Competition and Cooperation

Idioms:

"get up on the wrong side of the bed"
Getting up on the wrong side of the bed means you wake up and start the day in a bad mood for no real reason.

Example: "He must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. He is in a particularly nasty mood today." Today Sameth talks out loud to everyone who talks to him. He must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.


"pie in the sky"
When an idea or scheme is pie in the sky, it means it is utterly impractical.

Example: "His ideas are always of the pie in the sky sort." Errik told me that to learn English is not important for reading and talking. His idea is pie in the sky sort.

Competition: [n] the act of competing as for profit or a prize
Cooperation: [n] joint operation or action

Questions:

1. discuss the following:

- A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace. ~Ovid -

Competition is a by-productive work, not its goal. A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. ~Ayn Rand

- It seems as though all creatures can exist singly and alone. For example, a tree can exist solitary and alone on a given prairie or in a valley or on the mountainside. An animal upon a mountain or a bird soaring in the air might live a solitary life. They are not in need of cooperation or solidarity. Such animated beings enjoy the greatest comfort and happiness in their respective solitary lives. On the contrary, man cannot live singly and alone. He is in need of continuous cooperation and mutual help. For example, a man living alone in the wilderness will eventually starve. He can never, singly and alone, provide himself with all the necessities of existence. Therefore, he is in need of cooperation and reciprocity. ~Abdu'l-Baha

2. Can you think of an instance where you were involved in a healthy competition? Can you describe what made it healthy?

3. When do you feel competition ceases to be beneficial?

4. How can competition be protected from becoming unhealthy?

5. Can you think of a good example of people cooperation to achieve a common goal?

6. what are some ways in which cooperation can be improved in a group of people? It might be helpful to llok at the workplace, family or classroom as the group desiring to work together.

7. How can we contribute to developing group cooperation?
____________________
Vocabularies

*outpace (v) surpass in speed
*by-product (n) a secondary and sometimes unexpected consequence *soaring (adj) moving to great heights with little apparent effort
*prairie (n) an extensive, level or slightly undulating, a tract of grassland; meadow
*solitary (adj) alone; without companions,; unattended
*solidarity (no) a union of interests or purposes or sympathies among members of a group
*animated (adj) having life or vigor or spirit
*starve (v) die of food deprivation
*reciprocity (n) a relation of mutual dependence or action or influence

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Planning

"Keep your ear to the ground"
If you keep your ear to the ground, you keep informed about something, especially if there are rumours or uncertainty.

Example: I will keep my ear to the ground and tell you if I hear of any vacancies in our apartment building. I always keep my ear to the ground when I hear the news about earthquake.

"Keep your eyes peeled"
If you keep your eyes peeled you are watching carefully for someone or something. Origin: This is another way of saying keep your eyes open as in keep your eyes lids open or peeled. When you peal something you take its cover off like the eyes and their eyelids.

Example: keep your eyes peeled for the bus. We wouldn't want to miss it while we are busying our coffee. My friend keep his eyes peeled while he is waiting for me.

Planning: [n] the act or process of drawing up plans or layouts for some project or enterprise.

Questions:

1. Discussion the following:
Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning. ~Thomas Edison

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

2. Do you often make plans for the things you need to do? Why or why not?

3. Why do you think planning is important?

4. When we make plans for ourselves, we focus on what we need to get done and how we can best achieve our goals and meet those needs. When we makes plans for others - like planning a party for our friends, or plans for our children - what do we need to consider?

5. Group Activity: In your groups, please plan a party for your friends. Please describe the steps required to finalize your plan.

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Theatre

Idioms:

"out of sorts"
To be out of sorts means you are feeling a bit upset and depressed. Example; "I am sorry I was rude to you. I am feeling a little out of sorts today."

My brother was out of sorts yesterday. He yelled at me when I asked him for help. Whenever I can't understand English I feel out of sorts.

"gravy train"
To be gravy train means you have found an easy way to make lots of money. Example: "With this job I have to do so little to get paid so much. It is a real gravy train."

Jack works only five hours a day to get much paid. He rides on gravy train. Some people are lucky, they are not working hard but they get a lot of money. They are always on gravy train.

Theatre: [n] the art of writing and producing plays. [n] a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented.
Play: [n] a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage. [n] a theatrical performance of a drama.

Questions:

1. Discuss the following:

-I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. ~Oscar Wild

-You need three things in the theatre -- the play, the actors and the audience, and each must give something. ~ Kenneht Haigh

2. What form of live theatre exist in your own culture?

3. Have you ever performed in a play? If so, can you describe your experience?

4. Can you describe some of the plays you have seen? What did you enjoy most about them?

5. With the increasing popularity of movies do you feel live theatre is still a relevant art form? Why or why not?

6. What types of plays do you enjoy to watch? Would you be interested in doing to a play as a group?

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abase - abnegate

*abase (v) to humiliate or disgrace
Synonyms: degrade, demean

Example: The elementary school teacher abased her students by drawing attention to their physical flaws. He abased himself by drinking so much; in fact, the whole family was ashamed.

*abate (v) to diminish in intensity
Synonym: ebb, lapse, let up, moderate, relent, slacken

Example: The storm gradually abated overnight. Luckily, the little girl's fever abated by midnight.

*abdicate (v) to renounce or give up a position or right
Synonyms: cede, quit, relinquish, resign, yield

Example: Despite the opposition, the chairman would not abdicate his position. The king finally decided to abdicate his throne in consideration of the public outcry.

*aberrant (adj) departing from what is normal or accepted
Synonyms: abnormal, anomalous, deviant, divergent, errant, irregular

Example: Max was a gentle dog so the aberrant barking was quite surprising. Normally a straight A student, her C and D grades struck her teachers as aberrant.

*abeyance (n) a state of temporary suppression or suspension
Synonyms: deferral, delay, dormancy, postponement, remission

Example: My sister kept her admirer in abeyance; she was just not that into him. The man kept his temper in abeyance while the children were present.

*abjure (v) to formally renounce, recant, or reject
Synonyms: forswear, recall, retract

Example: The knight abjured his allegiance to the kind. The businessman abjured his citizenship and headed for more profitable, foreign lands.

*abnegate (v) to deny or renounce
Synonyms: abjure, shed, surrender

Example: A true Buddhist could not find it hi himself to abnegate the Buddha's Teachings. A true Christian could not find it in himself to abnegate his God. She planned to abnegate her professional responsibilities for more carefree lifestyle.

To improve my English I must not abnegate my effort for learning it.

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Although / though / even though / inspite of / despite

a) Study this example situation:
Last year Jack and Jill spent their vacation at the beach. It rain a lot, but they enjoyed themselves. You can say:

Although it rained a lot, they enjoyed themselves. (It rained a lot, but they....) or: In spite of / Despite the rain, they enjoyed themselves.

b) After although we use a subject+verb:

• Although she smokes 20 cigarettes a day, she seems quite healthy.
• Although it rained a lot, we enjoyed our vacation.
• I didn't get the job, although I had all the necessary qualification.

After in spite of (or despite) we use a noun, a pronoun (this/that/what, etc.), or -ing:

• In spite of the rain, we enjoyed our vacation.
• I didn't get the job, despite my qualifications.
• she wasn't well, but in spite of this she went to work.
• Despite what I said last night, I still love you.
• I am not tired, in spite of working hard all day.

Note that we say "in spite of," but despite (without of). You can also say in spite of / despite the fact that...:

• In spite of the fact that I was tired, I couldn't sleep.
• She seems healthy, despite the fact that she smokes 20 cigarettes a day.

Compare although and in spite of / despite:

• Although the traffic was bad, I arrived on time.
• I couldn't sleep, although I was very tired.
• I couldn't sleep, despite being very tired.

c) Sometimes we use though instead of although:

• I didn't get the job, though I had all the necessary qualifications.

In spoken English we often use though at the end of a sentence:

• The house isn't very nice, I like the garden though. (= but I like the garden)
• I see him everyday. I've never spoken to him though. (= but I've never spoken to him)

Even though is a stronger form of although:

• Even though I was really tired, I couldn't sleep.

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Prefix "In"

The prefix "in" is used with many words to indicate the negative or opposite meaning of the word. Read the definition beside each "in" prefix below, then chose the appropriate word from those listed below. We've done the first one to get you started.

Active; audible; capable; complete; consistent; conspicuous; correct; credible; curable; edible; efficient; eligible; excusable; expensive; sensitive

1- in_active_ not moving; idle
2- in_______ not fit to eat
3- in_______ not easily heard
4- in_______ not working well
5- in_______ not highly priced
6- in_______ not easy to forgive
7- in_______ not even or regular
8- in_______ not not able to be healed
9- in_______ not finished
10- in_______ not able to do
11- in_______ not qualified to do; unfit
12- in_______ not caring about others
13- in_______ not right; in error
14- in_______ not easily noticed
15- in_______ beyond belief
_____________________________
Answer:

2) inedible; 3) inaudible; 4) inefficient; 5) inexpensive; 6) inexcusable; 7) inconsistent; 8) incurable; 9) incomplete; 10) incapable; 11) ineligible; 12) insensitive; 13) incorrect; 14) inconspicuous; 15) incredible.

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Culture

Idiom:

"knee-jerk reaction"
To have a knee-jerk reaction means to have an instant or instinctive response to a situation. Example: "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. It was a knee-jerk reaction. You scared me."

"cutting edge"
When something is cutting edge it is at the forefront of progress in its area. Example: "His cell phone is cutting edge. It has all the latest technology."
..........

Culture: [n] the taste in art and manners that are favored by a social group.
[n] all the knowledge and values shared by a society.

Questions:

1- Discuss the following:

The individual is able to think, feel, strive, and work by himself; but he depends on much upon society --in his physical, intellectual, and emotional existence--that it is impossible to think of him, or to understand him, outside the framework of society. It is 'society' which provides man with food, clothing, a home, the tools of work, language, the forms of thought, and most of the content of thought; his life is made possible through the labor and the accomplishments of the many millions past and present who are all hidden behind the small word 'society'. ~Albert Einstein

2- Can you think of some of the characteristics of the own culture?

3- What are some of the benefits a strong culture provides? What are some drawbacks?

4- Is it possible for these cultures to adapt to the needs of our present day society?

5- How will you teach your children about your culture? Why will you teach them this way? ..........

Vocabularies

1- strive [v] to exert much effort or energy
2- society [n] an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
3- framework [n] a structure supporting or containing something
4- drawback [n] negative result
5- adapt [v] adjust

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Food & Nutrition

Idioms:
"Take something with a grain of salt"
If you take something with a grain or a pinch of salt, you consider that thing not to be completely true or accurate. Origin: This idiom is based on the idea that food tastes better and is easier to swallow if you add a little salt. So, if you add a little salt to an idea it will be easier to accept. Example: "You should take everything that he says with a grain of salt, because everyone knows that he likes to exaggerate(1) things when he is speaking."

"eat your cake and have it too"
To have your cake and eat it or to eat your cake and have it too is to want more than you can handle or deserve, or to try to have two incompatible(2) things. This old English Proverb(3) means that if you eat your cake you won't have it any more, so you need make a choice. Example: "Rick wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to be single but he does not want me to date anyone else."

Food: [n] any solid that is used as a source of materials in living things.
Nutrition: [n] the scientific study of food and drink

Question:
1- Discuss the following:

-It's amazing how pervasive(4) food is. Every second commercial is for food. Every second television episode takes place around a meal. In the city, you cannot go ten feet without seeing or smelling a restaurant. There are twenty food high hamburgers up on bill boards. I am acutely aware of food, and its omnipresence(5) is astounding(6). ~Adam Scott

-He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skill of the physician. ~Chinese Proverb

2- What is your favourite food? Can you make it yourself?
3- Is there a kind of food you would like to learn to cook?
4- How important is it for you to eat healthy foods?
5- What eating habits will you teach your children?
Why will you teach them these habits?
6- What role do you feel food plays in your family and culture?
7- Would you like to try new food from different culture? would you like to go to a restaurant together as a group or have pot-luck dinner where everyone can bring their favourite food?
..........

Vocabularies

1- exaggerate [v] To enlarge or overstate the truth about something.
2- incompatible [adj] not able to exist adn act together in harmony
3- Proverb [n] a saying about some important fact of experience that is accepted as true
4- pervasive [adj] most frequent or common
5- omnipresence [n] the condition of being everywhere at once (or appearing to be everywhere at once)
6- astounding [adj] so surprisingly impressive that is stuns.

..........

Please share your idea on the idioms, quotes, proverb and answers any questions you want to share from your experience and your thought! Your ideas will be much helpful for world wide!

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Ten Steps to Teaching Perfect Writing

By Cheryl Frost

With the rapid expansion of the Internet, it is clear that the quality of English writing—both American and British—has taken a dive for the worst. “Netspeak” is obtrusively taking over most electronic communications, making good writing practices increasingly scarce. With such a strong influence the Internet has over the world today, it is no wonder so few children can write. Even the most intelligent and successful business leaders seem small and insignificant when they distribute e-mails full of spelling errors and non-capitalized sentences. Therefore, it is more vital than ever to teach our children to write well before they are released into a relentless and competitive world.

The best way to learn to write is to practice. People learn best by making mistakes and correcting them for themselves. The following method of teaching writing enforces that very concept. It will work for established writers who need to polish their skills, and it will work for the struggling student who was absent the day they taught grammar. Whether you are a teacher, a homeschooling mom, or a tutor, you can teach anyone to be a better writer with a little patience and a lot of persistence.

With this writing technique, you as the teacher will act as an editor. You will give out the assignment, give the writers the freedom to write in their own style, edit their work, and return the work to the writers for revisions. You will edit the revisions, return the work, and await another revision. This will go on, back and forth, until the writing is flawless. Be consistent and unyielding in your editing process, and soon you will have a perfect writer (or a class full of perfect writers) on your hands.

Step One: Assign the Writing Task.
Have the student (or students) write something at least a page long—a story, a biography, a TV review, or a book report. For more advanced writers, assign a research paper or longer story. For students who hate to write, don’t pressure them into writing something massive, just whatever comes to mind. If it’s only two paragraphs, that’s still a good start. Depending on the student’s skill, this may be the only assignment he or she gets for the entire school year. But it will last the entire school year. Explain to the students that they will revise their writing assignments over and over until they are perfect, even if it takes all year. They need to understand this ongoing process or they might feel like each edit is a rejection.

Step Two: Assign a Deadline for the First Draft.
For the first draft, one week should be enough. You may have students (or if you are a mom, your one child) who will hand in nothing or just a sentence. Do not be discouraged by this. Chances are, the child is self-conscious about his or her writing and is reluctant to show you. It is vital that you address these students individually. Question each one until you find something he or she is interested in. That will be the topic you will assign. If they are still reluctant, have them start with one paragraph. Accept that paragraph as the first draft with the intention of building it up.

Step Three: Mark It Up
Edit each paper meticulously, using red pen or, if the paper was submitted electronically, the word processor’s markup feature. For every markup, however, you must include an explanation. If the error lies with subject/verb agreement, for example, explain what that means or refer the student to a page in his or her grammar book. Mark every missing punctuation and cross out unnecessary capital letters.

Step Four: Be the Editor
In addition to simply proofreading a paper, offer suggestions to the writer. Tell the writer to write more details about a specific subject. Request more adjectives or less repetition of the same words. Ask questions in your editing to prompt the student to clarify. Return the paper to the student to revise.

Step Five: Set Another Deadline
If necessary, allow the students to work on their revisions in class so they can ask questions if they need to. If you make them revise their work at home, you may never get it back. In class, as long as they know exactly what to change, the task should be easy for them.

Step Six: Editing with Praise
In this next edit, be sure to note how well the writing is coming along. Comments like “Did that really happen?” or “That’s funny!” will go a long way to boost your student’s confidence. Make more suggestions to improve the readability of the piece.

Step Seven: Don’t Give Up
After three revisions, you might be tempted to say, “This is good enough.” But remember that you are not looking for “good enough.” You are looking for perfect. The students may groan and complain, but you are doing the best thing in the world for them. Don’t give up now. Mark it up, send it back, set another deadline.

Step Eight: Get Picky
The student has done everything you’ve asked. It is time to nitpick, to find the most common and almost unnoticeable errors. Find errors that adults or even businesses commonly make. Make sure the paper has a good introduction and a satisfying conclusion. Make sure the title is catchy and the student’s name and headings are exactly as instructed. What about content? Is the story interesting enough?

Step Nine: Have the Student Read Aloud
When you think all the revisions are complete, have each student read his or her paper out loud, either in front of you or in front of the class. Make notes where the student stammers or hesitates. This might indicate a section where the sentence flow is poor. Your critique of their readings will mark the final edit of the piece.

Step Ten: Finalize and Congratulate
After the students read their papers aloud, have them make last minute revisions based on your critique and hand in the final copy. By this time, every paper, whether it is one page or twenty, should be nearly professional in quality. Congratulate each student, and congratulate yourself.
This hands on method of teaching students to write will stay with them throughout each of their lives. Each time they read a business letter or log onto the Internet, they will subconsciously mimic you in picking out mistakes.

Writing is a skill that takes practice. But that practice sometimes needs a little guidance. If you guide your students through one single writing assignment and stay with them from beginning to end, you will be giving them the gift of a lifetime. Not only will you improve the writing skills of a group of young students, but you will be contributing to the literary betterment of the world.

__________________________________

This source is copied from http://www.englishgrammar.org/ten-steps-teaching-perfect-writing/

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Advice for Students: 10 Steps Toward Better Writing

Writing well is easily one of the most sought-after and useful skills in the business world. Ironically, it is one of the rarest and most undervalued skills among students, and few professors have the time, resources, or skills to teach writing skills effectively. What follows are a handful of tips and general principles to help you develop your writing skills, which will not only improve your grades (the most worthless indicator of academic progress) but will help develop your ability to think and explain the most difficult topics. Although directed at students, most of this advice applies equally well to any sort of writing; in the end, good writing is not limited to one context or another.

1. Pace yourself. Far too many students start their papers the night before they are due and write straight through until their deadline. Most have even deceived themselves into thinking they write best this way. They don’t. Professors give out assignments at the beginning of the semester for a reason: so that you have ample time to plan, research, write, and revise a paper. Taking advantage of that time means that not only will you produce a better paper but you’ll do so with less stress and without losing a night of sleep (or partying) the evening of the due date. Block out time at the beginning of the semester — e.g. 2 weeks for research, 2 weeks for writing, 2 weeks to let your draft “sit”, and a few days to revise and proofread. During your writing time, set aside time to write a little bit each day (500 words is incredibly doable, usually in less than an hour — a short blog post is that long!) and “park downhill” when you’re done — that is, end your writing session at a place where you’ll be able to easily pick up the thread the next day.
2. Plan, then write. For some reason, the idea of planning out a paper strikes fear deep into the hearts of most students — it’s as if they consider themselves modernist artists of the word, and any attempt to direct the course of their brilliance would sully the pure artistic expression that is their paper. This is, in a word, dumb. There is no successful writer who does not plan his work before he starts writing — and if he says he does, he’s lying. Granted, not every writer, or even most, bothers with a traditional formal outline with Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals, lowercase letters, lowercase Roman numerals, and so on. An outline can be a mindmap, a list of points to cover, a statement of purpose, a mental image of your finished paper — even, if you’re good, the first paragraph you write. See the introduction to this post? That’s an outline: it tells you what I’m going to talk about, how I’m going to talk about it, and what you can expect to find in the rest of the paper. It’s not very complete; my real outline for this post was scribbled on my bedside notebook and consisted of a headline and a list of the ten points I wanted to cover.

   Whatever form it takes, an effective outline accomplishes a number of things. It provides a ruler to measure your progress against as you’re writing. It acts as a reminder to make sure you cover your topic as fully as possible. It offers writing prompts when you get stuck. A good outline allows you to jump back and forth, attacking topics as your thinking or your research allows, rather than waiting to see what you write on page six before deciding what you should write about on page seven. Finally, having a plan at hand helps keep you focused on the goals you’ve set for the paper, leading to better writing than the “making it up as you go along” school of writing to which most students seem to subscribe.

3. Start in the middle. One of the biggest problems facing writers of all kinds is figuring out how to start. Rather than staring at a blank screen until it’s burned into your retinas trying to think of something awe-inspiring and profound to open your paper with, skip the introduction and jump in at paragraph two. You can always come back and write another paragraph at the top when you’re done — but then again, you might find you don’t need to. As it turns out, the first paragraph or so are usually the weakest, as we use them to warm up to our topic rather than to do any useful work.
4. Write crappy first drafts. Give up the fantasy of writing sterling prose in your first go-around. You aren’t Jack Kerouac (and even he wrote some crummy prose) and you aren’t writing the Great American Novel (and Kerouac beat you to it, anyway). Write secure in the knowledge that you can fix your mistakes later. Don’t let the need to look up a fact or to think through a point get in the way of your writerly flow — just put a string of x’es or note to yourself in curly brackets {like this} and move on. Ignore the rules of grammar and format — just write. You can fix your mistakes when you proofread. What you write doesn’t matter, what you rewrite is what matters.
5. Don’t plagiarize. Plagiarism is much more than lifting papers off the Internet — it’s copying phrases from Wikipedia or another site without including a reference and enclosing the statement in quotes, it’s summarizing someone else’s argument or using their data without noting the source, it’s including anything in your paper that is not your own original thought and not including a pointer to where it comes from. Avoid ever using another person’s work in a way that even suggests it is your own.

   Be sparing in your use of other people’s work, even properly cited. A paper that is essentially a string of quotes and paraphrases with a minimum of your on words is not going to be a good paper, even though each quote and paraphrase is followed by a perfectly formed reference.

6. Use directions wisely. Make sure your paper meets the requirements spelled out in the assignment. The number one question most students ask is “how long does it have to be?” The real answer, no matter what the instructions say, is that every paper needs to be exactly as long as it needs to be to make its point. However, almost every topic can be stretched to fill out a book, or condensed down to a one-page summary; by including a page-count, your professor is giving you a target not for the number of words but for the level of detail you should include.

   Contrary to popular opinion, writing shorter papers well is much harder than writing longer papers. If your professor asks you to write 8 – 10 pages, it’s not because she doesn’t think you can write more than ten pages on your topic; more likely, it’s because she doesn’t think you can write less than eight.

7. Avoid Wikipedia. I admit, I am a big fan of Wikipedia. It is generally well-researched, authoritative, and solidly written. But I cringe when students cite Wikipedia in their papers, especially when they use the worst possible introductory strategy: “According to Wikipedia, [subject of paper] is [quote from Wikipedia].” Wikipedia — and any other general-purpose encyclopedia — is really not a suitable source for college-level work. It’s there as a place to look up facts quickly, to gain a cursory understanding of a topic, not to present detailed examinations of academic subjects. Wikipedia is where you should start your research, but the understanding that forms the core of a good academic paper (or nearly any other kind of paper) should be much deeper and richer than Wikipedia offers. But don’t take my word for it: Jimmy Wales, one of Wikipedia’s founders, has very openly discouraged students from using his creation as a source.
8. Focus on communicating your purpose.Revise your paper at least once, focusing on how well each line directs your readers towards the understanding you’ve set out to instill in them. Every sentence should direct your reader towards your conclusion. Ask yourself, “Does this sentence add to my argument or just take up space? Does it follow from the sentence before, and lead into the following sentence? Is the topic of each paragraph clear? Does each sentence in the paragraph contribute to a deeper understanding of the paragraph’s topic?” Revising your paper is where the magic happens — when you’re done with your first draft, your understanding of your subject will be much greater than it was when you started writing; use that deeper knowledge to clarify and enrich your writing. Revision should take about the same time as writing — say 15 – 30 minutes a page.
9. Proofread. Proofreading is a separate thing entirely from revision, and should be the last thing you do before declaring a paper “finished”. This is where you’ll want to pay attention to your grammar — make sure every sentence has a subject and a verb, and that they agree with each other. Fix up all the spelling errors, especially the ones that spell-checking misses (like “there” and “their”). Certainly run your word processor’s spell-checker, but that’s the beginning, not the end, of proofreading. One good trick is to proofread your paper backwards — look at the last word, then the second-to-last word, then the third-to-last word, and so on. This forces your brain to look at each word out of its original context, which means that your memory of what you wanted to write won’t get in the way of seeing what you actually did write.
10. Conclude something. Don’t confuse a “conclusion” with a “summary”. The last paragraph or two should be the culmination of your argument, not a rehash of it. Explain the findings of your research, propose an explanation for the data presented, point out avenues for future research, or point out the significance of the facts you’ve laid out in your paper. The conclusion should be a strong resolution to the paper, not a weak recapitulation tacked on to pad out the page count.

The best way to improve your writing is to write, as much as you can. The tips above will help give you direction and point out areas where you are likely to find weaknesses that undermine your written work. What tricks have you come up with to make the process of writing more productive and less painful?

_____________________________________

This source is copied from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-10-steps-toward-better-writing.html

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Improving Listening Skills

Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, you are communicating quite fluently, but: Listening is STILL a problem!

First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult task (noun=exercise, job) for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. So, now you know you are not alone....! OK. The most important thing is to listen, and that means as often as possible. The next step is to find listening resources. This is where the Internet really comes in handy (idiom = to be useful) as a tool for English students. First you need to:

• Download The RealPlayerfrom RealMedia.com

The RealPlayer allows you to listen to RealAudio and use the Internet like a radio station. Many sites now also provide listening using the Windows Media Player - or even have their own players on the site. Once you have the RealPlayer you can begin to listen to English as it is used in everyday life. The possibilities are almost unlimited. You can:

• Listen to All Things Considered news stories on NPR
• Listen to the BBC.

Strategies

Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated (adjective=upset) by limited understanding. What should you do?

Here is some of the advice I give my students:

• Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.
• Keep cool (idiom=stay relaxed) when you do not understand - even if you continue to not understand for a long time.
• Do not translate into your native language (synonym=mother tongue)
• Listen for the gist (noun=general idea) of the conversation. Don't concentrate on detail until you have understood the main ideas.

I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn't understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This approach (synonym=method) usually resulted in confusion. Then, after the first six months, I discovered two extremely important facts; Firstly, translating creates a barrier (noun=wall, separation) between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm (adjective=relaxed), I noticed that - even if I spaced out (idiom=to not pay attention) I could usually understand what the speaker had said. I had discovered some of the most important things about listening comprehension:

Translating creates a barrier between yourself and the person who is speaking

While you are listening to another person speaking a foreign language (English in this case), the temptation is to immediately translate into your native language. This temptation becomes much stronger when you hear a word you don't understand. This is only natural as we want to understand everything that is said. However, when you translate into your native language, you are taking the focusof your attention away from the speaker and concentrating on the translation process taking place in your brain. This would be fine if you could put the speaker on hold (phrasal verb=to make a person wait). In real life however, the person continues talking while you translate. This situation obviously leads to less -not more- understanding. I have discovered that translation leads to a kind of block (noun=no movement or activity ) in my brain which sometimes doesn't allow me to understand anything at all!

Most people repeat themselves

Think for a moment about your friends, family and colleagues. When they speak in your native tongue, do they repeat themselves? I don't mean literally (adverb=word for word), I mean the general idea. If they are like most people I have met, they probably do. That means that whenever you listen to someone speaking, it is very likely (adjective=probable) that he/she will repeat the information, giving you a second, third or even fourth chance to understand what has been said.

By remaining calm, allowing yourself to notunderstand, and not translating while listening, your brain is free to concentrate on the most important thing: Understanding English in English.

• Listen to something you enjoy

Probably the greatest advantage about using the Internet to improve your listening skills is that you can choose what you would like to listen to and how many and times you would like to listen to it. By listening to something you enjoy, you are also likely to know a lot more of the vocabulary required!

• Listen for Keywords

Use keywords (noun=principal words) or keyphrases to help you understand the general ideas. If you understand "New York", "business trip", "last year" you can assume (verb=to take for granted, suppose) that the person is speaking about a business trip to New York last year. This may seem obvious to you, but remember that understanding the main idea will help you to understand the detail as the person continues to speak.

• Listen for Context

Let's imagine that your English speaking friend says "...I bought this great tunerat JR's. It was really cheap and now I can finally listen to National Public Radio broadcasts." You don't understand what a tuneris. If you focus on the word tuneryou might become frustrated. However, if you think in context (noun=the situation explained during the conversation) you probably will understand. For example; bought is the past of buy, listen is no problem and radio is obvious. Now you understand: He bought something - the tuner- to listen to the radio. A tunermust be a kind of radio! This is a simple example but it demonstrates what you need to focus on: Not the word that you don't understand, but the words you dounderstand.

Summary

It might seem to you that my ideas on how to listen encourage you to not understand everything. This is absolutely correct. One hundred percent understanding is something to work towards(phrasal verb=to have as a goal, a plan for the future) and not to expect of yourself now. Listening needs a great amount of practice and patience. Allow yourself the luxury of not becoming nervous when you do not understand, and you will be surprised by how quickly you dobegin to understand.

Listening often is the most important way to improve your listening skills. Enjoy the listening possibilities offered by the Internet and remember relax......

How to Practice English Listening Comprehension Skills

In order to have good skills in listening comprehension in English and to speak it fluently, a learner should practise listening to audio and video aids in English (dialogues, thematic texts and narrative stories). It is preferable to have English transcripts of audio and video material. I suggest that learners practice listening comprehension with subsequent speaking in the following sequence:

1. Learners should listen to each sentence several times. At the same time they should see each sentence in the transcript.
2. Learners need to make sure they understand everything clearly in each sentence in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
3. Without looking into the transcript, learners should try to repeat each sentence (say it aloud) exactly as they heard it. Without being able to repeat a sentence, a learner cannot understand it.
4. Then it is essential that learners listen to that particular conversation or text (story) in short paragraphs or chunks, say each paragraph aloud, and compare to the transcript.
5. Finally it is necessary that learners listen to the whole conversation or story without interruption several times, and try to tell the content of the whole conversation or text (story) they heard. They can write key words and phrases, or main ideas as a plan, or questions on that particular dialogue or text to make easier for them to convey their content in English. It is important for learners to compare what they said to the transcript.

Thank you to Mike Shelby for offering this advice on improving listening comprehension skills in English based on his considerable English teaching experience.

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This Source is copied from http://esl.about.com/od/englishlistening/a/listen_tips.htm Written by Kenneth Beare

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How To Improve Your Vocabulary

There are many ways to improve your vocabulary. When working to improve your vocabulary it's important to know your goals in order to best choose the way in which you want to learn. Reading can be a great way to improve your vocabulary. However, it won't be much help on a vocabulary test next week. Here are a number of methods to help you improve, and expand, your English vocabulary.

Here's How:

1. Vocabulary Trees

   Vocabulary trees help provide context. Once you've mapped out a few vocabulary trees, you'll discover yourself thinking in vocabulary groups. When you see a cup your mind will quickly relate such words as knife, fork, late, dishes, etc. This overview to vocabulary trees provides will help you get started. Here is an example of a vocabulary tree.

2. Create Vocabulary Themes

   Create a list of vocabulary themes, include the vocabulary, a definition and an example sentence for each new item. Here is an example of a household appliance vocabulary theme sheet.

3. Use Technology to Help You

   Watching DVDs is a great way to help you understand native speakers of English. Using all the fancy options watching individual scenes can help make DVD use into a vocabulary learning exercise.

4. Specific Vocabulary Lists

   Rather than studying a long list of unrelated vocabulary, use specific vocabulary lists to help you prepare for the type of vocabulary you need for work, school or hobbies. These business vocabulary word lists are great for industry specific vocabulary items.

5. Word Formation Charts

   Word formation is one of the keys to success for advanced level ESL learners. Advanced level English exams such as the TOEFL, First Certificate CAE and Proficiency use word formation as one of the key testing elements. These word formation charts provide the concept noun, personal noun, adjective and verb forms of key vocabulary listed in alphabetical order.

6. Visual Dictionaries

   A picture is worth a thousand words. It's also very helpful for learning precise vocabulary. There are a number of excellent English learner visual dictionaries for sale. Here is an online version of a visual dictionary dedicated to jobs.

7. Learn Collocations

   Collocations refer to words that often or always go together. A good example of a collocation is to do your homework. These lists of important verb + noun collocations will help your learn some of the most important.

8. Use a Corpus

   Corpora are huge collections of documents that can track the number of times a word is used. By using a corpora, you can find which words are often used together with target vocabulary words. Combining corpora use with vocabulary trees is a great way to learn key vocabulary for specific vocabulary target areas. You can get started by visiting the British National Corpus.

Tips:

1. Use vocabulary learning methods to focus quickly on the vocabulary YOU need to study.
2. Don't make random lists of new words. Try to group words in themes. This will help you memorize new words more quickly.
3. If you have the time, and even if you think you don't have the time, try to add context. Writing a few example sentences using new vocabulary will help you remember the words in context.
4. Keep a vocabulary notepad at hand whenever you are reading in English.

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This source is copied from http://esl.about.com/od/engilshvocabulary/ht/htvocab.htm Written by Kenneth Beare,

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Improve Spoken English

How To Speak English

Most English learning boils down to the question of how to speak English. There are other goals as well, but learning how to speak English will help you communicate with others, and lead to better test scores on the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, Cambridge and other exams. In order to know how to speak English, you need to have a plan. This guide on how to speak English provides an outline that you can follow to learn to speak English. If you already speak English, this guide will help you more quickly improve your English speaking skills.

Here's How:

1. Discover Which Type Of English Learner You Are

   When learning how to speak English you first need to find out what type of English learner you are. Ask yourself questions such as Why do I want to speak English? Do I need to speak English for my job? Do I want to speak English for travel and hobbies, or do I have something more serious in mind? Here is an excellent worksheet "What Type of English Learner?" to help you find out.

2. Understand Your Goals

   Once you know what type of English learner you are, you can begin to better understand your goals. Once you know your goals, you'll better understand what you need to do to speak English well. This is similar to understanding what type learner you are. Write down a list of the things you would like to do with your English. Would you like to speak English fluently in two years? Would you like to have enough English to travel and order food in a restaurant? Understanding exactly what you want to do with English will help you learn how to speak English because you will work towards your goals.

3. Find Out Your Level

   Before you begin to learn how to speak English, you'll need to know where to begin. Taking a level test can help you understand what level you are at and then you can start using resources appropriate for your level in order to learn how to speak English well. Of course, you'll not only learn how to speak English, but also how to read, write and use English in a variety of settings. These quizzes will help you find your level. Start with the beginning level test and then move on. Stop when you get less than 60% and begin at that level.

   Beginning Test
   Intermediate Test
   Advanced Test

4. Decide On Learning Strategy

   Now that you understand your English learning goals, style and level it's time to decide on an English learning strategy. The simple answer to the question of how to speak English is that you need to speak it as often as possible. Of course, it's more difficult than that. Start off by deciding which type of learning strategy you will take. Do you want to study alone? Do you want to take a class? How much time do you have to dedicate to English study? How much are you willing to pay to learn to speak English? Answer these questions and you will understand your strategy.

5. Put Together A Plan For Learning Grammar

   If you want to know how to speak English, you'll also have to know how to use English grammar. Here are my five top tips on how to speak English with good grammar.

   • Learn grammar from context. Do exercises that have you identify tenses and from within a short reading or listening selection.
   • When learning how to speak English you need to use your muscles. Read your grammar exercises aloud which will help you learn to use correct grammar when speaking.
   • Don't do too much grammar! Understanding grammar doesn't mean you speak. Balance grammar with other English learning tasks.
   • Do ten minutes of grammar each day. It's better to only do a little every day than a lot once a week.
   • Use self-study resources at this site. There are lots of grammar resources you can use here on the site to help you improve.

6. Put Together A Plan For Learning Speaking Skills

   If you want to know how to speak English, you'll have to have a plan for speaking English every day. Here are my top five tips to make sure you speak - not just study - English every day.

   • Do all exercises using your voice. Grammar exercises, reading exercises, everything should be read aloud.
   • Speak to yourself. Don't worry about someone hearing you. Speak out loud in English to yourself often.
   • Choose a topic each day and speak for one minute about that topic.
   • Use online exercises and speak in English using Skype or other programs. Here's some practice English speaking sheets to get you started.
   • Make lots of mistakes! Don't worry about mistakes, make many and make them often.

7. Put Together A Plan For Learning Vocabulary

   To make sure you know how to speak English about a wide range of topics you'll need plenty of vocabulary. Here are some suggestions and resources to get you started.

   • Make vocabulary trees. Vocabulary trees and other fun exercises can help you group vocabulary together for faster learning.
   • Keep track of new vocabulary you've learned in a folder.
   • Use visual dictionaries to help you learn more vocabulary faster.
   • Choose to learn vocabulary about subjects you like. There's no need to study vocabulary that doesn't interest you.
   • Study a little bit of vocabulary every day. Try to learn just two or three new words / expressions every day.

8. Put Together A Plan For Learning Reading / Writing

   If you want to learn how to speak English, you may not be too concerned with reading and writing. Still, it's a good idea to learn how to read and write in English, as well as learn how to speak English.

   • Remember to use your own native language reading skills. You don't need to understand every single word.
   • Practice writing short texts on blogs or for comments at popular English learning web sites. People expect errors at these sites and you'll feel very welcome.
   • Read for pleasure in English. Choose a subject you like and read about it.
   • Don't translate directly from your own language when writing. Keep it simple.

9. Put Together A Plan For Learning Pronunciation

   Learning how to speak English also means learning how to pronounce English.

   • Learn about the music of English and how it can help with English pronunciation skills.
   • Find out about typical pronunciation mistakes people speaking your native tongue make.
   • Consider using a pronunciation program to help you learn better pronunciation through practice.
   • Get a dictionary that has good phonetic transcriptions to help you understand the sounds of English.
   • Use your mouth! Speak out loud every day the more you practice the better your pronunciation will become.

10. Create Opportunities To Speak English

    Using English as often as possible is the key to learning how to speak English well. Join English learning communities online such as EnglishCafe or iTalki to practice speaking English with others with Skype. Join local clubs that focus on speaking English, speak to tourists and give them a helping hand. If you have friends who are learning to speak English, set aside 30 minutes every day to speak English together. Be creative and create as many opportunities as possible to speak English.

Tips:

1. Be patient with yourself. It takes a while to learn how to speak English well. Remember to give yourself time and treat yourself well.
2. Do everything everyday, but only do ten to fifteen minutes of the more boring tasks. If you want to improve listening skills, just listen to the radio fifteen minutes rather than an hour. Do ten minutes of grammar exercises. Never do too much English. It's better to do just a little bit every day rather than a lot only twice a week.
3. Make mistakes, make more mistakes and continue to make mistakes. The only way you will learn is by making mistakes, feel free to make them and make them often.
4. Learn how to speak English about the things you like doing. If you enjoy speaking about the topic, it will be much easier for you to learn how to speak English well in a shorter amount of time.

What You Need

• Patience
• Time
• Willingness to make mistakes
• Friends who can speak English with you
• Books or internet resources in English

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This source is copied from http://esl.about.com/od/speakingintermediate/ht/How-To-Speak-English.htm


- Improve Spoken English

Good English speaking skills are required in every aspect of our lives. We all know that English is the language that unifies the world, as it is the language known to maximum number of individuals around the globe. Today if we want a decent job, want to impress a girl, or desire respect in society, everything circles to our speaking skills.

Case Studies

• Case 1

Amar was asked to present a seminar on "Communication Skills" in front of the entire class. Amar prepared for it by heart, and on the given date started to present his seminar but strangely he was unable to speak even the starting sentence. He was heavily embarrassed and the frustration was clear from his face.

• Case 2

Vaseem is an MBA aspirant. He cleared his MBA exam, and appeared for his Group Discussion session activity. The topic given to the group was "How to Improve Spoken English".

Vaseem found the topic to be easy and knew much information about it. But still when the group discussion started, he was unable to speak a single word. Whenever he tried to speak anything, he was worried with the fact that is my English correct?, will the group laugh at me?, would I be rejected?. The embarrassment caused was too heavy for him to bear and he dropped his plans for doing MBA.

• Case 3

Akshit was invited to his girl friend Ritu's birthday party. He went there with a costly gift to make a good impression. There Ritu introduced him to his parents in English. Her parents asked Akshit about what he does and his hobbies. Akshit started to reply in English, but found himself struggling with words. Slowly he changed to his native language and his entire conversation was a mix of native language and English. Akshit was aware that he is creating a very bad impression by mixing the languages and his inability to speak in English is very clear. This led to further frustration and shattering of his self confidence.

There are multiple scenarios like the ones discussed above that we face in our daily lives. The pinching thing is the embarrassment that we face in public due to poor communication skills. There are many students who choose ESL as compared to any other language. There is a very strong reason for choosing ESL as it is the single most global language across the world. If a person is good in English, then multiple opportunities across the world are open for him.

Good Spoken English is so important, but still very few people possess this skill. There are multiple reasons for issues with communication skills in English.

The most common issues with Speaking in English are mentioned below:-

• Poor Vocabulary:- We need a decent vocabulary for conversation. If the vocabulary is limited, then we use the same words again and again. Also we find our self struggling with words. A good vocabulary helps the speaker to use multiple words for conveying the same message. Also it helps to understand what the other person is speaking, and we are able to respond to it properly.

• Lack of Spoken English skills:- Oral Communication skills are one of the most desired things in the world. Building good Communication skills require persistent hard work and the right direction to proceed. This article discusses multitude of tips and techniques to improve spoken English. Choose the ones most comfortable to you, and do practice them consistently.

• Lack of practice:- Even knowing the right path to proceed is not enough, you need to make efforts to reach your destination. Similarly having good English material and knowing how to improve communication is not enough, you have to practice it consistently.

• Unable to stay calm:- One of the most common reasons of disaster in Oral communication is anxiety. Most of the people get over anxious when asked to speak in front of many people. The key is to remain calm, and treat it like a normal conversation. The more you believe that speaking in front of a crowd is difficult, the more difficult it will be.

• Lack of preparation:- Many times we are not prepared on what to speak. Like when asked to give a Seminar on some topic, and we are missing the starting sentence to start with. This happens when we have not practiced or given considerable though to the topic. If we have free flowing thoughts and ideas, then conversation becomes a lot easier.

• Unable to handle being focus of Attention:- When we are supposed to make a public speech, we are the focus of attention of many people. Just imagine how the television hosts and anchors speak effortlessly in front of the entire media. This requires a lot of courage. The key is to handle the anxiety and fear of facing many people. Just take it as a normal conversation, and all will be fine.

• Issue of reputation getting damaged:- It happens that when we are unable to speak clearly and fluently or even make mistakes in basic sentences, then people laugh at us. This damages our reputation in our own eyes. This is one of the biggest fear which needs to be conquered. Our self respect is so high that we are unable to handle the shame of making mistakes while speaking in English.

• Memory loss while speaking in English:- When we are over anxious in speaking, then our memory also vanishes. We forget the basic lines that we had learn by heart. This happens a lot of time to many people. Stay calm, and tell your brains that it's OK to converse normally. If you can handle your anxiety, then the effect of memory loss is very much minimized.

• People will laugh at me:- That's what I used to think, when my communication skills were poor. Many times it happen, that my teacher asked us a question. I knew the answer but kept quiet, just fearing that I will not be able to communicate my thought properly in English and people will laugh at me. The improvement came when I decided that let the world go to hell. I am the best and I will speak my heart out. Try to imbibe this feeling in yourself, it helps to gather courage and makes you bold enough to face the world.

• Unable to express ideas:- This is another factor which is a major block in our paths of improvement. Many times it happens that we knew what need to be said, but are unable to express it in words. This leads to further frustration, as we knew that the listener is not able to understand our words.

• Unable to understand others:- In a communication, we need to interact equally with others. To converse properly we need to understand what the others are saying, and then respond to them. But if we have poor vocabulary, or are unable to understand what others are saying, then there is no way by which we can respond to them correctly.

The issues discussed above are the most common problems faced by individuals while speaking. The main idea is to identify your weak points and then work on them. We cannot correct a fault until we are aware of it. So just make a note of points which are crucial to you, so that you can proceed with the below tips accordingly.

There are multiple ways to Improve Spoken English. The most effective way is the one for which you are comfortable with. So make a note of key tips that you can incorporate in your daily schedule, so as to achieve the maximum improvement in your Oral Communication skills in English.

Tips to Improve Spoken English

• Speak in English:- If you want to learn something, then you have to do it. You cannot learn a car by reading a book, you have to drive it yourself. Similarly you cannot become a master of great speaking ability in English just by reading something, you have to practice it consistently. Speak in English whenever and wherever you get a chance. Try to indulge in conversation with parents and friends in English.

• Speak Confidently:- Confidence is something that comes by practice. Many times our weaknesses are hidden by our confidence. Try to speak with confidence in English. It conveys the idea that you are very much familiar with the topic and can converse easily on it. Small fumbling in words are usually ignored in this case by the listener. The driving factor is our confidence. It's equivalent to saying that "Believe in yourself, if you want others to believe in you".

• Are you fluent or are you accurate?:- Fluency and accuracy are the reverse of each other. It is like driving a car, the faster you drive, the more is the chance of an accident. Similarly if you think and then speak, then you would be more accurate and avoid accidents. On the other-hand speaking fluently demands a very high free flow of ideas in your mind, and chances are high that you can fumble in between. Good fluency comes by practice. Try to be fluent while maintaining accuracy. If you feel that accuracy is getting compromised, then start speaking a bit slowly.

• Use a dictionary:- Dictionary is your best companion, always keep one in your pocket. Whenever you encounter any new word, just make a note of it. Moreover the dictionary contains the phonemes before the meaning of the word. these phonemes are the way to pronounce the word correctly. This will help in getting the right pronunciation as well as meaning of words. It is an immense boost to your vocabulary also.

• Choose the right words:- In communication, choice of correct words is essential. If you want to express some idea, then choosing a limited right words can convey the meaning much more effectively. Many times people use too many words and sentences to describe even a small topic. This is not a good practice. Try to speak correctly and to the point. This makes a great impression on the listener, and he can understand the information in much less words. Many sentences can often lead to confusion.

• Don't be afraid to make mistakes:- Can a child learn to walk without falling? And if the child is afraid of falling, then can he ever learn to walk? The point is clear that you cannot learn something without making mistakes. Learn from a child, he falls so many times, but every-time he gets up and starts again. This is called true dedication. We all have it, since we all had learned to walk the same way. So where is this dedication right now? Gather your courage, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes and improve yourself.

• Talk to yourself in English:- Talking to yourself is one of the most effective way of improving spoken English. This is one exercise that I still do today. There are many advantages of this. First you do not need any one to talk, so no issues of anyone laughing at your mistakes. Second you can practice at any time as per your comfort. I talk a lot at night, as I discuss my thoughts with myself in English. Third is that you start to think in English, this is the most important advantage of this activity. When we think in English, then we are able to communicate better since we need not translate it to our native languages every-time.

• Make a sentence from any word you learn:- Try to make a sentence from any word that you find as new or difficult. This helps in better remembering the word. When you make a sentence, then actually your brain works to think over the meaning of that word and how it fits into a sentence. You also get accustomed to using new words into sentences.

• Record your voice and listen again:- Now this one is an interesting tip to improve spoken English. It requires you to record your voice using any tape recorder or even a mobile, and then listen to it again. When first time I tried this activity, I was shocked, I never knew that I sound so unclear. This is like a feedback to you, so as to judge your voice yourself. It's like a closed loop system, where you give the output, take some part of it back and use that feedback to correct yourself for further output. A very effective way to analyze yourself from time to time.

• Avoid using same words again and again:- Using same words again and again makes the listener think that you don't have a good vocabulary and that you are not good in spoken skills. Try to vary words among sentences. This helps to keep the listener involved and interested. I hope you all must be having televisions in your home. Just have a look at the news channel when they show the flashy "Breaking News". There they repeat the same news for more that an hour showing the same video clipping, but always use different words to express the opinion. This variation of words is the key factor which involves the listener.

• Involve the listener by asking questions in between:- A communication is always two sided. If you are giving a seminar or presentation or even talking to someone, keep asking small questions to them. This ensures that they are paying attention to what you are saying, secondly this also insures that they are interested in your speech or not. The listeners are automatically involved in the communication process and the session becomes more lively.

• Be a good listener:- If you want to be a good speaker then listening is very important. Have you ever though that why is it that all people who are deaf by birth are also dumb, though the reverse is not true. It is simply because if a person is deaf by birth, then he has not listened to any voice since he was born. Ultimately his brain did not know what sound is, and is therefore unable to speak. For speaking we must be aware of the correct sounds, phonemes and pronunciation of words. Being a good listener helps us to attain this. It has many other advantages like, it encourages the other person to converse more. It is also a sign that you are interested in what the other person is saying.

• Don't use accent, just sound natural:- Many movies show there stars using some or the other accent. In practical life this sounds really bad. Don't spoil your voice by putting any unnecessary accent. Just try to remain natural. Natural speech and sound is the best form to communicate.

• Speak Slowly:- Have you ever noticed that most of the politicians speak slowly, and yet they are very powerful speakers. Speaking slowly gives the listener time to understand what you have said, so he is better prepared for the coming words and can relate to them. Moreover speaking slowly gives you time to think over your own words. You get extra time to properly rephrase your sentence so as to make the best impact. The choice of words is usually much better when we speak slowly.

• Stress on punctuations:- Punctuations can change the meaning of sentences. Many people speak sentences in a flow, and they don't even bother to stress the correct punctuations. The listener usually gets a confused or wrong information in this case. These scenarios could be avoided by giving due respect to the punctuations. Just have look at the example below:-

• The gangster dropped the bullet in his head.

• The gangster dropped, the bullet in his head.

• Pronounce the beginning and ending of words correctly:- It is a crucial tip for English communication. If you speak the starting and ending of any word correctly, then your words will be very clear to the listener. Most of the time we speak the starting of the word correctly, but jumps over the ending part of the word. This make the pronunciation a bit tricky and the listener is unable to clearly understand our words. Just notice that how the good speakers pronounce each and every word so clearly. It is this beauty of clarity that makes them excellent orators.

• Think in English:- This is the basic rule to converse in English. Thinking in English helps to avoid translating thoughts from native language to English and vice verse while communicating. Our thoughts must come in English just as they come in our native language. It is in fact the most important tip of all the tips mentioned. The best part is that we listen think and then speak. If the listening and speaking are in English, then thinking in native language requires translation. This slows the communication process, and forces us to fill gap words like "hmmmmm", "errrrr", etc. If the thinking process is also in English then the complete cycle is in English and in fact is very fast.

• listen--------------->think--------------->speak

• Read newspaper loudly:- Reading of English newspapers helps improve grammar and vocabulary, but reading them loudly helps in improving spoken English. The aim is to stretch our mouth muscles so they get used to speaking English words. Moreover our mind gets trained that yes we can speak these words with confidence.

• Keep checking Internet for more information:- Keep checking online for more information and material on the internet. It might happen that you are able to get some good audios, or tutorials to Improve Spoken English. Most of the material online is free, so no need to pay for anything. Just practice at the leisure of your home, but be consistent.

• How to improve vocabulary:- Vocabulary plays a vital role in any communication. A limited or small vocabulary forces the speaker to use the same words again and again. A good vocabulary helps the orator to vary the words among sentences so as to keep the listener interested. Building vocabulary is a bit hard. The way I had improved my vocabulary is discussed in detail in this article. Just check the link for more information on it. I actually used the Brute Force approach, that is to learn an entire dictionary by heart. I managed this by picking a small dictionary of around 2000 words. Regular practice and consistency helped me improve my vocabulary massively. Later a time came when my friends used to refer me for any word they encounter. They started calling me human dictionary. The respect you get after any achievement is enough to keep you motivated.

• Join a personality development program:- PDP or personality development programs are very common in almost every city. Consider joining them if you need a class of learners and teacher's guidance. PDP courses help in grooming the overall personality including spoken skills. These programs work on confidence building, how to present yourself, oral communication, etc. So overall they provide good service for the money that you pay to them. You may check in your area for a reputed course provider.

• Listen English Songs:- English songs are a great source of good English audios. Do listen to English songs for getting more and more accustomed to the way English words are pronounced. The more songs you listen and understand the lines, the better would be your understanding of the language. Try to get the lyrics of songs also, so that you can understand any word in case of discrepancy.

• Sing English songs loudly:- Singing songs is a pass time that we do occasionally. It is so natural that most of the time we don't even know that we are singing songs. We may utilize this pass time to improve our communication. Try singing English songs loudly. One activity multiple advantages. For singing you must know the song. Knowing the song implies that you are able to pronounce the words in the sentences of that song. It automatically implies a clear understanding of the song. Singling it loudly is again a brain tuning exercise by which we help our brains gain confidence in speaking English words and sentences.

• Grammar is important:- While speaking in English, sometimes grammar can be avoided. But if you want to make a real good impression, then work on your grammar. Grammar is very important for written communication, and should be correctly used while speaking. Poor grammar depicts poor usage of the language and magnifies your weakness in the language. Get a good English grammar book. We used to study from "Wren and Martin for English Grammar". You may get anyone that suits you. Remember that no one can learn all the grammar rules by heart. Just try to gain a comfort level so that you do not face issues in normal conversations.

• Watch English Movies:- If you like to watch movies, then you will like this tip. Get some good English DVD's with English subtitles. Play the movie along with friends or family. Keep a tab on the subtitles and how the actors pronounce them. It helps us to get the right pronunciation of words and also there usage in sentences.

• Watch English channels on television:- English channels like Discovery, National Geographic, Star World, BBC, etc. are good sources of English conversation. Particularly I like the way the speakers communicate in the Discovery channel. There voice is very clear. They speak slowly so that we get enough time to understand, and also they use very good English to communicate. On the other hand BBC is more likely for advanced users. The speaks on BBC are very fluent in English. Television is a great source, utilize it.

• Read a lot of English material:- Read as much you can in English. Try English magazines, novels, comics newspaper anything that draws your interest. The more we read in English, the better our grammar, vocabulary and thinking process in English becomes. The more we read, the more we think over it. Try to understand and read, don't just read for the sake of reading. The meaning of words and sentences must be clear, otherwise this exercise will be wasted.

• Write a diary:- A very nice way to build thinking in English capability is to start writing a diary. Just start a diary and write down all the thoughts that come to your mind. The topic is not important, but you must think in English only. Initially the process will be slow, but slowly it catches speed and you will be able to think much faster in English.

• Don't be shy to ask for help:- I heard somewhere that asking for help is a sign of strength and not weakness. A person needs courage to ask for help, and only the strong are able to ask someone for help. The weak ones are too shy to come forward. So don't be shy to ask for help. Almost everyone will come forward to help you. Our teachers, parents and friends all care for us, and they do help us whenever we ask them for.

• Do not translate while speaking:- Translation slows the communication. We have a habit of translating everything from English to our native language. The earlier we get rid of this habit, the better it is for us. Avoid translating while speaking as this creates a very bad impression on the other person. It becomes clear to the other person that you are translating and then replying, it implies that you are not good in spoken English.

• Watch English Programs on TV:- Television is a great source of help for Oral communication improvement. There are multiple English programs coming round the clock. I used to watch "Mind Your Language", "Friends", etc. All these programs are a great source of quality English audios and videos, and you get them for almost free(just the amount of cable fee). Utilize these resources to your advantage and try to understand what the speakers are saying, how they pronounce sentences and words.

• Avoid bluffing sites and material:- Internet is vast and deep. You will get plenty of material online. Don't be bluffed with sites that show you conversation between two people and claim that your spoken English will be improved by this. It's as simple as telling someone who wants to learn car driving to read a car manual to learn how to drive it. You need to listen proper English for getting proper pronunciation. These bluffing sites can hamper your growth process as they misdirect the learning process. Get a hold of some good English audios and videos, enjoy them with your family.

• Test yourself from time to time:- It's hard to test our-self, but is very essential to analyze our-self. Participate in English quizzes, Seminars, presentations whenever possible. Take these challenges and they will show you your confidence level in speaking. If you are still scared in giving a presentation in English, it means that your confidence level is low and needs to be improved. Try some exercise like borrow money from someone in English. Borrowing money requires good communication and convincing skills. Just try it with your friends or parents and see the results yourself.

• Don't expect to see results instantaneously:- It will take some time for the improvements to show in your speech. Don't expect to become a great speaker by the end of 3rd day. It's a long process and requires continuous efforts. Many people start the improvement activity for English communication with full force, but their energy levels are gone by the end of 2nd or 3rd day. Be consistent, and allow your English to improve. A baby also takes time to grow up, you don't expect it to start going to office when it is one year old. Everything need time to improve and grow. Allow the spoken English skills to grow inside you.

• Use Divide and rule approach:- Don't burden yourself with too heavy targets. Make realistic goals which you can achieve in some time duration. Divide the time for the sub-tasks involved in achieving your goal. The key is to make a large task appear small, by dividing it into small and easy tasks. Take one step at a time, don't try to run in the beginning.

• Enjoy whatever you do:- Try to enjoy the learning process. If you take it as a burden, then it will be a very boring activity for you. Make it your passion, and you will automatically become a very fluent English speaker. You like to play games, then you will be a good gamer. You like to cook food, the you will be a good chef. You like to improve your spoken English, then you will definitely be a good speaker.

• Be consistent:- I kept this tip last, because this is the baseline of Improving Spoken English skills. Try to be consistent in the learning process. We need food daily for our stomach and body. The learning process is the food for our brains. Maintain consistency to get the best results from your brain.

Choose the tips that you feel best suits your needs. Do post comments in case you want to make any suggestion or addition.

Discussed below is some material to Improve Spoken English. You may utilize this material and many more materials online to your advantage. I will be further expanding the material section to provide more relevant and meaningful content for the learners.

Material to Improve spoken English

• Spoken English Games are great source to enjoy the learning process while playing games.

• Spoken English Exercises helps to gear up the students practice some exercises to improve there communication skills in English.

• Spoken English Exercises for Children are simple activities designed for small kids. These activities are very simple and kids usually enjoy doing them.

• Spoken English Courses is an under-process list of curse providers in various cities and locations. If you are also a course provider, then check this link and enter your details in the comments section. I will publish the details city wise later in this blog.

All the material provided in this site is absolutely free. Moreover this blog does not allow me to post pdf files. I am working on an ebook on How to Improve Spoken English, and I plan to post it in a pdf format on one of my domains. I hope the material presented in this blog and my upcoming pdf ebook are useful in helping my readers gain higher levels of fluency and better communication skills in English.

There are many advanced areas in which you may like to foray like building strong communication skills, how to speak fluently, etc. This section is designed to cater to this need. All the advanced topics relating to communication and fluency are discussed here.
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This source is copied from http://improve-english-spoken.blogspot.com/

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