How to Improve Your English: Useful Tips

Being able to speak better English has several benefits as it is the most spoken language in the world. ICSE and CBSE boards also now give more weightage to speaking and listening skills. Here are tips and useful resources to help you improve your English language and pronunciation skills.

There are various reasons why you may want to improve your English – for business, for studying abroad, for pleasure or because you may go to live in an English speaking country.

And although its easy to improve your English skills, the fact that most of us in India are okay with using a mixture of regional language with English (in additional to the lingo used in mobile texting) makes it difficult for many to learn proper English.

Here’s a sample of how many communicate using the ‘whatsapp’ application on their smartphones.

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You can see a mix of several things here (see the spelling of cottages), but its quite acceptable when communicating with your friends.

But if you’re keen to improve your English skills, you’ll need to spend some more efforts and avoid using such communication for some time.

Benefits of Speaking Good English

English is the language of business and spoken the world over. Its also the language of instruction in most universities. Want to go abroad for vacation? Knowing English will definitely make your experience better.

Almost all the good jobs (around the world) require you to have a command of the English language. Big companies and businesses are setting up branches/manufacturing plants in different countries, but they still prefer to use English in those countries.

And that is why speaking English fluently has become more important than ever.

Being able to speak good English helps you in several ways.

Communication: English is a widely spoken language globally and is the language of international communication. Students who can communicate effectively in English will be able to better connect with people from different parts of the world and expand their personal and professional networks.

Education: English is the language of instruction for many educational institutions, including universities and colleges. Students who have a good grasp of English will be better equipped to understand lectures, read academic texts, and express themselves clearly in writing.

Career opportunities: Many employers require employees to have good English language skills, particularly in fields such as international business, technology, and tourism. Students who can communicate effectively in English will have an advantage in the job market.

Travel: English is a language widely spoken in many countries, and students who know English will have an easier time navigating through these countries, asking for directions, ordering food, and interacting with locals.

Having good command over the English language helps students improve their reading, grammar, public speaking, comprehension, creative writing, communication skills, improves body language, makes you more confident, and much more.

Having a good command over English helps professionals speak the corporate language better, improves presentation and interview skills, and improves their chances of promotion.

How to Improve Your English

Here are some useful and practical tips that you’ll really find helpful to improve your English.

Practice regularly: Like any other skill, English language proficiency improves with practice. Students should try to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English as much as possible.

Remember, the best way to learn to speak better English is not to be shy to speak. The more you speak, the less hesitant you become, the more confident you’ll become.

Engage with English media: Students can read English-language newspapers and books, watch English-language movies and TV shows, and listen to English-language podcasts and music to improve their English comprehension skills.

Seek feedback: Students can seek feedback from teachers, tutors, or native English speakers to improve their pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

Participate in language exchange programs: Students can participate in language exchange programs to practice their English with native speakers and also learn about other cultures.

Learn English: Resources

Here are useful resources to improve your English.

English Grammar: Quick reference guide

American (US) vs British (UK) English: differences

Simple tips to improve spellings

Phonics for children: Helps them to start reading from an early age.

Popular English Language Assessment Tests

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

The ELTS test is designed to assess the language ability of candidates who need to study or work where English is the language of communication.

Administered by:
IELTS is jointly administered by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL)

Test Format:
There are four sub-tests, or modules, to the IELTS test: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Students must sit all four sub-tests. While all students take the same Listening and Speaking tests, they sit different Reading and Writing tests, depending on whether they have selected the Academic Module or the General Training Module.

Website:
www.britishcouncil.org or http://www.ieltsindia.com/ or http://www.ielts.org/

Validity:
The score is valid for 2 years.

TOEFL coaching preparation tips and resources

The TOEFL, formally known as Test Of English as a Foreign Language, is a test of an individual’s ability to use and understand English in an academic setting. The test is designed and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), and TOEFL is a registered trademark of ETS.

The test of English as foreign Language (TOEFL) helps in testing your English abilities. It’s obvious that US universities would want to know your level of proficiency in English language, and if the standard of your English language is equal to or better than that used in the university.

TOEFL BREAK-DOWN

The TOEFL is a very long examination (almost as long as 4.5-5 hours) and tests your English abilities in various fields. They are the reading, speaking, listening and writing sections. The writing and the speaking sections come at the second half of the TOEFL exam after the break. Let’s tackle it section-by-section:

READING:
This section is very normal and it as equivalent to reading a comprehension paragraph from.

LISTENING:
The listening section involves lectures, student conversations, discussion all in the American or in the British accent

SPEAKING:
This is the toughest section to score as one has to record the answers for 45 seconds to 1 minute for every question. You get 6 questions in total. Remember, there is preparation time given.

WRITING:
You have two questions to answer in this section:
1. Integrated writing
2. Essay writing:

TOEFL scores are valid for two years, after then they are no longer reported.

TOEFL was developed to address the problem of ensuring English language proficiency for non-native speakers wishing to study at U.S. universities. It has become an admission requirement for non-native English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities. Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, licensing bodies, businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test.

Programs for English Teachers – TEFL, TESOL

If you’re interested in teaching English to people from other (non-English speaking) countries, then you need to undergo programs by TEFL and TESOL.

TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

TEFL programs are for teachers who plan to go abroad to teach students in a country where the primary language is not English (for example in China or Japan). When students study English as a foreign language, they are studying it as an academic subject, the same way you would study science or history.

The focus of the class is for students to be able to understand grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening comprehension, and speaking for academic purposes. Students may prepare short speeches or perform skits, but generally, the purpose of speaking exercises is to focus on the proper use of grammar and pronunciation.

This style of learning is important for students who are studying English as a foreign language so that they can read texts, write essays, and pass English exams that will get them into university. Some students studying TEFL plan to study abroad in the future. The skills they learn in class will help them study for the TOEFL or the IELTS, which are both a type of standardized test that international students take before enrolling in a university in an English speaking country.

TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

TESOL includes teaching English as a foreign language (such as in China) as well as teaching English as a second language (TESL), meaning teaching English in a country where the primary language is English (An example of TESL would be teaching English to language learners in the U.S.)

In TESOL, Teachers help students to use English to communicate in their daily life in an English speaking country. This includes things like going shopping, ordering food at a restaurant, interviewing for a job, how to make small talk with coworkers, and so on.

Website: tesol.org

What About TESL?

When going through teaching certificate programs, you may also bump into the acronym TESL, which stands for Teaching English as a Second Language. However, this term has become less popular in recent years, as many educators and researchers now prefer TESOL.

Differences (TEFL & TESOL)

• TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Focus is more on the academic side of English learning
• TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages: Focus is more on using English in daily life

Going by the definition, there seems to be a slight distinction between TEFL and TESOL, however, the fact is that these two terms are widely used interchangeably. In fact, when you look for TEFL courses, you will often see them described as “TEFL/TESOL courses.”

So, either a TEFL or TESOL certificate will meet certification requirements for jobs teaching English. Schools that hire teachers will not make any distinction between the two. In all probability, you might see an advertisement for a teaching job that requires “TEFL/TESOL certification”.

TESOL Assignments

Kindly note that you are free to refer to the course content or any other relevant resources, however, your answer has to be original. Plagiarized answer is not expected from any candidate.

A. Design a conversation activity (speaking skill) based on either “Learning a musical instrument” or “Planning a trip to any holiday destination” Include a sample conversation, relevant support material (images and video links) and a list of related vocabulary. An assessment based on the skill should also be incorporated.

Mention the points to be included and design a short activity on the above subject. Basic parameters to be mentioned: Number of Students, Age, Level, Language spoken by students, Duration, Terminal Objectives, Enabling Objectives, etc.

Lesson plan guideline –

• Name of the Topic: Here you need to mention the topic that you have chosen for the speaking skill
• Time Duration: Specify the time taken to execute the lesson for a day
• Objective: The objective of a lesson plan should include what the students will learn, how (techniques/aids used) they will learn and the accuracy level that the students will achieve by the end of the lesson in terms of percentage.
  The short-term objective will be the micro steps involved in the lesson implementation. Enabling Objectives will be the micro steps involved in the lesson implementation. The purpose of each step should be explained.
• Age: The specific age/average age of the students that you would cater to.
• Level: The level can be beginner/elementary/ intermediate/ advanced.
• Warmer: Time (5-7 minutes): Quick activity to set the tone of the class. Ideally games make good warmers – especially those using known language.
• Context setting or Pre-speaking: Activating the Prior knowledge by using the visual or audio aids to make the students guess the topic thereby eliciting responses.
• Actual content or While-speaking activity: Activities based on the topic enhancing the speaking skills along with relevant assessment based on it. The activities should be age and level appropriate.
• Recapitulation or Post speaking – Time (10 minutes): Activities based on the topic that would help the students to reinforce what they have learned. It can be a fun activity for the students.

B. Consider any 3 of the following situations and discuss how you might handle them. (word limit for each situation should be within 200 to 300 words)

• 1. One or more student/s is/are not participating or engaged in the lesson.
• 2. A group of students come into the classroom after the lesson has begun.
• 3. One student has her head down on the desk and other students are looking at her.
• 4. The beginning of the class is delayed because two students are fighting.
• 5. You have assigned a task, and some of the students have already completed it, but others are still working.
• 6. You have purposely counted off students to work in random groups of 5, but some students want to stay with their friends and don’t want to join the assigned group.
• 7. One student is causing disruption (acting out).

Useful Link/s

Where in India can I acquire a TESOL or TEFL certification course?