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10_Simple_Steps_to_Becoming_Fluent_in_English
10_Simple_Steps_to_Becoming_Fluent_in_English
KEITH O'HARE
Helping you Become a
Confident English Speaker
I’m going to share these with you here, so you have a better chance to
become fluent.
When you are reading, listening or speaking English, you need to know
why you are doing that.
Of course, it is to improve your English, but which specific skill are you
focusing on?
Be intentional.
Know exactly what your specific goal is for listening, then listen.
to practice fluency?
to practice accuracy?
Once you know why, this this will determine how you practice and what
you focus on.
Sometimes, students tell me they have just learnt some new words, but
find it hard to use them straight away.
This is normal.
The important thing is that you study, practice and review. But also you
need to change your expectations.
Be patient.
It’s a bit like making bread or steamed buns. You make the dough, but
you then have to leave it for some hours to rise before you can use it.
Same with language. Give it time to settle in your brain whilst you
continue to study, practice and review.
You spent hours watching TV, days talking with friends and years
listening to teachers.
collocations
grammar
patterns
word stress
intonation
This curiosity and noticing will make a huge impact on your learning and
fluency.
As a beginner you learn the present tense, then the past, and after that,
the future tenses. We think our learning grows in a straight line, but in
fact this is not true.
Learning is messy.
Some days you will be great, some days you will go backwards and think,
‘why is my English so bad today?’
The important thing is the trend is advancing - like the stock market.
There are ups and downs, but you overall progress is upwards.
If you make sure your learning is fun, you have a better chance of
succeeding. If you don’t enjoy it, you will give up and never be fluent.
There is so much you do. Spend time with the language and personalise
your actives to make them more fun.
Try and choose a day, time and place where you will always study.
Prepare the things you will do before you do them. So, have a plan for a
week, month or longer, so you don’t have to think about planning
activities, you just sit down to learn and do whatever is in your plan.
Make this ‘listen and repeat’ a key part of your study routine, even right
up to the Advanced level.
S - tep by step.
Study one step at a time. Make small goals and you will see small,
positive steps of progress. Don’t try to become fluent in 3 months. It
won’t happen.
E - mbrace mistakes
You will and should make mistakes. So many students get frustrated
with mistakes and are afraid of them. Don’t be.
Love your mistakes, accept them and learn from them.
When you learnt grammar at school it may have been boring, unless you
were lucky and had a good teacher.
Present Simple
I eat fast food
He eats fast food
I don’t eat fast food
He doesn’t eat fast food
Use emotion in your voice. Say these phrases with different emotions.
You could say them with happiness, guilt, anger or amazement.
There you go, now you know what students who become fluent
speakers know and do.
If you are enjoying these videos and you can understand me and you are
learning something new, then you are already on your way to becoming
a more fluent and confident speaker.