10 tips to improve the way you speak
English
How do
you train yourself?
By
inculcating certain practices in your daily lifestyle. These will get you
closer to sounding like a native English speaker and equip you with a global
accent -- and you will speak not American or British English, but correct
English.
This is the first step to learn any other
accent, be it American or British or Australian.
1) Observe the mouth movements of those who
speak English well and try to imitate them.
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.
2) Until you learn the correct intonation
and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.
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.
3) Listen to the 'music' of English.
Do not
use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language
has its own way of 'singing'.
4) Use the dictionary.
Try and
familiarize yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the
correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.
5) 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.
6) Buy books on tape.
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.
7) Pronounce the ending of each word.
Pay
special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the
mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.
8) Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes
every day.
Research
has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth
muscles for speaking a new language.
9) Record your own voice and listen for
pronunciation mistakes.
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.
10) Be patient.
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.
Good
Luck!
