How to increase my English Fluency ?

India
March 2, 2011 9:01pm CST
I am an Engineering student pursuing my final year , specialized in the Computer science stream . I have met with around 3 to 4 campus interviews , even though i have the thoughts about what to speak and how to form them i am not able speak it fluently . I think i can express them with my friends in a Good manner , but i cant express them in an Interview . Is there any way to improve them ?
2 people like this
14 responses
3 Mar 11
well one thing i might say u r lacking is confidence which comes through experience u could try having online chats with other people in english, try going into a chat room pick a stranger from another country and voice chat with him/her this way you would gain confidence and that in turn will increase your fluency
• India
3 Mar 11
Thanks for the advice Arqam , i really need to go in this idea , but i am using a Mobile internet only which is not cent percent capable of making voice chats with the persons in other country
@Cutie18f (9551)
• Philippines
3 Mar 11
Practice, practice, practice. When you have the chance, read. Reading is by far the most effective way of improving your fluency of the English language. Make it a point to read everyday and to speak the language wherever you are.
• India
3 Mar 11
Hello , i am meant to be a person who cant even read English , i can read and write , even i could construct the sentence in a Efficient way , my problem is that i cant able to make a Good style in English speech
• Philippines
3 Mar 11
Speaking english fluently takes a lot of practice. This I can really say from experience. Even if you are a great writer, speaking the words are a totally different field. I think you should just try to practice more.. Talk to yourself in english, talk to your family in english (but explain to them that you are practicing so they won't be confused why you are suddenly talking to them in english. LOL). .Practice really makes perfect, and for me, what did it was my relatives who continuously visits us here in the Philippines from the states. Some of them does not understand Tagalog, so we were forced to talk to them in English.. that really polished my Verbal skills.
• India
3 Mar 11
Am from India dude , my parents are not that much well versed in English , even they don't even know more than 50 words . I must choose some persons who are skilled with English and develop myself
• American Samoa
3 Mar 11
Well, I have a friend and also a classmate who is Korean. At first she speaks english roughly, we suggested her to read tongue twisters carefully and motivates her to take one step at a time, and then weeks and months later, she can now speak 90% fluent in all english words~ Learning other languages is fun sometimes :3 i hope i helped you~ :3
• India
3 Mar 11
May be that should also help me , have to search for Tongue twisters in the Internet. But for the style of speech what should i have to do ?
• United States
3 Mar 11
Frequent use of the language, and referring to a dictionary would certainly help. myLot for one will improve the language as the more you use it the more you will gain. Never get offended if someone politely corrects you as you will gain more knowledge and better understanding with the language.
• India
3 Mar 11
I used to refer dictionary as much as i hit on a unknown word , even that could be from a Movie or in a Document that was passing through . Thanks for the advcie.
• Philippines
3 Mar 11
My friend, I don't know if you believe what others say that some people who are good in math, are poor in English. Being an IELTS(International English Language Testing System) Instructor, I would advice you to be a wide reader. If you are not a native English speaker, maybe that's one factor why you can't express your thought in an actual interview. You tend to hesitate since, you are afraid to commit mistake. Now, if you are an English speaker and actually living in an English speaking country, maybe the reason why is your luck of confidence. Practice speaking in front of a mirror, or list some relevant questions and let someone asked you so that can practice speaking in front of an interviewer. Sometimes it's all in the mind so you have to think positive for a good output.
• India
3 Mar 11
Thanks a Lot , that really helps me a Lot , i have practice in front of a Mirror . Hope my parents won't think i am mad
@khithi17 (762)
• Philippines
3 Mar 11
Hi, I just want to share, I learned to speak in English when i was still in elementary. Because I love watching English movies and series and my mom used to read us English story books. Then, growing up. I have been so interested reading story books and magazines all in English language. I think that's how I learned my English skills. whenever I'm watching TV and I hear a new English word, I would repeatedly pronounce the word until I get it right. So the next time I use that word. I already know how to pronounce it and what it means. :)
@dreamy1 (3811)
• United States
4 Mar 11
Practice makes perfect. If you have a friend you can practice with they can ask you interview questions and you can answer them as if you were doing an actual interview. You can also record yourself and listen to it to see how you are answering the questions and see how you can improve. You can also go in interviews for jobs you aren't interested in just to practice.
@tessa9 (1085)
• Philippines
3 Mar 11
So does this mean English is not your first language? Or you just can't seem to express what you want to say? If it's the first one then I think you should use English as often as you could. Talk with people who speak the language to make you more comfortable. If it is the later reason then I think you need to expound in your vocabulary more. Knowing things will make you more comfortable therefore making you more confident to speak in interviews.
• India
3 Mar 11
I have the first issue , My first language is Tamil , and even my Government does not have necessary things to promote English . Even if i have to communicate with my friends , many of them dont know it properly
@Zer0Stats (1147)
• India
3 Mar 11
Practice!Practice!!and Practice!!!!Try to find an English speaking person to talk with,and practice.Its the only way to improve dramatically.Reading English language books will help too,or watching English language TV. And if you are one of those with low self-confidence level,it’ll show in the way you speak,the way you walk and through your entire body language.It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out.Your body is controlled by your mind and if you don’t have confidence in your mind,your body behaves that way.Everyone around you will react in a certain way towards you because of the way you behave.For example,people with low self-confidence level,you will usually pull your shoulder back,you hang your shoulders,your head will droop forward and you will tend to shuffle between one foot and the other.
@crystal11 (157)
• Malaysia
3 Mar 11
Perhaps your problem is sentence construction, if I am not mistaken. The way we speak to friends is different from the way we speak to strangers. Your sentence construction matters. The only solution I can think of is either attending an English class or being a member of the Toastmasters club. Apart from that you have to do a whole lot of reading, any subject, and pay attention to the grammar and sentence construction. Have a dictionary by your side to find the meaning of words you don't understand or have difficulty pronouncing. In time you will be able to speak confidently in front of strangers.
• Indonesia
4 Mar 11
I have three advice for you: 1. practice 2. practice 3. practice :D Like many others have said. You just have to practice, practice and practice again. If I may suggest, if you're pursuing a specific goal like for example formal manner when taking interview, maybe you can get a course that specialized in conversation when interviewing. I've found some course who could give such exercise. Well, good luck with your final years and interview! :)
• Singapore
3 Mar 11
If you feel like you can use your English better with your friends compared to when you're having interviews, then maybe one of the problems is anxiety. Sure, you can try to improve your english more: 1. (not suggesting you to be crazy) but maybe try to speak to yourself in english? so you can get more used to it? 2. play some english speaking movie dvd. When you listen to them talk, you paused the movie, and try to repeat what they say. That being said, i think your problem lies more in you being so nervous in your interviews that you find it hard to speak english fluently. Are you a shy person in nature? Maybe try to socialize more you can learn to beore comfortable talking to strangers. And most importantly, like what most people do, try to think of the possible questions the interviewer might ask and prepare your answer before hand. Good luck!
• United States
3 Mar 11
Read as often as you can, refer to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and just practice your speech skills. Gain confidence by having people you know interview you, and even if it's not in english it may help you feel more confident and be able to express yourself more clearly. Also, drink orange juice every morning, there's some vitamin or mineral in it that helps soothe anxiety.