How to Improve English

1. Talk to whoever you can. Decide among your circle of friends that you will only talk in English with each other. This way you can get rid of hesitation and also have your friends correct you when you are wrong. .....

Start a conversation with strangers in English

2. Since you do not know them personally, you will feel less conscious about what they would feel about you. .....

Maintaining a diary

3. Maintaining a diary to record the events of your day is a great way to practice your writing skills. Take your time to use new words and phrases when you write in your diary. .....

Read the newspaper

4. Read it aloud when you can. Concentrate on each word. Note down the words you don t understand and learn their meanings. Try to use these words in your own sentences. .....

Watch English movies

5. Watch English movies and English shows on television. Initially, you can read the sub titles to follow the conversation. As you practice more, you will realize that you are able to follow the conversation without needing to read the sub titles. .....

Set aside an hour every day to watch English news channels

6. This is one of the most effective ways of improving your comprehension. .....

Podcasts

7. Podcasts are available on the internet. These are audio and video files and many of these can be downloaded for free. These are a great way to practice listening skills and develop an understanding of different accents. .....

Read the lyrics

8. It is usually quite difficult for a beginner to understand the words of an English song as there is background music and the accent of the artist may be unfamiliar to the listener. Read the lyrics while you listen to the song and you will comprehend better. Once you start following the voice of a particular singer, you will find it much easier to understand the singer s other songs too. .....

Record your own voice and listen to it

9. Another effective way is to record your own voice and listen to it. You will notice hesitations and pauses. You may also notice that you make some grammatical mistakes while speaking that you do not make while writing. You must aim to improve and rectify these mistakes in subsequent recordings. .....

Ask people

10. Ask people who speak better for advice. There is no shame in seeking help especially if you are trying to improve yourself. Talk to them in English and ask them to correct you whenever you are wrong. .....

Forget the fear

11. The main problem with most students who find it difficult to speak English well is that they lack confidence and they have a fear that they might go wrong and will be laughed at.But if you do not start practicing English communication how would you know where you are going wrong and where you need to improve. We all make mistakes and the only way to learn is to practice and have others correct us. .....

Think in English

12. When communicating in English language, many students tend to think in their mother tongue and speak in English. If you wish to improve your communication in English then first you need to start thinking in English, i.e., change your language of thought from your mother tongue to English as this reduces the effort of translating your thoughts from your mother tongue to English. .....

Word power

13. Improve your vocabulary to improve your communication. Keep a dictionary handy and use it to learn the meaning of a new words that you hear but don t about its meaning.Make a list of such new words as and when possible and try to use these words when you are communicating in English, this helps you make your language richer. .....

Use the media

14. Read English books, newspapers and magazines. Watch English news, TV shows, movies, preferably with subtitles. The more you hear the more exposure you get to new words to add on to your vocabulary and you get more familiar to the pronunciation and intonation of different words. Record your own voice and listen to it. This will help you gain confidence and work on your mistakes. .....

Call a friend

15. Also try and find a friend who is also interested in improving English so that you can practice together, correct each other and learn together. .....

Slow Down Your Speaking Speed

16. You might be an eloquent speaker when it comes to your mother tongue, but expecting the same standards from yourself when speaking in a foreign language may not be very realistic. Especially, if you re at the early stages of learning. Learners are often told not to worry about the mistakes they re making, however, it is easy to understand why you would like to make a good impression on your audience. To overcome this difficulty, you may try slowi .....

Give Yourself Time To Think

17. You may be worried that the people you re talking to are impatient and would like you to say what you want as quickly as possible. First of all, it may not be true .....

Learn Sentences Not Only Words

18. In a way, this will take the pressure off too. When you learn a new word, try to memorize a couple of sentences that contain it. There might come a time when you can use one particular sentence with little, or no alteration at all. Unfortunately, many people learn words by heart, but have no idea how to use them in a sentence. It will be such a relief not having to worry about whether the sentence is correct grammatically or not. .....

Learn To Listen

19. When speaking in a foreign language, you might be so focused on what you are saying and whether it s correct or not, that you forget to listen to what others are saying. This is a big mistake as they might be using the exact words or grammar you ll be needing later on. So pay attention to what s being said around you, it s your most important resource at the time of speaking to someone. .....

Practise Your Interrogative

20. We also need to keep in mind the fact that communication is a two way process. Not only does it make you seem uninterested .....

Produce Produce

21. As I said at the beginning of this article, you might know a lot about the language, but this is passive knowledge that must be activated somehow. Your aim is to be able to produce correct English; practice is undeniably the best way to learn and improve. Writing is one way of producing language; it may help you get used to and reflect on the ways English operates, which, in turn, might prove to be useful when speaking. Speaking, on the other han .....

Use technology

22. A smartphone can be a powerful tool for learning languages. Use it to record yourself speaking then listen back to see how your English sounds to other people. Make the most of all your favourite productivity apps to organise your practice time and make a note of all the new words you learn. .....

Speak speak speak

23. Be confident and speak as often as possible to as many people as you possibly can! Do not be shy to make mistakes! 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 or new sport .....

Listen

24. Listen to news bulletins and songs in English to listen to the pronunciation of words. You can also learn new words and expressions this way. The more you listen, the more you learn! Try copying what you hear to practise your pronunciation and learn which words in a sentence are stressed. .....

Read out loud

25. Read the newspaper or a magazine out to yourself. You could even find a script for your favourite TV show and act it out! This is a great way to practise pronunciation because you only need to concentrate on making sure you English sounds great and don t need to worry about sentence structure or grammar. .....

Learn a new word every day

26. Choose a word you would like to work on and use practice it in different sentences. Use the word until you have learnt it and keep using it regularly. .....

Watch films

27. Watch movies in English and pay attention to new vocabulary and pronunciation. Imitate the actors and have fun with it. .....

Make friends

28. Make friends with English speakers or others learning to speak English and compare notes. Talk about things that you have learnt and exchange ideas. .....

Do interesting activities in English

29. Take a cooking course in English or join a book club! Anything you enjoy doing, make sure you do it and communicate it in English. Using English to talk about things you enjoy will make practising a positive experience. .....

Have a debate

30. Debate all the topics that interest you with friends in English. Try to use as much vocabulary as you can to get your point across and listen to the other arguments carefully so you can argue against them effectively. .....

Use a dictionary

31. Online dictionaries often have audio examples so you can check your pronunciation and there are lots of great dictionary apps that you can take everywhere with you on your smartphone. Make sure not to become too reliant on these tools, though. Have a go at saying the words first then check afterwards to see if you were right! So, with all these practice tips to choose from, which one are you going to try first? .....

Listen to More English

32. Listening to English trains your ears to understand. It helps you know correct phrases from incorrect phrases. Try listening to any English audio you can find. There are millions of resources out there .....

Speak More English

33. Seems obvious, right? But what if you have no one to speak English with? Trying speaking out loud to yourself. Read a book, article or practice English phrases out loud. As you speak more English out loud, you will train your ears to hear your mistakes and you will be able to correct yourself. You could also register for an online English speaking course to help you improve your English speaking quickly. .....

Make Millions of Mistakes

34. Okay, maybe you won t necessarily make millions of mistakes .....

Bad grammar Keep talking

35. Yes, you heard read right. Don t stop speaking English because you don t know the proper verb tense to use. Native English speakers will be able to understand you even if you use incorrect English grammar. The most important thing is that you are trying to speak. If you confuse a native English speaker while talking with them, they will likely ask you clarifying questions to ensure they understood you correctly. .....

Memorize Common English Phrases

36. There are many phrases in English that you will hear and use over and over again. Instead of memorizing single words, you should memorize entire phrases. After a little practice, you will start using these phrases automatically without thinking. .....

Keep it simple

37. You need to keep your words simple to ensure you are improving your English speaking . Do not try to say complex things. Speak in simple short sentence in English to ensure you are understood by all. After you have mastered basic or beginners English speaking then you will be able to start speaking in more complex ways. .....

Dont waste time translating

38. Many English language learners get stuck when trying to improve their speaking skills. This is because they are concentrating on translating instead of speaking. If you focus on the words coming out of your mouth and not what their exact meaning is in your native language; you will improve. At the beginning, you may only understand 30 or 40 percent of what is being said to you. That s perfectly fine. Don t stop speaking and translate. To get by, .....

Mimic Native English Speakers

39. If you have the chance to interact with native English speakers where you live or online, try copying some of their expressions. Native English speakers use idioms, slang, vocabulary and different verbs that sound more natural. .....

Listen to the radio in English

40. If there are no English radio stations where you live, listen to one on the internet. .....

Speak English to your friends

41. Get a conversation buddy (friend) and speak in English as much as possible. If it is a person whose native language is the same as your own, you may feel silly speaking in English at first. But don t worry. Continue to do it and it will become more natural to you. Finding friends whose native language is English is even better. Ask your friend to correct you when needed. .....

Study or travel to an English speaking country

42. Of course the best way to immerse yourself in the English language is to live in an all English environment. You ll find yourself surrounded with the language everywhere you turn. It can be a more difficult and expensive choice, but you may find it to be a very valuable and helpful experience. .....

Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them

43. When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech. .....

Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English slow your speech down

44. If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you. Don t worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech it is more important that everything you say be understood. .....

language well

45. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you .Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time. .....

Buy books on tape

46. Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape. .....

Pronounce the ending of each word

47. Pay special attention to S and ED endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English. .....

Read aloud in English for 15 20 minutes every day

48. Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language. .....

Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes

49. Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making. .....

Be patient

50. You can change the way you speak but it won t happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it. .....

Quick tips

51. Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the clarity of your speech. .....

Label things in your house

52. Grab that pad of Post Its you have laying around that you rarely ever use and start labeling the things around you. Even if you already know the simple stuff, do it anyway. Just thinking of these things in English before you think of it in your native tongue will get you thinking faster and when it takes less effort, you ll feel the progress you re making. .....

Keep a notebook

53. As you go about your day, there s bound to be some English words that you run into that you don t fully understand. This is when you whip out your handy dandy notebook! Scribble down the word and then when you go home, you can look it up. Instead of thinking, Gosh, what was that word I saw on the menu at the cafe? you ll flip right to the page and learn a new word. If that s a little 2003 for you, just whip out your smartphone. Start a note (or w .....

Surround yourself with English speakers

54. If you have a few friends who are great at speaking English, hang out with them! Invite them over to dinner! So, your home becomes an English hub. Find a tutor to do some one on one with. Do a language exchange, where you can teach them your language and they can teach you theirs. Immerse yourself in it as much as you can! What it boils down to is that you must avoid your native language as much as possible. It s tempting to get home from work an .....

Read childrens magazines and books

55. They are attractive, they tend to have many short articles or simple plot lines, and they come in many subjects (science, literature, self improvement). But more importantly, they are well illustrated. The pictures will allow you to understand many words without having to use a dictionary. .....

Figure out how YOU learn

56. Everyone has their own learning style. Some people learn with their hands, some with their eyes, some with their ears, and some are a combination of the three. Your best friend may be able to recite English poetry after hearing it once when you need to see it to understand. Once you figure out how you learn, you can cater your studying habits to your abilities. And what s more, you can stop wasting time on methods that don t work for you. If your .....

Learn root words prefixes and suffixes

57. Even English speakers could stand to learn root words! Since there are so many words in this dang language (around 750,000 in certain methods of counting way more than other comparable languages), learning root words can help cut you to the chase. When you see it, if you know the root word, you may not even have to look it up .....