Nowadays, English skills are one of the important things that people need to acquire. This is because of the high demand of being able to speak foreign languages in the workplace. The most common foreign language requirement is the ability to speak English. Basically, English is taught at school, as well as many parents who teach their kids English from early childhood. Even so, the English lessons taught at schools are mostly theory based and rarely include enough practice. People are good when taking a test or doing a theoretical examination, but they have problems when they have to actually speak English in a practical environment.
That is caused by the fear of making mistakes while speaking and feeling embarrassed as a result of these mistakes. It is such a waste for someone who has potential in English to face a situation like this. Therefore, one of the ways to fix the fear of making mistakes or feeling embarrassed is by taking an English course. By joining an English course many things can be learnt. It is not only the theory but also the practice that will become routine in the learning process. However, not all people have the opportunity to join an English course.
If that is so, learning can be started by one’s own self while waiting for the chance to join an English course. Consequently, these questions must be posed: How do you become fluent at speaking English? Is it possible to be done without teachers or friends? Of course it is possible if we just start learning English. We can learn by ourselves or being an autodidact could be our start to learning anything, even English.
Then, what are the things that we can do to be fluent in speaking English? There are three essential things that must know if you want to learn English by yourself, while looking for a chance to join an English course:
1. Self-confidence
Yes, having self-confidence is the most important aspect of improving your fluency in speaking English. It is not that easy to build self-confidence, but it is not impossible if you try. You have to tell yourself that now you are learning English online and have to speak in English whenever it is possible. There will be many people around you who will put you down for speaking English by saying things like “Why do you keep on speaking English?” or “Is your English that good that you keep on speaking English?” Those words will become familiar to your ears because your environment is not used to someone who really wants to practice speaking English well. But remember, don’t give up! Keep on thinking positively by ignoring the negative words from such people. Don’t let those words bring you down and restrict you from learning English.
2. Pronunciation is important
In general, when someone is ready to learn English, he or she has already had the thought that the most important thing in learning English is grammar or structure. Grammar or structure is indeed important when you learn English, but it should not be forgotten that pronunciation, vocabulary, and many others are also essential. Therefore, do not limit yourself to just focusing on learning grammar or structure. The pronunciation of some words in English is also as important as the grammar or structure. If you can pronounce words in English correctly, it puts you in a better position for when you need to communicate directly with native speakers. Moreover, if there are mistakes in pronunciation, the meaning of the word will change too, and it may cause a misunderstanding in the conversation.
3. Enriching vocabulary
Vocabulary is the most basic thing if you learn a language, including English. By mastering vocabulary, it will be easier for you to speak in English. To broaden English vocabulary, it is both easy and hard at the same time. It could be difficult when you think there are so many vocabulary words that you need to learn. On the other hand, it is easy if you know the objectives of your learning and you find a fun way to enrich your vocabulary. The fun ways to learn English vocabulary could be as simple as listening to your favourite songs and looking up words that are new, or watching some movies by applying the English subtitles. Learning English can be fun if you find your own way to do so. Do not compare your learning style with others because it could be totally different, as you are unique.
Those are the three essential ways that you could start learning English on your own before joining a great English online course like English Today. Learning on your own is not always that enjoyable but it is a good strategy to equip yourself before you go out into the real world and use your English to speak with people and with native speakers.
To conclude, always remember to improve your self-confidence as well as you can in order to be ready to speak English with whoever you might come across. You need to understand that learning English is not always about learning grammar or structure. As previously mentioned, pronunciation is also as important as grammar or structure when speaking English. Lastly, mastering vocabulary will greatly benefit your English fluency.
Remember to consistently train yourself to speak English well. If you keep on practicing, you will also witness the results when, one day, you will finally speak English confidently and fluently.
