Tips for speaking English fluently
 

[B]There is English input available everywhere. Here are a few tips and suggestions for you to find input of English around you and improve your English speech:

Rent or buy an English movie DVD
Rent or buy an English movie DVD. Put the English subtitles on. Follow the movie.

This has many advantages:

You will be able to compare the written words to the correct pronunciations.
You will get a feel of how real English sentences are formed when speaking.
You will be learning English but it will not be frustrating and boring because you will be watching a movie.
Please note: When you watch the movie be sure to keep your dictionary handy. Whenever you come across a new word, pause the movie and look it up in the dictionary. If you don’t do this, the whole experience will be quite pointless.

Read about any subject that interests you
There are a lot of English magazines available on a lot of different topics.

No matter what subject interests you, there must be some magazine that talks about it. There are English magazines about Business, Brides, Guns and Ammo, House Keeping, Stock Market, Sports, Computers, Electronics, Linux, Graphic Designing, Cooking etc.

Find the magazine that interests you and read it cover to cover. Be sure to look out for new words and new phrases and look them up in the dictionary as you go.

If you cannot find a magazine of your choice, look for information you are interested in on the Internet. There is information available on every topic under the sun on the Internet.

Read Internet forums of subject matter that interests you
Got to Internet forums of the subject matter that interests you. Generally most of the forums are in English language and are a great source of English input.

For those of you who are not familiar with Internet forums, these are places where people interested in a particular subject can get together and share their views and opinions about a particular subject. You can also ask specific questions to other people and they will help you out if they can. On the Internet, there are forums available about each and every subject.

Forums are a great source of information. Also in forums real people talk about real problems. Most of the information typed in forums is written in an informal way. Because of this the forums make a good source for English input. Reading forums exposes you to a lot of phrases of daily use.

You could find forums on any subject matter that interests you at: Google Groups

You could also go to "Google" and search for the forum of the subject matter you are interested in by typing in something like “C programming forum” or “Cooking forum” etc.

When reading forums also make sure you find out the meaning of every new word or phrase you come across or the whole exercise will be useless.

Read English fiction novels
Read English fiction of your choice.

Listen to the radio and TV

There are also many different radio stations available now-a-days in the big cities. Some of these radio stations are in English. Listen to them to get a feel of the language.

Besides the radio, you could also listen to the "News In English". It’s available on a wide variety of channels. The news is a good place to get input of the English language because it is spoken in a very clear, easy to understand way.

Chat with fluent English speakers
Chat with fluent English speakers real or online. Make friends with interesting English speakers. Become pen-pals with a fluent English speaker.

While talking to them look at their lip movement for tips on how to pronounce words correctly.




[U]Most effective tip: "Think in English"[/U]

One of the most common mistakes that English learners make is, they think in their mother tongue. When they want to say something in English, they think in their mother tongue, translate it to English and then say it in English. The result is a very flawed English sentence. Never do this!

If you want to speak in English fluently you will have to learn to "think" in English. When you are constructing sentences in your mind before saying them, think in English and form them in English in your mind.


Get your self some English learning software!
To help you with your English, you could get your self a English learning kit OR English learning software! We recommend that you buy either "Cafe English" OR "Learn to Speak -English"

We recommend that you buy the kit from Ebay.in since it is quite safe & secure and you will get a good deal. If you are not comfortable with Credit Card payments, there are always other options like DD, money order etc. that you can go in for.

BEST OF LUCK! [/B] :shy

10 tips to improve the way you speak English
 

[B]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.

Lisa Mojsin, head trainer, director and founder of the Accurate English Training Company in Los Angeles, offers these tips to help 'neutralise' your accent or rather do away with the local twang, as you speak.

i. 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.

ii. 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.

iii. 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'.

iv. Use the dictionary.

Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.

v. 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.

vi. 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.

vii. 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.

viii. 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.

ix. 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.

x. 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.

Quick tips

Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the clarity of your speech.

~ Focus on removing the mother tongue influence and the 'Indianisms' that creep into your English conversations.

~ Watch the English news on television channels like Star World, CNN, BBC and English movies on Star Movies and HBO.

~ Listen to and sing English songs. We'd recommend Westlife, Robbie Williams, Abba, Skeeter Davis and Connie Francis among others.

Books to help you improve your English

Essential English Grammar by Murphy (Cambridge)
Spoken English by R K Bansal and J B Harrison
Pronounce It Perfectly In English (book and three audio cassettes) by Jean Yates, Barrons Educational Series
English Pronunciation For International Students by Paulette Wainless Dale, Lillian Poms[/B]

[B][U]Fastest way to learn to speak fluent English[/U][/B]


[B]It is said quite often that you should practice talking in English or you will not learn. However, this has a “very bad” effect if you do not have sufficient input of English.

If you do not have sufficient input, the sentences you form will be wrong. If these sentences formed are wrong, and no one corrects you, you will start to think that what you have said is correct. Because of this, your mind will be filled with wrong English sentences. Everything you say, all the sentences you form will be incorrect.

So, if you want to practice talking in English, you “must” make sure that the people around you will be in a position to correct you as soon as you make the mistake. If you want to practice speaking in English, you have to speak English correctly. If you speak incorrectly you “must know” that you have spoken incorrectly.

Unfortunately, most English learners do not have native English speakers around them who will always correct them when they go wrong. In this case, it is wise to first get enough input of the language before you “utter even the first word.”




What is input?
Input is basically any correct English that you may hear or read. If you listen to an English radio station, that is input. If you read a book, then that is input. If you hear to fluent English speakers talking then that is input. If a fluent English speaker is talking to you in English then that is input. Reading this article is input!




Why is input necessary?
All languages are learnt mainly by input. It is the fastest and the best way of learning a language!

When you were a baby you naturally learnt your mother tongue because of all the input of the language from you parents and surroundings. The human brain learns by imitation. When you hear a sentence it gets stored in your brain. When you want to say the same thing or some thing that is similar, you imitate the sentence that is stored in your brain.

Consider the sentence: Ram runs much faster than Sham.

Assume that this sentence is given as input. Later when you want to say a similar thing, your brain pulls this sentence out of your memory and comes up with:

Hari runs much faster than Sham.

OR

Sameer runs much slower than Ajit. etc.

Basically, learning is done by imitation! Input is what is fed into the brain so that there is something available for imitation. The more the input, more sentences are available for the brain to imitate.

So the fastest way of learning how to speak the language fluently would be to get as much as possible input of the language. The more input of the language you get the more correct sentences you will be able to form when you try to speak the language.

You must try to get “as much as possible” input of correct English. The more input you get the more sentences you will be able to form correctly. The more sentences you can form correctly the more your confidence of speaking English will increase and the more you will learn![/B]

[B]English is the most useful and the most widespread language in the world. In the present generation it is popularly known as the business language or the language of the corporate world. This makes it even more important to master the language in all ways to ensure better quality of life.

In the present world it is important to have a good grasp on the English language both verbal and written. If you have a good hold in writing and wish to improve your spoken English then here are some of the most effective tips to English speaking:

- The three golden words for improving fluency in English language are reading, writing, and listening. Do more of reading so that you can have a better understanding of the spellings and the grammar usage. This will also help you learn new words and improve your vocabulary. Speaking obviously will help you gain better control on your verbal language. Try and communicate with your friends and family members in English as much as you can. This will help you gain confidence and will kick out the fear that is hidden deep inside you. Listening carefully to what and how other speaks is equally important as it will help you learn your faults and mistakes in spoken language. You can smartly grasp the actual pronunciation while listening to how others speak.
- Then there is a need to identify all the words and their meanings. Then integrate the words and form a sentence that you can understand. Always keep one thing in mind that you can make others understand your point of view only if you yourself can understand your language.
- You should also learn the phonetic alphabets to help you learn the pronunciation of new words. Phonetic alphabets are a standardized set of alphabets that are used to spell words or identify letters in voice communication.
- You should also be well aware of the word stress or intonation. Every word has its own stress and that should be perfectly pronounced. If the word is stressed wrongly then there are possibilities that the meaning of the word change completely.
- Learn and grasp the pattern used in spellings. There are words that have a similar pattern in their spellings and a distinct pronunciation for the same. For example, ‘sion’, tion’, and ‘ough’ have their own spellings but are pronounced differently and follow the same pattern wherever these are added to any alphabet or word.[/B]

[B][U]Differences Between American and British English[/U][/B]

[B]

While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour - color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy - or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English.

Use of the Present Perfect

In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example:

I've lost my key. Can you help me look for it?
In American English the following is also possible:
I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

In British English the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet.

British English:

I've just had lunch
I've already seen that film
Have you finished your homework yet?

American English:

I just had lunch OR I've just had lunch
I've already seen that film OR I already saw that film.
Have your finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet?

Possession

There are two forms to express possession in English. Have or Have got

Do you have a car?
Have you got a car?
He hasn't got any friends.
He doesn't have any friends.
She has a beautiful new home.
She's got a beautiful new home.

While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn't got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesn't have etc.)

The Verb Get

The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English. Example He's gotten much better at playing tennis. British English - He's got much better at playing tennis.

Vocabulary

Probably the major differences between British and American English lies in the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties for example:

Mean: (American English - angry, bad humored, British English - not generous, tight fisted)

Rubber: (American English - condom, British English - tool used to erase pencil markings)

There are many more examples (too many for me to list here). If there is a difference in usage, your dictionary will note the different meanings in its definition of the term. Many vocabulary items are also used in one form and not in the other. One of the best examples of this is the terminology used for automobiles.


American English - hood
British English - bonnet


American English - trunk
British English - boot


American English - truck
British English - lorry


Once again, your dictionary should list whether the term is used in British English or American English.

For a more complete list of the vocabulary differences between British and American English use this British vs. American English vocabulary tool.

Prepositions

There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:


American English - on the weekend
British English - at the weekend


American English - on a team
British English - in a team


American English - please write me soon
British English - please write to me soon


Past Simple/Past Participles

The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple/past participle in both American and British English, however, the irregular form is generally more common in British English (the first form of the two) and the regular form is more common to American English.


Burn
Burnt OR burned


Dream
dreamt OR dreamed


Lean
leant OR leaned


Learn
learnt OR learned


Smell
smelt OR smelled


Spell
spelt OR spelled


Spill
spilt OR spilled

Spoil
spoilt OR spoiled



Spelling

Here are some general differences between British and American spellings:

Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, colour, humor, humour, flavor, flavour etc.
Words ending in -ize (American) -ise (British) recognize, recognise, patronize, patronise etc.

The best way to make sure that you are being consistent in your spelling is to use the spell check on your word processor (if you are using the computer of course) and choose which variety of English you would like. As you can see, there are really very few differences between standard British English and standard American English. However, the largest difference is probably that of the choice of vocabulary and pronunciation. [/B]

[B][U]Best of luck[/U][/B]

[B][U]Phrases and expressions [/U]

Here are a few common phrases and expressions used by native speakers of English in their everyday speech. To suggest another or ask a language related question, click here.

Word/Expression: to wolf something down
Quick translation: to eat something quickly
Example: "I wolfed down that sandwich so quickly."
My interpretation: Wolves are known for eating their food quickly, for fear that another wolf will get to it before them. So to "wolf something down" is to eat as quickly as a wolf does.

Word/Expression: gotta
Quick translation: to have to/to need to
Example: "I gotta leave now."

Word/Expression: to go (expression used where food is sold)
Quick translation: to carry out/to take out with you
Example: a waiter or salesperson may ask "Would you like (your food) to go?"

Word/Expression: sick (when used to describe a person's mind or an event)
Quick translation: strange or perverted
Example: "That person is sick!" or "What he did to her is sick!"

Word/Expression: What's up?
Quick translation: a very casual way to say "Hi" or "How are you?" or "What is happening here?"

Word/Expression: handy
Quick translation: very useful, very industrious, or able to fix things themself
Example: "Her husband is very handy around the house."

Word/Expression: to catch a taxi / cab
to hail a cab/taxi
Quick translation: to get a taxi / cab
Example: "Let's catch a taxi to the restaurant."

Word/Expression: to catch a TV show/newstory/conversation
Quick translation: to hear or see something
Example: "Did you catch the news last night?"

Word/Expression: to have time
Quick translation: to have sufficient available time
Example: "If we have time, we can stay at the bar until 11:00 p.m."

Word/Expression: to threaten to kill someone
Quick translation: to be very mad with someone
Example: "I'm going to kill her when I see her."

Word/Expression: "Whatever floats your boat."
Quick translation: whatever pleases you
Example: "I'd prefer to go on Sunday." Response: "OK, whatever floats your boat."

Word/Expression: shaky/sketchy
Quick translation: unsafe, unclear, not a good idea
Examples: "I'm not sure what my boss wants me to do. His directions were a bit sketchy." OR "Should you go there? Isn't that neighborhood a bit shaky/sketchy?"

Word/Expression: "I'm outta here" (I am out of here)
Quick translation: I am leaving now

Word/Expression: guy/guys
Quick translation: a man/a group of men or a group of men AND women.
Examples: "Hi guys (men and/OR women)... what's up?" "That guy (man only) is strange." "Those guys (men, or group of men and women) are also coming with us."
Further clarification: Guy (singular) can only refer to a MAN. Guys (plural) can apply to a group of men and/or women.

Word/Expression: to double-check
Quick translation: to re-check or verify
Example: "You should double-check our bank account balance before we plan our vacation trip."

Word/Expression: "You gotta be kidding me."
Quick translation: "You must be joking." OR "What you are saying cannot be true."

Word/Expression: gonna (pronounced like "gunna")
Quick translation: going to ....
Example: "I'm gonna clean the bathroom today."


Source: world-english.org[/B]

[B][U][SIZE="3"]Business English Expressions[/SIZE][/U]

1. 800 pound gorilla - the biggest, most powerful group or company
Example: "If we follow our plan to make this new software, we're going to have a lot of competition, including from the 800 pound gorilla, Microsoft."

2. (a rising tide that) lifts all boats - something that helps all people or all groups
Example: "We're only number three, but the current economic growth will lift all boats, so we're sure to make a profit this year."

3. an old hand - a person who has long experience, especially in one place
Example: "He can help us set up a new company. He's been working in this industry for many years and knows the language of business - he's really an old hand at this."

4. at the 11th hour - very late, at the very last minute
Example: "The negotiated until late at night and it seemed they would never agree. Finally, at the 11th hour, they came to an agreement."

5. on a shoestring - with limited money
Example: "They started their company on a shoestring and built it up to one of the largest companies in the world!"

6. bring to the table - whatever you can possibly offer
Example: "I will meet with Teacher Joe's new company to show him what we can bring to the table."

7. carve out a niche - find a special market that you can control
Example: "To succeed in this competitive world, you have to focus on part of it. Try to carve out a niche and be number one in that are."

8. deep pockets - have a lot of money
Example: "If there is a price war, we won't win because we don't have deep enough pockets."

9. down time - when equipment of facilities are not available, so you cannot work
Example: "There will probably be a lot of down time at the conference, so I'm bringing a lot of paperwork."

10. (draw) a line in the sand - make final conditions that cannot be changed
Example: "We have to draw a line in the sand so they will see that this is really our final offer."

11. free ride - get benefit at no cost
Example: "Of course we should make them pay for our travel expenses. WHy should we give them a free ride?"

12. from day one - from the beginning
Example: "Teacher Joe has been providing the best English-learning web site from day one!"

13. get your foot in the door - have a small opportunity that can become a big opportunity in the future, if you do good work
Example: "Right now, I just want to get my foot in the door, so they can see what I can do. Next year I hope to start moving up in the company."

14. I need it yesterday - an informal way to say it is needed immediately
Example: "Can I send that report to you later this afternoon?"
"No! I need that report yesterday!"

15. a two-way street - both people or both groups can contribute or benefit from the situation
Example: "We want to help you, but we need your help too. It should be a two-way street."

16.fly - it won't be successful
Example: "We don't have to worry about their idea competing with ours. It will never fly."

17. it's a jungle out there - it's a difficult market with many, tough competitors
Example: "Do you think a new company can survise without a unique product? It's a real jungle out there!"

18. jump through hoops - trying very hard (like a dog doing tricks!)
Example: "He's a tough boss. All of his subordinates have to jump through hoops to prove their loyalty to the company."

19. put your cards on the table - be completely honest
Example: "I think it's time to put all of our cards on the table. Here's what we need..."

20. learning curve - how much time needed to learn something new
Example: "This new software has a long learning curve, so we have to give our staff enough time to learn how to use it well."

Regards,[/B]

[B][U]5 Secret Spoken English Tips[/U]


I’ll be perfectly honest with you right now. These spoken English “tips” really shouldn’t be considered secrets at all. The reason I call them secrets is because for some strange reason, English is taught so badly in the real world. I promise you that if you follow this advice, you will truly be speaking English like a native speaker in an amazingly short time.

Here are the 5 tips:

1. Use your smart phone for learning English instead of only wasting your time on that. I don’t know you but I bet you have an Iphone, Android, or at least an Ipod. This is the modern world and most people have these things. You should be using them to improve your English instead of just playing around on Facebook. English podcasts are a great way to practice your listening skills and learn new vocabulary. You can download them in MP3 and put them on any of these things and listen in your free time.

2. Listening is the key to good pronunciation. When we are babies we learn how to speak from our parents and our environment. If your parents don’t speak English, don’t worry. All you have to do is spend A LOT of time listening to native English speakers. The more your listen, the better your pronunciation will become. You don’t have to be shy or ask other people how you sound. This comes naturally with a lot of listening. Most students focus too much on grammar, vocabulary, and reading. This might help test scores but it won’t help your spoken English much.

3. Pay close attention to the dialogs in TV and movies. The talking in TV and movies is probably the best example of native spoken English you will ever find. Characters talk to each other and use modern words and express themselves the same way native speakers would in real life. A lot of people know to do this, but the trick is to do it with English subtitles only. You won’t understand as much at first but at least you will know exactly what is being said. Watch the same movie a couple of times and also make sure you are following some MP3’s that actually explain the slang and common vocabulary for non native speakers.

4. Don’t get lazy when you start to improve a bit. I’ve seen so many students get super happy after they start speaking with foreigners. This is great but it’s dangerous. You don’t want to fall into the trap of being overconfident. Many people improve quickly and then stop improving. This is simply because they get comfortable with their “ok” level of talking and never push it to the next level.

5. Practice writing your thoughts down. If you write a long email or something like that you are essentially practicing your spoken English. English speaking is really all about thinking what you want to say and then pronouncing it correctly. We already talked about what to do with your pronunciation. The other problem is knowing how to express yourself. This is often not a vocabulary problem but instead it’s a problem of doing something you’ve never done before. Many people I know can speak English but they get nervous when writing a Facebook message or a small email to a western person. They make little mistakes that don’t seem like a big deal when they are speaking. They notice them only when they write. If you practice enough writing, you will see where your problems are and you’ll be forced to fix them. This will help you big time with speaking.[/B]

@invincible
that was really a nice help.
Do you know any academy which offers spoken english course.

[QUOTE=thrilled student;366498]@invincible
that was really a nice help.
Do you know any academy which offers spoken english course.[/QUOTE]

[B]Berlitz is the best one. [/B]

[url=http://www.interface.edu.pk/institution/instdetails.asp?id=berlitzlang&insttype=Coaching_Centre&ctype=English_Language&from=lah&program=]Berlitz Language Center details[/url]