Speak English in A Week
Speak English in A Week
Speak English in A Week
Contents
Day 1 - The Science Behind Improving English Speaking ................................................................................3
You Can’t Learn To Speak English The Same Way You Learn History Or Biology ......................................... 3
Day 6 - Advanced Grammar Concepts That Confuse Even Native Speakers! ........................................ 24
Apostrophes .................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Plurals ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
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How to Improve English Speaking in 7 Days
You can’t learn to speak English the same way you learn History or
Biology
Learning to speak English (or any language for that matter) is about understanding
the flow of the language. There are a lot of elements in the English language that
makes it function but also make it difficult to learn. English speakers need to get an
intuitive feel how these components sync with each other.
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Things such as prepositions, figures of speech, and slang, are impossible to master
by just memorizing theory. This is where learning to speak English becomes different
from learning Biology or History. Theory becomes useless unless you have an
intuitive understanding of the application. Practice is the key to improving Spoken
English.
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So want to start improving your pronunciation? Find a Conversation partner first, not
a speech therapist.
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1. On a roll
This saying means you are making good progress or are doing a really good job.
“The boss decided to promote Juan because he had been on a roll (doing a good job)
lately.”
2. A piece of cake
Although this might sound delicious, it isn’t referring to an actual piece of cake. It
means something that is very easy.
“The quiz was a piece of cake (very easy) so all of the students passed it with an A.”
3. Easy as pie
This one is similar to the last idiom because it isn’t literally talking about pie. It also
means when something is very easy.
“The project was as easy as pie (very easy) so they finished it quickly.”
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Now that you know these idioms, you can talk English like an American! They are used
in everyday conversation, so they will really help you speak fluently. If you want
someone to practice saying these with, check out (or visit) Spoken English Practice
where you can get a native spoken English partner.
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3. Call it a day
This phrase means to stop working for the day. Employees usually use this
American business English idiom when they have decided to head home.
4. Fifty-fifty
“Fifty-fifty” (sometimes written as 50/50) is referring to splitting something in
half, or by 50%. For example, if a business partner wants to work with you on
something, they may say, “Let’s split the work fifty-fifty”, meaning you would
do half of the required work.
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5. ASAP
ASAP stands for “As soon as possible.” If your boss comes up to you and says,
“I want this proposal ASAP,” it means they want it very soon and you need to
get to work! This is a very common American business English phrase, so it is
important to remember.
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After you learn all of these American Business English idioms, you should practice
using them. Don’t have an English speaking partner? Go to Spoken English Practice to
help you find a native English speaker who can help you master these idioms and
improve your spoken English.
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Which watch did which witch wear and which witch wore which watch?
I have got a date at a quarter to eight. I’ll see you at the gate, so don’t be late.
A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could.
And chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would
If a woodchuck could chuck wood.
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This tongue twisters helps us pronounce the sounds ‘wo-’ and ‘ch-”
Black bug bit a big black bear. But where is the big black bear that the big black
bug bit?
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea, to see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.
This tongue twister includes the 2 different spellings of sea and see both of which
have the same pronunciation.
How many berries could a bare berry carry, if a bare berry could carry berries?
I’m not the pheasant plucker; I’m the pheasant plucker’s mate.
I’m not the pheasant plucker; I’m the pheasant plucker’s son.
And I’m only plucking pheasants till the pheasant pluckers come.
This tongue twister helps us pronounce both the ‘p’ and the ‘f’ sounds.
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I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes,
I won’t wish the wish you wish to wish
Children and adults love saying tongue twisters. Start by saying each tongue twister
slowly and then repeat again and again trying to say each word as clearly as possible
as quickly as possible. Tongue twisters produce many laughs and are a great way
of learning to speak English with friends. Tongue twisters are great practice whether
you are a beginner and start with simple tongue twisters and then moving on to more
difficult tongue twisters as your English pronunciation improves. Enjoy.
Additional resources:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/phonemic-chart
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There are many more phrasal verbs in the English language and they are often used
on a daily basis. The verb in phrasal verbs will change according to whether it is being
used in the present, past or continuous tenses but the meanings of these Phrasal
Verbs always stay the same. When you learn a new phrasal verb, write them down
with their meanings and then refer back (look back) at them to ensure you remember
them and understand their meanings. The Internet will also be able to teach you
some more.
Want to learn more about phrasal verbs? Here is a great related article we posted a
while back
Looking for more advanced phrasal verbs? We have those too.
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Many words are used in the wrong order which changes the meaning of the
sentence. In addition to this, it is important to use adverbs (words which describe
verbs for example she ran quickly with quickly being the adverb) and adjective (words
which describe nouns for example he wore a blue shirt with the word blue being the
adjective) in the correct position within a sentence.
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She needed a breath of fresh air as the room was so hot. (Breath means the air that
is inhaled or exhaled in respiration whereas breathe means to breathe in air and
oxygen).
Apostrophes
Apostrophes are very confusing as the position can vary depending on whether the
noun is singular or plural. They also show possession.
The child’s coat This refers to one coat belonging to one child
The child’s coats This refers to several coats belonging to one child
The children’s coats This refers to the coats of several children
The children’s rooms This refers to the rooms belonging to the children
It’s not my favorite film It’s means it is not my favorite film
A hard day’s work This means it was a hard day of working
America’s foreign policy This refers to the foreign policy of America.
Annabel and James’s dog The dog refers to both Annabel and James but only
one apostrophe is needed.
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They’re, their and there are homophones which means that the sound of these words
are the same but they each have different meanings and different usages. There are
many other homophones which also fall into this category, which also need to be
understood and learnt as they can alter the meaning of sentences.
For example:
The weather affected the growing of the crops as it rained so heavily.
The weather will affect what we do this coming weekend when we visit London.
For example:
The book had a great effect on him.
The effect of the tsunami was devastating.
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Whom
Isn’t that the person whom we saw this morning?
That is the man whom we talked about yesterday.
Whom can also be used instead of the word who but sounds better in these
examples. Who always forms part of a question whereas whom does not always
need to be used in a question – see the second example above.
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Whose
Whose gloves are these?
Whose glasses are these?
Whose coat is this?
Use whose when you do not know whom the item belongs to.
Plurals
It can be difficult for English learners, even some advanced English speakers to
understand that in English when a noun becomes plural the endings change and one
does not always just add an ‘s’.
Here are some examples of words where an ‘s’ is added at the end of the noun to
make the plural form:
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However, if your goal is to improve English fluency and become and advanced
English speaker we recommend practicing with a Native English teacher. That is the
best way to learn perfect grammar naturally and get a native-sounding accent.
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