Blog #4
Hi guys!
I have been receiving a lot of questions from you asking how to be good and fluent in English both in oral and written. I am going to give tips and suggestions that you can do to at least improve your English. Let's get started!
1. Start exposing yourself to English. There are a lot of pages and groups on Facebook focusing in teaching English. They mainly encourage all members to use the language. Participation and involvement are the keys.
2. Don't be afraid to express yourself in English. Nobody's perfect. Even those native speakers, not all, are not good in grammar. Yes, they sound awesome because it's their first language. They have been using the language since childhood. Apparently, they have great grasp of the language and very confident in using it. The same way, if we would ask them to speak other language, I am pretty sure they would sound awkward too.
3. Practice. Let me give emphasis on this. As I always suggest to my friends, students, group members and supporters online, there are so many ways to practice English. Listen and watch video clips or podcasts on YouTube. Watch English television series and movies.
I know it may sound funny but I do this, talk to yourself in English. Make sure no one is hearing you as they may find you crazy. If you have native speaking friends or someone who has better grasp in English, talk to them. You can talk to them anything and everything under the sun.
Also, you may record yourself. You may use your phone. Talk about any topic. It maybe about your favorites. Then, listen to it and try to assess your mispronounced words and grammar errors. You can use online dictionary to check how each words should be pronounced.
Finally, read a lot and aloud! This will help your articulators like mouth, tongue, anything involves in producing sounds, to get used to producing English words. There are many practice drills on YouTube. Please check them out. Reading will also widen your vocabulary. What I have been doing, If I encounter words or phrases that I am not aware of or literally don't know their meaning, I write them down then I search them online to check their meaning and its pronunciation. And to help to improve your grammar, there a lot of exercise tests online. You might want to consider answering them during your free time.
4. Learning English is fun! Learning the language does not necessary mean you have to spend most of your time in studying it. English is a complex language especially grammar. It has a lot of rules and I NEVER advise to master it in short period of time. Learn it slowly but surely. Smile while studying and practicing English.
5. Be consistent. Learning anything requires consistency. The same is true in learning and mastering English. It's not an overnight learning. Keep on talking. Keep on reading. Keep on listening. Be confident and speak as often as possible to as many people as you possibly can! Do not be shy to make mistakes! Don't get intimidated with those who can speak the language better than you. Remember, they also started from the scratch. The more you practice the better and more confident you will become in your pronunciation and vocabulary. Remember, speaking is a skill like learning a musical instrument and the only way you can get good at it is to actually do it.
I know my tips are not easy to do as it require consistency and hard work. But if you're really determined and inspired to improve your English, do it and do it right now! I am not a native speaker and my English isn’t flawless, obviously. But these are the things that I have been doing to improve my English and to be comfortable in using it. These tips help me a lot. I hope you, guys, find these tips helpful too. I am going to give you more next time. See you around.
PS Please share and like if you find this helpful and comment down other tips that we can do to improve our English. Thank you.
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