I want to start off by saying that English is not my first language, and not being able to express in English fluently has always been my insecurity.
I plan to take the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam next year. The test assesses a non-native speaker’s proficiency in English. I am hoping to achieve a minimum overall band score of 6.0.
Despite using English as a medium of instruction at school and at work, I never seem to get it. It takes me ages to construct a sentence and I feel anxious talking and writing in English. Having those issues, I plan to work on my proficiency as early as possible.
There are tons of materials online on how to learn English effectively and efficiently. I listed below things that helped me:
1. Conversing with other people
I feel anxious every time I converse with other people in English. I am worried that I’ll embarrass myself. However, after constantly conversing with people, I gained confidence and get used to their accent and their expressions.
2. Practicing tongue twisters
Tongue twisters are a great way to improve pronunciation and vocal clarity.
Here are my favourite tongue twisters:
- The keen king gave the queen a prink and a green ring
- Gwen grew green grapes and glorious guava in her grand garden
- The sun was shining on Sharon Street where I saw Shane and Sarah sitting near the shoe shop.
3. Finding my way into the language
One of the advise I heard is to start reading the newspaper or watch documentaries to learn great vocabularies. However, I am not enthused doing those activities, so I didn’t learn as much.
But when I started reading a book I like, and watch series I enjoy, English language doesn’t seem to be intimidating. It is easier to learn when you enjoy what you are doing.
4. Deliberately using English badly
I have noticed that the more I worry about doing poorly, the harder it is for me to express in English. Deliberately using English badly helped me neutralise the shame I feel whenever I make mistakes. This method is also surprisingly effective in helping me correct those mistakes.
It is unfortunate that I’m not able to show my IELTS scores, since I am yet to take the exam. However, one thing is for sure: doing these practices gave me confidence when using English language.
To Summarize:
I improved my English using the following methods:
1. Conversing with other people
2. Practicing tongue twisters
3. Finding my way into the language
4. Deliberately using English badly
