ESL Blogs

How to speak English clearly and fluently.
(For upper intermediate and advanced ESL learners)
By Dayne Collins
 
 
If you are learning English as your second language, and you are now at an advanced level, then you are likely to have a large vocabulary, as well as an understanding of the language equal to, if not better than many native speakers. However it is a safe bet, that like most learners of english, you probably find that speaking is the hardest part.

English speech has a complicated rhythm, interesting pronunciation, a rise and fall intonation, unique stress patterns, loan words, and an exception to every rule.

The best way to improve is with a good ESL tutor, either face to face, or online, where prices are usually competitive. However if regular tuition is not in your budget, then here is some advice you will need if you plan to study on your own.

You will need; a relatively good understanding of English (upper intermediate or higher), internet access, a lot of patience, and a metronome (optional).

Step 1. Become familiar with the sounds of the english language.

There are approximately 44 english phonemes, these include long vowel sounds, short vowel sounds, and consonant sounds.
A thorough web search should provide you with written examples, and sound files to allow you to practice. Focus on sounds that don't exist in your own native language, master these English phonetics and you will be well on your way to fluent speech.

Step 2. learn English rhythm.

English has a stress timed rhythm, this means that some syllables are stressed, while other syllables are not.

A stressed syllable is clear and articulated, while an unstressed syllable is weakened, this is called syllable stress.

While each word has it's own stressed, and unstressed syllables, each sentence has it's own stressed and unstressed words.

Nouns, adjectives, adverbs, demonstratives, action words, and main verbs are called 'Content words', these words mostly make up the stressed words within a sentence.

Articles, conjunctions, prepositions,
auxiliary verbs, relative pronouns, personal pronouns, and determiners are unstressed and are called 'function words'.
(Please note, that you can change the meaning of a sentence, by moving the sentence stress)

Find more detailed resources and useful examples online, you can also use jazz chants, poems and nursery rhymes to improve.

Step 3. Connected speech.

Connected speech is relevant to the stress timing of English. Some sounds are difficult to articulate without long pauses when they follow the same sound, or certain other sounds. Connected speech corrects this, and is the reason English is able to flow without sounding broken.

Study all aspects of connected speech to understand why and where it is used. You can improve by paying attention to native speakers in films and on podcasts, and finally, try to put this into practice while reading out loud.

Step 4. Practice, practice, practice!

When you start to understand the first three steps, you can begin to put it all together.

If possible, speak with native speakers, or other learners of a similar level. If finding conversation partners is difficult for you, then consider getting involved with language exchanges online, it is a great way to find native speakers to help you, and in return you can share some of your own language too.

Alternatively, you can record yourself casually speaking, or reading out loud, then use narrated stories, movies, television and radio to compare your speech with, and monitor your progress.

When you have a feel for the stress timed rhythm, you can get extra practice by using a metronome, set it at a comfortable pace, then recite rhymes, jazz chants, and tongue twisters out loud. After some practice, you can read other reading material like news articles and books, or just casually speak over the gentle beats of the metronome. Try 110 beats per minute this is a good pace, be sure to pay attention to stress patterns, connected speech, and pausing where you should be.

Good luck!