Top 7 Effective Ways to Improve English Speaking Alone

2. Emphasis on Pronunciation

Mastering English pronunciation is always a crucial foundation for anyone aspiring to learn this language. Possessing accurate pronunciation will enable oneself to listen and speak effectively.

Pronunciation is the first thing that helps others recognize how proficient one is in speaking English. Just imagine, even with a super high vocabulary, if you only learn basic communication words and can't use complex grammar structures, you might resort to using common social communication phrases. However, without knowing how to pronounce English accurately, it's difficult for the other person to understand and be understood.

The simplest trial method is to seek out native speakers and engage in conversation with them. If they understand you without any furrowed brows and additional questions like 'what!' or 'Sorry' ... it means your English pronunciation is very good. So, don't overlook learning pronunciation during the process of learning English. If you can communicate in class, don't think that's enough. Get acquainted with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) system. This is a phonetic chart widely used by many countries to learn English (second only to the mother tongue), including Vietnam. Pay close attention to pronunciation, intonation, and focus on practicing it whenever you have the opportunity to listen to and use English.

The Solo Speaking (Self Talk) method helps learners enhance memory retention and easily apply vocabulary and grammar in communication situations. It's a self-practice method based on favorite topics in a solo environment without the need for a practice partner.

This method allows flexibility and initiative in choosing speaking topics, locations, and practice times. As a result, you can overcome the translation of individual words from your mother tongue by practicing thinking in English, enhancing communication reflexes, and using language naturally. At the same time, it improves the lack of confidence and shyness often encountered when communicating with foreigners.

During solo speaking practice, if you encounter difficulties in speaking due to not finding suitable vocabulary and grammar, try using alternative expressions, simpler phrases you know to convey your point of view, instead of completely stopping practice due to lack of speaking material. Pay attention to speaking speed, speak loudly, slowly, clearly, and pause reasonably.

Speaking English fluently and expressing ideas fully for mutual understanding is not an easy task. To achieve this, the most important secret is continuous practice. Websites and apps for practicing English speaking are popular training tools nowadays.

Currently, there are many apps and websites that help you practice speaking at home. Each program will have its own functions to support you. If you want to learn how to pronounce vocabulary by topic, you can consider using the ELSA Speak or Duolingo mobile apps. Additionally, if you need to find someone to talk to directly for easy feedback and error correction, you can quickly turn to the Cambly app.

One of the habits in learning English vocabulary is learning individual words without learning English in phrases. Many people diligently memorize available vocabulary lists. Have you ever come across new words, diligently jotted them down in a notebook, only to forget them after a while absorbed in other activities? This is not an effective way to learn English vocabulary.

Learning individual words is a traditional learning style often applied in English classes. This ineffective learning habit makes it difficult for you to apply the learned vocabulary in real-life situations, and sometimes you might even forget them. A word can have many different meanings, and within each phrase, it creates various nuances of meanings. However, in communication, expressions like saying, hearing, understanding are often formed minimally by a phrase or even more by a sentence. Depending on the real context, you need to carefully choose words to express your ideas appropriately. If you only learn individual words without caring about the context, it will be challenging to understand the other person's intended meaning and choose the right words for the communication situation.

To speak well, you need to listen to English a lot and listen carefully, paying attention to details, pronunciation, and native speakers' intonation when speaking English. Each accent has its own rules, and you need to listen carefully to notice and apply them when speaking English for higher effectiveness.

You don't have to force yourself into a framework of listening to content that you find completely uninteresting, making it hard to concentrate, absorb, and easy to give up. Therefore, starting from now, change your mindset, comfortably learn to listen to content you love. For example, you can learn English through your favorite movies; this not only helps you practice listening but also allows you to learn speaking skills, enrich vocabulary, intonation, extremely convenient, and beneficial. Additionally, you can watch programs about beauty, weight loss, fashion, cooking, animated films, comedy shows, listen to music, etc. This will stimulate your emotions, never feel tired, easily absorb, and always be interested in practicing English listening every day.

The purpose of practicing speaking in front of a mirror is to adjust mouth shapes for more accurate pronunciation. At the same time, you will feel more confident when looking at others during communication. Every day, dedicate 15 minutes to practice speaking English alone at home!

To improve pronunciation daily, you should record videos 1-2 times a week. Recording videos of English lessons helps you remember the learned knowledge longer. Moreover, practicing English when recording your own video helps you identify your mistakes and correct them easily. You can send this video to friends or teachers for feedback on improving your English skills.