How to improve your Spoken English skills while staying at home during lockdown
Representational Image. (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Covid-19 outbreak has locked almost everyone in their homes. Nationwide closures are in force in 100+ countries and local shut-downs in 11 others. The lockdown has forced almost 60 per cent of the world's students' population to stay away from schools and universities due to this Covid-19 pandemic.
During this lockdown period some are developing new hobbies while some are engaged in extracurricular activities. Here is an opportunity for everyone to utilize this period to learn new things or explore new world by staying at home.
This is also a golden opportunity for those who wish to hone their English speaking skills while staying at home. Here we are providing some tips to improve your Spoken English Skills which may be helpful to you...
1) Talk to Yourself
Choose anyone topic of your choice you wish to discuss with others and try to speak with yourself and learn new word related to that topic. You can practice speaking by viewing mirror also to check your facial expressions while you speak. Repeat this exercise with new topics and words. While doing so you will not need to go out to take classes.
2) Read books aloud
If you have some favourite books in physical form at home, or may borrow some story books from your siblings and read them aloud. Read chapters of these books several times. Consult a good dictionary (online or offline) for pronunciation, if required. Many books are available online. Ministry of Human Resource Development, MHRD has devised new plans to encourage the youth of India to read amid the lockdown. The MHRD's National Book Trust has come up with "Stay Home India With Books" initiative to promote reading activity in the people of India during lockdown. The books can be downloaded from nbtindia.gov.in.
Also, you can download books from British Council and Macmillan Education by installing their respective mobile applications. You can also download Pronunciation applications to check are you pronouncing the word exactly it should be pronounced.
3) Use Radio, TV or podcasts
Listening to Radio or podcast or watching English news and your favourite genre movies can be a very good exercise to improve spoken English. By doing so you can learn how an anchor or actor is pronouncing a word. Watch your favourite English movie two to three times to understand facial expression and accent how a word or complete sentence is being spoken. Learn how a dialogue is being delivered by the actor, it will not only improve your understanding but also gives you an idea how to speak well with good body language.
4) Listen to English plays and/or audio books and audio drama
During the lockdown period, use your free time by listening to good audio books or audio drams. Try to understand how a narrator is using the words in the story. There are several websites which provide audio drama, you just need to search on Google, you will get several content providers including BBC, which hosts radio drama series.
5) Speak to friends/ family members
You should make it a point that you will speak only English with your friend over a phone for at least half an hour every day. By conversing in English with your friend or a family member you can find out yourself where you are making mistakes while engaging in talks with them. Identify you weak areas and work on that to improve your spoken English.
All the best!
During this lockdown period some are developing new hobbies while some are engaged in extracurricular activities. Here is an opportunity for everyone to utilize this period to learn new things or explore new world by staying at home.
This is also a golden opportunity for those who wish to hone their English speaking skills while staying at home. Here we are providing some tips to improve your Spoken English Skills which may be helpful to you...
1) Talk to Yourself
Choose anyone topic of your choice you wish to discuss with others and try to speak with yourself and learn new word related to that topic. You can practice speaking by viewing mirror also to check your facial expressions while you speak. Repeat this exercise with new topics and words. While doing so you will not need to go out to take classes.
2) Read books aloud
If you have some favourite books in physical form at home, or may borrow some story books from your siblings and read them aloud. Read chapters of these books several times. Consult a good dictionary (online or offline) for pronunciation, if required. Many books are available online. Ministry of Human Resource Development, MHRD has devised new plans to encourage the youth of India to read amid the lockdown. The MHRD's National Book Trust has come up with "Stay Home India With Books" initiative to promote reading activity in the people of India during lockdown. The books can be downloaded from nbtindia.gov.in.
Also, you can download books from British Council and Macmillan Education by installing their respective mobile applications. You can also download Pronunciation applications to check are you pronouncing the word exactly it should be pronounced.
3) Use Radio, TV or podcasts
Listening to Radio or podcast or watching English news and your favourite genre movies can be a very good exercise to improve spoken English. By doing so you can learn how an anchor or actor is pronouncing a word. Watch your favourite English movie two to three times to understand facial expression and accent how a word or complete sentence is being spoken. Learn how a dialogue is being delivered by the actor, it will not only improve your understanding but also gives you an idea how to speak well with good body language.
4) Listen to English plays and/or audio books and audio drama
During the lockdown period, use your free time by listening to good audio books or audio drams. Try to understand how a narrator is using the words in the story. There are several websites which provide audio drama, you just need to search on Google, you will get several content providers including BBC, which hosts radio drama series.
5) Speak to friends/ family members
You should make it a point that you will speak only English with your friend over a phone for at least half an hour every day. By conversing in English with your friend or a family member you can find out yourself where you are making mistakes while engaging in talks with them. Identify you weak areas and work on that to improve your spoken English.
All the best!
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