How to Learn Spoken English at Home

How to Learn Spoken English at Home

English may not be an easy language to learn for some, but there are many ways to learn and practice conversational English at home. If there is an English-speaking person in your household, you have convenient assistance when you have questions. But even if you don't, with the right materials, time and patience, you can master English conversation.

Instructions

1.Learn the basics by studying English conversation in books, online, on television and on tape. There is no substitute for developing a rudimentary vocabulary and understanding basic sentence structure. Commit to learning a few new words each day.

2.Watch television shows on subjects that are interesting to you. Sometimes, watching a show geared toward children is easier to understand.

3.  Get a script of a film from the Internet Movie Script Database (imsdb.com) and take the part of one of the characters as you watch the film, voicing the part along with the actor. You might then rewind the scene and take the part of a different character. This exercise can help you with the rhythm of the language and correct pronunciation.

4.Develop targeted vocabulary that can be used in everyday situations. Learn how to order in a restaurant and ask for help in a store. Then put your knowledge to use while eating out and shopping. At this point, you will benefit from learning some idiomatic expressions.

5.Invite others to discuss a shared book or film when you feel ready to converse in English. Prepare for the meeting by distributing a list of questions about the characters, themes, settings and plot of the story.

6.Expand your horizons by using your webcam to converse with other people you have contacted on the Internet. One such medium is the "Penpals" forum in Skype.

7.Volunteer to help children or beginning English speakers with their homework. Sometimes, the best way to learn and practice is to teach someone else what you know.

tips & Warnings

When you converse with others, take a moment to plan out what you want to say.

Make sure you know common English expressions, such as "Good morning. How are you today?"

When listening to someone who is speaking English, concentrate on what he is saying and clarify anything you don't understand. You might ask, "Can you repeat that, please?"

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Methods to Improve Spoken English

Methods to Improve Spoken English

Whether or not you live in an English-speaking country, you can improve your pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and fluency. Learning a language takes practice and work, but with the correct methods you can learn to speak English correctly and with confidence.

Listening

Listening to good spoken English at your level of understanding will improve all aspects of your speaking, since we normally learn our first language by first listening and hearing it spoken by others. If you can understand English-language radio and television, then listen to news and documentary programs, whose presenters tend to speak well. For easier work, practice listening to English instructional CDs or computer software, at home or at a school language lab. You can also find English-language radio, TV and instructional materials on the Internet.

Reading and Repeating Aloud

You need to actually say English words aloud to improve your pronunciation. Practice reading aloud in English, or repeating after instructional software or audio recordings, every day. Record your pronunciation at home or in a school language lab, and compare yourself to native speakers. Ask someone who speaks English well for additional correction.

Reading for Vocabulary

You can improve your English vocabulary by reading every day in English. Plan to spend at least a half hour each day reading material that you find interesting and a bit challenging. Write new words on note cards or in a notebook and study them. Then make an effort to use them correctly the next time you speak English.

Practicing Correct Grammar

If you make many grammatical mistakes in English, study a grammar book or take a grammar class. Then pay attention to grammar as you speak even if you have to slow down at first. Don't keep on repeating the same mistakes. Watch or "monitor" your own grammar so you can improve. Ask friends who speak English well to correct you here also.

Practicing for Fluency

Using your English frequently in informal and formal situations will improve your fluency and confidence. Find native and other English speakers at school or in your hometown, and practice speaking with them often. Help English-speaking travelers wherever you see them. Find an English conversation partner on the Internet to practice speaking even more. Overcome your shyness by taking an English speaking class or joining a speech club and giving presentations in English

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introduaction to CLT

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
Introduction
CLT is a recognized theoretical model in English language teaching today. Many applied linguists regard it as one of the most effective approaches to ELT. Since its inception in Europe in early 1970s, CLT has served as a major source of influence on language teaching practice round the world. CLT has extended in scope and has been used by different educators in different ways.
It is most likely that when asked to name the methodology they make use of in their classrooms, the majority of language teachers today assert “communicative” as the methodology of choice. However, when pushed to give a detailed account of what they mean by “communicative,” their explanations diverge broadly. What is involved in CLT? Does CLT mean teaching conversation, an absence of grammar in a course, or an emphasis on open-ended discussion activities as the main features of a course? The answers to these questions can be best understood by examining CLT in terms of its historical development, of a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the language classroom.
Where did CLT originate and why is it so popular?
CLT was developed in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s and popularized by the British Council and the Council of Europe. CLT was a reaction to language teaching methods that seemed ineffective (e.g., grammar/translation [GT], audio-lingual method [ALM]) in developing learners “who can communicate both orally and in writing with native speakers in a way appropriate to their mutual needs”. English has become the international language of commerce, science, and technology. As a result, many people around the world are now experiencing “English fever,” which is a great desire to learn English, especially how to engage in conversation in English.
Definition and Principles of CLT
CLT starts with a theory of language as communication, and its goal is to develop learners’ communicative competence. Despite being a simplistic account of CLT, this idea of communicative competence is considered to be the main conception of CLT. Communicative competence included knowing what to say and how to say it appropriately based on the situation, the participants, and their roles and intentions (See Figure 1). Traditional grammatical and vocabulary syllabuses and teaching methods did not include information of this kind. It was assumed that this kind of knowledge would be picked up informally.