Autor: Blog | Publicado: 2012-08-30T11:18:00-03:00


10 Ways to Improve the Way You Speak English



1. Observe the mouth movements of
those who speak English well and try to imitate them.

When you are watching
television or watching people in real life converse, observe the mouth
movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the
intonation and rhythm of their speech. Great television shows which reflect
everyday English conversation are Friends, Seinfeld and The Simpsons.

2. Listen to English music, television and movies to get
familiar with the language sounds.

This is an extremely helpful
and fun way to improve your English. Also listen to the volume of their voices
depending on the situation. Remember that loud volume can sometimes indicate
aggressiveness or anger in certain situations. Watch the English news on
television channels like CNN (for American English) or the BBC (If you wish to
study British English). The news is very helpful because their speech must be
clear, concise and objective – however, keep in mind they do not hold a great
amount of emotion in their voices because of this.


3. 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. Write down words and their definitions
in a notebook for future reference – it may come in handy!

4. 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. 

5. 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.

6. 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.


7. Read aloud in English for at least 15 minutes every day. 

Research has shown it takes
about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for
speaking a new language. Find something you enjoy reading – especially if it
has a lot of dialogue, and read it aloud. Even if you don’t speak aloud, reading
as many English books as possible will increase your vocabulary
and knowledge of sentence structure. Make sure when you read these books that
you understand what the author is trying to say.

8. 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.

9. 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. 

10. Practice!

The
more you practice the more you learn. And relax: making mistakes is part of the
process. Try to learn through them.

Source: http://english.learnhub.com/lesson/4231-10-ways-to-improve-the-way-you-speak-english