26 August 2011
5 Tips for Effective Engilsh A set of action that is repeated frequently to get the desired results is called a habit. For . regular brushing of teeth gives us healthy teeth, repeatedly using a computer gives us mastery in computers same way, there are some Secret Habits to develop English. By just knowing them will not help but by knowing and doing them regularly it will help you develop your English and Communication Skills
1. Reading Story Books and course material loudly - 20 minutes everyday. a. We feel confident after reading loudly because of three reasons, first because when we are reading loudly, we are reading grammatically correct English. Second reason is we are listening to correct English and third is our eyes, brain and entire system is coordinating with correct English usage and hence we feel very nice after reading one paragraph. Moreover, reading is the best way to improve vocabulary. So the secret to developing English is to read 20 minutes loudly any text of English daily.
2. Mirror Exercise - 10 minutes everyday. a. Most of the film actors, theatre personalities, cricketers and military men use Mirror practice to develop passion and self confidence. It is very simple, you just have to stand in front of the mirror and maintain an eye contact with your mirror image. If you feel very uncomfortable, shy or guilty then it shows that you have low self-esteem. You should just keep practicing maintaining eye contact for 5 minutes at a stretch till you get comfortable with it. When you are comfortable, you should start talk to your mirror image maintaining an eye contact on a already prepared topic. After doing that couple of times, you should then speak on any unprepared topic. Maintaining eye contact, getting comfortable with yourself and having high regard for your self is the most important part of Mirror Practice.
3. Talk with your friends, family members, on phone, and with stranger’s everyday. a. Speaking to known people in English is the best way to improve your English. You should make a point that you speak to at least 1 person in English everyday. Remember to speak short and simple sentences. Also ask any family member or a friend to sit in front of you, he / she may know English or no (if they know, ask them to correct you) just practice speaking with them on various topics. Also you can speak to Mobile Helplines, Call centers of Banks, Credit Card Companies in English as much as possible.
4. Think in English i. Most of us are not able to speak fluently because we are habituated to thinking in our mother tongue. When you have to speak all of a sudden in English, we try to translate from regional language to English, which is very challenging. Because we think in our mother tongue and try to speak in English, there are many gaps between the words we speak. So, having a constant practice and habit of thinking in English is very important to develop English Fluency. ii. One should utilize any free time to think in English. You should think in short and simple sentences. Say you are traveling in a train, you should practice thinking, “I am in this local train. It started from Borivali and has just reached Kandivali. It is a 9 coach train. There is a ladies compartment. Two people are standing and five are sitting. This train is fast. It will reach Churchgate at 11 am.”
5. Purchase a Grammar Book i. When one has to master English Language or any language for that matter, Grammar is the most important part. To speak English language, one has to master all the grammar rules since some of them are complex to understand at initial level. The Essential English Grammar has broken grammar into 114 parts which is called units. Each unit is explained with the help of pictures, charts, daily life examples and tables on the left hand page. The relevant right hand page has execercise on the same. ii. One should purchase this book and practice. This will ensure that you grammar fundamentals are very strong. The way to use this book is that you read the left hand page, use a pencil to do exercise and then check the answers given at the end of the book. You should complete the entire page before you see the answers.
26 August 2011
FEW TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH SPEAKING
1. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them.
When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.
2. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.
If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you.
Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that everything you say be understood.
3. Listen to the 'music' of English.
Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way of 'singing'.
4. Use the dictionary.
Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.
5. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.
Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.
6. Buy books on tape.
Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape.
7. Pronounce the ending of each word.
Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.
8. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.
Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.
9. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.
Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.
10. Be patient.
You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.
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