How to improve Spoken English without a speaking partner

(cómo practicar inglés oralmente sin un compañero)

I´ve found this great material on fluentU page but I´ve made some changes.

 

1. Think in English

Sometimes, the difficult thing about English speaking isn’t the language itself, but how you think about it.You can do this anywhere, anytime. Try to use English when you’re thinking about your meals, the housework, your homework.  Think how would you say that in English and... if you can´t, just then, go to the dictionary.

2. Talk to Yourself

Whenever you’re at home (or alone somewhere else) you can improve English speaking with your favorite person: yourself.

If you’re already thinking in English, try speaking your thoughts out loud. Read out loud, too. Practice is practice, and even if you don’t have anyone to correct your mistakes, just the act of speaking out loud will help you become more comfortable speaking English.

3. Master English Registers

In order to communicate effectively in English, you need to know the different English registers that exist.

A register is a different set of words and phrases that you use depending on the situation you find yourself in. For example, the way you speak English to a friend is different from the way you would speak to child and that would be different from the English you would speak in a business meeting.

4. Use a Mirror

Whenever you can, take a few minutes out of your day to stand in front of the mirror and speak. Choose a topic, set a timer for two or three minutes and just talk.

The point of this exercise is to watch your mouth, face and body language as you speak. It also makes you feel like you’re talking to someone, so you can pretend you’re having a discussion with a study buddy.

Talk for the full two or three minutes. Don’t stop! If you get stuck on a word you don’t know, try expressing your idea in a different way. 

5. Focus on English Fluency, Not Grammar

When you speak in English, how often do you stop?

The more you stop, the less confident you sound and the less comfortable you become. Try the mirror exercise above, but challenge yourself to speak without stopping or stammering (taking pauses between your words) the entire time.

This might mean that your sentences won’t be grammatically perfect, and that’s okay! If you focus on speaking fluently instead of correctly, you’ll still be understood and you’ll sound better. You can fill in the correct grammar and word rules as you learn them better.

6. Listen and Repeat

Following along with TV shows, YouTube videos or other natural English speech to practice sounding natural, too!

Find a short clip that you like, or that uses words that you’d use in real life, then repeat it line by line. Try to match the tone, speed and even the accent (if you can). It doesn’t matter if you miss a few words, the important thing is to keep talking. Try to sound just like the native speakers.

7. Sing Along to English Songs

Singing along to your favorite English songs will help you become more fluent. This is a tried-and-true language learning method.

Once you can sing along to pop singers like Taylor Swift and Jason Mraz, you can test your skills with something a bit more difficult: rap!

8. Learn Phrases, Not Words

An even better idea to improve English is to learn word phrases, not just words.

You might be using correct grammar and vocabulary, but it’s still not how a native speaker would say it.

For example, you can say “how do you feel today?” but a native speaker might say “how’re you doing?” or “what’s up?” instead. Phrases and expressions can be helpful for sounding more natural when you speak.

9. Learn Your Most Common Sayings

Take some time to really notice how you speak in your native language.

What words and phrases do you use the most often?

Learn how to say your most commonly used phrases and words in English. Knowing them in English will help you speak as well in English as you do in your native language.

10. Learn Exceptions and Use Them

If you’ve been learning English for a while, you probably know English is full of exceptions to its rules.

A lot of learners will get angry at this, but here’s what you can do: Use those exceptions to speak English better!

It would be impossible to learn all the exceptions of the language, but you can focus on groups of exceptions and learn one or two groups every week.

The next step in this tip is to use the exceptions you’ve learned

11. Be Creative

Whatever “fun” means to you, use it to your advantage and include English in it.

For example, try sitting on your couch and looking around. Find an interesting object and try to describe it in English. If you’re just starting, you might use easy vocabulary and short sentences. But the better you get, the better you’ll get at this little exercise!

Something else you can try is creative journaling in English. A lot of people think that journaling is the same as keeping a diary, but it’s so much more! The sky’s the limit—as long as the sky is in English.