English as a Second Language - Tips to Improve your Speaking and Writing

by Bianca J. Ward

I work as a volunteer helping women to learn the English language. I originally started volunteering as part of my professional practice module whilst I was doing my degree in English. I enjoyed the classes so much and have continued to volunteer, that was two years ago.

The class I work with are just women however some classes are run for men only too. The women that I have worked with have come to the UK from all corners of the world and many were professional working women in their birth countries but have come to the UK for their reasons.

Over two years, being a teacher and essay writer I have not only helped others learn but I have also learned what problems speakers of other languages have with the English Language and have put into practice ways of helping them improve on their speaking and writing of the English language

I want to help others who are finding the English language difficult and hope that this page will help you with your English speaking and writing skills. You may already be doing some of the things I suggest but hopefully, you will find things you have not yet already tried.

Reading Suggestions to Help Improve Your Speaking Language Skills

If you are only now learning to speak and read the English language one of the easiest and best ways for you to learn is through children's books. The language used is simple and so are the sentence structures.

You may feel a bit silly reading children's books but it is the best way to learn. Go for books that are aimed at the age range of 3-4 years of age to begin with and then once you are confident enough move on up to the next age range. Before you know it you will have a real idea of how to use the English language for speaking and writing.

Where possible speak out loud the words as you are reading. This helps you to sound out the words and improve your English speaking skills. This will also help to improve your writing skills and your use of grammar.

Another good idea is to get yourself a copy of a children's picture dictionary. This will help you to see that you are using the right words for the right things. I have found that many people can read the English language but cannot speak it and often use the wrong words when speaking or writing

Films and TV to Help You Understand How to Use the English Language

I know this is something most of you already do every day. However, what I suggest is watching films and TV with English subtitles but which is spoken in the language of your mother tongue.

Every so often pauses it and repeats out loud what is written in the subtitles. Try watching the same film or TV program a few times and keep pausing and repeating you will soon see an improvement in your English spoken language.

Even doing this with a music channel will help you with your English spoken language. Not only will this improve your spoken language it will also improve your writing and grammar as you will learn how sentences work and how to use words in the right context.

Another way to do this is to watch films that are English speaking but with your mother tongue in subtitles, this way you can hear how the English language words sound and the way that they are spoken. Again pause and repeat out loud what has been spoken.

What I have found most helpful to speakers of other languages is watching children's TV programs speaking the English language, where the language and sentence structures are much easier to understand.

Joining a Class to Improve Your English Language

I know that in the UK there are classes available for those that English is a second language. Most of the classes are run by volunteers like myself and who either ask for a very small contribution to help pay for equipment and to pay for the use of the facilities, this varies around the UK or they are free.

There are also classes that you can enroll in that do cost more money. These are usually run by your local council there are also private companies that offer classes but at a much higher cost.

Whatever country you are in there will be classes for you to attend to enable you to improve on your speaking and writing of the English language. Looking on the internet would be the best way to find out about classes.

IF you are unable to find any local classes listed on the internet then I would suggest that you maybe ask at your local library, education department or if you are a mother then you could enquire at your babies health clinic. Another place to ask is at your local religious institution. Anywhere that you usually get educational information from would probably be your best starting point.

There are also lots of online classes available to help you learn the English language, some are free and some you have to pay for. I have listed a few online classes further down the page

Speak in English

Speaking and using the English language as much as possible will improve your spoken English. If you go anywhere that there are English people or people that can speak the English language where you hangout then try joining in with speaking English.

Try and speak the English language every day, even if you are only speaking to yourself. The more you try to speak the English language the better your understanding of using the English language will become.

Listening to others speaking in English is also very important. You will learn how the words are spoken and how they are used.

To help improve your English remember these three important elements:

  1. Speaking - helps you to Integrate
  2. Reading - helps you to Identify
  3. Listening - helps you to Understand

About the writer

Bianca J. Ward is a professional essay writer at EssayWriterFree where she provides people with qualified works. Besides, she is a passionate photographer and traveler who has visited 52 countries all over the world. Bianca dreams about creating a photo exhibition to present her works to others.

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