The 4-Step System To Practise Speaking English

June 4, 2024 The KA Academy 0 Comments

Are you struggling to speak English fluently? Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate learner, improving your spoken English can seem challenging. But with the right approach and consistent practice, you can become a confident English speaker. Here’s a simple 4-step system to help you on your journey.

Step 1: Listen Actively

Why It Matters: Listening is the foundation of language learning. It helps you understand pronunciation, intonation, and the natural flow of speech. Active listening means paying close attention to how words are pronounced and used in context.

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How to Practice:

  • Podcasts and Audiobooks: Choose topics that interest you and listen regularly. Start with slower speech rates and gradually move to more natural speeds.
  • Movies and TV Shows: Watch with subtitles initially, then without them. Repeat scenes and mimic the dialogue to improve your pronunciation.
  • Songs and Music: Listen to English songs and try to understand the lyrics. Singing along can also be a fun way to practice pronunciation.

Step 2: Speak Regularly

Why It Matters: Practice makes perfect. Speaking regularly helps you become more comfortable with the language, reduces hesitation, and improves fluency.

How to Practice:

  • Language Exchange Partners: Find a partner who wants to learn your native language and practice speaking English with them in exchange.
  • Speaking Clubs and Meetups: Join local or online English-speaking groups where you can practice speaking in a supportive environment.
  • Daily Conversations: Try to incorporate English into your daily life. Talk to yourself in English, describe your day, or even think in English.

british vs american accent

Step 3: Expand Your Vocabulary

Why It Matters: A rich vocabulary allows you to express yourself more clearly and accurately. Knowing more words also helps in understanding and responding to others more effectively.

How to Practice:

  • Word of the Day: Learn a new word each day and use it in sentences. Apps like Merriam-Webster offer daily word suggestions.
  • Flashcards: Create flashcards with new words and review them regularly. Online tools like Anki can help automate this process.
  • Reading: Read books, articles, and blogs in English. Highlight new words and look up their meanings. Try to use these new words in your conversations.

Step 4: Get Feedback and Reflect

Why It Matters: Receiving constructive feedback helps you identify areas for improvement. Reflecting on your progress keeps you motivated and aware of your development.

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How to Practice:

  • Language Tutors: Hire a tutor who can provide personalized feedback and guidance. They can correct your mistakes and help you with pronunciation.
  • Recording Yourself: Record your speech and listen to it. This helps you identify pronunciation errors and areas where you need improvement.
  • Journaling: Keep a journal of your language learning journey. Write down what you’ve learned, challenges you’ve faced, and how you’ve overcome them. Reflecting on your progress can boost your confidence and motivation.

Telesales-speacialist

Practice Speaking English – The Speaking Success System

If you want a way to practice speaking English that is fun and engaging, and will not only boost your fluency, but also help you remember vocabulary as you are learning it, then try the Speaking Success System.

This is your secret to success in developing your English speaking skills.

Below, I will show you what it is and how to use it.

#1 TRY

  • Take a question and try to answer without any preparation.

#2 DISCOVER

  • Watch or listen to a proficient or native speaker answering the question.
  • Identify useful chunks of language.

#3 PRACTICE

  • Practice repeating the chunks.
  • Practice again giving your answer for the question in step 1.

#4 BUILD

  • Give different answers to the same question from step 1.

The Speaking Success System: In Use

Topic: Money

Question: Do you prefer to spend or save money?

#1 TRY

  • Without preparing, try and give your own answer to this question.
  • Speak out your answer for about 15 seconds (the average length of an IELTS Speaking part 1 answer).

#2 DISCOVER

LISTEN TO THIS ANSWER

 

I definitely prefer spending money, 

I love splashing out on things 

that I can’t really afford.

I know I should mange my finances better, 

but I am just not very good at 

putting money aside like that.

IDENTIFY USEFUL CHUNKS

  1. I definitely prefer ______ = I prefer _______ for sure
  2. I love splashing out on ____ =  I love spending a lot of money on ___
  3. I should manage my finances better = I should organise my money better
  4. I’m not good at putting money aside = I’m not good at saving money

#3 PRACTICE

PRACTICE CHUNKS

There are several different practice activities I use.

Here are 4 common ones.

  1. Repeat
  2. Change a word
  3. Say the opposite
  4. Change the tense

Let’s practice them. This is best done with the audio file below.

<iframe width=”100%” height=”166″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”no” allow=”autoplay” src=”https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1752910905&color=%23fc0086&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true”

CHUNK ONE: I DEFINITELY PREFER 

  • REPEAT

Prefer

I definitely prefer

I definitely prefer spending money

  • CHANGE A WORD

I definitely prefer spending money

I definitely prefer saving money

I definitely prefer investing money

  • PUT IN THE PAST

I definitely prefer spending money

I definitely preferred spending money

saving money

CHUNK TWO:  TO SPLASH OUT ON 

  • REPEAT

Splash out on

Splash out on a holiday

I’m going to splash out on a holiday

  • CHANGE A WORD 

I’m going to splash out on a holiday

I’m going to splash out on a new phone

I’m going to splash out on a new computer

  • SAY THE OPPOSITE

I’m going to splash out on a holiday

I’m not going to splash out on a holiday

I splashed out on a new phone

I didn’t splash out on a new phone

  • PUT IN THE FUTURE

I always splash out on new clothes

I will splash out on new clothes

I’m going to splash out on new clothes

  • GIVE YOUR ANSWER AGAIN

Finally, practice giving an answer to the original question

Do you prefer to spend or save money?

Your focus is not to memorise the answer word for word, but just to try and use one or two of the chunks you have practiced.

You may get something like this

I prefer to spend money actually, 

I often splash out on holidays and new clothes, 

probably more than I should 

I guess I am just not very good at saving.

#4 BUILD

Build your flexibility by giving different answers to the same question in step 1.

  • Do you prefer to spend or save money?

You may get something like this:

I prefer to spend money

I do love going round the shopping mall

at the end of the month when I get paid 

I tend to blow all my money on clothes 

Yeah, I am not very good at saving

And the second time, something like this

I prefer to spend money

I have this habit of spending most of my salary

so there’s nothing left at the end of the month 

I know I should save, my father tried to hammer it into me

that I should save money

but I never get round to it

The key is not to memorise this answer, but to memorise chunks and use them flexibly.

This is the Speaking Success System and it can work for anyone who wants to improve their fluency and pronunciation whilst building their vocabulary.

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