to tell you how to get started and teach English to intermediate students, as well as how to improve the level of English to the level you need.

Why should you continue to learn English?

By “continuing” we mean people who are “stuck” at the and level. In the article "" we outlined good reasons to complete your studies to the secondary level. It would seem that this level of knowledge is a pretty good achievement, so why continue to learn the language?

The better you know English, the more opportunities you have to use it in all areas of life:

Upon employment. While workers with an average level of English can still be found, higher levels are already a rarity. A potential employer will definitely notice a resume that indicates the Upper-Intermediate or level, and even more so if this is confirmed by an international certificate. And it’s not just that you may need knowledge of English in your work. Achieving a high level is proof that you know how to finish what you start, and this is a valuable character trait for an employee in any field.
For reading professional literature. An average level, as a rule, is still not enough to read specific literature using terminology. Climb one step higher, and you will be the first to use the “chips” of foreign companies.
To expand your social circle. You will be able to make new acquaintances with people from different parts of the world, communicate with interesting interlocutors from other countries on forums, language exchange sites, and blogs. At the same time, on language exchange sites, native English speakers prefer to communicate with English learners who have a fairly high level of knowledge, then communication is easier and more interesting.
To broaden your horizons. The main source of knowledge for a modern person is the Internet, where there is 9 times more varied information in English than in Russian. Knowledge of English at a high level makes it possible to study more information on a topic that interests you, and get ideas from foreign forums and websites.
To watch the video. If at an average level it may be difficult for you to watch videos of any topic, then at higher levels you are practically unlimited and can watch films and TV series of any genre in the original.
For family. At high levels of knowledge, you already know how to learn English and how it “works”, how to interest your children, relatives or friends in learning it.

We have named several common reasons to “survive” the intermediate level and continue to learn English. We also recommend reading our article “”, we think you too will be able to find your own motivation. However, no matter how motivated you are, sooner or later at an intermediate level, almost all English learners experience a plateau effect, that is, “marking time.” Let's take a closer look at what the essence of this phenomenon is and how to deal with it.

“Standing in one place” is an almost inevitable part of the improvement process. Whether you're learning English, trying to lose weight, or learning to knit, you'll experience a plateau effect. And it can be difficult to overcome it, not even physically, but psychologically. We want to receive everything at once, but only a few are ready to systematically work towards achieving the goal.

Why does the turning point occur exactly in the middle of learning English? When you start learning a foreign language, you quickly achieve positive results: a month ago you didn’t know anything, but today you can already say a few simple phrases about yourself in the language you’re learning. Such simple but clearly visible achievements will inspire any person; it seems that English is very easy and in just a couple of years you will know the language at the level of the average American.

However, such rapid developments occur only up to the average level of English proficiency. And from the Intermediate level, the English language begins to resist. Every day you learn new words and every day you are surprised to find that, despite all your efforts, you constantly come across unfamiliar vocabulary. And if you (God forbid!) look into the Oxford dictionary and realize that out of 500,000 words you know “only” 2000-3000, then the suspicion will begin to creep into your thoughts that in two years you will not become any kind of American. As for grammar, even here at the intermediate level “surprises” may await you in the form of complex cases of using this or that tense and the “great and terrible” passive voice, about which you have probably heard horror stories at previous levels of training.

In addition, English learners are frustrated by the fact that at the first stages they completed each course in 5-7 months, and from the Intermediate level, each level can take from 7 to 12 months. That’s why people ask questions: “Why did it take so long? Am I finally “stuck” in the middle? How to improve your English level?

The fact is that before Intermediate you learned the “inches” of English necessary for survival. From the Intermediate level, you take on the “roots”: you go deeper into each topic, study more complex nuances, synonyms of words, slang, phrasal verbs, etc. And there are quite a lot of similar subtleties in any language, which is why it turns out that you need to spend more time to improve your English level.

Fortunately, the plateau effect is a common problem that anyone can solve. And the first step you should take is to understand that plateaus are completely normal. Every person encounters it sooner or later, so it’s not about your abilities, but about the peculiarities of the process of learning a foreign language. Just take it for granted and keep learning English to overcome the plateau faster.

Below we will outline the techniques that will help you “get the ball rolling” on your English and improve your level of knowledge. All techniques are selected in such a way that you can get rid of the most common difficulties associated with learning English at the Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate levels.

Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.

Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.

1. Continue studying with the teacher

“I don’t know what to grab first” is one of the main reasons why a student finds it difficult to overcome the plateau effect. At the intermediate level, many paths are open to you: you can listen to podcasts, read books, watch movies, etc. Therefore, many English learners from this level quit classes with a teacher and start studying on their own. However, choosing the right path to learning English yourself is difficult, because this is the first time you have found yourself at such a fork in the road. Therefore, in order to quickly improve your English level, we advise you to continue studying with your teacher, who has experienced the effect of the plateau effect on himself and his students and knows how to cope with it. In addition, lessons with a teacher discipline you: you will be less tempted to skip class or put something off “for later.”

2. Try lessons with a native speaker

Speaking is a skill that continuing students need to work hard on. And at the intermediate level, an effective way to develop this skill is to study with a native English speaker. He will teach you to communicate naturally, to use idioms, phrasal verbs, slang in your speech - those “highlights” of the language that distinguish the speech of a person with a high level of English proficiency from a person at an average level of knowledge. This is how you can move to the next level of foreign language proficiency. If you wish, you can combine lessons with a native speaker and lessons with a Russian-speaking teacher, this will also be effective.

3. Don't slow down

It would seem that upon reaching an intermediate level, the pace of learning can be slowed down: you seem to know quite a lot, and all that remains is to improve your knowledge. In fact, this is not so: the material at the middle and high levels of training is more complex and voluminous than at the previous levels. That is why we recommend not slowing down, or even better, speeding it up. Moreover, it is best to increase the intensity through independent study, and if you study in a group or with a teacher, you can also increase the duration of classes. During lessons with a teacher, devote maximum time to speaking practice so that you can be taught to speak competently and fluently.

4. Find people to talk to in English

This is the most difficult and at the same time the most important task, because we learn English primarily in order to speak it. Use every opportunity to communicate in the language you are learning: go to English language discussion clubs, attend group lessons and talk with classmates, find yourself a friend on a language exchange site, etc. You can find a conversation partner yourself, using the resources from the article “”. And, of course, our people are always ready to help you “talk.”

5. Prepare for the exam

The surest way to find out whether you have reached the next level of English is to pass an international exam, in which case you will receive an independent assessment of your knowledge. For example, if your knowledge is at the Intermediate level, set yourself a goal to pass the FCE. In this case, during preparation you will solve various tasks corresponding to the next level - Upper-Intermediate, and you will be able to see what you should know at this new level. And after you are awarded a certificate of successful completion of the exam, there will be no trace of the plateau left.

6. Learn English grammar for intermediate students

It would seem that at the Intermediate level you have already become familiar with all tenses of English, but there are important grammatical structures that are required to move to the next level of knowledge. We'll point out resources you can rely on to help you learn advanced English grammar.

Sources of knowledge:

Without good textbook It will be difficult to study grammar, because everything in the book is systematized. We recommend that those continuing the “blue Murphy” textbook “English Grammar in Use” at the Intermediate level (it is also suitable for Upper-Intermediate). You can also take Oxford Practice Grammar at Intermediate level. These books present the theory briefly and clearly and provide many practical exercises.
To get acquainted with the theory and practice it with practical exercises, take a look at our blog, where English grammar for intermediate level is presented, select the “Intermediate” tab.
As you learn grammar test yourself to see how the plateau effect is gradually replaced by the effect of rising to the next level of knowledge. In the article "" you will find resources for checking your achievements

7. Keep learning new words

Your vocabulary is already quite large, but the more you expand it, the faster you can improve your English level.

What words should beginners learn:

Vocabulary from special textbooks. Textbooks for learning English vocabulary are the best assistants for advanced students. Their value is that they give you thematic selections of words presented in texts, dialogues and practical exercises. Such manuals teach you not just new words, but the rules for using them. We recommend the following textbooks for those continuing: “English Vocabulary in Use” at the Pre-Intermediate - Intermediate or Upper-Intermediate - Advanced level, “Oxford Word Skills” at the Intermediate or Advanced level, and the “4000 Essential English Words” series of manuals. These books have answers to all tasks, so you can even study from them on your own.
Unfamiliar words from texts. Books or articles in English are a valuable source of new vocabulary. Write down unfamiliar words that are often found in the text or play an important role in understanding the meaning of what you read, and learn them. At the same time, give preference to modern literature, books and articles on the Internet in English adapted to your level of knowledge.
Synonyms and antonyms of words you already know. The words good and bad are good to use at beginner levels. At the middle stage, you need to expand your vocabulary with synonyms and antonyms of similar words. Fortunately, you don’t even have to look for them yourself; you can always find this information in electronic dictionaries. For example, enter the word good into the search bar on merriam-webster.com, and under the heading “Related to GOOD” you will see a fairly extensive list of synonyms and antonyms for it.
Phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs are just as widely used and just as difficult to learn as idioms. We recommend studying such vocabulary using a special textbook “Phrasal Verbs in Use”, and also take note of the application “The Phrasal Verbs Machine” (Android, iOS).
Collocations. Collocations - stable phrases. They need to be taught to make it easier for you to correctly select words for each other and make sentences. In addition, phrases are easier to remember than individual words. It is best to learn such phrases using the textbook “English Collocations in Use Intermediate”. In addition, you can use the special dictionary “Oxford Dictionary Collocations”.
Idioms. This vocabulary will embellish your speech, make it more natural and expressive. Native speakers use idioms everywhere, even in formal speech. We recommend using the special textbook “English Idioms in Use Intermediate”, it presents various practical exercises to help you remember set expressions and the rules for their use. Learning proverbs and idioms is not always easy, so we have written several useful articles: “”, “”. In addition, you can install applications for learning idioms “English Idioms and Phrases” (Android) and “English Idioms Illustrated” (iOS) on your gadget.
Slang. Slang words and expressions will be found in almost all books, films and TV series. Therefore, it is important to take time to memorize such vocabulary to improve your English proficiency. The meaning of slang expressions can be found in the specialized dictionary Urban Dictionary.
Lists of words from learning blogs. Pay attention to the articles in the “ ” series on the Macmillan online dictionary website. Each of these small notes provides examples of sentences with useful vocabulary on a specific topic.
Words on special electronic resources. Special sites for learning words for intermediate students will help you learn new vocabulary using various tests. We recommend using esl.fis.edu or englishteststore.net, they are aimed at people with an average level of English.

It is important for those continuing to develop the skill of listening to English speech. Moreover, if earlier you needed to understand at least something of what was said on a simple recording, now you need to complicate your task - try to understand 70-80% of what you heard. Also, listen to more complex audio recordings and watch videos of people speaking with different accents, and then try to explain the idea of the video in your own words, at the same time practicing your speaking.

Podcasts- an excellent “trainer” for English language learners. In addition, it is also a portable exercise machine: you can save files to your smartphone or tablet and exercise whenever it is convenient for you. We recommend where you will find a lot of free educational materials. Also pay attention to the resource ted.com, where you will find fascinating video lectures on any topic that interests you.
Watching movies and TV series- the most pleasant and exciting technique that helps improve your listening comprehension of English speech. You can just watch them in your free time for your own pleasure, but it is better to use the techniques from the article “”.
Online dictations will help you develop both listening and spelling skills. We suggest you visit, where you will find short tasks of different difficulty levels. Such training will not take much time and will be beneficial.

9. Read in English

Reading texts in English is a great opportunity to see how the grammar and vocabulary being studied “works” in practice, and to learn new words, and it’s also just a fun activity.

Adapted books convenient because you won’t need to consult the dictionary often. The text contains no more than 3-10 unfamiliar words per page, and at the end of each publication there is a dictionary. Adapted literature can be found on the website english-e-books.net and english-easy-ebooks.com.
Literature in the original is a good challenge for an average level of knowledge. Reading the book may be difficult at first, but you will learn many new words and enjoy reading the work as the author created it. You can find many books in English on the website e-reading.club.
Modern articles on the Internet are a convenient alternative for those who do not have the time or desire to read a long work. Small articles on various topics can be found on. And you can read more serious and complex material in the online newspapers “The Guardian”, “The Washington Post”, “The Daily Telegraph”.

10. Write in English

When you write something in English, you learn to formulate your thoughts in the target language, you can use the words you just learned and consolidate them in your memory. If you later need to say a similar phrase in a conversation, it will be easier for you to formulate it, so writing skills also need to be improved for those who want to cross the plateau and improve their level of English.

How to improve your writing skill:

Translation exercises will teach you how to correctly construct sentences in English. And this is useful for both written and oral speech. Read our article “”, from it you will learn why and how to perform such exercises. And read about the 2 best manuals with translation exercises.
Online dictations. We have already written about them in the previous paragraph, so we can say that this is a universal exercise that will kill two birds with one stone.
Essay. By writing essays on different topics, you will achieve two goals: learn to express your thoughts in English and learn new words. Replenishing your vocabulary occurs if you do not limit yourself to using vocabulary you already know, but look for new words in the dictionary and use them in your essay. Thus, you immediately use the new word in context, and when writing you also use mechanical memory, which also makes memorization easier. However, one should take into account the fact that such work makes sense when it is checked by a person who knows English well. So for maximum benefit, try to find a teacher or someone else to proofread your essays.
Groups on social networks. On Facebook and Vkontakte you can count hundreds of groups for learning English. In such public pages, correspondence in English is welcome: you can comment on posts you like or communicate in one of the open topics. Take a look at our English learning groups

19.08.2014

We all know how young children learn to speak - before they utter their first word, they listen to their parents talk, gradually getting used to speech. It is more difficult for adults to master a foreign language, but it is quite possible. A good way to develop your English speaking skills is through listening.

In order to master listening skills and become fluent in English, you should listen to a lot of audio and video tutorials in English, such as dialogues, thematic texts and audio stories, and listen to them again from time to time.

It is advisable to have English subtitles for audio and video materials. The most effective listening is achieved when you read the subtitles and then repeat after the speaker, trying to imitate his pace and intonation. This way you can study any topic and at the same time practice English pronunciation.

5 Practical Tips to Improve Your Listening and Speaking Skills

Here are some tips that I'm happy to share with you. They will certainly help you improve your speaking and listening skills.

1.Listen to each sentence several times.

While listening, you need to see the text itself and read each sentence.

2.Make sure you understand every sentence in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

3. Without looking at the text, try to repeat each phrase(say it out loud) exactly as you heard it.

When you repeat a sentence as closely as possible to the test, you consequently remember its content.

4. Listen to specific text in short paragraphs, conditionally dividing it into parts.

For example, after reading one paragraph, immediately compare it with the subtitles.

5. Listen to the entire text several times and try to tell the content of the entire conversation or text.

You can write down key words and phrases or main ideas as an outline of a particular dialogue or text to make it easier to retell later.

It is important to compare what you said with the text.

It may be a good idea to record your own speech and compare it with the original audio/video recording. Yes, it may seem funny, but believe me, it's worth it.

So, let's summarize

There are many ready-made thematic dialogues in English, thematic texts (informative texts and plot stories), grammar materials (in the form of dialogues and texts), and sentences with complex vocabulary on various topics.
You can also practice listening comprehension of English using fixed phrases and English idioms.
To test yourself, use video materials from subtitles. Reading books, using audio and video materials provide additional practice and speed up the development of the English language.

Now you know how to improve your English speaking skills through listening, all that remains for you to do is to start implementing the above tips as soon as possible.

I'm sure you will succeed! Of course, it may not be the first time, but don’t forget – practice and practice again!

It doesn't matter how fast you go, as long as you don't stop.

Confucius

What methods do you use to develop speaking skills? I look forward to your answers in the comments!

1. Don't learn words - memorize ready-made expressions right away. 50-80 for key life situations. So as not to get stuck when collecting words. Do you have...? – I don’t have... Do you know? - I don’t know… Could you tell me if / where / how I can ...

2. Do it verbatim in Russian words. Let him do it -> Let him do it, i.e. Let him do it.

At the same time, try to understand the logic of specific phrases. I have DONE it. -> I'm done, i.e. here is the result. This will make it easier to use them.

For better memory orientation and speed of use when speaking,

3. The phrases we need should be grouped into situational blocks and sub-blocks. For example,

In addition to beautiful and smooth transitions,

4. With such phrases we can waste time, while we remember the word or think about how best to formulate our thought.

Example: They often say that this country... It is often said that this country... - But as you already know, I need a visa. As you already know I need a visa. - On the one hand, this means that... - On the one hand, it means that... - And it seems to me that... And it seems to me that...

5. With these expressions we give a streamlined assessment of what we heard. For example, your foreign friend talks very emotionally about his adventure. But - here's an ambush! – you understood almost nothing there. And say Sorry. I don’t understand, - my tongue won’t turn.

Well, say it, shaking your head thoughtfully: Such is life - Such is life... or: That's what may happen when you go abroad. - This is what can happen when you go abroad, i.e. That's what…

Try to learn first

6. Words to which many other words can be reduced. For example, all of the following expressions use 14 different verbs. And they can be replaced with one MOVE - MOVE:

The car accelerates - starts moving, the train slows down - stops moving, we are heading towards the center - moving towards the center, the plane is flying - moving through the air, open the box - move the box towards you, the man is running - moving quickly on his feet, hurry up - move faster, get down - move down, stir the soup - move the soup, put on your coat - move your coat towards you, insert the card into the ATM - move the card into the machine, the country is not developing - is not moving forward, I am making progress in English - I am moving forward.

When we don’t have enough vocabulary, we have two options: 1) eeek, waving our arms. 2) jump to simpler words, descriptively presenting the word we need. For this you need

7. Develop the ability to express the essence of one word in other words. Many people have problems with this even in their native language. For example,

If you forgot or don’t know the word “solvent,” say “a liquid that makes paint less dense.”
Forgot the word “dense”, you can say “less solid, light, lively, thin”.

All the books, websites and apps in the world can't teach you to speak English fluently.

The most effective and quick way to achieve this is to immerse yourself in a language environment with native speakers - in courses at Language schools, plunging headlong into the English-speaking environment.

Sometimes you don't have this option, but you can still improve your spoken language. We'll explain how to do this.

1. Think in English

If you think in your native language and then try to speak English, you will always have to translate from one language to another. Translating is not easy! Even people who speak two or more languages have difficulty switching from one language to another.

The solution is to think in language.

This can be done anywhere and anytime. Try to think in English when thinking about your day, or, for example, when deciding what pizza to order. Try using a dictionary to look up an unfamiliar word. Over time, you will notice that thinking in English makes it easier to speak it.

2. Talk to yourself

Whenever you are alone, you can practice with your loved one - yourself.

If you are already trying to think in English, try saying your thoughts out loud. Read aloud. Practice is still practice, and even if there is no one to correct your mistakes, simply “performing” out loud will help you feel more comfortable.

3. Use a mirror

Whenever you have a few free minutes in front of the mirror, speak English to your reflection. You can choose a topic in advance, set aside time for a few minutes and just talk.

The purpose of this exercise is to monitor your face and body while speaking. This will also give a feeling of conversation, as you can imagine that you are discussing something with the interlocutor.

Talk for 2 or 3 minutes. Don't stop if you get stuck on a word you don't know, try expressing your thought differently. You can always find this word in the dictionary after finishing these 2-3 minutes in front of the mirror. This will certainly help you find out which words or sentences you are having trouble with.

4. Focus on fluency, not grammar.

Speaking in English, how often do you stop?

The more you stop, the less confident you feel, and the less comfortable you become. Try the mirror exercise above, but challenge yourself to speak without stopping or taking long pauses between words.

The sentences may not be grammatically perfect, but if you focus on speaking fluently rather than correctly, you will still be understood and your speech will sound better. You can correct grammatical errors and words as you get to know them better.

5. Try tongue twisters

Tongue twisters are phrases that are difficult to say quickly. Try saying them in English several times. It is not easy.

This type of play on words helps improve pronunciation.

6. Listen and repeat

Do you watch TV shows and videos? Apply them to improve your language proficiency. Stop at a short part of the show and repeat it line by line. Try to match the tone, speed, and even accent (if you can). It doesn't matter if you miss a few words, the important thing is to keep talking. Try to sound like the native speakers on the show.

7. Try to follow the accents

English uses stressed syllables. This means you need to emphasize certain syllables (sounds) to give different meanings to words.

Listen to where native speakers emphasize when they speak. Try to do the same again.

This will not only help you speak well, but may even reduce misunderstandings. Sometimes placing stress on the wrong syllable changes the word completely. The word ADdress, for example, is not the same as adDRESS. ADDress refers to the physical location where someone lives, and ADDRESS means to address something to a group of people.

Learn to hear the difference!

8. Sing songs

Songs in English will help you speak more fluently.

Once you can sing along with your chosen artists, try testing your skills on something more challenging, like rapping! There, the lyrics of the song are often spoken as ordinary sentences. However, the rapper uses a stronger rhythm and higher speed. Some of the words may not make sense, but if you can keep up with the rapper, you'll be on your way to speaking fluently!

9. Learn collocations with new words

Speak more simply by learning different forms of a new word. For example, if you just learned the word get, also learn phrases with get.

It is important to know the correct way to use a word in any sentence. This knowledge will help during the conversation.

10. Learn phrases, not just individual words

You may be using the correct grammar and vocabulary, but it's still not what a native speaker would say.

Phrases and expressions can be helpful to sound more natural.

11. Identify your most common expressions.

Take some time to notice how you speak your native language.

What words and phrases are used most often?

Learn how to say your most frequently used phrases and words in English. Knowing them in English will help you speak them as well as in your native language.

12. Prepare for specific situations

Are you learning English for a specific reason? For example, to work in an English-speaking company? In this case, practice English, which will help you in the interview. Are you learning a language so you can make friends in other countries? Then a different type of language will be needed.

Before you go to a place where you will need to speak English, you can practice what you may have to say. For example, when preparing to go to a restaurant, answer questions the waiter might ask. Try talking about food and menus.

You will feel more confident if you are prepared!