English Language: Speak now, worry about mistakes later!
7 shortcuts to English fluency. Today's English lesson is packed with tips to speed up your language learning. Discover some unconventional approaches to learning English that will speed up your English fluency overnight.
Improve your English fluency with our course! Visit Adept English and watch the video to see how you can learn naturally and effectively.
Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Making mistakes is how you learn.
⭐ Ariana Grande
✔️ Lesson transcript: https://adeptenglish.com/lessons/learn-english-language-7-fluency-tips/
The key benefit you'll get from this lesson is a shift in mindset. You'll learn to focus on communication, not perfection. This is crucial for your speaking progress.
You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.
⭐ Richard Branson
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More About This Lesson
Are you struggling to speak English confidently? Discover seven practical tips that will transform your English language fluency skills. This lesson focuses on improving your fluency by prioritizing effective communication over perfect grammar.
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Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
⭐ Albert Schweitzer
By applying these tips, you'll gain:
- Increased confidence in speaking English
- A more natural and fluent communication style
- Faster progress in your language learning journey
- Reduced anxiety about making mistakes
- Better ability to express complex ideas with simple language
This lesson challenges several common misconceptions about language learning. You'll discover that perfect grammar isn't essential for effective communication, and that you don't need an extensive vocabulary to speak fluently.
Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.
⭐ Marilyn Monroe
We'll reveal that even native speakers make mistakes, and that fluency doesn't require mastering complex idioms. You'll learn the importance of practising speaking, even if you're not fully confident, and that you can learn British English without living in the UK.
Finally, we'll show you how to balance communication-focused learning with grammar knowledge, proving that these approaches can complement each other.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- How can I improve my spoken English without worrying about grammar mistakes? Focus on communicating your message rather than perfect grammar. Native speakers make mistakes too! Practice speaking in everyday situations like ordering coffee or asking for directions. Remember, it's more important to express yourself than to be grammatically perfect.
- What's the best way to learn phrasal verbs and idioms in British English? Concentrate on learning the most common phrasal verbs and idioms first. Use the 80/20 rule - 20% of phrasal verbs and idioms will cover 80% of usage. Listen to native speakers and note down the expressions they frequently use. Practice incorporating these into your own speech.
- How can I use "chunking" to improve my British English fluency? Learn and use common phrases or "chunks" of language instead of focusing on individual words. For example, memorize phrases like "In my opinion..." or "To be honest...". This technique helps you speak more fluently and naturally, mimicking how native British English speakers communicate.
- What's the "shadowing technique" and how can it help me speak British English more fluently? The shadowing technique involves listening to spoken British English and repeating what you hear, mimicking the speaker's intonation and rhythm. This helps improve your pronunciation and fluency. Try this with British English podcasts or TV shows, focusing on copying the accent and speech patterns.
- How can I practice using English in real-life situations to improve my fluency? Start by narrating your day to yourself in English. Create 5-10 sample sentences about your daily life for each grammar rule you learn. Engage in conversations with native speakers whenever possible, even if it's just small talk. Remember, the goal is to communicate effectively, not to speak perfectly.
The goal isn't a flawless voyage but a steady and confident journey.
Most Unusual Words:
- Fluency: Being able to speak a language easily and smoothly.
- Grammar: The set of rules that explain how words are used in a language.
- Barista: A person who makes coffee in a coffee shop.
- Subtleties: Small and often not obvious details.
- Custard: A sweet, thick liquid made from eggs, milk, and sugar.
- Phrasal Verbs: Verbs that are made up of a main verb together with an adverb or a preposition, or both.
- Idioms: Expressions where the meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words.
- Intonation: The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
- Chunking: Learning and using common phrases or groups of words together.
- Repertoire: A collection of skills or behaviors that a person regularly uses.
Most Frequently Used Words:
| Word | Count |
|---|---|
| English | 23 |
| About | 13 |
| Learning | 11 |
| These | 10 |
| Language | 9 |
| Grammar | 8 |
| Common | 8 |
| Words | 8 |
| Number | 7 |
| Listening | 7 |
Listen To The Audio Lesson Now
Transcript: 7 Shortcuts To English Fluency
7 Shortcuts to Faster English Fluency
Hi there, and welcome to today’s English lesson! Seven shortcuts to English Fluency. Today we’re going to talk about some language learning advice that can really help you become a better English speaker. Whether you’re just starting or have been learning for a while, these seven tips will help make learning easier and faster and who doesn't want that!
Like all advice, you can "take it or leave it" - it's your choice. If you've been following the Adept English podcast, you will almost certainly have heard me talk about many of these language learning ideas. Today is really about pulling them into a single place, a single lesson.
And these ideas come from a number of places, my own experience, from experienced teachers and communicators or from research I've done on language learning. They will help you speak a new language! So lets get started! Seven short cuts to faster English fluency.
Hello, I’m Hilary, and you’re listening to Adept English. We will help you to speak English fluently. All you have to do is listen. So start listening now and find out how it works.
Grammar Mistakes Are OK in Spoken English - Expect Them!
Number one, grammar mistakes are ok in spoken english - expect them!
If you’re applying for a job or writing an important letter or filling in a form, then grammar mistakes are probably not OK! In these situations, you have time to check your written English is correct and a prospective employer or someone looking at your CV will expect perfect English grammar - probably. But you'll notice that in the real world, in everyday conversations, grammar is less important. What is important? The message you’re trying to communicate. You’re ‘getting stuck in’, ‘having a go’ - you’re willing to speak to people, even though your language isn’t perfect and you make mistakes. It takes a bit of courage, but this courage is worthwhile. You’ll become comfortable with speaking much more quickly if you take this approach. Just go for it - don’t worry about making mistakes. You will make mistakes - it doesn’t matter.
📷
A worried young woman surrounded by books, overwhelmed my language learning. Learn why native speakers aren't perfect - and why that's great news for you.
Imagine you're ordering coffee and say, "I want two cup of coffees, no sugar, please." Even if the grammatically the correct phrase is "I would like two cups of coffee with no sugar, please," the barista will still understand you perfectly. It’s much more important that you’re willing to speak, willing to make mistakes. And if the barista - that’s the word for the expert that makes your coffee in the coffee shop - doesn’t understand you, you can just find a different way of saying it.
So focus on communicating your needs, on what you want rather than on whether your grammar is perfect or not. Practise ordering food, asking for directions, or describing your day on your own first if necessary. Have the courage to make mistakes and your English speaking will progress more quickly.
Remember Native Speakers Aren't Perfect
Two, remember native speakers aren't perfect
British English speakers are always making mistakes. Common ones - people who say the letter H as ‘haitch’ with a ‘h’ on the front. Or people who say ‘less’, when they mean ‘fewer’. Remember the phrase ‘less traffic, fewer cars’ to help you with this. The clue is in the example? So it’s ‘less’ when it’s a substance or a collective noun - ‘less custard’, ‘less traffic’. And it’s ‘fewer’, FEWER when we’re talking about individual things. Like fewer people, fewer cats or fewer umbrellas. So in time, you’ll become aware of these errors that native English speakers make and you may even spot them getting it wrong. But for now, don’t worry about such subtleties - it’s more important that the person you’re speaking to understands what you’re saying!
For example you might hear a native speaker say, "Me and my friend are going to the cinema," instead of the grammatically correct "My friend and I are going to the cinema."
If you want a practical application here - listen to casual conversations between native speakers. See if you can notice any grammatical errors. And notice how they don't stop communication.
Flexible Communication Not Rehearsed Perfection
Number 3, flexible communication not rehearsed perfection
For those of you who’ve done our course ‘The Most Common 500 Words in English’, you’ll realise that you can say a lot with simple English words and phrases. Of course, it’s nice to have creative, interesting or technical words in your vocabulary, but it's not that important if you’re just starting to speak in English.
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For example instead of struggling to find the perfect word, we’re talking here about using simpler terms. If you can't remember how to say "dehydrated," you can just say "I need water" or "I'm very thirsty."
Practise explaining complex ideas using simple words - simplifying in other words. Try describing your job or the plot of a film or TV programme using only basic vocabulary. Possibly words just from the Most Common 500 Words.
Learn Phrasal Verbs and Idioms
Number 4, learn phrasal verbs and idioms
Some time ago I did a podcast on the Pareto Principle,(or is it ‘ Pareto Principle’?!) commonly known anyway as the 80/20 rule. It’s named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He observed in 1896 that approximately 80% of Italy's land was owned by 20% of the population. And that this 80/20 rule is found to be true about many things. For example, in business, it’s often true that "80% of sales come from 20% of customers”. So this principle suggests that, for many things, about 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
So again here, you don’t need to know huge numbers of phrasal verbs and idioms. Instead it’s worth learning just the common ones. And you’ll know this as a principle that we use at Adept English. We don’t give 40 phrases, we might cover seven or eight - just the common ones. And again, of course, in our Most Common 500 Words Course - it just focuses on what’s the most useful. That’s what we do. Work smart and learn efficiently, only what you need to learn - that’s what ‘Adept’ means.
For example, if you get out of bed in the morning, we say ‘you got up’. And if you put on you clothes, we say you ‘got dressed’. In conversation, these are the phrases we use all the time for those activities. You don’t need anything more complicated. But they are phrasal verbs that you’ll probably have to learn.
So phrasal verbs and idioms in English - there are a lot of them. Check out our podcasts on idioms and phrasal verbs. We try to focus on the most useful ones for everyday conversations. So if you go to the website at adeptenglish.com and the Lessons page, you can type in either ‘Idioms’ or the word ‘Phrasal’ and you’ll find lots of podcasts to help you on these two topics.
Using vs. Learning a Language
Number 5, using vs. learning a language
If you’ve listened to Adept English for any length of time, you’ll know that our advice is that listening is by far the most important part of learning. But at some point, when you’re ready, you're going to need to actually open your mouth and say things, get started on speaking, even if it's initially speaking to yourself for practice.
For example - you might know the past tense rules but you struggle to use them in conversation. Your brain doesn’t deliver them quickly enough. Why not practise by narrating your day: "This morning, I woke up at 7am. I ate my breakfast and then I went to work. At lunchtime, I had a really interesting conversation with….."
For every grammar rule you learn, try creating 5-10 sample sentences about your life and practise saying them out loud?
Use the shadowing technique
Number 6, use the shadowing technique
This technique really helps language learners with their pronunciation and fluency. ‘Shadowing’ really just means listening to spoken English and repeating what you hear. But it’s much more powerful than that sounds. People learning a language can always understand much more than they can say - so you may think a sentence is easy when you hear it and understand it. But pronouncing it correctly and saying it quickly enough can be a challenge. So shadowing can help with this.
For example, use this shadowing technique with your favourite English podcast. Play a short segment, pause, and then try and repeat exactly what you heard, mimicking the speaker's intonation and rhythm.
And you could even record yourself speaking English for 2-3 minutes each day. Copy what a native speaker speaking English says. Listen back and you’ll soon hear the differences, the areas for improvement.
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Master the Art of Language Chunking
Number 7, master the art of language chunking
One of the most powerful techniques for rapidly improving your English fluency is “chunking". That’s CHUNK. This method involves learning and using common phrases or "chunks" of language, rather than focusing on individual words or grammar rules. We talk in English about ‘pineapple chunks’ - maybe that will help you remember the word ‘chunking’.
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Think of this as being a tool kit, where you've got a list of ready made phrases, ‘chunks’ if you like. So this method involves learning and using common phrases or ‘chunks’ of language, rather than focusing on individual words or grammar rules. This helps your fluency, it helps your understanding - you’ll start recognising these chunks in native speech and improving your listening skills. It reduces the mental effort - instead of constructing sentences word by word, you can use these ready-made ‘chunks’, freeing up mental resources for more complicated aspects of communicating! It also boosts your confidence - having a repertoire of ‘chunks’ allows you to express yourself more easily.
Some examples of useful chunks?
- "In my opinion..."
- "To be honest..."
- "The thing is..."
- "I couldn't agree more."
- "That reminds me of..."
- "I see what you mean, but..."
You could create a chunk journal - write down useful chunks of English that you meet in your reading or your listening practice. Use these chunks in sentences and try to create mini-dialogues that use them. Use spaced repetition: Review and practice the chunks in your journal regularly so that you learn them. ‘Chunking’ bridges the gap between textbook learning and real-world communication so it’s a valuable tool.
Remember that language learning is about communication, ‘having a go’, not perfection. Focus on expressing yourself as clearly as you can, practise regularly and don’t be afraid of mistakes. Keep learning, stay motivated, and enjoy it. Thank you for joining today’s lesson, and happy learning!
Goodbye
Enough for now. Have a lovely day. Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.
Thank you so much for listening. Please help me tell others about this podcast by reviewing or rating it. And, please share it on social media. You can find more listening lessons and a free English course at adeptenglish.com
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