Improving your Spoken English Without a Partner – How?
1. Try some Tongue Twisters
What are tongue twisters? A tongue twister is a sentence or expression which is very difficult to say properly, especially when you try to say it quickly.
For example, try saying this sentence slowly, then really fast – ‘If two witches would watch two watches, which watch would which witch watch?’
Did you get that? Tongue twisters help to exercise the muscles in your mouth and tongue; a great way of practicing and sounding out spoken English.
2. Listen to Music
Do you enjoy listening to songs in English? What is your favourite type of music? Language is music, as it has a rhythm of its own. Therefore, as you listen to a song, listen to the music (rhythm) of the English language. Why not sing along in English too!
And what about new vocabulary? Yes, write down words that are new to you and check their meaning using an online dictionary; dictionarycambridge.org is one of my favourite.
3. Poetry – Perfect for Pronunciation Practice
‘To be or not to be’ – the famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, but did you know that poetry can help you practice your spoken English?
Reading poetry improves your intonation, (the right words to stress) rhyme too as many words have the same sounds.
You can record your own voice and listen to yourself. A great way to practice self-correction!
4. Remember – Fluency not Grammar!
Challenge yourself to speak for one minute. Stand in front of a mirror, choose a subject (weather, holiday, sport, family) and challenge yourself to speak for one minute without stopping. You can do it!
‘I’m afraid of making mistakes’, you might say. Do you make mistakes when you speak in your mother tongue? Yes, we all do, and so does your teacher. But does that stop us from speaking? No!
Speaking in English may not be grammatically perfect, but that’s okay! Why? Simply, because you are focusing on fluency not accuracy. You will be understood and if you work on being fluent, you will definitely sound much better than stopping every time you make a mistake. You can ask for help with the grammar rules later.
You can practice your spoken English without a partner, in your own home and have fun in the learning process.
Be confident, be determined – you can do this!