How to improve English skills?

[sms78 18]

What are the good ways to improve English fast and efficiently? I want to improve my speaking skills especially

[Gosia & Tito 199]

What are the good ways to improve English fast and efficiently? I want to improve my speaking skills especially

Watch TV with subtitles....my wife tells me the Court TVs seem to be the best to get current colloquial speech; ESL classes and you'll make friends you can practice. Go out at every occasion and speak, do the groceries, run errands.

[Ning 619]

What are the good ways to improve English fast and efficiently? I want to improve my speaking skills especially

Look into ESL classes at your local community college. Ask about the Pell Grant you can get to help with the expense. Its very difficult to just concentrate on speaking. I found I need the assistance of a teacher to advance my abilities. Work on vocabulary as much as you can because it is key to comprehension and speaking.

[toastedpancake 15]

reading alot is the best way, it works with me.. try reading novels, magazines or any reading material

[Anh map 2,098]

Read magazines & newspapers, watch tv & movies, listen to music, and use the language.

Find an ESL class that is the correct level and be active in the class. You must use the language to improve. Do not be worried about making mistakes. You will improve as you practice.

I see too many students in ESL classes that want to study the book and not use the language. English has a lot of unusual rules and practices. A learner cannot find them all in a book. Get used to the sounds, practice the words with a native speaker. Only speaking the language with other learners is not enough.

If you do not know a word or meaning, just ask. Most people are happy to help a leaner to find the proper usage.

There are online resources that can help with pronunciation. One of my favorites is: ShiporSheep.com . It shows the words, the phonemes, pictures, and allows you to hear the differences. This is especially good for learners who do not have some of the common English sounds in their native language.

[sms78 18]

Thank you everyone for ideas!!!!

Watching movies or TV shows with subtitle is an amazing idea. I don't usually watch them with subtitle because you know I can still understand most of the story and enjoy it. From now on, subtitles are must. So court shows are the best? You mean like Law & Order? I want to know what genre is the best for English learning. Probably not comedy...which I LOVE!

[sms78 18]

There are online resources that can help with pronunciation. One of my favorites is: ShiporSheep.com . It shows the words, the phonemes, pictures, and allows you to hear the differences. This is especially good for learners who do not have some of the common English sounds in their native language.

Thanks for the link. The website is absolutely amazing. Something I really needed.

Edited June 17, 2012 by sms78

[sms78 18]

Regarding ESL class, I really hope I can find something I like. They tend to make students study a lot of reading and writing, but not much speaking. Plus as Anh map said, talking to fellow ESL students is absolutely not enough. It seems this method no longer makes much progress in my English. Still, I want to make friends. So for that reason I ESL is a good idea for me.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Regarding ESL class, I really hope I can find something I like. They tend to make students study a lot of reading and writing, but not much speaking. Plus as Anh map said, talking to fellow ESL students is absolutely not enough. It seems this method no longer makes much progress in my English. Still, I want to make friends. So for that reason I ESL is a good idea for me.

When looking at the ESL classes, try to find one that is conversation based vs. grammar and writing. For example, in my area, the community college has a series called "Survival English" with three levels depending on your knowledge of English. The goal of those classes is to help students speak English as if they were in real situations. Another option you could do is contact the local colleges/universities in your area and see if they can pair you with a student or on-campus group to help your conversation skills. (And it doesn't have to be an English major...someone studying Education or Communications would be a great resource as well.)

On TV shows to watch, be sure to include the local news or even the national nightly newscasts on ABC, NBC, PBS, etc. in your viewing habits.

[Anh map 2,098]

Regarding ESL class, I really hope I can find something I like. They tend to make students study a lot of reading and writing, but not much speaking. Plus as Anh map said, talking to fellow ESL students is absolutely not enough. It seems this method no longer makes much progress in my English. Still, I want to make friends. So for that reason I ESL is a good idea for me.

When looking at the ESL classes go and see one or two to get a sense of how they are run. Both the private and "public" schools. A course that is primarily reading and repeating old texts is not productive.

I recently did one class session using the Disney World brochure. The reading was a lot more fun and the discussion was very interesting. The class enjoyed that topic. Another time I used an Adele song for vocabulary and comprehension.

[EminTX 131]

You are right that most classes don't focus on skill as much as busy work. ESL really should be about using the language. I work with so many people that have taken several classes of ESL but are all but unintelligible. I waste a lot of my time in the day asking for repeats (and often they can't understand me). I, personally, have zero faith in ESL classes. Some are good, I am sure, but the majority of them are money-makers to push more people through.

One of my dearest friends, who is fighting to conquer English, stated to me that his biggest improvements came when he absolutely ceased to use his first language. If someone speaks to him in that, he only responds in English. (This friend took several ESL classes, too. In his latest last fall, costing thousands at the community college here in Houston, he learned a lot of Chinese. He is from Europe. He also learned a lot about fashion and which iPad was the best to watch movies on during class. He was absolutely disgusted.)

For my husband, we attack one sound each week. He "got" the letter V two weeks ago so we practice every word we can with that in it all the time. This week, we will either attack endings with the letter T or the dreaded letter R. (We do his practice times in the pool. He is relaxed, there is no boredom because he is in a one-on-one situation while moving around in a pleasant atmosphere, and there is a lot going on while drilling repeatedly.)

If you can find someone who will be patient and honest with you without badgering or discouraging you ("Ah HA!--That's your 56th mistake in 7 minutes!"), this would be a gift from Heaven.

The best advice you can probably get is from others that have actually done this. Everybody has ideas, but the folks who have tried various ideas and enjoy success can very possibly steer you in the right direction. Talk to people you know. Copy them.

(Toastmasters is a group that focusus on public speaking. This might be an option, also. It is a learning environment with people of all levels and backgrounds. http://www.toastmasters.org/ )

Good luck.

[bigdog 376]

My wife watched a kids show as one of her tools, Images of nihi kai lan (kids cartoon show) and used subtitles. She thought Rosetta stone was too easy, but i can't figure ####### out.

[GCPony 14]

Marry a Briton. Even though you think you speak English, you'll soon find that you don't

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Why is #6 cat and #7 cat different on that link, Ahn Map? They both lead me to pretty kitty picture. (I am native English speaker).

Edited June 17, 2012 by Harpa Timsah

[Anh map 2,098]

Why is #6 cat and #7 cat different on that link, Ahn Map? They both lead me to pretty kitty picture. (I am native English speaker).

The website isn't perfect. *doh*

Those pairs are showing the different vowel sounds. cat and cut, cat and cart. But, it's giving a different phoneme for the "a" sound in 6 and 7. It ought to be the "ae" for both cat examples. (edit: there is the slight difference in the British and American pronunciations there with #6 British, #7 American) Cut is the schwa "ə". Cart is the "a."

Another helpful tool for study are the online learner dictionaries. They often have an audio component to hear the words pronounced. And there can be options to hear an American accent as well as a British accent which can be quite useful. Too bad they don't have the different regional accents.

Merriam - Webster Learner Dictionary

Cambridge Learner Dictionary

Edited June 17, 2012 by Anh map