I guess you are searching on the internet, for ‘how to become fluent in English’ or how to learn English faster to score a good band score in the IELTS exam.
Have you been studying English for a long stretch of time? Do you occasionally discover that despite your diligent study, you are unable to communicate fluently?
Do you study a lot of grammar and vocabulary yet struggle to form sentences while speaking? In this article, we’ll discuss fluency and what you can do to enhance your English fluency.
What is fluency, in the first place?
When individuals talk about fluency, they frequently refer to the ability to communicate effectively in a foreign language. For some, speaking English fluently just implies possessing a high overall level of the language. However, fluency is more precise. Fluency refers to the ability to communicate fluently, without pausing or hesitating.
Fluency has two facets. One aspect is physical: your mouth must quickly and smoothly create and link English sounds and words.
The other half of fluency is mental: your brain must swiftly and easily locate the appropriate words and construct English sentences.
To increase your fluency, you must focus on both physical and mental aspects.
Go out and speak
There are several ways to increase your English fluency. However, there is really just one thing you need to do if you want to improve your fluency. Get out there and communicate in English.
Communicate with others and engage in discussion on a regular basis. Nothing else is as critical as this. Reading English improves your reading ability. Listening practise will help you enhance your listening ability. However, how about speaking?
Nothing will improve your speaking ability more than speaking.
English proficiency is a useful ability. It is not an academic topic; it is not something that can be taught via reading a book. It’s more like participating in a sport or playing a musical instrument in that you must practise consistently to develop. How frequently? As frequently as possible! There is no upper limit, however, I would recommend spending at least 2-3 hours each week speaking English to develop.
So, how are you going to do this? Attend lessons, chat with ex-pats in your city, join organisations or activities led by English speakers, locate an online conversation partner, or participate in a language exchange; the options are endless! By the way, your work does not have to be linguistic in nature.
You may attend English lessons to improve your speaking ability, but everything you do that is in English and requires you to speak English is just as effective.
Reading Quickly
Locate an English text. It may come from a textbook, a newspaper, a blog, or somewhere else. You should have little difficulty reading the material. Choose anything that does not contain a large number of new words or that is much beyond your present English level. Take a seat and set a timer. Aloud read the passage. Keep track of your time.
Now reread it. Make an attempt to beat your prior time! Continue in this manner. Determine how quickly you can read the material. What purpose does this serve?
Bear in mind that a portion of fluency is physical. Your mouth must be able to create English sounds and words quickly and smoothly.
This type of speed reading is an excellent method to improve that aspect of fluency. This method of training is really beneficial since it allows you to practise practically anywhere and at your own pace. You can practise for five minutes, fifteen minutes, or a half-hour. It’s all beneficial!
Learn through Music
Find an English song. Choose something you enjoy. Online lyrics are available. If you’re unsure where to begin, simply type the song’s title plus the phrase ‘lyrics’ into Google. You will discover them. follow the song. Follow the lyrics. Sing!
As is the case with rapid reading, this is an excellent method for honing the physical aspect of fluency. When singing a song, you must maintain the song’s tempo. Begin with slower tunes and progress to quicker ones. Choose something that is doable yet tough, so that you can sing the song but find it difficult to move quickly enough. Once again, this will significantly improve your physical fluency.
It’s also pretty simple; you can do one song each day and I guarantee you’ll see a difference quite fast. I utilised this approach often when studying Chinese, and it was really beneficial. While speed reading and singing songs are beneficial for physical fluency, what about cerebral fluency?
Let us examine what you might be able to do to enhance it.
Learn Bit by Bit
How do you acquire vocabulary? When I see pupils acquiring language, I frequently see something similar to this.
Individuals jot down the English term and its equivalent in their native tongue and then attempt to memorise it. That is true, but how does this relate to fluency? By learning a language in this manner, you are forcing your brain to operate in an extremely abnormal and difficult manner. To begin, you’re studying each word individually. However, while speaking a language, you do not require individual words; rather, you require phrases and sentences.
Second, by doing so, you will be learning English through your native tongue. You are not learning to speak English; rather, you are attempting to learn to mentally convert your native tongue into English. So, does this ring a bell?
You’re thinking about a statement in your native tongue. You proceed through the phrase, English-translating each word. If you are unable to translate a term, you become stuck, feel self-conscious about your English, and eventually quit speaking. If you wish to communicate eloquently, you must break this habit.
To begin, this manner of thinking and communicating is inherently sluggish.
It will always be sluggish since you are attempting to accomplish too many tasks simultaneously. You’re attempting to think and recall in two languages—this is impossible for anyone. So what are your options? We already said that when speaking, phrases and sentences are necessary.
Thus, acquire language through phrases and sentences.
Consider the following scenario: “What are your plans for the weekend?” Consider the following three responses: “I’m going to see some old pals.”
“I’m considering taking a bike trip.”
“Perhaps I’ll take up some odd chores around the house.”
Now, construct your own phrases beginning with “I’m going to .” “I’m considering .”
“Perhaps .” Make two or three phrases for each one, varying the ends.
Consider this: If someone were to ask you, “What are your plans for the weekend?”
If you recall language in chunks, all you need to remember are two things: “(I’m going to) + (visit some old friends).” “(I intend to) + (dinner with my family).”
“(I’m going to) + (see a few vintage films).” This makes it simple to respond fluently to enquiries like this.
On the other hand, if you create a phrase in your brain in your native tongue and then translate each word into English, the process becomes far more difficult. You are not required to recall only two things; you are required to remember several items. Therefore, attempt to acquire vocabulary in this manner. Consider the following sentence:
“I went for a stroll yesterday.”
Maintain the fundamental sentence structure, but alter a portion of it: “I yesterday.”
Now construct three distinct sentences:
- “I took a test yesterday.”
- “I spent the entire day yesterday dozing about.”
- “Last night, I made a hot curry.”
Now is the time to practice and memorise the words and phrases.
This is a far more natural method of language acquisition. If you acquire this terminology, it will be much simpler to reply smoothly, as you will not be required to think in your own language and translate. You’ll recall the entire phrase and sentence you require. That concludes our lesson. I hope you gained some insight into spoken fluency and how to enhance your English fluency!