Monday, June 18, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Improving your English speaking skills will help you communicate more
easily and effectively. But how do you become a more confident English
speaker?
Practise where you
can, when you can . Any practice is good – whether you speak to
someone who is a native English speaker or not.
It's
important to build your confidence. If possible, use simple
English sentence structure that you know is correct, so that you can
concentrate on getting your message across.
Try to
experiment with the English you know. Use words and phrases you
know in new situations. Native English speakers are more likely to
correct you if you use the wrong wordgrammar. Experimenting with vocabulary is a
really good way of getting feedback. than if you use
the wrong
Try to respond to
what people say to you. You can often get clues to what people
think by looking at their body language. Respond to them in a natural
way.
Try NOT to translate into and from your own
language. This takes too much time and will make you more hesitant.
If
you forget a word, do what native English speakers do all the
time, and say things that 'fill' the conversation. This is better than
keeping completely silent. Try using um, or er,
if you forget the word.
Don't speak too fast!
It's important to use a natural rhythm when speaking English, but if you
speak too fast it will be difficult for people to understand you.
Try
to relax when you speak – you'll find your mouth does most of
the pronunciation work for you. When you speak English at normal speed,
you'll discover that many of the pronunciation skills, such as linking
between words, will happen automatically.
Remember, when speaking English…
Try to become less hesitant and more confident.
Don't
be shy to speak – the more you do it, the more confident you'll become.
Remember
to be polite – use "please" and "thank you"
if you ask someone to do something for you.sa
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Teaching Speaking
Many language learners regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language. These learners define fluency as the ability to converse with others, much more than the ability to read, write, or comprehend oral language. They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire, and they assess their progress in terms of their accomplishments in spoken communication.
Language learners need to recognize that speaking involves three areas of knowledge: - Mechanics (pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary): Using the right words in the right order with the correct pronunciation
- Functions (transaction and interaction): Knowing when clarity of message is essential (transaction/information exchange) and when precise understanding is not required (interaction/relationship building)
- Social and cultural rules and norms (turn-taking, rate of speech, length of pauses between speakers, relative roles of participants): Understanding how to take into account who is speaking to whom, in what circumstances, about what, and for what reason.
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