How To Learn English Speaking in 13 Easy Steps

Maybe you always wanted to speak English or write something in English but couldn't.

Maybe you always found it difficult to learn English speaking. You must have felt inferiority complex many times in your life for your weakness. If it's so, here are 13 guaranteed tips you can try to learn and improve your English speaking skills step by step in a few days' time. Your English will gradually develop. Depending on your present level of language skill, you will be able to master the language in a few weeks to a few months' time. Let's look at the steps.

1. Confidence and patience:

Confidence and patience are the first requirements: Have confidence and patience. Don't lose heart. If other people can speak English, why can't we? Maybe your failure so far is due to a wrong approach. Maybe you didn't try enough. Maybe you have tried the wrong methods so far. So let's now make a resolution to start afresh.

2. Overcome Fear of Speaking:

The second step is, "Don't be afraid of using English in your conversation." Speaking is the key to learning the language. It's one of the four skills of language learning. The more you practise speaking, the more words and sentence patterns will be deep-rooted in your memory. No child learns to walk in a day. He fails several times before succeeding one day. Similar is the case with language learning. Mistakes will surely be there but let not mistakes stop you. Even the greatest writers of the world make mistakes at times. First create an atmosphere for practice with family and friends. Slowly, give it a try outside.

3. Increase Your Vocabulary:

The very first thing you can do to learn English speaking is to increase your vocabulary, i.e., word stock. Once you are at ease with English vocabulary, grammar and speaking skills will start to come to you automatically. How to develop vocabulary? For at least a few months, read whatever you get in English. Read the smaller things you have always neglected. You can read the covers of match boxes, of soaps and detergent powders, the strips of medicine, the packets of food items including those of junk food that you bring home everyday. Those covers and packets contain lots of information and instructions that will enrich your vocabulary of daily use. Read vocabulary portions from any English grammar or other books. You will find yourself enriched with lots of new words within a few days.

4. Read Translated Books in English:

Try to collect English versions of the books or ideas you already have in your mother tongue. You must have read some books on different subjects in your mother tongue. They may be your hobby, your school subjects, the holy book of your religion or something else. As you have already read the books in your mother tongue, reading them once again in English will not only refresh your memory but also give you a strong grasp of English vocabulary, sentence structure and speaking skills.

5. Learn basic English grammar:

Many may argue that grammar is not at all necessary for learning or speaking English. Don't be carried away by such misleading arguments. After all, we are not native English learners. We are learning it as a Second language. How can you determine whether you should say I eat rice or I rice eat. Most Indian languages have a sentence pattern where I rice eat is correct. Without a sound knowledge of basic English grammar, your English may suffer due to the pull of your mother tongue. So what is basic English grammar? Noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection, determiners, tense, voice, direct and indirect speech, some knowledge of idiomatic expressions - that's all. Try to read and understand them. It will take time to learn these topics. Don't be in a hurry. Read little by little. Definitely, you will master them one day.

6. Use Television and Newspapers:

One of the easiest ways to learn English is to read and listen to English news daily. You can keep yourself well informed of the modern trends in English vocabulary and conversation. For beginners, it may be a little difficult to cope with English news at first. First read or listen in your mother tongue and then revert to English.

7. Avoid Dependence on Mother Tongue:

So far I've talked of reading English translations of books and news once you have read them in your mother tongue. But this dependence is meant for complete beginners. You should set a target of reading English directly one day without the help of your mother tongue. Once you are comfortable with the basics of English, avoid dependence on the mother tongue or at least try to do away with your mother tongue gradually.

8. Select and Read A Topic Daily:

Think of a topic from daily life, say, market, railway station, house, family, pen, brush, water and so on. Search the internet and read a few lines on the topic. This will increase your vocabulary related to the topic.

9. Dialogues:

There are ready-made dialogues on different situations found in many books, particularly the Spoken English Course Books. You can read them to learn different conversation skills necessary to face different situations. I've plans to start spoken English lessons in the near future. You can read them too.

10. Develop Pronunciation:

For developing correct pronunciation, I would recommend listening to English programmes regularly. English news and programmes broadcast on the BBC can be an ideal choice.

11. Practise Writing:

Collect various samples of English documents you need in your daily life. They may be books on Letters and Applications and Paragraphs and Essays. Read them and try writing them in your practice copy. Letters and applications are easy to learn. Their language is simple and related to our daily needs. Paragraphs and applications too give us the much needed vocabulary on different topics to express ourselves. Practising writing will give you a strong memory of the words you have learnt. It will also develop your writing skills. You can also have a look at the letters and applications and paragraphs and essays on common topics posted on this site.

12. Prepare Notes:

Maintain a separate notebook for recording the important words, sentences and topics you have learnt in English. Arrange them under different headings like vocabulary, important sentences, important topics and divide them into sub categories also. This notebook should be different from the one in which you practise writing. If you practise and record notes in the same copy, you will have difficulty referring to a particular topic in your copy later on.

13. Recap:

One last important thing. Don't forget to go back where you started from. Revise the things you have learnt occasionally.

If you are passionate enough to learn and speak English, you will very soon find yourself well equipped with the necessary vocabulary and grammar to speak in English.