5 Speaking Rules you need to know!
1.Don't study grammar
too much
This rule might sound strange to many ESL
students, but it is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass
examinations, then study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in
English, then you should try .to learn English without studying the grammar
Studying grammar will
only slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when
creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native.
Remember that only a small fraction of English speakers know more than 20% of
all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native
speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English
speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teaching English for more
than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English
grammar than I do. I can easily look up the definition and apply it, but I
don't know it off the top of my head.
I often ask my native
English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct
answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and
communicate effectively.
Do you want to be able
to recite the definition of a causative verb, or do you want to be able to
speak English fluently?
2. Learn and study phrases
Many students learn vocabulary and try to put
many words together to create a proper sentence. It amazes me how many words
some of my students know, but they cannot create a proper sentence. The reason
is because they didn't study phrases. When children learn a language, they
learn both words and phrases together. Likewise, you need to study and learn
phrases.
If you know 1000
words, you might not be able to say one correct sentence. But if you know 1
phrase, you can make hundreds of correct sentences. If you know 100 phrases,
you will be surprised at how many correct sentences you will be able to say.
Finally, when you know only a 1000 phrases, you will be almost a fluent English
speaker.
The English Speaking Basics section is a great example of making numerous
sentences with a single phrase. So don't spend hours and hours learning many
different words. Use that time to study phrases instead and you will be closer
to English fluency.
Don't translate
When you want to
create an English sentence, do not translate the words from your Mother tongue.
The order of words is probably completely different and you will be both slow
and incorrect by doing this. Instead, learn phrases and sentences so you don't
have to think about the words you are saying. It should be automatic.
Another problem with
translating is that you will be trying to incorporate grammar rules that you
have learned. Translating and thinking about the grammar to create English
sentences is incorrect and should be avoided.
3. Reading and Listening is NOT enough. Practice
Speaking what you hear!
Reading, listening, and speaking are the most
important aspects of any language. The same is true for English. However,
speaking is the only requirement to be fluent. It is normal for babies and
children to learn speaking first, become fluent, then start reading, then
writing. So the natural order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing.
First Problem
Isn't it strange that
schools across the world teach reading first, then writing, then listening, and
finally speaking? Although it is different, the main reason is because when you
learn a second language, you need to read material to understand and learn it.
So even though the natural order is listening, speaking, reading, then writing,
the order for ESL students is reading, listening, speaking, then writing.
Second Problem
The reason many people
can read and listen is because that's all they practice. But in order to speak
English fluently, you need to practice speaking. Don't stop at the listening
portion, and when you study, don't just listen. Speak out loud the material you
are listening to and practice what you hear. Practice speaking out loud until
your mouth and brain can do it without any effort. By doing so, you will be
able to speak English fluently.
4. Submerge yourself
Being able to speak a language is not related
to how smart you are. Anyone can learn how to speak any language. This is a
proven fact by everyone in the world. Everyone can speak at least one language.
Whether you are intelligent, or lacking some brain power, you are able to speak
one language.
This was achieved by
being around that language at all times. In your country, you hear and speak
your language constantly. You will notice that many people who are good
English speakers are the ones who studied in an English speaking school. They
can speak English not because they went to an English speaking school, but
because they had an environment where they can be around English speaking
people constantly.
There are also some
people who study abroad and learn very little. That is because they went to an
English speaking school, but found friends from their own country and didn't practice
English.
You don't have to go
anywhere to become a fluent English speaker. You only need to surround yourself
with English. You can do this by making rules with your existing friends that
you will only speak English. You can also carry around an iPod and constantly
listen to English sentences. As you can see, you can achieve results by
changing what your surroundings are. Submerge yourself in English and you will
learn several times faster.
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5. Study correct material
A common phrase that is incorrect is,
"Practice makes perfect." This is far from the truth. Practice only
makes what you are practicing permanent. If you practice the incorrect
sentence, you will have perfected saying the sentence incorrectly. Therefore,
it is important that you study material that is commonly used by most people.
Another problem I see
is that many students study the news. However, the language they speak is more
formal and the content they use is more political and not used in regular life.
It is important to understand what they are saying, but this is more of an
advanced lesson that should be studied after learning the fundamental basics of
English.
Studying English with
a friend who is not a native English speaker is both good and bad. You should
be aware of the pros and cons of speaking with a non native speaking friend.
Practicing with a non native person will give you practice. You can also
motivate each other and point out basic mistakes. But you might pick up bad
habits from one another if you are not sure about what are correct and
incorrect sentences. So use these practice times as a time period to practice
the correct material you studied. Not to learn how to say a sentence.
In short, study
English material that you can trust, that is commonly used, and that is correct.
Summary
These are the rules
that will help you achieve your goal of speaking English fluently. All the
teachings and lessons on TalkEnglish.com follow this method so you have the
tools you need to achieve your goal right here on TalkEnglish.com.