I do need your help

[Nianli MA]

I have been an English teacher for 9 years, but my oral English is not so good. I am really worried about this. I can teach grammar and knowledge to my students very well, but I cannot enhance their oral competence very well,since my oral competence is not very good. To improve my oral English, I attended an oral class taught by native speakers. I really learnt a lot from them, but everytime when they asked me queations, I was nervous and didn't know how to express and what to say. I think maybe I have language barrier, and I totally lose confidence.However I cannot give up, I must try my best, even though it is a little difficult, for I don't have chances to communicate with native speakers, so I come here to appeal for help. Any suggestions?
I appreciate for your help.
Thanks a lot.

lili

[shirley0215]

Of course, practice makes perfect. And there are some ways to have access to practice when few chances to talk to native speakers are available. First, build up your own confidence is very importance since you will set the example for your students. Don't be afraid to admit your mistakes. Second, you can read some English texts or passages which meet the intermediate level every day to practice your oral English. third, see some Enlish movies,like friends.ect

[Nianli MA]

Thank you so much for your advice. I think I will make progress if I open my mouth to practice everyday.

[walrus]

Part of your problem is that we don't speak the way we write. There are many academic studies on this, but I digress. Watch and listen to TV programs if you don't have a native speaker to talk with. Spoken and written English are different. Even the most informal written English doesn't match spoken.

I'm sorry if I've caused you grief but spoken English contains hesitations, spacers (uh, mmm) repititions, incomplete sentences, etc. - just like all languages.

[Rassi]

Well, I asked my husband who is a landed immigrant how he learned how to speak English so well and he said that movies and tv helped a lot. He'd mimic his favorite scenes and memorize lines until he had the accent perfect-and now it's great, he can do any accent from aroundthe world!

A a teacher myself the phoneomic alphebet I find helps alot. Learn that and start writting words in the phoneomic and you'll get a better understanding of how English sounds. It's more difficult that the first sugestion but it works.

Good Luck
Rassi