How Do I Get Better at Speaking English?

 

Question:

Many VOA Learning¹ English fans write to us with this question: How do I get better at speaking English?

Answer:

Dear VOA fan:

First, try to speak English each day, even if you can only speak for a short time. Begin by saying "good morning," and "good afternoon or evening" to a family member or a friend.

As you travel to your school or work, think about how you feel like "happy" or "sad" and say it to yourself in English.

When you arrive, find a friend who is also learning English, and ask, "How are you feeling today?" Speaking English every day will help you get better.

Accept a few mistakes

We all make mistakes. You will probably make some mistakes while learning to speak English. But you can still say how you feel. And you can learn from your mistakes.

Ask your friend or teacher to correct them. Practice saying the words many times so you can say them correctly the next time.

Learn some tips

Another way to practice speaking is to read a story from our website and listen to the audio².

Stop after a few sentences. Listen again, and notice how the speaker's voice goes up and down. Repeat the sentences and make your voice change the same way. The more you practice, the more you will sound like a native speaker.

Practice speaking

With a friend, choose a conversation from Let's Learn English and learn together. Then, when you know it well enough, act it out with your friend. Use a phone to record and listen to yourself.

Do you say the words the same way as Anna and her friends?

Next week, we will talk about continuing a conversation in English. And that's Ask a Teacher!

Words in This Story

conversation – n. an informal³ talk involving two people or a small group of people

practice –v. to do something again and again to become better at it

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 audio   

n./adj.音频(响)(的)；声音(的)，听觉(的)

参考例句：

• Often,the meeting is recorded on audio or video media for later reference.通常这种会议会以视频或者音频形式记录下来，供以后查阅。
• You don't even have to pay for audio programs.你大可不必为自己听这些节目付费。

3 informal   

adj.非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

参考例句：

• I got an informal reception.我受到了非正式接待。
• The leaders met over informal lunches.领袖们在非正式午餐时进行会晤。