Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[ele liu]

Thanks a lot. I'll try this way

[EnglishRaven]

Have you tried any online programs or resources?

Technology has come a long way recently, and it's very easy to do speaking over the Internet these days. I've used these programs a lot and they do really help to make shy students feel a little more comfortable and confident. I'm not saying online speaking should replace live face-to-face speaking, but it can be a great building block and is useful if you don't have access to other speakers of English in your immediate physical area.

Best,

~ Jason
_________________
http://www.onlinEnglish.net
http://global-english.lefora.com

[Heidix]

MUSIC! Music is a good means of imitation, and can help with pronunciation, you can even do it alone! It takes the chore out of working on English speaking skills because hey, who doesn't love music? It can also provide a good topic and some common ground for when you become comfortable enough to hold conversation with a native speaker. Just turn on the radio, buy some CDs, or download some mp3s. If you're unsure of what kind of music you like, browse around. There are many websites which offer streaming audio and various genres. But don't forget to sing along! You can find the lyrics ('lyrics' are the words in a song) to some of your favorite songs online if you're unsure of what they're singing.

[grammy]

yes, music really works, if music is your thing!

imitation also works well, but it is only good if you have a good ear for hearing accents and are good at mimicing. which some people can do and some people can't.

personally ithink that good listening is the key to developing good speaking. so i would say listen to as much as you can, and actually do listening exercises, over time this will give you a model for speaking accurately.

on the net there is a lot of stuff to help you, i found a place called soundsenglish.com which has some listeing practice, there is also a site called soundofenglish.com ( i think) which has good models for pronunciation of sounds and rhythm, intonation etc.

[beibeizhu]

That�s pretty useful advice for me. I'm going to have a try to improve my oral english. First thing,i should to listening getting more and more by my off hours.I expert the change.

[CP]

Don't be afraid to speak up in front of one person or a stadium full of people. Native speakers hear people speak English all the time, and some are excellent but most are not. What matters is that you try to say what you want to say. Do your best, and you will get better.

We native speakers make mistakes, too . . . who cares? If you try to speak, we will try to understand you, and we will help you if you get stuck. If you don't try, we will never know what you want to say. You will be the silent one that no one knows.

We respect the person who tries to speak our language. We know it is a difficult one. We are lucky that we didn't have to do anything special to learn it from the crib.

If you are not naturally bold, just pretend to be bold. Be an actor, playing the part of the brave one trying to speak even if you aren't perfect. You are what you pretend to be, after all. You know someone who is not afraid to speak out and make mistakes. Pretend to be that person.

And if someone laughs, don't feel embarrassed, and don't be shy. Say, "Oh, did I make a mistake? Tell me!" Learn why it was a mistake, why it was funny. Laugh along with the others, and remember they are not laughing at you, they are laughing at the delightful surprise that comes with an innocent mistake.

You can do it. So do it.

Oh, and when you speak in front of a large group, look at one person at a time, and speak just to that person. Say one sentence to one person, then look at another person and say the next sentence to that person. Then you are not speaking to a frightening large group, but just one person at a time. That's much easier, and each person in the audience will feel you are speaking to him or her directly.

If you are really shy, take your glasses off.

Good luck!
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[Jenniferdu521]