Most people start learning English at school – but even after years of study they still aren’t fluent. Why is this? Is there a better method to become fluent?
Most of what you learn in typical English lessons doesn’t help you with fluency. It can help with passing exams and tests, but there are other things you need to do to speak confidently and naturally.
English is a school “subject”
Often, the focus in English lessons is on grammar and accuracy – and then on vocabulary. There’s very little time in a lesson to focus on listening and speaking. Lessons are designed to help students pass tests and exams – which are mainly written, rather than spoken.
As a result, you aren’t prepared for everyday situations where it’s important to communicate.
My example: I studied French at school and French literature at University. But when I went to France, I couldn’t even order a cup of coffee. You probably have similar stories to this one!
You feel embarrassed to speak English
Because English is a “subject”, teachers talk (often not in English) while students take notes, read or do grammar exercises. When students need to speak English, they’re often embarrassed by their accent and worried that they will make a mistake.
When the biggest emotion you feel is fear, you aren’t confident. You need a “safe” place to practise speaking your English, without worry or embarrassment.
This is critical. The only way to get fluent in English is to speak it and practise it.
The best method to speak fluently
Grammar is important – it’s the structure of a language; but speaking accurately doesn’t help you to speak fluently. When you’re in a situation where you want to order a cup of coffee, the important thing is to ask for the coffee politely, preferably in less than a minute. It’s not important to be 100% accurate.
To be fluent, you need to master other elements of English:
– conversational phrases that help you show your intention (“Can I have…” = when you want to order something)
– the words that go with other words so you don’t have to translate and hesitate (“black coffee”, “white coffee”, “coffee to go”, etc)
– enough practice to help you experiment with English, make mistakes, and increase your confidence
– opportunities to listen to English so that you can understand the other person
Speaking accurately doesn’t help you to speak fluently.
You CAN be a successful English speaker – even if you only studied English at school. In fact, what you learned at school is useful as a starting point. What you need now is the right method to get fluent.
You can do this in the English Fluency Club.
When you join the English Fluency Club, you get the right method to speak English fluently:
– TWO self-study fluency programs, with video, audio, PDF, quizzes and 650+ fluency phrases
– Weekly challenges in our private Facebook group to help you speak and get feedback from me
– Exclusive monthly trainings AND live group lessons
– The support of a fabulous, enthusiastic group of people just like you
Click the button below to join today at a special price!
