How I learnt to speak fluent English in no time?
Which you can do too to learn any language
Pic credit — Unsplash
Me, a 25 year old, from a small village in India, where globalization is the future and English speaking ability is measure for intelligence, there was no other way for me than to improve and adapt.
Since you are here, you are keen to improvise your language abilities, hence I will not waste more time on introduction but will get to the points straight away.
What you can do to improve your english?
1. Read books aloud —
Since you are here, I am assuming you know how to read, write and speak basic English, so you will wonder why I am giving this age old ancient advice to you. Answer is clear, what works works, what doesn’t doesn’t.
When I was newly out of school and a freshman in College, I was comparatively good in writing in English, but speaking, oh heck no! 🙈 I was in that category of people who respond to “How are you?” as “I am fine”, because I did not know anything better, I was lacking the skills to explain my emotions, sometimes I knew what to say but I didn’t have knowledge of how to say. That’s when books came to my rescue. I am big fan of Self help books, so I used to binge read them on my way to college in train.
That’s when I noticed a pattern, often I knew what a word meant, and how to pronounce it, but when the time used to come to say it out loud, my mouth somehow used to forget how to say it. God that embarrassment! 🤭
To conquer this, I started reading out loud, somehow listening to your own voice works wonders, the mistakes you make become loud and clear, for you to understand and correct. And don’t worry! you do not have to read aloud in public, do it in the safe space called home! And that’s it you are on to your first step.
P. S. — Read the books you like, there are so many benefits, I can’t even explain 👩🏫
2. Netflix is your friend —
No-No! I am not telling you to go buy Netflix subscription right away. I am telling you to start watching English content, be it series, movies or even documentaries. If you want a starting point Brooklyn nine nine, and Big Bang Theory are my favorites in comedy genre.
Just expose yourself to new experiences, even watching content in other languages and viewing English subtitles along with, have proven benefits, as it improves your reading speed. Another reason to tune in to your favorite k-drama. wink* wink*. Try it for a few days, You can watch prime time news for starters, or even listen to some pop songs 📺👩🎤
3. Gamified Learning —
There are many games on playstore, which claim to help in your learning journey, the one I have used and loved is Elevate. It has simple sets of games which focus on improving your reading, writing, speaking and math skills, a good app all over. It is very useful for students as well as working professionals where expressing your ideas clearly becomes essential task. You will feel a surge of joy when you see yourself winning in these games. Also you do not have to purchase the premium version, basic version is more than enough for the daily use. A great start to success! 🏆
4. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate —
Yeah, I know you feel embarrassed when that grammatical mistake happens all of sudden, me too friend, me too!! I feel your feelings but we all learn from our mistakes. The one sure shot way I have experienced is to converse with your close friends in English, it does not have to be a well-rehearsed formal communication, start with simple informal bite-size conversations, like “how was your day”, “what are you planning to do on this weekend” Like this. These are some of the open ended questions, for which the other person can respond according to his wishes, and you will have more opportunity to ask follow-up questions and keep the conversation running.
The key here is to converse with your trusted people, that way they can help you correct your grammar and you will not feel that intense shame, because deep down you’ll know that you are doing this for your own growth. By doing this experiment with people you know and trust, be it your spouse, best friend or gym mate, the added advantage is that those people know you personally, they know your strengths and weaknesses, so they can explain your blunders lovingly and kindly. ❣️
5. Consistency is key —
Keep up the hard-work my friend, small setbacks are okay but dont get discouraged and leave your learning all of a sudden, always remember why you are working on this, you are doing this for your own success, your own growth. Some bonus points which could not make it to the list are :
1. There many informative channels out there on YouTube, which focus on grammar, so checkout those — the one I watch : linguamarina 👩💻
2. Always google synonyms, pronunciation and meanings of difficult words. — I use this trick while writing formal emails, it leaves a good impact on receiver.
3. Try Gratitude Journal — or any type of journaling in usual, it helps to clear your mind, and your processing ability to express complicated thoughts will increase. Improved mental health is added bonus. 🌈
If you have read this far and liked my content, do follow my account, I will bring new content every week. A cheers to our friendship pal, watch out this space for more interesting content and stories.
Do read my other story on How to manage Anxiety —
Shweta Signing Out.
Have a nice day!! 🌸❤🌞
