How To Speak English Like A British
What is English
English is a language— originally the language of the people of England. Today, English is the main language of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and more than fifty other countries. (Interestingly, English is NOT the official language of the USA, though it is the official language of some US states.)
Worldwide, there are over 400 million native speakers of English, and over one billion more people speak it as a second language. English is probably the third language in terms of number of native speakers (after Mandarin and Spanish); and probably the most widely spoken language on the planet taking into account native and non-native speakers.
Consequently English is sometimes described as a "world language" or a "global lingua franca". It is the world's most widely-used language in international business and telecommunications, newspaper and book publishing, scientific publishing, mass entertainment and diplomacy.English belongs to the West Germanic group of Indo-European languages. Much of its vocabulary is Germanic, heavily influenced by Latin and French.
To begin with: to start speaking faster, try reading English faster. This very simple and effective activity is your first step to talking more naturally. The most important part of this activity is that you read aloud! Yes, that is right, simply read aloud for ten minutes each day. Try to set the goal of reading aloud faster each week. Soon you will find yourself reading much faster.
While you are reading aloud, attempt to be as clear as possible. Clarity is achieved by opening your mouth wide. When you open your mouth to properly pronounce English sounds, this allows you to enunciate better. So, as you read aloud for ten minutes each day, remember to enunciate and be as clear as possible.
When you are speaking, try to use transition words and phrases (such as ‘also’, ‘for example’, and ‘however’) when you are changing ideas. Many students use words such as “uh” and “uhm” when they are speaking. Avoid these words at all costs! Transition words effectively allow you to sound more fluent when you are speaking. If you use transition words accurately, then you can easily change from one idea to the next idea. Thus, transition words allow you to connect sentences and ideas faster allowing you to speak quickly.
Lastly, observe fast English speakers closely on TV programs. Don’t just sit down and watch TV, but try to take notes. Note the transition words that they use and how the TV characters effectively connect ideas and sentences. This activity will not only improve your English comprehension, but watching fast speaking TV characters will also motivate you to speak faster!
By Francis Aidoo, Accra
English is a language— originally the language of the people of England. Today, English is the main language of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and more than fifty other countries. (Interestingly, English is NOT the official language of the USA, though it is the official language of some US states.)
Worldwide, there are over 400 million native speakers of English, and over one billion more people speak it as a second language. English is probably the third language in terms of number of native speakers (after Mandarin and Spanish); and probably the most widely spoken language on the planet taking into account native and non-native speakers.
Consequently English is sometimes described as a "world language" or a "global lingua franca". It is the world's most widely-used language in international business and telecommunications, newspaper and book publishing, scientific publishing, mass entertainment and diplomacy.English belongs to the West Germanic group of Indo-European languages. Much of its vocabulary is Germanic, heavily influenced by Latin and French.
To begin with: to start speaking faster, try reading English faster. This very simple and effective activity is your first step to talking more naturally. The most important part of this activity is that you read aloud! Yes, that is right, simply read aloud for ten minutes each day. Try to set the goal of reading aloud faster each week. Soon you will find yourself reading much faster.
While you are reading aloud, attempt to be as clear as possible. Clarity is achieved by opening your mouth wide. When you open your mouth to properly pronounce English sounds, this allows you to enunciate better. So, as you read aloud for ten minutes each day, remember to enunciate and be as clear as possible.
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| Queen Elizabeth II sits in front of her son Prince Charles (second in line for the throne) and Prince William (third in line for the throne) at the 50th anniversary of her coronation. The photo was taken at Clarence House, Charles' official residence. |
When you are speaking, try to use transition words and phrases (such as ‘also’, ‘for example’, and ‘however’) when you are changing ideas. Many students use words such as “uh” and “uhm” when they are speaking. Avoid these words at all costs! Transition words effectively allow you to sound more fluent when you are speaking. If you use transition words accurately, then you can easily change from one idea to the next idea. Thus, transition words allow you to connect sentences and ideas faster allowing you to speak quickly.
Lastly, observe fast English speakers closely on TV programs. Don’t just sit down and watch TV, but try to take notes. Note the transition words that they use and how the TV characters effectively connect ideas and sentences. This activity will not only improve your English comprehension, but watching fast speaking TV characters will also motivate you to speak faster!
True thought, needs to read always!!
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