How to improve spoken english?

[myjohnson]

It's so silly. Why improve English when you're a Singaporean in Singapore? More logical to improve Singlish.

That don't sound quite fair when many regulars in this forum would give an arm or leg to emulate your command of the language.

 

[Ramseth]

That don't sound quite fair when many regulars in this forum would give an arm or leg to emulate your command of the language.

When one speaks Singlish well enough, one's English would improve with it, without needing to give arm or leg.

 

[myfoot123]

Hi all, i just have problem with spoken english in my daily life. I just do not have friends who speak english with me.

My grammer sucks, my vocubulary sucks. I tried to speak in proper english but when i get comfortable with that person, it simply become singlish in the end.
.

MIW english suck big time, and they still draw million dollars salary.

 

[myfoot123]

Hi all, i just have problem with spoken english in my daily life. I just do not have friends who speak english with me.

My grammer sucks, my vocubulary sucks. I tried to speak in proper english but when i get comfortable with that person, it simply become singlish in the end.
.

MIW english suck big time, and they still draw million dollars salary.

 

[Agoraphobic]

Hi all, i just have problem with spoken english in my daily life. I just do not have friends who speak english with me.

My grammer sucks, my vocubulary sucks. I tried to speak in proper english but when i get comfortable with that person, it simply become singlish in the end.
I tried to read up newspaper, online forum everyday.
But when i try to reply in any forum, it just look so different from standard english.

Is there any tips, courses or links that can allow me to improve my standard of english? I just envy people who can write and speak good and proper english.

What should i do? I wonder how those china scholars, who first came to spore without any english ability are able to speak fluent english like for example tao li.

Try to do these often (at least during the few free minutes one has in a day):-

- Read aloud. In the toilet or in bed at night. Editorials of magazines/newspapers usually carry good persuasive or narrative styles. If not, then any article is still good.

- Do crosswords. It's a fun way to pick up vocab. Too bad the Straits Times doesn't carry this on a daily basis (anyone knows why?).

- Observe and be attentive to good speakers. Never mind the material - delivery and style are what you want to notice.

- Like some forummers have already suggested, don't rush through you speech.

And last, use KNNBCCB less frequently

Hope the above provides a starting point! Cheers!

 

[yinyang]

Some well meaning, good advice by bros here. Your written english looks fine, so that's a good start. If yours was koyak, double trouble.:p

Yes, BBC telly will help. And British Council's recommended, with courses tailored for us locals and quality assured with professional native speaking teachers. There's also truth in angmohs saying many of us speak too fast ("eating" our words).

Take heart too, the important thing is communication to and understanding by the other person. Over time with practice, you'll improve

 

[middaydog]

Hi all, i just have problem with spoken english in my daily life. I just do not have friends who speak english with me.


What should i do? I wonder how those china scholars, who first came to spore without any english ability are able to speak fluent english like for example tao li.

Something tells me you are Nelson Tan
how about Leslie and Alan ? don't they spoking engrish to you

 

[Mr_tan]

Something tells me you are Nelson Tan
how about Leslie and Alan ? don't they spoking engrish to you

nolah, i am not nelson tan.

 

[kulgai]

Mr Tan.
First off, you should get your basics right.
There's no substitute for reading. When you read, read with purpose and understanding. What i mean by purpose is you should observe how words are strung together and how sentences are formed. Next, make sure you understand the content and vocabulary used.
Voracious reading will slowly but surely improve your proficiency. Don't expect miracles to happen. It takes hard work to undo all your mistakes.
Finally, observe how good speakers speak - note the accent, pronunciation, intonation and choice of words.
The typical singlish user speaks with a terrible accent, mispronounces many words, is clueless about intonation and has not only poor but also wrong choice of words.
Don't forget to remember that English cannot be directly translated from Chinese. Most Sinkies do this without realising it.

 

[zack123]

3 tips

1) Read newspaper/books aloud slowly.

2) Good regular English conversation and try talking at a slower pace

3) Talk with confidence even though you may stutter here and there.

After 1 month, your spoken English will improve tremendously.

 

[Wobble]

sign up with British Council's language courses....

back in Secondary 3, lucky to have Duncan Watt teaching me (enrolled in short-term program)....

filipale...English much better....until I met my hokkien peng in Army/Airforce...knn...back to square one...

 

[madmansg]

I use skype to recrut MLM downlines in UK to improve my kings english.

 

[SIFU]

stay away from spore rejects currently residing in thailand..

 

[middaydog]

stay away from spore rejects currently residing in thailand..

like who ?

 

[Ramseth]

Learning any spoken language is more about imitation than about structured lesson.

For example, an uneducated, unschooled child growing up in a New York neighbourhood could speak very naturalized and grammatically flowing American English. Ditto, a child who grew up in Beijing or Bangkok can speak fluent Chinese or Thai without struggling with "counting" the tones for correct pronunciation. Ditto, a child who grew up in Tokyo can speak fluent Japanese without worrying about the nuances and variations of kanji, hiragana inflections and katakana loanwords. They listen, then they imitate.

I think that the best way for Singapore to improve its general standard of spoken English is to stop Chinese-educated or uneducated elderlies from speaking broken English to their grandchildren. Once little children imitate it, it sticks and proliferates. If Singaporeans love their elderlies and children too much to stop them, then what to do? Make do with Singlish.

 

[myjohnson]

I faced 'then hor' and 'and then hor' all my life. I've never used that, not once in my life as far as I can recall. What gives?

 

[snrcitizen]

stay away from spore rejects currently residing in thailand..

That's a good one. Know who you mean. Good advice too.

 

[snrcitizen]

....a child who grew up in Tokyo can speak fluent Japanese without worrying about the nuances and variations of kanji, hiragana inflections and katakana loanwords. They listen, then they imitate.

Hey bro Ramseth,

You seem to be quite familiar with Japanese language. Did you live in Japan? Care to run tuition classes for us?

 

[Ramseth]

You seem to be quite familiar with Japanese language. Did you live in Japan? Care to run tuition classes for us?

I'm not qualified to conduct Japanese lessons.

俺は日本語の教師なれば不合格でしょう。

I'm not living in Japan now. I used to have a Japanese girlfriend long ago. That's all. I've learned something, but doesn't qualify me to teach anything to anybody.

 

[sage]

Mr Tan, you need to be confident too. Generally the older we get the less efficient we are in learning new knowledge and skills. One exception is singing, English songs in your context, which will also boost confidence. I can easily forget what I read last week but when I learned the lyrics of a song it sticks for a long time. But which song to start? Perhaps start with the song posted here by a fellow bro under "Imagine a Singapore...". Google the lyrics for IMAGINE, click bro's link, sing it and bet you sound like John Lennon in a week. Try other songs as well. Sing them in the bathroom, whilst driving, at bus stops (not too loud unless you want to attract talent scouts), anywhere.