how to learn English effectively and
Achieve fluency part one improving your
spoken English number one speak a little
English every day the absolute best way
to learn any new language is just to
speak it it doesn't matter if you only
know five English words or if you're
practically fluent speaking English with
another person is the fastest most
effective method of improving don't wait
until you feel more comfortable speaking
in English you probably won't reach that
level for a long time so push yourself
outside of your comfort zone and start
speaking English today you'll be amazed
at how quickly your language skills
improve find a native English speaker
who is willing to spend some time
speaking English with you you may be
able to offer them a language exchange
where they spend 30 minutes speaking
English with you and you spend 30
minutes speaking your native language
with them if you live in an
englishspeaking country you can practice
by starting simple conversations with
the people you meet whether it's saying
hello to a shopkeeper or asking a
stranger for
directions number two work on your
pronunciation even if you have an
acceptable grasp on the English language
with good grammar and an extensive
vocabulary native English speakers may
find you very difficult to understand if
you don't work on your pronunciation
correct clear pronunciation is essential
if you really want to improve your level
of English listen closely to how native
English speakers pronounce certain words
and sounds and do your best to copy them
pay particular attention to sounds that
you are unfamiliar with or that do not
exist in your native tongue for example
some people have difficulty pronouncing
the r sound as it does not exist in
their native language while other people
have difficulty with certain consonant
clusters such as the th sound be aware
that the pronunciation of certain
English English words varies greatly
depending on the part of the world it's
spoken in for example American English
is very different from British English
if you intend to travel to or live in an
English-speaking country this is
something you should take into account
when learning how to pronounce certain
words number three expand your
vocabulary and use idiomatic phrases The
Wider your vocabulary and the more
English phrases you learn the easier
speaking English will become again
spending time with native English
speakers will help you to pick up on
common vocabulary and phrases in a
natural way although reading watching
English TV and listening to the news is
also beneficial once you have learned a
new word or phrase you should make an
effort to use it in a sentence this is
the best way to commit it to memory
another easy way to commit new words to
memory is to make labels for everyday
household items and stick them around
your house or apartment then every time
you use the kettle or look in the mirror
you will see the English word for these
items staring back at you you should
also start a notebook of idiomatic
phrases that English speakers use all
the time some examples include it's
raining cats and dogs which means it's
raining heavily to be on Cloud9 or to be
very happy or saying something is a
piece of cake when something is very
easy sprinkling these kinds of phrases
into your conversation will bring your
level of English up several notches
number four attend an English class or
Discussion Group another great way to
incorporate some extra English
conversation into your weekly routine is
to sign up for a class or Discussion
Group attending an English class is a
great way to focus on some of the more
formal aspects of speaking English a
class will teach you the grammatically
correct way of speaking which includes
proper sentence structure and verb
conjugation and will generally provide a
very structured approach to language
learning attending a discussion group is
a more informal and relaxed way of
learning English where the emphasis is
more on communication and relationship
building than on speaking correct
English speaking English in this setting
can help you become more comfortable
with speaking in front of other people
both of these language learning settings
have their pros and cons so it's best to
do both if you can number five carry a
dictionary carrying an English
dictionary with you at all times whether
it's an actual book or a phone app can
be very useful having a dictionary means
that you will never be stuck for a word
it can save you a lot of embarrassment
if you're having a conversation with an
English speaker and forget a word in the
middle of a sentence all you have to do
is take a second to look it up aside
from saving you awkwardness looking up
the word you need then immediately using
it in a sentence will actually help you
to commit the new vocabulary to memory
it is also helpful to have a dictionary
to peruse throughout the day during
private moments like when you're sitting
on the train waiting to cross the street
or just having a cup of coffee you could
learn an extra 20 to 30 English words
per day using this technique as a
beginner you should start start with an
English dictionary that provides
definitions in your native language
however once your language skills
improve you should switch to using an
English to English dictionary which
provides English definitions for English
words part two improving your writing
reading and listening skills number one
listen to English radio or podcasts one
of the best ways to improve your English
listen in comprehension is to download
English language podcasts or radio apps
on your phone or MP3 player you should
then make an effort to listen to the
podcasts or radio shows for at least 30
minutes per day do it in the gym on your
to work or while you're sitting at your
computer make an effort to understand
what's being said don't just let the
English wash over you even if you find
it too fast try to pick out key words
and phrases to get a general idea of
what the conversation is about if you
can make a note of any words or phrases
that that you don't understand and look
up the translation afterwards then
listen to the podcast or show again to
hear the new words or phrases in
context number two watch English movies
and TV shows another fun way to improve
your listening comprehension is to watch
English movies and TV shows try to pick
movies or TV shows that you will enjoy
this will make the exercise feel like
less of a chore if possible choose
movies or shows that you are already
familiar with such as children's ctoons
or Blockbuster films if you already know
the basic story you will find the
language much easier to pick up on
however you should avoid watching movies
or television shows with subtitles in
your native language they will only
distract you and make you less inclined
to focus on understanding the English
which is the whole point of the
exercise number three read an English
book newspaper or magazine reading is an
essential part of learning a new
language so don't forget to practice
find something you are really interested
in whether that's a famous English novel
The New York Times or a fashion magazine
and start working your way through it if
you find the content boring you will be
less inclined to persevere with it again
make an active effort to actually
understand what you're reading don't
just skim over it highlight any words or
phrases that you don't understand then
look them up in your dictionary number
four keep a diary in English aside from
reading and listening comprehension you
should also spend some time working on
your written English this may be one of
the most difficult aspects of your
language learning but it is important
nonetheless writing in English will help
you to work on your sentence structure
grammar and spelling try to keep an
English diary in which you write down a
few sentences every day it doesn't have
to be deeply personal you could write
about the weather what you ate for
dinner or what your plans are for for
the day number five find an
English-speaking penp pal once your
written language skills have improved
you could consider getting an
English-speaking pen pal having an
English-speaking pen pal combines your
English writing practice with the
excitement of getting a letter or email
your pen pal may be someone who is
learning English like you or they may be
a native English speaker who wants to
practice their foreign language skills
by writing to you in your native tongue
having a pen pal from an
English-speaking country such as the
United States Britain Canada Ireland
Australia New Zealand or South Africa
for example will also allow you to learn
more about the culture and what life is
like in that part of the World Part
three committing to your new language
number one stay motivated when learning
any new language it is important to stay
motivated and never give up on your goal
of fluency stay committed to your
language learning goal by reminding
yourself of how badly you want to
achieve it think of all the amazing
experiences and opportunities that will
be available to you once you've mastered
the English language number two practice
every day if you want to gain fluency
quickly you need to commit to practicing
every day learning a new language is
based on repetition so if you wait too
long between study sessions you will
forget everything you learned previously
and have to start all over again wasting
valuable time however you shouldn't
study so much that you grow sick of
English try to keep things interesting
by completing a different task each day
one day of reading one day of listening
comprehension one day of Writing
Practice one day of studying grammar ETC
number three train yourself to think in
English one way to make the transition
from being very good at English to being
fluent is to train your brain to
actually think in the English language
constantly translating from your native
language into English and Back Again
inside your head consumes time and
energy every language has its own
nuances and peculiarities which makes it
impossible to accurately translate from
one language to another in certain
instances number four make friends with
English speakers one of the greatest
tests of a person's fluency in a second
language is to put them in a room with a
bunch of native speakers and see if they
can follow and contribute to the
conversation the best way to achieve
this level of fluency is to make some
English-speaking friends and hang out
with them in a social set like a cafe or
bar this way you will be forced to speak
English if you want to interact with
your peers but it won't feel like work
or study because you'll be having so
much fun number five don't be afraid to
make mistakes the biggest obstacle that
stands in the way of learning a new
language is the fear of making mistakes
this fear serves no purpose it is merely
a hindrance that prevents you from
reaching your goal of fluency don't be
afraid of making a mistake and don't be
shy of course you can't speak a new
language perfectly at the start try to
express yourself albeit with difficulty
remember that everyone makes mistakes
when they are learning a new language
it's a right of passage you will almost
certainly have your fair share of
awkward or embarrassing moments when you
accidentally say something rude or
incorrect but this is all part of the
fun
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