Teacher Discussion Forums

Emily Jia · Joined: 07 May 2008 Posts: 8 Location: Beijing

Hello everyone,
I'm a senior student in university. My major is English education. That to say, I will become a teacher in the future, but I am not satisfy with my oral English,so would you like give me some suggestions to improve my oral English?

EH · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 174 Location: USA and/or Korea

You must speak more in English.
That's the only way to really improve oral English. Speak to the mirror when you brush your teeth. Speak to your pet dog when you play with her. Speak to any sympathetic human you can find.
Practice makes perfect.
-EH

Pearl Li · Joined: 14 Dec 2008 Posts: 1 Location: Beijing China

I really agree with EH. You must speak more in English if you want to improve your oral English. Recently I have gained a lot of confidence and improvement after I talk more with my friends in English. Try to express your ideas in English.

Luke Zimmermann · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 26 Location: UAE

Since you posted this under pronunciation, I assume you want to improve your pronunciation. Can I suggest 2 things:

1. when I was still learning English, I happen to record a conversation with someone. When I listened to my own voice, I was shocked at my strong Dutch accent. However, I realised I could now improve my accent. You can't hear your own pron mistakes when you speak, but you can when you record your voice.

2. Slow down your speech. I noticed that many foreign students make the mistake of speeding up their speech in the hope to sound fluent. However, if your pronunciation is not clear, this is disastrous. Speak slowly and pronounce words deliberately to improve. Later you can speed up again.

Finally, be patient with yourself. It takes time but it will pay off. Pronunciation is the first thing people notice about your English, so it is worth spending time on improving it.