English Speaking Skills
Speaking Skills
Out of the four components of language use- reading, writing, speaking and listening- the last two have to be the most important. Being able to communicate verbally is essential whether you are migrating to, travelling, studying, working in an English-speaking country. It is important for asking for directions, shopping, ordering at a restaurant, making and answering phone calls, engaging in a conversation, or giving a business presentation.
Being able to speak in English involves the interaction of multiple elements, from having a useful and extensive enough vocabulary, to being able to construct sentences and use the correct tense, developing appropriate intonation and stress patterns, and pronouncing words properly.
Common problems for students learning English when it comes to joining a conversation include trying to translate from the native language into English instead of using English terms and phrases that the student has learnt, or looking for a specific word rather than using simple language to describe what is meant. Translating not only takes time, it will also make you more hesitant. Another problem is nervousness and lack of confidence, which can be overcome only through practice.
English Speaking Exams
English exams such as the CAE, IELTS and TOEFL will typically include a section that tests a candidate’s English speaking skills. Usually this will include a 10 - 15 minute conversation with an examiner which is recorded then evaluated. The best way to practice for an English speaking exam is to practice when you can, where you can, whether with a native English speaker or not.
Try to relax and speak at a slower pace. By speaking slowly you’ll discover that it is easier to think about what you are saying, find the words that you need and be able to link between words automatically. Finally, use the English that you know. Rather than carrying around a dictionary, use the words and phrases that you have learnt to try and convey your message.
English Listening Skills
Preparing for English Exams
Most English language exams, including the Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English and the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), will test a candidate’s listening comprehension skills. This could involve listening to CDs or tapes, whether recordings of conversations, songs or radio programs, then answering questions on the content of these recordings. Depending on the exam, the recording may be played several times. Before the recording is played, the candidate should read the questions carefully to determine what exactly they need to know.
The first time the candidate should focus on understanding the general gist of the recording, without taking in details or writing any notes. After the first time, candidates can take quick notes of key words or phrases, listening out specifically for information they are required to give. If you can’t find the answer to one of the questions, don’t get stuck on it but move on to try and answer the rest of the test.
Listening Skills
Listening involves three main steps: hearing, understanding and judging. The first just involves simply being able to perceive the sounds. The next step is to understand the meaning of the sounds, both the individual words and sentences as a whole. The final step is to judge whether what you have heard and understood makes sense in regards to the context, and comprehending the implications.
Listening skills for ESL students can be difficult to acquire, since these skills cannot be taught like English grammar or vocabulary. There are two main things that help improve listening skills. The first is getting over the mental block of trying to translate every word that is heard. The aim is to understand the general meaning, so it is okay not to catch every word. The second thing is to practice listening, but in short periods a couple of times a week. Don’t watch an entire film at first, just listen to different clips a couple of times a week.
English Writing Skills
Writing in English
In order to begin writing in English there are a few basic things you will need to understand. One of these is how to structure a sentence in English. A basic sentence must have a subject, a verb and an object. The subject is who is performing the action, the verb is the action being performed (what) and the object is what is receiving the action (to whom). More complex sentences then add relative clauses to give extra information. For example
- Basic sentence: I stepped on the cat. (I = subject, stepped = verb, cat= object).
- Complex sentence: While eating a sandwich, I stepped on the cat, who was sitting in the middle of the kitchen. (Relative clauses in bold)
Writing in Exams
English Exams such as TOEFL or the IELTS will typically have a writing test section, along with sections testing reading, listening and speaking skills. Some of they key things to keep in mind when preparing for the written section of an English exam include punctuation and structure.
One of the most important things when writing a formal piece of text is to structure it logically and clearly. This includes the overall structure of your essay, article or report, such as the introduction, body and conclusion, as well as the structure of your paragraphs and sentences. For example, a paragraph will usually have one main point, expressed with a:
- Topic sentence: express the main idea
- Supporting sentence: expand the details of the main idea
- Concluding sentence: summarise the paragraph or draw a conclusion from it
Paragraphs are useful because the separate the main ideas of the text, signalling to the reader when you are about to introduce a new idea or argument.
Punctuation is highly important when writing a great piece of text. Without punctuation, not only will it be very difficult and confusing to read, but you may not actually convey what you are trying to say. The position of punctuation marks change the meaning of the sentence.