<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">English is the world’s lingua franca, a common language that people with different native languages can use to communicate.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The more fluent you are in English, the more interesting, exciting and insightful conversations you can have.</div><div><br></div><div>1. Expand your vocabulary</div><div>Learn New Words Every Day</div><div><br></div><div>Gleaning new words day in, day out is a good way to widen your vocabulary. Commit to a suitable target: it can be three daily words or it can be ten daily words.</div><div><br></div><div>Even if you only have time to learn one new word per day, it is still worth trying. By learning one word every day, after one year you will have learned 365 new English words.</div><div><br></div><div>Write the number down to remind yourself frequently. If you have a learning partner, share it with her so that she can check on your progress.</div><div><br></div><div>Some good resources for words are the news, songs and TV shows, depending on your daily habits. If you love listening to music, pay attention to the lyrics and take note of the words you do not know. Songs often contain a lot of useful vocabulary, phrases and expressions, therefore, they are great for learning English.</div><div><br></div><div>Learning words in context will help you remember them much easier, and you will be surprised by how quickly your vocabulary will grow!</div><div><br></div><div>Learn Words in Phrases and Chunks</div><div><br></div><div>It is important that you learn words in groups. For example, you refer to beverages as a glass of wine, a pint of beer, a cup of tea, a pot of coffee, etc. It is better to learn those phrases than merely wine, beer, tea and so on.</div><div><br></div><div>You can also benefit from learning words that are related. The moon has four phases during a lunar month: crescent, gibbon, waxing and waning. It is more efficient to learn all four words at the same time.</div><div><br></div><div>2. Improve your pronunciation</div><div>You might know a lot of words, but if you fail to say them correctly, you will not be understood. That seems like a waste of the time spent on remembering words, right?</div><div><br></div><div>When using online dictionaries such as Macmillan and Merriam-Webster, make use of the little speaker symbol to check the pronunciation of any word that you are not sure about. There are English pronunciation tutorials on YouTube or podcasts like English Pronunciation Pod or American English Pronunciation to teach you the many aspects of American English pronunciation.</div><div><br></div><div>When you are ready for something more challenging, try out tongue twisters. Some examples are available here. Personally, I love the Fork handles sketch from the show “The Two Ronnies.” It might not be a typical example of everyday conversation, but it shows you the richness of spoken English. Besides, you will have a good laugh.</div><div><br></div><div>Learning with these types of authentic videos is key to improving your pronunciation because you are listening to media by and for native speakers.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>But finding videos on your own, or trying to learn with just a video can sometimes be tricky. If you need some help finding relevant English videos with examples of authentic pronunciation, FluentU‘s online learning program is filled with real content and extra tools to help you get started.</div><div><br></div><div>The videos on the program each have interactive subtitles, which allows you to easily see the definition of every word that is spoken. It is great for pronunciation practice, particularly because every word you click on will be automatically added to a personalized word bank, with audio you can listen to later.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>3. Build English speaking confidence</div><div>One of the biggest barriers to developing English speaking skills is confidence. It is certainly something that all language learners have difficulty with and one of the best ways to overcome this is to get out there and practice.</div><div><br></div><div>The best way to do this is to try speaking English with strangers!</div><div><br></div><div>The following video gives some tips about avoiding mistakes, and that can help you to focus on a sometimes forgotten component of language learning: confidence! It is possible to rid yourself of any English speaking fear by building a strong foundation in the language.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>4. Self-talk</div><div>Talk to yourself in English loudly. It can be anything from a suggestion like, “Shall we go get a glass of water?” or a reminder, “I need to do a load of laundry today.”</div><div><br></div><div>Alternatively, pick up a book and read a couple of pages out loud. This exercise might slow down your reading, but it will speed up your speaking skills.</div><div><br></div><div>You can also record yourself, listen to the recording and watch out for any wrong pronunciations. If it is possible, ask for feedback from a native speaker.</div><div><br></div><div>5. Think in English</div><div>If you already think in English, it takes less time to produce or respond in everyday conversations. No translation needed!</div><div><br></div><div>A good way to start rethinking is to keep a diary where you express your daily thoughts in English. It does not have to be perfect, it is more about getting out thoughts in English with less and less effort.</div><div><br></div><div>6. Retell a story in English</div><div>Take the challenge a step further by retelling a story. You retrace other people’s line of thoughts in your own words.</div><div><br></div><div>I would start with a familiar story from your culture. Your translation needs to convey not only the meaning of words but all rhetorical and cultural nuances.</div><div><br></div><div>Alternatively, you can choose different words to retell a simple story in English. Start from the basics, reading something like a fairy tale or a fable. Either way will be beneficial to your English communication skills. - fluentU</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>