To be fluent, you need to know the right words and phrases AND be able to put them together in a sentence without hesitating too much or too often.
It takes confidence to do this – as well as time and practice. Although it doesn’t happen overnight, there are things that you can do to become confident and fluent more quickly.
Here are three activities that you can try for faster English fluency!
1. The ‘Expanding Sentence’ Activity
This activity helps you to become more confident when you speak. The words you choose don’t matter, because the important thing is to gradually add more things to your sentence, without hesitating. Your sentences can be fun, or serious.
Step 1
Think of a simple sentence, with a noun, verb and object. For example
“I love chocolate.”
“Nigel works in a factory.”
“Fish swim in the sea.”
Step 2
Add ONE word or phrase to each part of your sentence.
“Personally, I love chocolate.”
“Personally, I love milk chocolate.”
“Personally, I love eating milk chocolate.”
“Personally, I love eating milk chocolate after work.”
“Nigel works in a factory.”
“Nigel, my brother, works in a factory.”
“Nigel, my brother, works hard in a factory.”
“Nigel, my brother, works hard in a paper factory.”
“Nigel, my brother, works hard every day in a paper factory in London.
“Fish swim in the sea.
“Blue fish swim happily in the sea.”
“Blue fish swim happily in the sea next to my house.“
Tip
As you add the words and phrases, pay attention to how they fit in the sentence, and how you pronounce them. Remember: it doesn’t matter what you say. You can add serious or crazy adjectives and adverbs. The idea is to extend your sentences!
2. The ‘So What?’ Activity
This activity is based on a CV-writing activity, and the idea is to add information and details so that what you say is interesting and unique. (Imagine another person listening to you and saying “Wow”!)
Step 1
For every sentence, imagine that another person asks you “So what?” You have to add more information to your sentence to make it interesting and impressive.
For example, you say:
“I got a promotion.” The other person says “So what?”
So you then say: “I got a promotion after only a month working in the company.”
The other person then thinks “Wow!”
Step 2
Try it with these ideas:
“I went to a restaurant last night.” (“So what?” = Maybe it’s a new restaurant, or you met someone famous there…)
“I had a great weekend.” (“So what?” = Maybe something cool happened.)
“I’m learning English for work.” (“So what?” = Maybe you want a great new job.)
“I’m planning a holiday in London next year.” (“So what?’ Is it your first time in London, for example?)
3. The ‘Just A Minute’ Activity
This is based on a famous radio programme. You have to talk for a minute about something, without hesitating and without repeating yourself. It’s quite difficult to do, but it’s a good way to keep speaking.
Step 1
Try it with these ideas:
My first pet / teacher / holiday abroad.
The ideal job / house for me.
If I were the president of my country, I would …
Tip: Start with 30 seconds at first. Then try this activity for 1 minute.
Get More Fluent In English!
Join the English Fluency Club for everything you need for English fluency:
* phrases for English conversations so you don’t need to translate
* regular speaking in small groups so you get practice
* complete fluency training with two self-study programs