Hints to Improve Spoken English 2

    Find the problem. What kind of person are you—one who focuses on accuracy or one who focuses

 on frequency? the first step is to recognize your problem and go to work no it. Think about situations where you’ve used English and how you felt about making mistakes. Do you always try some new language even though it might not be correct? Or do you feel embarrassed by mistakes? Focus on one problem at a time. When you speak English, find the mistakes you make most often. One mistake Chinese often make is omitting the “s” from the third person singular verb. Or you were speak too slowly as if you were searching for the right word and correct grammar. The next time you use English, try to work on those problems you have identified. If it’s fluency, try to focus on it. If you have a problem with the third person singular, try to concentrate on when you make such errors. Don’t spend time thinking abort other mistakes. By choosing an area to work on, you can isolate problems and help yourself overcome them. Vary your practice. If you go to an English club, try to change the types of activities you take part in so that you practise both fluency and accuracy. Public speaking allows you to slow down and be sure you have time to concentrate on the language. Meanwhile, discussions are good practice for fluency, especially if you don’t stop each time a mistake is made. Learn the difference between fluency and speed. Some Chinese think that speaking fast is the same as speaking fast is the same as speaking fast is the same as speaking fluently. In fact, speaking fluently involves not only speed. It also involves stress, pronunciation and intonation. If you make a mistake in these, speaking fast will only make it worse. Don’t sacrifice understanding for speed. Try recording yourself. Take a tape recorder and record a conversation with a friend or a speech or monologue as you do it naturally! A two-or three-minute recording is enough. When you’ve finished, listen to yourself. Can you identify and correct any errors? Make it a regular practice. The more you record yourself, the more confident and natural sounding you will become.