- Spend less time thinking and more time physically doing and experimenting. You will progress faster. This will also reduce “brain-pain” (when your head hurts because you’ve been thinking too much).
- When we are in a different country and speaking a second language, we usually express a different side of our personality. Think of this as the “English version” of you. Now start linking the new sounds with how the “English version” of you speaks.
o You will be able to speak English with a more English accent once you can identify with the English sounds and feel comfortable pronouncing them.
- New sounds will be strange and your speech muscles will move in unfamiliar positions. So give yourself permission to feel silly and self-conscious.
- Practise slowly to begin with. When your muscles are more confident, then you can speed everything up.
- Don’t whisper new sounds. Ensure you practise at your normal volume. Be confident when practising!
-
If a sound is challenging, then practise it 30 times a day. Remember that an English person has probably already said this sound at least 30 times a day since they started speaking. You are catching up!
- Do negative practice. This is when you practise both the correct and incorrect sound to feel/see/hear the differences. Better awareness of what sounds English and not English will help you progress more quickly.
- Listen to yourself by using the hand-phone. Put one hand behind your ear and one hand in front of your mouth. Then you can hear yourself accurately.
- Record yourself on your phone or computer so you can hear how you sound. It’s useful to record yourself regularly so you have a record of your improvement.
o on iPhone/iPad the app is called Voice Memos o on other phones download a free app from the app store o on computers download Audacity from www.audacityteam.org /download.
- Always compare your sound to the native speaker recordings from the worksheets.
- Actively listen to native speakers in conversation or on the TV/radio. Concentrate on the sounds.
