How to Improve Spoken English
(Without a Speaking Partner!):14 Incredible Methods
Don’t worry. You can still improve your spoken English, even without a speaking partner.
- Think in English: Try to use English when you’re thinking about your day, or when you’re trying to decide what food to order.
- Talk to Yourself: Practice is practice, and even if you don’t have anyone to correct your mistakes, just the act of speaking out loud will help you become more comfortable speaking English.
- Use a Mirror: Choose a topic, set a timer for two or three minutes and just talk.
- Focus on English Fluency, Not Grammar: Try the mirror exercise above, but challenge yourself to speak without stopping or stammering (taking pauses between your words) the entire time.
- Try English Tongue Twisters: Word games like this will help you find the right placement for your mouth and tongue, and can even help your pronunciation.
- Listen and Repeat: Choose a short part of a show and repeat it line by line. Try to match the tone, speed and even the accent (if you can). It doesn’t matter if you miss a few words, the important thing is to keep talking. Try to sound just like the native speakers on the show.
- Pay Attention to Stressed Sounds: Listen to where native speakers place the emphasis when they speak. Try to repeat it the same way to improve English stress in your own speech.
- Sing Along to English Songs: Singing along to your favorite English songs will help you become more fluent. This is a tried-and-true language learning method that’s backed by science.
- Learn Word Forms with New Words: Make speaking easier by learning the different forms of any words you learn. You should do this when you’re learning new vocabulary.
- Learn Phrases, Not Words: For example, you can say “how do you feel today?” but a native speaker might say “how’re you doing?” or “what’s up?” instead. Phrases and expressions can be helpful for sounding more natural when you speak.
- Learn Your Most Common Sayings: Take some time to really notice how you speak in your native language.
- Prepare for Specific Situations: If you’re preparing to go to a restaurant, what might conversations in a restaurant sound like? Answer the questions a waiter might ask you. Try talking about food and menus.
You’ll feel more confident if you’re prepared!
- Relax!: If you get stuck or confused, just take a big breath and start over. Speak slower if you have to. Take time to pause and think about your next sentence.
- Tell a Story from Your Language in English: Remember to think in English as you’re telling your story. Focus on speaking fluently instead of correctly. Say every sentence out loud to yourself.
Even if you have nobody to talk to in English, you can still build confidence and master fluency on your own time.