10 English speaking practice tips

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- Hello everyone and welcome back

to English With Lucy.

Today I'm going to give you 10 tips

for practising your speaking and hopefully

they will make you improve

in a very short amount of time.

Also, in case you didn't already know,

I've started a second channel.

This is a personal channel called Lucy Bell Earl.

I've linked it down below.

On this channel I'm sharing personal things,

things that you request like hair,

beauty, Q and A's,

videos with Will,

Vlogs, anything really.

So make sure you check it out

and if you like it then you can follow it.

Right, let's get started with the lesson.

Number one is practise tongue twisters.

Now, tongue twisters are really fun anyway

but they are an amazing way

of practising individual sounds, individual phonemes.

There are lots of phonemes that are really hard

for people from specific countries

or that speak specific languages.

The only way that you can train your tongue

to make these sounds is to practise the sounds

over and over again, repetitively.

Tongue twisters are your best friend.

So for example,

if you're struggling between the difference

with eh and E,

which I know a lot of people struggle with,

especially speakers of Spanish

because you only have the E sound,

you don't have the short eh sound.

Well, if that's the case for you,

you could practise this one.

I slit a sheet.

A sheet I slit.

Upon a slitted sheet I sit.

Be careful, it might make you swear.

(laughing)

I have left a link in the description box

to loads more tongue twisters.

But really, all you have to do is search

on Google, tongue twisters for practising English.

If you would like me to make a video

on some of the most difficult tongue twisters,

a video that you can practise along with

let me know in the comments down below.

I'll definitely do that because I love tongue twisters

and I think they're amazing

for practising pronunciation.

Number 2 is lessons with natives.

And this section of the video is sponsored

by Lingoda and the Lingoda Language Marathon.

This section could be really,

really important for you if you were

to practise your speaking every single day.

So Lingoda is an online language academy

where you can learn English,

French, German,

Spanish and Business English at any level

and they run a very special event called

the Lingoda Language Marathon.

So what is it?

Well, you study every day unless you take

the half marathon where you study slightly less.

And if you complete the marathon you get

a 100% refund on your classes

or a 50% refund if you do the half marathon.

This marathon starts on the 27th of May

and finishes on the 24th of August.

You have to participate in an agreed amount

of classes each month in order to succeed.

That's 30 classes a month for the full marathon

and 15 classes a month for the half marathon.

You can take only one class per day, every day.

So how do you participate?

Well, you sign up for the marathon

before the 13th of May.

After paying the entry fee that secures your spot

in the marathon you automatically sign up

to a three month subscription.

I however, have a special discount for you

and you don't have to pay that entry fee.

All you have to do is click on the link

in the description box and use this code

when you sign up for a 100% discount

on your entry fee.

To get the refund you'll need to show up

on time for the classes that you book

and actively participate.

If you book a class and miss it

or fail to book a class at all

you can still finish the marathon

but you won't qualify for the refund.

Remember that places in the marathon are limited

so you need to reserve your spot now

to avoid disappointment.

Also make sure that you check the terms

and conditions and familiarise yourself

with the rules.

Previous marathon graduates have said

that this is the key to getting the refund.

The Lingoda Language Marathon

is an incredible opportunity to take your language

to the next level fast.

Alternatively, if you don't think that the marathon

is for you you can check out Lingoda

and all of their flexible subscription packages

and book a private trial class for free.

If you do fancy the marathon click on the link

in the description box and use my code.

Right, now let's discuss tip number three.

Tip number three is sing along to English songs.

Now, this tip is especially useful

if you want to practise an American accent.

The reason for this is that many British singers

actually sing with a slight American accent.

So sometimes songs sung by British singers

aren't actually a true representation

of their own accent.

If you listen to,

I don't know,

One Direction or a British boy band

they'll often sing with an American accent.

Even Ed Sheeran does it sometimes.

Someone who does sing

with a very strong British accent is Lily Allen.

She does not go into the American territory at all.

So she's a good one to listen to

and sing along with if you want

to practise speaking or singing in this case.

Music can be a really,

really great way of practising every single day

because it's so enjoyable.

It doesn't feel like it's a chore when you do it.

It's a great way to learn lots of slang,

lots of colloquial language as well.

It's also a really good idea to look up

the meaning of song lyrics.

That way you can really find out

if they've used bad grammar,

because sometimes they do to make

it fit in with the rhyming,

if they've used idioms or slang

and it's just really nice to know

what you're singing about?

But singing along with English songs

is a fantastic way of practising your speaking

and it will help you become more fluent.

Tip number four could be slightly controversial

but I think it's a really good tip

and I always used to tell my students

to do it in London.

So lots of students struggle to meet

and find native speakers to practise with.

They often also have a hard time actually talking

to natives 'cause they're so nervous

or they take a little bit longer

to understand what they say.

I would say that a great step to precede talking

with natives is eavesdropping on natives.

To eavesdrop means to listen in

on someone else's conversation.

So if you're in an English speaking country

or you know there's a specific bar

or restaurant where English speakers tend to go,

maybe try going there with the intention

of just overhearing other people's conversations.

If they say something you don't understand,

search it on your phone.

Just drink in the atmosphere and you'll just take

in a lot of vocabulary

you wouldn't normally come across.

And there's no pressure on you,

well, the only pressure is that you don't get caught

'cause you could look a little bit weird

but you're not doing any harm.

Some people in England like to call it people watching

and it's a really popular pastime.

You just sit in a cafe,

normally at the window and watch the world go by.

I like to call this people listening

where you just sit in a cafe and listen

to what other people are saying

and familiarise yourself with English conversations.

Let me know if you've ever done this

and let me know if you've ever got caught?

Number five is,

this is a really good tip.

This tip will really,

really help you if you're nervous

about speaking English with natives

or non natives.

Practise conversations through WhatsApp audio notes.

On WhatsApp and on most messaging services

there is a function where you can record your voice

and send it.

I encourage my students to talk amongst themselves

and to talk with natives through this feature.

It's so much more convenient than a phone call

and there's much less pressure than in a phone call.

And whatever they send you,

you can replay it as many times as you want.

You can replay what they've said

and practise it yourself.

You can listen back to your own voice notes

and see where you went wrong?

If you record one and you make a mistake

delete it and record it again.

Keep recording it until you're happy

with how it sounds.

When you've finished the conversation

you have a lovely database of everything you've said

in English and everything someone has said

in English to you and you can use that to study.

WhatsApp voice notes and other voice note services

are such a great way of practising your speaking

without actually chatting in the moment.

You can do it around your studies,

around your work.

It's much more convenient than a phone call.

Tip number six can actually relate

back to tip number five,

it's practise debating.

Now, I don't tend to argue a lot

but when I do argue with someone

I always think back about the argument

at a later date and think,

God, I could've said that so much better,

I could've made this point,

blah, blah, blah.

You will never be good at arguing and debating

if you don't practise it,

apart from those few people who seem to be naturals.

I suggest participating in or creating a debate club.

Now, you could do this over Skype

or you could do it over WhatsApp.

WhatsApp would be my preference.

Every day you can choose a new topic

to discuss and debate and make sure it's done

in an orderly fashion

so everyone can say their opinion.

Maybe make a voice note limit of 30 seconds

or 15 seconds or a minute if it's a really big topic.

Maybe you could create a Facebook group for it.

Maybe you could create a WhatsApp group

amongst your friends.

You could also meet people online

but just remember to be very,

very careful and keep everything private

and don't let anyone know where you live.

But consider creating a WhatsApp debate group

and debating through WhatsApp voice notes.

It's a really, really great way

of practising your speaking

and your conversation skills.

Tip number seven is keep an idioms and slang diary.

This could be in the notes app on your phone

or this could be an actual written notebook.

Every time you come across a new slang word

or a new idiom write it down at the very least,

and it's also best to write down the meaning as well.

I remember in Sapin I would hear so many slang words,

so many idiomatic phrases

and I would always forget them all.

When I started noting them down

that's when I started remembering them.

I'd be in a conversation and I'd want to use

that sort of idiom but I couldn't remember

how to say it.

Well, I just whipped out my phone,

looked at my list and it was there.

You can't expect yourself to just remember

loads and loads of idioms,

you have to use them.

So don't be ashamed of taking out your list

and using it in the moment.

Tip number eight,

this is so fun and it's something I do a lot.

Host your own cooking show every single night.

I bet so many of you have done this before

but it's a really,

really great way of practising a language.

Every time you cook or every time you make something

or you're cleaning,

pretend you're hosting a show.

Talk about what you're doing.

It's a fantastic opportunity to practise English

and practise speaking without having someone else

to speak with.

It's a really great way

of practising the present continuous as well.

I am boiling the water.

I am adding the rice.

Maybe go a bit more advanced

and say I'm just adding a pinch of this

because it adds an element of flavour,

honestly, go all out.

You could even record yourself.

Maybe that's too far for some people

but this is just about using every opportunity

you have to speak English.

Tip number nine is remember

to prioritise fluency over accuracy.

If you're fluent in a language

it doesn't mean you're absolutely perfect

at that language.

It means that you can speak it

without thinking, without stopping.

For most people,

aiming for 100% accuracy,

perfection in a language is just

an unattainable goal.

I don't speak English perfectly.

I make mistakes all the time.

I said growed in another video, so embarrassing.

Comment down below if you know which video

that is because it was recent.

Don't beat yourself up over making mistakes.

Remain positive, learn from your mistakes,

laugh at your mistakes

and celebrate speaking English fluently

and speaking English without thinking

over speaking English without making any mistakes.

Tip number 10 is read a book completely aloud.

Lots of people like to read books at home,

it's their relaxation time.

But if you're at home and if you read alone,

take the opportunity to read aloud.

It's a great way to practise your pronunciation,

to practise your speaking,

maybe record yourself as well.

If a book is too long or you feel like

it takes away from your relaxation time

then try reading aloud one article every day

or something from a newspaper.

If you do it on a daily basis you'll come

across loads of new words and phrases

and you'll also practise saying them

and they will stick in your mind for future use.

Right, that's it for today's lesson.

I hope you enjoyed it

and I hope you learnt something.

Please comment down below with any other tips

that you can think of.

Don't forget to check out

the Lingoda Language Marathon.

The link to sign up is in the description box

along with my code.

You can also check out

my new Lucy Bella Earl channel.

I'm really, really excited about it

and I'm glad that I've finally had the courage

to create the channel.

Don't forget to connect with me on all

of my social media.

I've got my Facebook,

I've got my Instagram and I've got my Twitter

and I shall see you soon for another lesson.

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Hello everyone and welcome back,

I have a hair in my mouth.

Today I'm going to give you 10 tips for...

Today I'm going to give you 10, that's five.

(laughing)

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Subscription packages and even book a free (mumbles).

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