English Teacher Melanie: Study Tip: How to Speak English Fluently, Part 1

Make English a part of your life!

How can I speak English fluently?How can I improve my spoken English?How can I speak better English?

These are the most common questions I am asked! Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question.~Move to an English-Speaking Country.

The fastest way to learn English is to move to an English-speaking country and go to school or work with native speakers.

If you are serious about learning a language, take any opportunity you can to spend time in an English-speaking country (for a long period of time, not just one or two weeks).

For many people, however, this is not possible!Make English a part of your life.

If you can’t go to an English-speaking country, you need to recreate an English-speaking environment as much as possible!

• When you get up in the morning, listen to an English radio station, watch an English TV channel, or read an English newspaper.
• On your way to work, listen to English music, English podcasts, or English radio stations (in your car or on your phone)
• Speak English to everyone and everything: your family, children, friends, co-workers (if possible), pets, plants…
• After work, watch English TV shows and movies (it’s OK to watch with English subtitles if you need to!)

Whatever you do during the day, do it in English!

• Write something in English! Even if you only write one sentence a day, this will help you focus and ‘think’ in English. Write it in a diary. Start your own blog. Use Twitter, Facebook or MyEC. Just start!
• Do you like to cook? Use English cookbooks.
• Do you like clothes and fashion? Read English fashion magazines.
• Do you like to know what’s going on in your country? Look for English newspapers and magazines that talk about local or national issues in your part of the world.
• Use an English day planner or calendar (or set your phone/email calendars to ‘English’)

Every little bit helps!

The more you listen to and read English, the more comfortable you become with it and the easier it is to remember new words. You get used to the sounds of English and you can imitate them when you speak!~