變化是生活的調味料

Hope this is the last time I am doing all these things by myself.

The following is an article I found in the website.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Improve-Your-Spoken-English
The methods are very effective.

It is said that English is the window to the world. It is a global language. In today’s society the people who can’t speak English fluently are looked down upon by the people. Also the people who are weak in English speaking face problems during job interviews, social get-togethers etc. If you are one of them then you have come to the right place. In this article I will give some tips by which anyone can improve their English speaking ability.



Tips for Improving Spoken English:

For speaking English you don’t need to mug up a whole dictionary. But the need is to know the proper words and use them at proper places.

When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.

Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.

Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.

Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes. Many people don’t like this however; this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.

You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.

Opting some English speaking course is good but do it carefully coz there are millions out there who want to earn quick money by claiming facts (like: guaranteed English speaking in 10 days). Most of such courses are fake. Remember one thing no one can teach you spoken English unless you yourself try to speak.

Listen to English songs and then try to understand them. I would recommend Westlife, Robbie Williams, Abba, Skeeter Davis, Bryan Adams and Connie Francis among others.

Another better way to gain knowledge of the language is to see a lot of English movies. When you listen to the characters dialogue in front of you then you tend to learn the language better. The characters talk with different moods and so people who listen attentively can learn the language better.

Focus on removing the mother tongue influence that creeps into your English conversations.

       上星期的英語聽力會話課,老師教了一些英文諺語,有一些是我們常聽到的,也很容易瞭解,或許也也有中文對應的諺語,有一些諺語的引伸含意是沒有辦法從字面瞭解,我把這些諺語都列在下面,學習一些諺語不但對英文作文有幫助,還可以讓我們更瞭解西方文化,：

1.  A watched pot never boils.

2. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

3. Stop beating around the bush.

4. Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.

5. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

6. An apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

7. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

8. Stop pulling my leg.

9. The early bird catches the worm.

在各種不同場合時候,可以找一些開頭語,以及有用的句子,套入你要說的主題,事物等。這樣在說英文時就不會無所適從,也不需要去想要如何翻譯。對話是即時的,絕對沒那麼多時間去慢慢想,跟作文不一樣,底下有一些常用的片語,可以用在不同的場合,我覺得蠻適合我的,但是不以此為限。也是一樣,最好把這些句子抄在小卡片上,每天背,想辦法練習,聽到別人的說法覺得很不錯也可以加入。

※To introduce an idea or opinion.

My opinion is that...
Let me explain.
I'm sure that...
It is clear to me that...
The point is that...(很好用的一句)
I strongly believe that../I have no doubt that..
If you ..., you can see...

I have an idea about how...
One solution might be to...
Perhaps we could begin by...

口說很難,卻也很簡單,怎麼說呢? 其實很多非native speaker,尤其是台灣人,通常會用翻譯的方式來對話(我就是這樣),這樣的話,在說的時候會變的比較慢,爾且也怕錯,通常不敢常開口說,怎麼會有機會練習。通常到美國很多年口說才會慢慢進步到一定的程度,這可能是因為無形中記了許多對話句子,已經不需要用翻譯的方式,就可以直接脫口而出。但對於沒有在美國呆過的人,可能沒有這種機會可以在無形中把句子記下來,補救的方法就是強記,開口說,練習,練習,再練習。對初學者而言,可以記一些有用的句子和片語,然後把它用出來,可以記在小卡片上,每天背。 

打招呼的用語很基本,當然要記。

初次見面 
Nice to meet you.(這是最基本) 
How do you do?

 平時打招呼
Hi / Hello
How are you?(這也很基本)  Re: I am fine. Thank you. And you.
How are you doing?           Re:Fine/Pretty good/not bad
How's it going? 
How have you been?          Re: not much/tired

英文口說是我覺得最難的,其實大部分在台灣學英文的人都是這樣覺得,口說要好第一個是發音要正確,從小時候學英文,中小學英文老師並不太注重發音的正確性,或許他們發音也不太正確,以致於只是模仿某個音,但是舌頭擺的位置和嘴形其實都不太對,這樣從小學習的結果,造成一種發音習慣,長大了要改善,卻是很不容易,這也是我們發音不能像美國人那樣的原因,會保有一些口音,很多台灣來的人講英文的腔調都很像,這其實是一種系統性的錯誤,就像從印度來的口音都很像。所以口說要好,第一部先把發音矯正好,再來練其他的。