Hard to have a conversation in English?

I have never met anyone born outside the U.S. who did not want to improve their comfort in conversing in English. Almost all non-native speakers realize that they cannot understand 100% "exactly" for various reasons. Most adults who speak English as a Second Language stop making an effort to learn new vocabulary words after they learn enough words to get by. Another obstacle to conversation is doubt about pronunciation, either when listening or speaking. The biggest challenge for many people is simply they have never been taught basic conversation skills. Learners feel especially shy since they do not know even any basic rules of conversation.

Conversation strategies are completely separate from English language skill and fluency. Conversation is a social skill requiring collaboration with other willing participants. You can speak English to yourself by writing or reading out loud. Some of the most intelligent and fluent native born thinkers can express themselves beautifully in a lecture but feel hopelessly out of place at a neighborhood picnic or potluck. Some extremely smart people have trouble forming and maintaining relationships, while others less gifted enjoy the many benefits of friendly conversation. Friendly conversation builds trust and respect between people and really let us know each other.

Where can you find basic conversation skills? Try Conversation Starters.com for an overview of simple ways to engage others in conversation. Even if you have mastered the English language, if you don't know how to start and continue a conversation you will probably always feel like an outsider. The truth is that knowing basic conversation skills is much, much more important than using the correct grammar and pronunciation. You can start practicing right now!  Check out 101 conversation starters to get the idea. Don't wait until some future time that you dream will come after you study English longer.

Can't afford an English tutor?

Don't have a stack of money?

Many people trying to learn a new language hire a tutor for personal instruction and coaching. But some learners are between jobs or have little income to spare on education. What can they do to improve English? Today people have many choices. If they cannot afford one-on-one instruction, they can attend classes, where the cost is shared among many students. Even better are free courses. Newcomers to the U.S. may not know that the federal government sponsors free classes in English as a Second Language and U.S. Citizenship. Funding for these programs comes from the U.S. Department of Labor because our country needs a workforce that can understand and communicate in English. Free, government sponsored courses are available in almost every community. How do you find them? Contact your local high school's adult education department for more information. In some areas, these programs are offered through a community college or other non-profit organization. The free government ESL programs measure learning by using standardized multiple choice questions that mainly check for comprehension and vocabulary. They do not measure pronunciation or other factors of fluent English.

Another way to study English is by self study, which is to learn independently of a teacher or class. If you can work independently, you can simply study any English textbook that you borrow from the library or purchase. Used books are very inexpensive on Amazon or used book stores. Like teachers, classes, and programs, books vary a great deal in their content and presentation. Find a book or series of books that interests you and that you understand easily. Each person is different, so no one book is best for everyone.

Today, studying English is even easier with a vast number of websites and online resources suitable for a wide range of learners. In a recent blog I mentioned Free Rice, a website that makes learning fun by turning it into a game. So many good English language learning sites are free, that paying for a premium resource is usually not necessary. Surf the internet until you find a website you like, then bookmark it. If you have to register or pay any money, move on to a different site.

Students of English as a Second Language do not always get what they pay for. In the U.S. we say, "let the buyer beware." Just because you pay a lot for instruction does not necessarily mean the quality is good for you personally. Even if a program has been very successful and is well known, maybe it is not a good fit for you. For example, Berlitz is an internationally known language program which has been around for a long time and boasts many graduates. However, Berlitz' approach is not flexible and does not address the individual needs of specific students. In other words, Berlitz' philosophy is "one size fits all/" Everyone buys clothes that fit themselves. Why not choose instruction that fits you well also?

Lips, tongue, and teeth all needed to speak English

Many sounds in English sound almost exactly the same in everyday conversation. Growing up in the U.S. we imitate our parents in how we shape our mouths to produce unique sounds. Actively engaging your cheeks, lips, tongue, and jaw will immediately improve your pronunciation. A lot of adults who learn English as a Second Language (ESL), have trouble mobilizing and coordinating their faces with the sounds they are speaking. Some hardly move their lips at all, as it they were paralyzed. Others try to talk so fast their mouths cannot keep up with their thoughts.

Lip readers can understand spoken language without hearing it because each sound has a unique facial configuration. That means that the meaning of the words is contained in the facial shapes. Because they are activated by muscles, the mouth parts acquire muscle memory they call upon whenever they need to make a specific sound. If you try to intellectually remember the sound, results are much poorer.

Say "P" pork. Your lips should be completely closed. Your tongue is in the middle of your mouth. You puff out your cheek a little bit, then release your lips in a small explosion- P. Now say "F" as in fork.  Now, though the other parts of your mouth are just like "P", your lips are not closed tightly against each other. Instead, your upper lip is pulled back, while your lower lip presses up against your teeth. Instead of the explosive "P" sound, the breath gradually escapes through the teeth to make an "F" sound.

Try some exercises for your mouth-- mouth yoga! Puff out your cheeks, makes faces like a little child, open your mouth as wide as you can, move your jaw side to side. Do this for a few minutes, and when you stop you can feel the blood tingling in your lips. As you practice you will become more aware of how your mouth and face is arranged. Many sounds require changing the shape of your face and mouth to produce. Others remain constant. What shapes are the hardest for you? What sounds are the hardest?

Feed the hungry while practicing English at freerice.com

I came across the Free Rice during my research on "games with a purpose" (GWAP). For every correct answer, the website donates 10 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program. Games have long been a fun and effective way to learn. Crossword puzzles are a game many enjoy that is also a fun way to learn new words and think about familiar ones. Sesame Street proved that children can learn and have fun at the same time. With the spread of computers and the Internet, teachers quickly adapted the new technology to instruction. Now, many websites and applications for children are both entertaining and educational.

Free rice is the newest entry in a long tradition of making learning fun. The best thing about a good game is that people enjoy playing it for its own sake. In other words, people enjoy facing and overcoming challenges, no matter how simple or repetitive. The popular game Tetris because people achieve satisfaction by increasing their skill. This satisfaction alone makes the game addictive to many. Such games have no other direct purpose than stimulation and satisfaction of achieving a goal.

One estimate suggests today 63% of people play some sort of game online. Games range from extremely simple tasks performed against the computer (computer card games, arcade games, Scrabble, etc.) to  extremely complex, massive multi-player games like Warcraft. Only a few our like Free Rice, because Free Rice offers more than simple self satisfaction of our competitive urges. This game, and other games with a purpose, provide an additional player incentive. This incentive allows players to become members of a global network of people who want add value to their recreational time.

For English language learners, Free Rice has quizzes in both vocabulary and grammar. The grammar quizzes are beginning and intermediate. Vocabulary is arranged in 60 levels, ranging from beginning to advanced. How advanced? Well, I had never even seen any of the words on Level 60! Best of all, you are helping feed the world's hungry, while having fun, and practicing English. Free Rice also offers quizzes to help learn German, Spanish, Italian, and French. Other subjects include math, chemistry, geography, literature, and art appreciation. I hope that more and more games with a purpose can help improve conditions worldwide.

TANSTAAFL

This stands for "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!" Something doesn't come from nothing is what this says. This has to do with thermodynamics somehow.Common expressions often use acronyms, the first letter of each word in a phrase. All workers know TGIF means thank goodness it's Friday. The email and texting have made acronyms even more popular, such as OMG for Oh my God! or LOL for Laugh Out Loud, etc.

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Back to basics to improve your English

Back to basics means making sure you have a good foundation. Many non-native speakers can communicate more or less in English but fall short of their potential. For example, when reading an article, they miss part or even most of the meaning because of certain vocabulary words or expressions they do not understand. Vocabulary means knowing both small and large words. Knowing them means you can spell the word, pronounce word, and use it in a sentence correctly. If you cannot do this, you don't truly know the word. Try reading a child's book written in English. Unless you know every word, your knowledge remains less than that of a child born in the U.S. Small words like in, of, at, on, etc., are used in specific ways, as even young children master them by the time they enter school. Vocabulary is one basic that merits attention. Other basics to consider are grammar, study skills, reading comprehension, error correction, and writing. More on those to come!

It pays to increase your English word power.

By honing your English language skills, you can improve how well people respond to you. Conversely, using incorrect words, pronunciation, and grammar only create roadblocks to communication, mutual understanding, and respect. Some believe that long, uncommon words and complicated sentence structure will enhance their image, while the opposite is generally the case. In fact, "less is more" when it comes to language. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is just one example history provides.