Hello dear friends. Are you stuck at an intermediate level, feeling depressed and frustrated, and not sure how to make progress? Are you jumping from one tutorial to another and not getting the results you want? Feelings like these in the intermediate stage are very common.
They lead to frustration, and students often end up over complicating things and becoming even more frustrated. At worst, they give up and quit learning English.
Improving English proficiency for intermediate learners doesn't have to be difficult. It doesn't have to be difficult. You can do it yourself, even without courses or a teacher.
Try this simple system for one week. Think of this as a 7 day experiment.
If you devote yourself to show the effort for 7 days, you will be amazed at how much your spoken English fluency will improve.
Your 7-day fluent English
Your goal is simple:
Be able to speak fluently about a specific topic for at least 90 seconds.
For the next 7 days, you will be working exclusively to master this particular task.
S.T.A.R.T.R - Six Step English Proficiency System
This is pronounced "STARTER". The letters stand for Select, Test, Analyze, Research, Train, Repeat.
How to use the S.T.A.R.T.R English language system
1. Choose an interesting topic
Pick a topic that interests you. This should be what you will be talking about in the coming week. It makes no sense to choose topics that you are not interested in and that you will not find useful anywhere.
2. Test your speaking skills
What level are you at? It's time to find out. Do a self-test before you study or cook anything.
Record your speech on the topic of your choice, let it be 90 seconds. Recording yourself is very important. You will be recording yourself again at the end of the week for comparison. Hear real evidence your progress is a great motivator!
Note. You don't need to have a real conversation with another person for this test. Imagine that you are talking to a friend and record your speech.
3. Analyze your language gaps
The self-check in step two shows you what you are missing. This can be vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation. If you are like most intermediate learners, this will be all of the above.
Write down everything you need to learn to speak more freely about your topic.
Be as detailed and specific as possible. It is perfectly okay to write these notes in your own language. This will be your roadmap for moving forward.
4. Explore
You have identified what you are missing. Now you need to fill in those gaps! It's time to put on your scientist hat and do some research. Here are some examples of what you can do:
Learn at least one key grammar pattern that is causing you problems.
Learn how to pronounce words that are difficult for you to pronounce, and practice their pronunciation.
5. Train your brain
Teaching your brain to do new things is the most important step, and you should spend most of your time this week.
Practical example:
For example, suppose your test and analysis shows that your pronunciation is your biggest problem. You know what you have to say, but you can't say it without effort on your part.
The constant practice of “listening and repeating” can really help your pronunciation. You train your speech muscles to improve your pronunciation.
Try to match the sounds you hear perfectly. Focus on improving the weaknesses that you have identified in yourself.
6. Repeat the process
After a week of research and training with deliberate practice, it's time to test your results. Repeat the same test problem you did in step 2: record yourself talking about your topic for at least 90 seconds. Then compare this to the original recording.
Be sure to celebrate your success!
If you've been consistent and put in serious effort for 7 days, you should see a huge improvement.
Of course, your progress will depend on the amount of time and effort you put in. If you don't have a lot of time to study English, your results will be reflected in this.
However, not having a lot of time doesn't mean that you shouldn't do anything. No matter how much time you have, the basics of the 6 steps are the same. Even putting in 5-10 minutes of quality effort a day can make a difference if you do it consistently.
1. Don't slow down
It would seem that upon reaching the average level, the pace of learning can be reduced: you seem to know quite a lot, and all that remains is to improve your knowledge. In fact, this is not the case: the material at the middle and high levels of education is more complex and voluminous than at the previous levels. That is why we recommend not to slow down, and even better - to speed it up.
2. Find people to talk to in English
This is the most difficult and at the same time the most important task, because we learn English primarily in order to speak it. Use every opportunity to communicate in the target language
3. Learn English grammar for intermediate students
It would seem that up to the Intermediate level you have already met all tenses of English, but there are important grammatical constructions that are required to move to the next level of knowledge. We'll highlight the resources you can rely on to explore English grammar for those who continue.
Sources of knowledge:
Without good textbook learning grammar will be difficult, because everything is systematized in the book. We recommend for those who continue "Blue Murphy" - the textbook "English Grammar in Use" at the Intermediate level (it is also suitable for Upper-Intermediate). You can also take the Oxford Practice Grammar at the Intermediate level. These books provide a concise and understandable theory and many practical exercises.
4. Keep learning new words
Your vocabulary is already large enough, but the more you expand it, the faster you can improve your English level.
What words to teach continuing: Vocabulary from special textbooks. English vocabulary textbooks are the best helpers for advanced students. Their value lies in the fact that they give you thematic collections of words presented in texts, dialogues and practice exercises.
These tutorials don't just teach you new words, but how to use them. We recommend continuing the following tutorials: “ English Vocabulary in Use"Level Pre-Intermediate - Intermediate or Upper-Intermediate - Advanced," Oxford Word Skills"Intermediate or Advanced level, a series of tutorials" 4000 Essential English Words”. These books have the answers to all the assignments, so you can learn from them on your own.
It is important for continuing students to develop their listening comprehension skills. And if earlier it was necessary to understand at least something of what was said on a simple recording, now you need to complicate your task - try to understand 70-80% of what you heard.
In addition, listen to more complex audio recordings and watch videos in which people speak with different accents, and then try to explain the idea of the video in your own words, and at the same time practice speaking.
6. Read in English
Reading texts in English is a great opportunity to see how the studied grammar and vocabulary "work" in practice, and to learn new words, and it is also just an exciting activity.
7. Write in English
When you write something in English, you learn to formulate your thoughts in the target language, you can use the words you just learned and fix them in your memory.
If you later need to say a similar phrase in a conversation, it will be easier for you to formulate it, so the writing skill also needs to be improved by those who want to cross the plateau and raise the level of the English language.
8. "Grind" pronunciation
If at the initial levels of language learning we want to speak English faster and learn to understand it by ear, and pronunciation seems not so important, then for those who continue to work on pronunciation it is part of the process of increasing the level of knowledge.
9. Practice English every day
Your progress is directly related to the regularity of your classes. For example, if you study twice a week, then due to the large intervals between classes, you will forget the material you have covered. Therefore, you will have to spend a lot of time repeating the material. If you want to shorten your time for learning English, you need to practice every day.
10. Don't stop
You need to be prepared for the fact that even if you follow all these recommendations, you will not feel progress too quickly. Get ready for hard work, and your efforts will pay off handsomely, because high level knowledge of the English language is a major achievement that opens up many opportunities for you.
You can't just pick up and improve your English level in two days. © site
As you can see, the task is not easy, and those who want to complete it on their own will have to sweat thoroughly.
How to improve your English level
1. Don't learn words - memorize ready-made expressions right away... 50-80 for key life situations... In order not to get stuck collecting words. Do you have ...? - I don’t have ... Do you know? - I don’t know ... Could you tell me if / where / how I can ...
2. Do it verbatim in Russian words. Let him do it -> Let him do it, i.e. Let him do it.
In doing so, try to understand the logic of specific phrases. I have DONE it. -> I have done, i.e. here is the result. This will make them easier to use.
For better orientation in memory and speed of use when speaking,
3. The phrases we need should be grouped into situational blocks and sub-blocks. eg,
Besides beautiful and smooth transitions,
4. With these phrases we can stall for time, while we remember a word or think about how best to formulate our thought.
Example: It is often said that this country ... - But as you already know, I need a visa. As you already know I need a visa. - On the one hand, this means that ... - On the one hand, it means that ... - And it seems to me that ...
5. With these expressions, we give a streamlined assessment of what we heard... For example, your overseas friend is very emotional about his adventure. But - that's an ambush! - you understood almost nothing there. And say Sorry. I don’t understand, - the language does not turn.
Well, tell me, shaking your head thoughtfully: Such is life - Such is life ... or: That’s what may happen when you go abroad. - This is what can happen when you go abroad, i.e. That's what…
Try to teach first
6. Words that can be reduced to so many other words... For example, all of the following expressions use 14 different verbs. And they can be replaced with one MOVE - MOVE-SIA:
The car accelerates - starts moving, the train slows down - stops moving, we head towards the center - we move towards the center, the plane flies - moves through the air, open the box - move the box towards you, a person runs - moves quickly on his feet, hurry up - move faster, get down - move down, stir the soup - move the soup, put on the coat - move the coat over yourself, insert the card into the ATM - move the card into the machine, the country is not developing - it is not moving forward, I have progress in English - I am moving forward.
When there is not enough vocabulary, then we have two options: 1) eeeek, waving his hands. 2) jump off for more simple words, descriptively representing the word we need. This requires
7. Develop the ability to express the essence of one word in other words... Many people have problems with this in their native language. For example,
if you forgot or don't know the word "thinner", say "the liquid that makes the paint less dense."
forgot the word "dense", one might say "less solid, light, lively, thin".
All books, websites and apps in the world cannot teach you to speak fluent English.
This can be achieved more efficiently and most quickly by immersion in the language environment with native speakers - in courses at language schools, plunging headlong into the English-speaking environment.
Sometimes you don't have this option, but you can still improve your spoken language. We will explain how to do this.
1. Think in English
If you think in your own language and then try to speak English, you always have to translate from one language to another. Translating is not easy! Even people who speak two or more languages have difficulty switching from one language to another.
The solution is to think in language.
You can do this anywhere, anytime. Try thinking in English when thinking about your day or, for example, when deciding which pizza to order. Try using a dictionary to find an unfamiliar word. Over time, you will notice that thinking in English makes it easier to speak it.
2. Talk to yourself
Whenever you are alone, you can practice with your loved one - yourself.
If you are already trying to think in English, try saying your thoughts out loud. Read aloud. Practice is still practice, and even if there is no one to correct your mistakes, simply speaking out loud will make you feel more comfortable.
3. Use a mirror
Whenever you have a few minutes to spare in front of the mirror, speak English to your reflection. You can choose a topic in advance, time it for a few minutes and just talk.
The purpose of this exercise is to watch your face and body as you talk. It will also give a sense of conversation, as you can imagine that you are discussing something with the other person.
Talk for 2 or 3 minutes. Don't stop if you get stuck over a word you don't know, try to express your thought in a different way. You can always find this word in the dictionary after the end of these 2-3 minutes in front of the mirror. This will certainly help you to find out in which words or sentences you are facing the problem.
4. Focus on fluency, not grammar
Speaking English, how often do you stop?
The more you stop, the less confident you feel, and the less comfortable you become. Try the mirror exercise above, but challenge yourself to speak without stopping or long pauses between words.
Sentences may not be grammatically perfect, but if you focus on speaking fluently and not correctly, you will still be understood and speech will sound better. You can make up for grammatical mistakes and words as you get to know them better.
5. Try tongue twisters
Tongue twisters are phrases that are difficult to say quickly. Try to say them in English several times. It's not easy.
This play on words improves pronunciation.
6. Listen and repeat
Do you watch TV shows and videos? Apply them to improve your language proficiency. Stop for a short portion of the show and repeat it line by line. Try to match tone, speed, and even accent (if you can). It doesn't matter if you miss a few words, it's important to keep talking. Try to sound like native speakers on the show.
7. Try to be stressed
English uses stressed syllables. So you need to emphasize certain syllables (sounds) in order to give different meanings words.
Hear where native speakers emphasize when they speak. Try to repeat the same.
This will not only help you speak well, but it can even reduce misunderstandings. Sometimes stressing the wrong syllable completely changes the word. The word ADdress, for example, does not match the word adDRESS. ADDress refers to the physical location where someone lives, and ADDRESS means to address something to a group of people.
Learn to hear the difference!
8. Sing songs
Songs in English will help you speak more fluently.
Once you are able to sing along with the selected performers, try testing your skills on something more challenging, like rap! There, the lyrics are often spoken like ordinary sentences. However, the benchmark uses a stronger rhythm and more high speed... Some of the words may not make sense, but if you can keep up with the benchmark, you will be on your way to being fluent!
9. Learn phrases with new words
Speak easier by studying different shapes new word. For example, if you just learned the word get, also learn phrases with get.
It is important to know the correct way to use a word in any sentence. This knowledge will help during the conversation.
10. Learn phrases, not just single words
You may be using the correct grammar and vocabulary, but that is still not what a native speaker would say.
Phrases and expressions can be helpful to sound more natural.
11. Identify your most common expressions.
Take some time to notice how you speak your own language.
What words and phrases are used the most?
Learn how to say your most used phrases and words in English language... Knowing them in English will help you speak them as well as your native language.
12. Prepare for specific situations
Are you learning English for a specific reason? For example, to work for an English-speaking company? In this case, practice English, which will help you in the interview. Are you learning a language so you can make friends in other countries? Then a different type of language is needed.
Before going to a place where you need to speak English, you can practice what you might need to say. For example, as you prepare to go to a restaurant, answer questions the waiter might ask. Try to talk about food and menus.
You will feel more confident if you are prepared!
13. Relax!
You yourself can become your best helper or enemy! It's difficult, but still, try not to worry about how you feel when you speak. Just relax!
If you get stuck or confused, just take a breath and start again. Speak more slowly if necessary. Pause and think about your next sentence.
Good spoken English is very important because it allows you to better convey your thoughts and ideas to the interlocutor. When each sentence has to be squeezed out of ourselves through the agony of recalling words and phrases, we feel insecure and uneasy, while we would like to participate on equal terms in English-language discussions and share impressions with friends.
Here are 25 ways to improve your English yourself, collected by the British English Coach.
- Record yourself when you speak English
Listening to yourself may sound strange to you at first, but you will get used to it. Listen to a short audio recording of a native English speaker, then record yourself repeating the phrase, analyze the differences, and try again. Over time, your pronunciation will get better and better. Soundcloud is a great tool for recordings like this. https://soundcloud.com/
2. Read aloud, especially dialogues
Reading aloud is not the same as talking, but it is very useful for exercising your vocal muscles. Read in your voice for 5-10 minutes a day, and you will notice which sounds are the most difficult for you to pronounce. Find transcriptions of dialogues and practice reading them with a friend, it is also useful for memorizing frequently used English expressions.
3.Sing in English while you are in the shower or while driving
Popular song lyrics are often used colloquial vocabulary so you can learn common colloquial phrases while you sing. In addition, human memory is designed in such a way that memorizing words that sound to music is easier than just memorizing poetry without music.
4. Look short videos and repeat what you heard
You Tube is a great resource for learning foreign languages, and you most likely already have favorite channels. It is also very helpful to watch short videos in English and memorize them. On long videos, your focus may be distracted. The key to success with this exercise is to listen really carefully and focus on words and pronunciation.
5. Learn head and consonant sounds in English
Phonetic table - a list of vowels and consonants of the English language. Learning how to pronounce these sounds will help you speak English cleaner.
6. Explore and learn to notice schwa
Do you know what schwa is? This is the most common sound in the English language.
We use it all the time in words like teacher and around.
7. Study the “strong” and “weak” forms of words
8. Learn the rules of stress
When there is more than one vowel in a word, it is very important to know which one should be stressed. It's not hard to learn if you pay attention to the small vertical bar. which is placed above the stressed vowel in the transcription.
9. Learn the stress in sentences
In every sentence in English, it is customary to highlight a word or phrase with a voice, thus helping the listener to understand what is important to everything. Highlighting the wrong word or not highlighting anything can cause the listener to become confused or misunderstand what you said.
10. Learn and use stable communication expressions
These expressions are always actively used during a conversation, so knowing them expands your possibilities in a conversation. Do not forget that in addition to the meaning and communicative function of these phrases, you must also learn their correct pronunciation.
11. Learn typical phrases
Words do not like being alone, they prefer to hang out with friends, like people. Words that have developed a close friendship need to be known and used correctly.
12. Replace regular verbs with phrasal ones
Many English learners cannot understand why native speakers use so much phrasal verbs while there are ordinary ones with the same meaning. English has taken a lot from Latin, so historically it so happened that there are many phrasal verbs in it, and if you want to understand the native speakers of this language, then you need to know and use these verbs.
13. Memorize short automatic responses
Many native speakers answer questions automatically: right, OK, no problem, alright, fine thanks, just a minute, you’re welcome, fine by me, let’s do it !, yup, no way! you’re joking, right ?, Do I have to? etc. Memorize these answers and use them.
14. Practice using a narrative style, tell stories in English
People are created to share life stories. Usually, different forms of the past tense are used for storytelling, but sometimes it can also be the present. Learn the intricacies of using them and practice storytelling.
15. Learn to pause
Pronunciation English words quickly doesn't make you a good speaker. You always need to know where to pause in order for the listener to think about what you have said, to answer or try to guess what you will say next. Imagine that you are an actor on stage - this is how you need to speak English.
16. Learn to “connect” words
Combining several words into one or throwing out “extra” words is often used in spoken English. An example of this is the phrase Nice to meet you, in which it is thrown out as "unnecessary". There are many such phrases, learn them and use them.
17. Learn common English pronunciation mistakes for native speakers
Carriers different languages have different pronunciation difficulties English sounds... Check out typical mistakes speakers of Russian when pronouncing English sounds and try to eliminate them.
18. Pick an accent you like and simulate it
We always have an emotional connection with representatives of different nationalities... Choose which pronunciation of English is closer to you - American or British - and try to follow it.
19. Find an actor or actress you like and identify what makes them good speakers
Do you want to sound like Barack Obama, Steve Jobs or Beyoncé? Pick one for yourself and try to repeat their phrases and accent.
20. Use a mirror or piece of paper to identify aspirated sounds.
There are many sounds in English that need to be aspirated, study them and learn how to pronounce them correctly.
21. Practice pronunciation Tongue twisters
Tongue twisters are special phrases designed to improve the pronunciation of English and some of its heaviest sounds.
Try to say quickly: What a terrible tongue twister. What a terrible tongue twister. What a terrible tongue twister.
22. Say aloud names, dates and numbers
This may sound like overly primitive advice, but if you don't practice pronouncing dates, numbers, and names often, you may forget how to pronounce them.
23. Learn typical intonation techniques
Intonation is a rather complex part of the English language, but it is very important for expressing the speaker's emotions and feelings.
24. Learn articulation techniques
Articulation helps us to pronounce different sounds, it consists of fixed elements that affect the sound, for example, teeth, as well as those whose position can be changed - lips and tongue.
25. After learning the techniques of articulation, learn to do the movements that native English speakers use when speaking.
This video will help you cope with this task.
Many of us are in search of methods that would help improve English, and not only English, but also ours. native language because we understand that language says a lot about a person, and thus will be an indicator of education and character. Competent speech is an undoubted indicator of how diligent a person is, how much he respects himself and other people, how intelligent he is. Good language plays a very big role when we want to get a job, go to the cinema, negotiate and so on. Then, are we going to use the same language in all these situations? Of course not. It's no secret that we distinguish between different styles in the language: colloquial, artistic, and so on. Your friends would start making fun of you if you gave something like this: “Good evening! How are you, my friend? Are you all right? " and you just start to literally sprinkle with bombastic terminological phrases, which in informal setting can only harm. So what's the conclusion? It can be repeated once again that language is a true indicator of our orientation in life. And, therefore, a completely natural question arises: how to improve the language? And, even more so, if the language is not native?
You may also be aware that there are many ways for seekers to improve their language. Learning English is a completely separate issue if it is not native to you. The older we get, the more difficult it becomes to learn and memorize words and phrases. In the same way, we can no longer use the same principle of learning native and foreign languages- the native language is learned not only from words and is absorbed by our feelings from external situations - the mother hints the first letters of the word to the baby, and, thus, the word is born. You may also be aware that if the parents are bilingual, the child will undoubtedly speak two languages as their own. But what about those people who started learning a language in their teens or even later? Is there a chance for success? Of course have.
Learning a language starts with a goal. If the language is needed not for serious purposes, you will take into account some teaching methods and not pay attention to others; if you want to connect your life with languages, it will take more effort, and thus you will look for any possible source of information, catch every word of the teacher. So what's your goal? :)
However, the approaches to language can be the same.
Learning English consists of a basic number of methods, exercises and activities, which include:
1. Listening to audio
2. Video
3. Speaking with a native speaker
4. Practice grammar through various exercises
5. A trip abroad in order to get into the atmosphere of the language
6. Reading
7. Letter
8. Games (crosswords, etc.)
Now, before moving on to reading the following paragraphs, answer this question: what unites all these types of work and what is the difference between them?
The first is that all of these approaches activate different parts of our brain, and therefore different abilities, through which different abilities develop: analytical skills, speaking, writing, understanding, and so on. So which one should you choose? Do they all need them? How long should learning English take? And why do people spend so much (time, money and effort) learning English, and just simply cannot learn it through communication? =)
Most teachers and scholars argue that language learning through communication does not contribute in any way to the all-round development and learning of the language, and interferes with analytical and grammatical growth. Effective and useful language develops when all the components are present, and when equal time is given to each of them.
Sometimes you hear from students that grammar can sometimes (in most cases) be boring and boring. This is another misconception, which would only mean that the teacher teaching grammar is either not professional enough, or focuses on routine exercises, and thus forgets that English is also learned through games. The teacher must have a sense of the time, have an established contact with students, harmonize all grammatical, conversational and game components in a grammar lesson.
As for the students, as mentioned above, a lot depends on whether the students are trying to understand and learn something new in the classroom or not. For those students who want to learn the language, the road to the teacher will always be open, since he will be a source of help for them, will set the direction in their work, and will be a source of information.
There are some tips for students who would like to improve their basic English skills.
1. Listening to audio helps to develop understanding of English speech, to snatch certain words and phrases out of context. The auditory cortex is responsible for the perception of information by ear large hemispheres, which is located in the superior temporal gyrus. We would not be able to respond to someone's request if we did not understand what the speaker is trying to say at this moment. Channels such as BBC and CNN are considered to be some of the best to listen to because the announcers in the UK are considered to have correct and perfect speech. While listening, you can also try to listen to one sentence and record it behind the announcer. Then you can try to translate it. Some students, for example at advanced level, may make it difficult for themselves - try to listen and translate by ear =) This is where your English will work. You can also try another option - listen and simply transmit main idea this way you will learn to better understand and formulate thoughts.
2. Writing and essays are another vital job option. English, by itself, is born in written language. All the most creative and beautiful cliches and enduring phrases are honed in writing. When we write a lot, then speaking will undoubtedly develop, because then we will already think in English. Thoughts will be expressed certain English phrases and there will be no need to think long over one word - since the words will “fly out” anyway. The process goes faster when there is a written assignment on a specific topic.
3. Watching the video helps to get and perceive everything that you saw on the screen: it can be different English-speaking customs and cultural characteristics of native speakers. If you are just starting to learn English, then we advised you to watch the video with subtitles. It can help you listen and watch at the same time. Then you can summarize the idea of the film in a few words.
4. Conversational practice. No foreword is required for this type of work. Everyone wants to talk, although students do not always understand that it is not so easy to connect phrases and build a sentence without the necessary knowledge for this. This requires a lot of practice with foreigners, native speakers, as well as such work on their knowledge as essays, and grammar exercises.
So, do you still want to learn English? =)
