How to Improve Your Written and Spoken English at Home

Tips from a non-native English speaker

Introduction:

I remember having difficulties writing well-written essays in Elementary and stuttering to say a straight English answer during a recitation. As a Filipino who resides in the Philippines, I know three languages, which are the following: Waray-Waray, Tagalog, and English.

However, we don’t speak straight English at home during a conversation, but a few words that are mixed with a different language. This is one of the reasons why I didn’t develop English fluency at a young age, though I understand it by listening to others speaking. Nonetheless, there are many Filipinos who are fluent but sadly, I wasn’t one of them.

In 7th grade, I started reading fictional books that have helped me improve my written and spoken English. Some of my classmates would compliment me on my English writing skills, which inspired me to write more and expand my vocabulary.

What are your objectives? 🧐

Before you read the tips below, identify and reflect on your biggest motivation in improving your English skills as a non-native speaker like me. It may be one of the following reasons, such as:

• Write well-written outputs for school and confidently share your insights during academic reporting, recitations, role plays, etc.
• Connect and converse with people across the globe.
• Be confident with yourself, especially during interviews.
• Pursue a career that involves English writing and speaking skills.
• Other personal reasons.

In my case, I wanted to write like my favorite authors on Wattpad. I didn’t expect it would also benefit me when writing academic essays that scored A+ and my life in different aspects. Now, it helps me write emails for my freelancing career, talk to my online friends from other countries, and write blog posts that others find helpful.

I see you’re interested enough, so here are four simple ways to improve your written and spoken English at home:

1. Read Fictional/Non-fictional Books

Immerse yourself in reading English books because it will help you learn the writing style of your favorite authors. It also allows you to learn new words that will help you expand your vocabulary.

I started reading Wattpad stories in 7th grade and discovered many writers who inspired me to improve my writing skills. I studied the way they write and construct beautifully written sentences.

When I learn a new word from reading, I immediately search for it on Google or the Merriam-Webster app. To help me remember my newly discovered terms, I use them in my English essays at school.

2. Watch Movies/Series/Content

Watching English content will help you adapt how speakers express themselves and share their insights with confidence. I watched many vlogs, especially during the pandemic, and they subconsciously taught me how to speak better.

English shows allow you to observe how the speakers talk and learn new phrases that may be helpful in your day-to-day life. You begin to notice the difference between an informal and formal conversation. It helps you identify which words to say depending on your environment.

3. Record Yourself Talking and Conversing with People

I film myself talking in English several times as if I’m vlogging, in a movie, or in an interview. This helps me spot my mistakes and find ways to fix them. Throughout the years of filming myself or pretending to be a DJ who speaks in English, I gain confidence every time I see myself improving, at least little by little.

It’s also important to talk to people, whether it is through online chat, video call, or in person. This will challenge you to think faster when responding in English or bringing up a topic in a conversation.

By doing this, I can casually talk to people now without overthinking what to say the next English words, regardless if I’m grammatically incorrect.

-Author

Talking to people is a great opportunity to practice your English skills. Know that it’s okay to make grammatical errors — everybody commits mistakes before they become the best at something, right?

Keep conversing with anyone until you’re developing fluency, and it’s easier to do so — it feels fulfilling when I no longer need to pause for a few seconds like before to translate native words or phrases to English in my mind.

I’m not 100% fluent yet, but now I feel confident enough to share my thoughts during English conversations.

4. Write and Expand Your Vocabulary

My favorite thing to do is to write, write, and WRITE! Ever since I started reading Wattpad stories, I started writing as well. This habit has significantly helped me improve my writing skills and vocabulary, throughout my High School life.

The best way to enhance your English writing skills is to practice writing, whether that be through journalling, blog posts, essays at school, self-written non-fiction/fictional stories, etc.

It is also important to take our English classes seriously and make some time to understand each lesson with enthusiast.

-Author

Quality education helps us understand the different concepts in English classes that we need to apply in our written or spoken works. Though my writing skills are not perfect, and I’m bound to make grammatical errors any time, know that it’s also our efforts in improving ourselves that count.

How would I know if my English improved over time?

One of the first few signs that you improved is when you’re reading your older works, and end up spotting mistakes in your grammar, regardless of whether it’s from a few days, weeks, months, or years ago. But also knowing how to fix it with confidence and a new set of knowledge.

Summary

• Written and spoken English are skills that everyone can learn with consistency and perseverance.
• Identify what motivates you to improve your English skills because it will keep you going when learning the language while facing setbacks.
• Whenever you commit grammatical mistakes, remind yourself that it’s part of the process of getting better — trying is better than not doing it at all.
• It’s impossible to develop excellent English writing and speaking skills overnight. Be consistent because all great things take time!
• Whenever you spot mistakes in your older written and spoken works, it means that your English skills have improved.