VOA慢速英语2021--如何在英语口语中获得自信

How to Gain Confidence¹ in Your English Speaking

At VOA Learning² English, we sometimes get questions like this: "How can I speak English with more confidence?"

That is a great question. No matter what language we are learning, we would all love to speak more confidently.

Yuliana Vasquez is an English teacher. She also trains teachers and is a language researcher at the University of Panama. She said lack of confidence can come from having trouble with pronunciation and not having a wide enough vocabulary.

If you lack confidence when you speak English, you may do one or more of these things without realizing it:

Speak in short phrases⁴

Speak too softly⁵

Speak too fast or unclearly

So today, we have several pieces of advice to help you gain confidence in your English-speaking ability.

Use positive self-talk

Believe it or not, the most important person you talk to every day is yourself. In other words: Your thoughts matter.

So our first piece of advice is to use positive self-talk.

If you lack confidence as an English speaker, you may tell yourself things like, "English is too hard and I will never improve." When you talk to other people, you may say things like, "I'm so sorry for my English."

But if you keep thinking and saying such things, you are sure to start believing them.

Magdi Saleh is an English teacher and teacher trainer based in Cairo⁶, Egypt.

Saleh said many English learners need to show themselves more patience because progress takes time:.

"You have to be patient with yourself and talk positively⁷ with yourself."

He said you can tell yourself something like, "Today, I will learn this thing and tomorrow I will learn other things."

So the next time you are using your English, pay attention to what you tell yourself or others. Be sure to replace unhelpful thoughts or ideas with better ones.

Speak louder, slower

The next tip is to speak louder and slow down your speech.

When I taught English at a language school in Washington⁸, D.C., I noticed something about my students: Those who lacked confidence spoke⁹ too softly. And they did not enunciate¹⁰ well. Often, I had to ask them to repeat themselves a few times.

To sound more confident, speak loudly enough that anyone in the same room can easily hear you.

And try to slow down your speech if you speak too fast. Many English learners worry that speaking too slow will make them sound inexperienced. But speaking too fast may cause more mistakes. So avoid worrying that you are speaking too slow for the people around you.

Speak in full sentences

Our third tip is to speak in complete sentences and give longer responses when possible.

If you are not confident in a language, you will likely try to say as little as possible when you speak. Trust me: I know! When I visited Brazil, for example, I remember asking a building doorman for the fitness¹¹ center key. In Portuguese¹², I said just, "Good afternoon. Fitness center key, please."

Saleh says this is a common problem for language learners. For example, if you ask an English learner what their favorite color is, they may give a short, direct¹³ response like, "My favorite color is blue." But a native English speaker is likely to give a detailed¹⁴ and less direct response, like this:

"Well, to be quite honest, I don't really have an actual color. I guess that if I were buying clothes, I would go for something like blue or grey."

Using complete sentences and giving more detail in responses shows listeners¹⁵ that you are not afraid to speak English.

Read out loud

Now, we move to tip number four: Read out loud.

Reading out loud can help build confidence in how your English sounds. So the next time you are reading a website, book or something else that you enjoy, take a few minutes to read the material aloud.

Vasquez offers a possible plan of action.

Before reading aloud, read the story silently¹⁶ first. The second time, if there is audio¹⁷, you can listen to the speaker as you read along silently. Then, try to read the story out loud alone. Then, try listening to the speaker and reading out loud at the same time.

List words you have trouble saying and then, later, check their pronunciation on Google Translate or in some other place.

Saleh adds that learners should read for pleasure and enjoy what they are reading. So he advises not stopping to check word meanings in a dictionary while reading.

Don't worry too much

One of the biggest barriers¹⁸ to confidence in speaking a second language is the constant¹⁹ worry about making mistakes.

So our next tip is: Do not worry too much about mistakes.

Understand that making mistakes is a natural part of the language learning process. Yes, you will make mistakes. But keep in mind that the purpose of speaking a language is to communicate. And many English learners communicate very well, even with mistakes.

Vasquez notes that mistakes can be a good thing. The more experience you get, the more you will know what is and is not correct, she explains.

Set realistic²⁰ goals

Our final tip is to set realistic goals.

If your English-speaking skills are at the beginner or intermediate²¹ level and you try to do something too difficult, you may fail. This can harm your confidence. But, if you do something that matches your level, you are more likely to do it well.

As you learn English, it is natural to lack some of the skills you need to communicate well. Often, when we lack skills, we lack confidence. But remember that, as your skills grow, your confidence will, too.

Vasquez advises learners to make a plan for daily practice and spend at least 30 minutes each day practicing your English.

Words in This Story

confidence –n. the feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed

pronunciation –n. the way in which a word is spoken

vocabulary –n. the set of words that a person knows

phrase³ –n. a group of words that express an idea but do not form a sentence

positive –adj. good or useful

enunciate –v. to pronounce words clearly and understandably

key –n. a special piece of metal used to open a lock

guess –v. to suppose, to think that something might be the case

silently –adv. quietly, without sound

intermediate –adj. relating to a level of knowledge that is not of a beginner or of an expert

1 confidence   

n.信任，信托，自信，信心，把握，大胆，厚颜，过于自信，狂妄

参考例句：

• We have full confidence in our victory.我们有必胜的把握。
• I should like to exchange a few words with you in confidence.我想私下和你交换点意见。

2 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。

3 phrase   

n.短语，词组；成语，习语

参考例句：

• The phrase was caught on and immediately became popular.这个短语被采用后很快就流行了。
• That's exactly the phrase I was looking for.这就是我一直找的那个短语。

4 phrases   

n.短语( phrase的名词复数 )；成语；说法；乐句

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 softly   

adv.柔和地，静静地，温柔地

参考例句：

• He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻，她听不见。
• She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。

6 Cairo   

n.开罗(埃及首都)

参考例句：

• They get onto the plane at Cairo.他们在开罗上飞机。
• Cairo is the capital of Egypt.开罗是埃及的首都。

7 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

8 Washington   

n.华盛顿特区(是美国首都)

参考例句：

• His birthplace is Washington,but he lives in San Francisco.他出生于华盛顿，但住在旧金山。
• They, together with my father,have gone to Washington.他们和我父亲一起去华盛顿了。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 enunciate   

v.发音；（清楚地）表达

参考例句：

• Actors learn how to enunciate clearly in the theatrical college.演员在戏剧学院学习怎样清晰地发音。
• He is always willing to enunciate his opinions on the subject of politics.他总是愿意对政治问题发表意见。

11 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

12 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

13 direct   

adj.直接的；直达的；v.指挥；知道；监督；管理

参考例句：

• This train is direct,you do not have to change.这辆火车是直达的，你不必换车。
• The army is under the king's direct command.军队由国王直接统帅。

14 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

15 listeners   

n.倾听者，收听者( listener的名词复数 )；听众

参考例句：

• the demographics of radio listeners 电台听众统计数据
• The singer's high notes jarred on the ears of her listeners. 那位歌手的高音让听众们觉得刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 silently   

adv.沉默地，无声地

参考例句：

• She sat in the car,silently fuming at the traffic jam.她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• He didn't shout,he just glared at me silently.他没有喊叫，只是默默地怒视着我。

17 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。

18 barriers   

n.障碍( barrier的名词复数 )；屏障；栅栏；分界线

参考例句：

• The crowd had to stand behind barriers. 人群只好站在障碍物后面。
• the dissolution of barriers of class and race 阶级和种族隔阂的消除

19 constant   

n.常数，恒量；adj.不变的，一定的，时常的

参考例句：

• This suit has been in constant wear for two years.这一套衣服已连续穿了两年。
• An absolute constant is fixed and can not be changed.绝对常数是固定而不可以改变的。

20 realistic   

adj.现实的，逼真的，现实主义的，实在论的

参考例句：

• She is a realistic woman.她是位很实际的女人。
• He will go down in history as a realistic poet.他将作为一个现实主义诗人而永载史册。

21 intermediate   

adj.中间的，居间的，中级的；n.中间体，媒介物

参考例句：

• This country is now at an intermediate stage of development.这个国家目前正处于发展的中间阶段。
• Gray is intermediate between black and white.灰色介于黑色和白色之间。