Genius Guru Academy –Spoken English
Tips before start:
1. Start with believing in yourself
“I was afraid to speak. I was scared people would make fun of me. Will they judge me?
One day, I thought if so many people can, even I can. So I spoke in English and my
confidence increased.”
2. Listen. Speak. Read. Write. Repeat.
Listen a little. Speak a little. Read a little. Write a little. Then, listen a little more. Speak a
little more. Read a little more. Write a little more. Do this, till it becomes a habit.
3. Keep your ears open.
English is everywhere. It’s in online videos, news channels, on radio. So listen and build your
vocabulary.
4. Find the answer in the question
Questions are like mirrors. Reverse the question, and find the answer.
Does he…? Yes, he does
Is it…? Yes, it is
Can you? Yes, I can
5. Make the mirror your best friend
Speak to it in English, and it will make you feel confident about the way you are speaking.
6. Read full sentences
You learnt Hindi, Tamil or Telugu in full sentences. Then why should learning English be
any different. Read full sentences, speak in sentences.
7. Keep calm and do not worry about grammar.
Remember, even those who speak English fluently make grammatical mistakes. But, what
they do right, is communicate without worrying about them.
8. Find an English newspaper and learn a word a day
Keep your fear of new English words away.
9. Use the word before it leaves you.
Use the new word immediately to feel confident about it’s usage.
10. Practice. Practice. Practice. Till it makes you perfect.
There are no shortcuts in life. Definitely, no shortcuts to learn English.
Genius Guru Academy –Spoken English
Tips before start:
How to Speak English Well: 10 Simple Tips to Extraordinary Fluency
1. Accept That English Is a Weird Language
Sometimes you can find patterns in English grammar, but other times English doesn’t make
sense at all. For example, why are read (present tense, pronounced “reed”) and read (past
tense, pronounced “red”) spelled the same, but pronounced differently? Or why is “mice” the
plural form of “mouse,” but “houses” is the plural of “house?”
Unfortunately, there are just as many exceptions as there are rules in English. It’s easy to get
stuck on learning how to speak English properly if you try to find a reason for everything.
Sometimes English is weird and unexplainable, so instead the best thing to do is just
memorize the strange exceptions and move on.
2. Dive into the Deep End of English Speaking
Studying English for an hour once a week isn’t usually enough to make any real progress.
The best way to quickly improve your English is to spend at least a few minutes practicing
every day.
Immerse yourself as much as possible every time you study, and challenge yourself to listen
to, read and even say things in English that you think might be too difficult for you. If you
want to speak English fluently, you need to make it an essential part of your everyday life.
3. Stop Being a Student
The right attitude can make the difference between failure and success. Stop thinking of
yourself as someone who is learning English, and start thinking of yourself as someone
who speaks English. It’s a small change, but it will make you feel more confident and help
you to use the English you already know more effectively.
This also means you need to start thinking in English. If you want to say the word “apple” in
English, for example, right now you probably think of the word in your native language first,
and then try to think of the correct word in English. Instead, try imagining a picture of an
apple, and then just think of the English word “apple.”
Real fluency with English speaking happens when you stop mentally translating
conversations.
4. Remember the Answer Is in the Question
Listen carefully when someone asks you a question in English and you’ll answer perfectly
every time. English questions are like mirrors:
Does he…? → Yes, he does.
Can she…? → Yes, she can. Is it…? → Yes, it is.
Genius Guru Academy –Spoken English
Tips before start:
If someone asks you a question and you’re not sure how to answer, start by thinking about the
words used in the question. The person has already said most of the words you need to make
your answer!
Instead of just memorizing English grammar, start to look for patterns like that one.
There are a lot of simple ways to “cheat” and make it easier to remember the right words.
5. Get More out of Listening to Spoken English
When most students listen to a native English-speaker, they focus on understanding what all
the words mean. This is definitely important, but there is a lot more you can learn from
listening. Try listening not just to what the words mean, but to how the person says them.
Notice which words the person links together in a sentence, or when they say “ya” instead of
“you.” Try to remember these details the next time you speak and your English will begin to
sound more natural.
Easier said than done, right? When you listen to native English speakers, it can be hard to
understand every single word that is spoken. They might use many words you don’t know,
talk too fast or have a strong accent.
Once you’re there, how you learn is entirely up to you. While browsing our hundreds of
awesome videos, you’ll have the freedom to choose which ones are most relevant to your
personal learning experience.
The coolest part? FluentU knows the vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses your vocabulary
to recommend you examples and videos. You have a truly personalized experience.
You can even save all the words you learned and keep track of your progress. Keep
practicing with these videos, and you will see great improvement in your ability to
understand and speak native level English.
6. Use It or Lose It
There’s an expression in English: “Use it or lose it,” which basically means if you don’t
practice an ability, you might forget it. This idea can be used to help you remember new
English vocabulary.
The best way to remember a new word is to use it right away so it will stay in your memory.
When you learn a new word, try to say it in sentences a few times over the next week and
you’ll never forget it.
7. Learn and Study Phrases
Speaking English fluently means being able to express your thoughts, feelings and ideas.
Your goal is to speak English in full sentences, so why not learn it in full sentences? You’ll
Genius Guru Academy –Spoken English
Tips before start:
find that English is more useful in your everyday life if you study whole phrases, rather than
just vocabulary and verbs.
Start by thinking about phrases that you use frequently in your native language, and then
learn how to say them in English.
8. Don’t Study Grammar Too Much
The key to learning a language is finding a balance between studying and practicing. Fluent
English speaking isn’t the same as knowing perfect English grammar—even native English
speakers make grammar mistakes! Fluency is about being able to communicate.
That’s why sometimes it’s important to put the grammar textbook away, so you can go out
and practice those writing, reading, listening and speaking skills in the real world.
9. Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes
Sometimes it can be difficult to put all those rules and words together into a simple sentence.
Don’t let the fear of saying something wrong stop you from speaking at all.
Even if you think you’re making a mistake, keep speaking anyway. Most of the time, people
will understand what you’re trying to say, even if you make a mistake. Plus, the more you
speak, the easier it gets, and the more quickly the right words will come to mind.
10. Focus on How to Learn English from Everyone
You don’t have to only learn English from textbooks and teachers—anyone who speaks
English can help you practice.
Imagine how you would feel if someone asked you, in your native language, how to
pronounce something. Would you be angry? No! You’d probably be happy to help, just like
most English-speakers are happy to help you figure out how to learn English.
If you know any English-speakers, whether it’s a friend or co-worker, take advantage of the
opportunity to practice and learn from them.
