Tien's experience

[tuquynh]

By Tiên (OSC Volunteer)

Hi everyone!
I want to share some experiences I had before when trying to deal with this language. The most difficult skill to improve might be Speaking, as many of learners dont have much chance to practice in talking, a few hours a day talking in English can be impossible. I tried many ways before and it really helped :

_ I tried to correct my pronunciation first, in order not to repeat any wrong word that might cause us sometime make mistake unconsciously when talking. The more correct the pronunciation is, the better the others can understand what we talking about, that the same to us to understand them. It was not easy as my tongue was tired out by keep moving to make the right words with right sounds, my jaw couldnt even move ( well, just a bit complaining ) The pronunciation part in the dictionary is helper for us to imitate.

_ I tried to listen to many podcast as possible as I didnt have much chance to meet native speakers, so I listen to native speakers when they are not in front of me instead, I listened, and repeated, sometimes played one single podcast many times to let my brain digest how English sounds rightly, then I remember it.

_ Other experiences are by music and movies, as it's really boring with academic things every time and I needed some entertainments music created great excitement in learning, and by watching movie with
subtitle I both can listen and check if I hear it right.

Here some preference I got, by the internet.

"How to speak English well

The best way to absorb the English language is to keep speaking and listening in conversation in English as much as possible. This is a hard step for many people in the beginning, because it is difficult to
take the first steps in uncomfortable situations. But, soon after the ice has been broken, it gets easier and before you know it, you are doing it with little conscious effort on your part.

One helpful trick is to get together with classmates, friends, or other acquaintances who are more advanced in their English skills. Meet in social situations, such as spending time in a cafe, or perhaps over dinner. This is a great way to speak and listen in an environment which is relaxed and comfortable. Don't worry about making mistakes, and just enjoy the conversation. Over time, most students develop fluency naturally through talking during these simple social situations.

Whenever it is possible, turn on the radio and listen to some English music. After a few times, the lyrics will make more sense, and it will become easier to understand English in normal conversation as well. As
time progresses, it will become surprisingly apparent that absorbing the language in the background will help a lot when communicating in real world situations.

After grammar is learned, and it becomes more comfortable to talk in English, there will come a time when learning proper pronunciation is just as important as everything else. This also takes time, and a lot
of patience and practice, but to truly master English, learning proper pronunciation is very, very important
When people are speaking to you or when you watch television, watch the mouth of people talking and try to imitate the movements. There is a rhythm to speech you should learn. Repeat and try to imitate the
intonation.

During the learning process speaking slowly helps in learning the right rhythm of the language. Whatever language you speak does not have the same rhythm as another language. A dictionary show the correct pronunciation of words, so having a dictionary is essential.

When you practice you find the pronunciation in the dictionary. Listing the words you seem to have trouble with is a great idea. Then when you can speak with a native speaker they can check the list and
help you to practice these specific words. This will be an advantage to your progress in learning the language well.

Buying books on tape is a great way to learn. The best way to do this is to listen to the tape and then record your own voice repeating what you have just heard. This is another way of practicing. When you compare the way you speak and the way the person is reading on tape you may be able to pick up some words that you are not saying correctly.

Another excellent way to practice is to read English text out loud. By doing this you use the muscles that one uses when speaking English. It allows you to develop those muscles. Pronouncing all the words
carefully and every part of each word, your progress will accelerate. In recording this practice daily you easily isolate words that are difficult for you.

Immediate results are not possible as learning a second language and speaking takes time and effort. If you can find English speaking friends to converse with you will tend to progress much quicker. You must have the patience to persevere and practice."

[canno]

Other experiences are by music and movies, as it's really boring with academic things every time and I needed some entertainments  music created great excitement in learning, and by watching movie.

[iflove]

It is very important to find a best partner.