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7ThingsNOTtoDoWhenSpeakingEnglishRealLifeEnglish
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7ThingsNOTtoDoWhenSpeakingEnglish
By Chad (http://reallifeglobal.com/author/chad/) | April 23, 2012 | 429 Comments (http://reallifeglobal.com/7-things-not-to-do-when-speakingenglish/#disqus_thread)
Ive spent the last few years traveling and living abroad, and during that time Ive talked to a lot of people
who spoke English as a foreign language.
After talking to thousands of foreigners in English Ive noticed several things that they do that hurt their
progress as a language learner.Here are the top 7:
FREERealLifeEnglishEbook:101WordsYoullNeverLearnatSchool
(https://reallifeenglish.leadpages.net/101wordsyouneverlearnschool/)
1.DontBetooAshamedtoSpeak
There is only one way to learn how to speak English, and that is to open your mouth and speak English
(http://reallifeglobal.com/conquerfear/)! The only way you will ever get better at speaking is by speaking,
and speaking a lot!
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear. Mark Twain
You can make excuses (http://reallifeglobal.com/9-reasons-why-people-fail-to-reach-fluency-in-english/) for why you dont want to speak, like saying
that youre too embarrassed (http://reallifeglobal.com/how-to-overcome-embarrassment-when-speaking-english-2/) to speak, but these wont get you
any closer to your goal of achieving English fluency. It doesnt matter if you have no vocabulary, or if your pronunciation isnt perfect, you need to open
your mouth and speak if you want to improve.
Whatever you do, dont say that you cant speak English because this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By believing that you cant speak English you
close your mind to trying, and never give yourself the opportunity to improve. The only way to improve your English is to practice it
(http://reallifeglobal.com/permanent-english/), no matter how bad you may or may not be at it.
2.DontBeAfraidofMakingMistakes
Another thing you shouldnt do when speaking English is to be afraid of making mistakes. Part of being human is making mistakes and sooner or later
youre going to have to accept the fact that youre not perfect and that you will always make mistakes. The only way you can avoid making mistakes is by
not trying at all. If you follow this approach youll avoid making mistakes, but youll never improve either.
Ive missed more than 9000 shots in my career. Ive lost almost 300 games. 26 times, Ive been trusted to take the game
winning shot and missed. Ive failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan
This may seem counter-intuitive, but you should try making as many mistakes as possible. If you are making mistakes that means you are actually
speaking English and improving. If you arent making mistakes every day then you arent speaking enough. Of course, you shouldnt intentionally make
mistakes, and you should try to be aware of your mistakes so you can learn from them and improve your skills.
Grammar (http://reallifeglobal.com/learn-english-grammar-fast-effective/) is the last thing you should be worried about when speaking English. You
dont need to have perfect grammar in order to communicate with someone in English. Native speakers arent going to judge you for having bad
grammar, they are going to be more focused on understanding your meaning and continuing the conversation.
As long as you speak clearly and confidently, it doesnt matter if you use the wrong article, adjective ending or sentence order.
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7ThingsNOTtoDoWhenSpeakingEnglishRealLifeEnglish
Many language programs put too much emphasis on grammar and not enough emphasis on speaking. They spread the idea that you have to know all the
grammar rules before you can start speaking, which can have the effect of reducing your confidence when you finally start speaking. This is backwards.
You should learn to speak (http://reallifeglobal.com/conquerfear/) first to build your confidence, and then work on correcting your grammar after
youve reached a basic level of fluency.
Everybody makes mistakes, even native speakers of English. Nobody is born speaking perfect English; fluency is something that takes time and hard work
to achieve (http://reallifeglobal.com/13-tips-for-english-fluency/). There are many Americans who go through 13 years of schooling and still dont learn
how to speak English properly.
So dont be discouraged by your mistakes. Learn to embrace them and value them for the role they play in your learning.
Learn more about this important topic (http://reallifeglobal.com/how-to-speak-english-without-mistakes/)
3.DontApologizeForYourLevel
Something that really annoys me when Im talking to someone in English is when they apologize for how
much English they speak. Ive never been offended by someones level of English, and I dont get upset
when someone makes mistakes. If you talk to someone and they do get offended or upset because of your
level of English they are an evil person who probably tortures kittens in their spare time.
Most of the people who apologize for their level of English feel like they should speak better than they do.
Its fine to think this, but dont get upset at yourself for not knowing more than you do. Achieving fluency in
any language is a process that takes time, and you cant expect to become fluent overnight. Whether youve
been studying English for years or only for a few months, youve put in a lot of work to get where you are,
so dont underestimate yourself.
4.Dontgetfrustratedwithyourself
Learning English will come with a certain amount of frustration. At some point you will come to a stage where you wont be able to fully express yourself
like you would be able to in your native language (http://reallifeglobal.com/content-function/), and there will be times when you wont be able to find
the right word to say.
Nearly everyone who learns English goes through this phase; its just a natural part of the language learning process. This stage may last only a few weeks
if you are completely immersed in English, but it could last years if you only use English twice a week at your language school. The only way to overcome
this frustration is by practice, practice, practice.
Keep in mind that this frustration isnt because youre not smart enough, or because the language is too difficult, it is something that many people have
to go through. By embracing this frustration and feeling it more intensely through increased exposure you can pass through this stage more rapidly.
5.Donttakeitpersonallywhenpeopledontunderstandyou
At some point in your English speaking career you are going to speak to someone who, no matter how hard
you try just cant seem to understand you. Due to the large number of English speakers in the world, there
are a wide range of accents, some of which are hard to understand. I for one have a hard time
understanding some Australian accents and most Irish accents.
Youll have this problem a lot when talking with people who arent used to dealing with foreigners. If they
dont have this experience they will be used to hearing English spoken in a very specific way, and they
wont have any frame of reference when talking to you. Realize that this isnt a reflection of your language
skills, but rather a reflection of this persons lack of exposure to different people.
This can also happen when talking to English learners who have a lower level of English than you. They
wont be able to understand everything you say because of your more advanced vocabulary. Try to
remember that you were once at their level and not everyone is at the same place on their language journey.
The same person who gets offended when you speak English also tortures kittens like these.
6.DontcompareyourselftootherEnglishSpeakers
No matter what level your English is at, you had to work hard to bring yourself to that level. Be proud of what youve accomplished and dont be too
concerned with what other people think about it. They dont know how many hours youve had to work to get to where you are, they dont know all the
struggles youve been through to get there.
This also means you shouldnt go around comparing yourself to other people. Everybody is different; some people learn languages more easily than
others and some people have spent more time working to improve their English. Just because your friend who lived in London for 3 years can speak
really well doesnt mean that youre not on the right path.
Some people like to see others fail, and by paying any attention to these people you are just feeding their negativity. Any time you spend worrying about
what they think of you is time wasted that could be better spent by working to improve your English.
7.Ifyouarefluent,orjustthinkyouare,DONTGETCOCKY(ARROGANT)
Life (English) is a Journey Not a Destination.
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More to come soon on this topic. If you found this article helpful, we greatly appreciate your feedback, participation, likes, sharing and telling your
friends about us. If you havent already, join the free and open Real Life English Facebook Community (http://online.reallifeglobal.com/) and join our
mailing list (https://reallifeenglish.leadpages.net/101-words-you-never-learn-school/).
Didyouenjoythisarticle?Youmightalsolike:
The 3 Most Powerful English Fluency Secrets They Dont Teach You In School (http://reallifeglobal.com/the-3-most-powerful-english-fluencysecrets-they-dont-teach-you-in-school/)
7 Phrases that Will Drastically Improve Your Cultural Fluency in English (http://reallifeglobal.com/cultural-fluency-esl/)
4 Ways English Will Change Your Life (with VIDEO!) (http://reallifeglobal.com/4-ways-english-will-change-your-life/)
12 Ways to Be a Mediocre and Unsuccessful English Learner (http://reallifeglobal.com/12-ways-to-be-a-mediocre-and-unsuccessful-englishlearner/)
How to Speak English Without Mistakes (http://reallifeglobal.com/how-to-speak-english-without-mistakes/)
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GuilhermeDellaTorre3yearsago
ThatgoesspeciallytopeoplefromEastAsiancountries:
InYOURcountry,useyourlanguagefirst,noteverywhitelookingpersonisanativeenglishspeaker,andmightfeeloffendedifuassumeheis,speciallyif
hespeaksyourlanguage,andrefusetotalktohim.
2
Reply Share
JCarlosFs2yearsago
Thanksalot,Ireallyappreciateit.
1
Reply Share
ElLiez3yearsago
Nicesharing:)
IgetstressedwhenIamspeakingtoforeignerswhocometoofficeandspeaktomeveryfast.Andatthetimeican'tunderstandthemwell,ifeel
bad..ifeeliamnotsmartandmyenglishisbad.Andiamafraidthati'llgetfiredbecauseofthat..
1
Reply Share
DikaSatriyaDes2daysago
okeihavesamepointwithyou.this7thingsmakemefeelbetter.andnoneedtoshywhenulearntospeakenglish,,justletitflowlikeariverwhentime
http://reallifeglobal.com/7thingsnottodowhenspeakingenglish/
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7ThingsNOTtoDoWhenSpeakingEnglishRealLifeEnglish
comesuwillseetheoceans
Reply Share
rebecca4monthsago
thanksalot!Thearticlereallyhelpsme.ireallywanttostudyabroadbutmyenglishstillbad,I'mtryingveryhardbutmyvocabularieshardtoimprove.But
withthisarticle,itsreallyfiremelots.
Reply Share
JustinMurray>rebecca3monthsago
HeyRebecca,I'mgladthisarticulefiresyouUP.Thanksforreadingandcommenting!
Reply Share
rebecca4monthsago
thanksalot!Thearticlereallyhelpsme.ireallywanttostudyabroadbutmyenglishstillbad,I'mtryingveryhardbutmyvocabularieshardtoimprove.But
withthisarticle,itsreallyfiremelots.
Reply Share
JustinMurray>rebecca3monthsago
HeyRebecca,I'mgladthisarticulefiresyouUP.Thanksforreadingandcommenting!
Reply Share
noconfident5monthsago
helpsmealotbutijustcannotencouragemyselftospeak,especiallywhenenglishismysecondlanguage
Reply Share
JustinMurray>noconfident5monthsago
Gladwecanhelp!
Reply Share
noconfident5monthsago
helpsmealotbutijustcannotencouragemyselftospeak,especiallywhenenglishismysecondlanguage
Reply Share
JustinMurray>noconfident5monthsago
Gladwecanhelp!
Reply Share
NebayDebesay6monthsago
Thankyou,it'shelpalot,IamreallygladIfoundthissite.Ijustwantedthankyou.
Reply Share
Angelo7monthsago
Great!
Reply Share
Angelo7monthsago
Great!
Reply Share
HenriqueGiacomeli8monthsago
Iwanttocomplimenttheauthorsforthisamazingarticle.I100%agreewiththis7rulesaboutspeakingenglish,anditgavemeencouragementtotakenext
stepandspeakenglishwhatevermyleveloffluencyandgoodorbadpronunciationmyenglishare!
Reply Share
RealLifeEnglish>HenriqueGiacomeli7monthsago
ThanksHenriqueforyournicecommentandsupport.Keepupthegreatwork!Maybewe'llvideochatonwww.RealLifeGlobal.comoneofthese
days.
Cheers!
Justin
Reply Share
DikaSatriyaDes>RealLifeEnglish2daysago
okeihavesamepointwithyou.this7thingsmakemefeelbetter.andnoneedtoshywhenulearntospeakenglish,,justletitflowlikea
riverwhentimecomesuwillseetheocean
Reply Share
http://reallifeglobal.com/7thingsnottodowhenspeakingenglish/
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7ThingsNOTtoDoWhenSpeakingEnglishRealLifeEnglish
HenriqueGiacomeli8monthsago
Iwanttocomplimenttheauthorsforthisamazingarticle.I100%agreewiththis7rulesaboutspeakingenglish,anditgavemeencouragementtotakenext
stepandspeakenglishwhatevermyleveloffluencyandgoodorbadpronunciationmyenglishare!
Reply Share
RealLife
ThanksHenriqueforyournicecommentandsupport.Keepupthegreatwork!Maybewe'llvideochatonwww.RealLifeGlobal.comoneofthese
days.
Cheers!
Justin
Reply Share
VBB8monthsago
AGreatarticle,arealtruth!
Reply Share
RealLifeEnglish>VBB7monthsago
Thanksalot!Maybewe'llvideochatonwww.RealLifeGlobal.comoneofthesedays.
Cheers!
Justin
Reply Share
VBB8monthsago
AGreatarticle,arealtruth!
Reply Share
RealLife
Thanksalot!Maybewe'llvideochatonwww.RealLifeGlobal.comoneofthesedays.
Cheers!
Justin
Reply Share
MOHamed8monthsago
thatisaveryhelpfulandgreatarticleithink,,thankyouverymuchMr.josh
Reply Share
MOHamed8monthsago
thatisaveryhelpfulandgreatarticleithink,,thankyouverymuchMr.josh
Reply Share
FauziahAjirun8monthsago
Thisarticleshelpmealot.itshelpencouragemetolearnandspeakenglishbetterthenbefore...nomatteriamgoodorbadinthatspoken...asalearner....i
don'tcareeitherotherpersonwilljudgemeassomeonewhodoesn'tknowtoconverseinenglishaswellastheyare...aslongasicancommunicatewith
otherandfindthattheyareunderstandme...itsbetterthenijustshutmymouthnottalkingtoandafraidofotherpersonmaylaughatmeinmyenglish
languages....thankstothepersonwhopostthisarticles...ifeelgreatinmylearningprocessinenglish...thankyousomuch...ireallyappreciateit...
Reply Share
FauziahAjirun8monthsago
Thisarticleshelpmealot.itshelpencouragemetolearnandspeakenglishbetterthenbefore...nomatteriamgoodorbadinthatspoken...asalearner....i
don'tcareeitherotherpersonwilljudgemeassomeonewhodoesn'tknowtoconverseinenglishaswellastheyare...aslongasicancommunicatewith
otherandfindthattheyareunderstandme...itsbetterthenijustshutmymouthnottalkingtoandafraidofotherpersonmaylaughatmeinmyenglish
languages....thankstothepersonwhopostthisarticles...ifeelgreatinmylearningprocessinenglish...thankyousomuch...ireallyappreciateit...
Reply Share
phanikkbahadhur9monthsago
Realtruthyousaid.
ifyoufeelingshyatthetimespeakingEnglishdothisPracticeyourselfinfrontofmirror.
Reply Share
phanikkbahadhur9monthsago
Realtruthyousaid.
ifyoufeelingshyatthetimespeakingEnglishdothisPracticeyourselfinfrontofmirror.
http://reallifeglobal.com/7thingsnottodowhenspeakingenglish/
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7ThingsNOTtoDoWhenSpeakingEnglishRealLifeEnglish
ifyoufeelingshyatthetimespeakingEnglishdothisPracticeyourselfinfrontofmirror.
Reply Share
DaviA.Fernandes9monthsago
Muitolegaisessasinstruesparamelhoraproveitamento.Jerreibastante,masacreditoqueassimconsigoaprender.(PortugueseBrazil)
Verycool,theseinstructionstobetteruse,learn.AlreadyImessedupenough,butIbelievesoIcanlearn.
Reply Share
DaviA.Fernandes10monthsago
Muitolegaisessasinstruesparamelhoraproveitamento.Jerreibastante,masacreditoqueassimconsigoaprender.(PortugueseBrazil)
Verycool,theseinstructionstobetteruse,learn.AlreadyImessedupenough,butIbelievesoIcanlearn.
Reply Share
EfernalDeathayearago
AhhyestheEnglishLanguage..ThereismanydifferentregionalerrformsofEnglish.WhereIliveIhadtolearnhowtounderstandSpanishEnglish
speakers,NewJersey,NewYork,PADutch,SouthEasternPA.IdounderstandSouthernUnitedstatesandIgrewupinWesternPAwichiskindasorta
likeSouthernUnitedStatesonlywithabitofcursingthrowninforthenonbiblethumpersyougettotalkto.Beawarethatthebooks(yeastherearemany)
forslangwordsusedbyNativeEnglishspeakersishuge.SometimeevenafluentEnglishspeakermightnotknowthecorrecttermbuttheywillknowat
least23differentslangtermstodescribewhateveritistheyaretryingtotalkabout.Andsomeofthosetermscanvaryevery10milesoreveryothertown
youcomeacross.
EvenwhentypingonaforumorplayinganMMOgame,Don'tbeafraidtomisspellwordsorwordthingsthatmightlookoddtothefluentEnglishspeaker.
Onethingtorememberwhenreadinganythingandthisisespeciallytrueisthatyoucanmisspelleverysinglewordandaslongasyouhavethefirstand
lastletterineverywordrighttheEnglishspeakingpersonwillbeabletoreaditunlesstheyarejuststartingtolearnhowtoreadthemselves.Don'tget
embarrassedaboutanythingwhenspeaking.Talkingisthebestwaytolearnthelanguage.
Reply Share
EfernalDeathayearago
AhhyestheEnglishLanguage..ThereismanydifferentregionalerrformsofEnglish.WhereIliveIhadtolearnhowtounderstandSpanishEnglish
speakers,NewJersey,NewYork,PADutch,SouthEasternPA.IdounderstandSouthernUnitedstatesandIgrewupinWesternPAwichiskindasorta
likeSouthernUnitedStatesonlywithabitofcursingthrowninforthenonbiblethumpersyougettotalkto.Beawarethatthebooks(yeastherearemany)
forslangwordsusedbyNativeEnglishspeakersishuge.SometimeevenafluentEnglishspeakermightnotknowthecorrecttermbuttheywillknowat
least23differentslangtermstodescribewhateveritistheyaretryingtotalkabout.Andsomeofthosetermscanvaryevery10milesoreveryothertown
youcomeacross.
EvenwhentypingonaforumorplayinganMMOgame,Don'tbeafraidtomisspellwordsorwordthingsthatmightlookoddtothefluentEnglishspeaker.
Onethingtorememberwhenreadinganythingandthisisespeciallytrueisthatyoucanmisspelleverysinglewordandaslongasyouhavethefirstand
lastletterineverywordrighttheEnglishspeakingpersonwillbeabletoreaditunlesstheyarejuststartingtolearnhowtoreadthemselves.Don'tget
embarrassedaboutanythingwhenspeaking.Talkingisthebestwaytolearnthelanguage.
Reply Share
OmriBoguayearago
Mahomie!iknowthatihaveagoodEnglishbutsometimesifeellikeihavebadEnglish.Thequestionishowamigonnadealwiththis.
Reply Share
OmriBoguayearago
Mahomie!iknowthatihaveagoodEnglishbutsometimesifeellikeihavebadEnglish.Thequestionishowamigonnadealwiththis.
Reply Share
SofiaChuangayearago
Thesamewaytoothers!
Reply Share
SofiaZhuangayearago
Thesamewaytoothers!
Reply Share
NativeEnglishSkypeTeacherayearago
Fantasticarticle!Icompletelyagreewithallpointshere.IthinkasEnglishteachers,wehavetofocusonthetechnicalsideofEnglish,ofcourse,suchas
thegrammarrulesandpronunciationbutsecondtothat,andjustasimportant,wemustraisethestudent'sconfidencelevelasmuchaspossible.
ConfidenceisaHUGEpartofspeakingasecondlanguage,sopleasestudents,pasteaBIGsmileonyourface,takeadeepbreathandsimply
speak...you'llbesogladyoudid:)
Reply Share
NativeEnglishSkypeTeacherayearago
Fantasticarticle!Icompletelyagreewithallpointshere.IthinkasEnglishteachers,wehavetofocusonthetechnicalsideofEnglish,ofcourse,suchas
thegrammarrulesandpronunciationbutsecondtothat,andjustasimportant,wemustraisethestudent'sconfidencelevelasmuchaspossible.
http://reallifeglobal.com/7thingsnottodowhenspeakingenglish/
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7ThingsNOTtoDoWhenSpeakingEnglishRealLifeEnglish
thegrammarrulesandpronunciationbutsecondtothat,andjustasimportant,wemustraisethestudent'sconfidencelevelasmuchaspossible.
ConfidenceisaHUGEpartofspeakingasecondlanguage,sopleasestudents,pasteaBIGsmileonyourface,takeadeepbreathandsimply
speak...you'llbesogladyoudid:)
Reply Share
ValdelinoLourenoayearago
Excellent!
Reply Share
ValdelinoLourenoayearago
Excellent!
Reply Share
BalachariKorrapatiayearago
NowIaminasoftskillstrainingsession.ButInoticedthatIcan'ttalkEnglishfluently.IwasbeforeconfidentthatIspeakEnglishfluently.butithascame
down.
Reply Share
BalachariKorrapatiayearago
NowIaminasoftskillstrainingsession.ButInoticedthatIcan'ttalkEnglishfluently.IwasbeforeconfidentthatIspeakEnglishfluently.butithascame
down.
Reply Share
HiroHindsPaulayearago
ihavejustdiscoverdthativesevenproblems.
Reply Share
HiroHindsPaulayearago
ihavejustdiscoverdthativesevenproblems.
Reply Share
ErickMorenoayearago
itsareallygreatarticle,thanksalotforshareyouknowledgewhitus,I'lltrytoapplythissevenadvices!
Reply Share
ErickMorenoayearago
itsareallygreatarticle,thanksalotforshareyouknowledgewhitus,I'lltrytoapplythissevenadvices!
Reply Share
Tamilarasan.payearago
itwassuper..IaminspiredandhereafterwhateverhappensIamgoingtospeakEnglishwithoutfear.
Reply Share
Tamilarasan.payearago
itwassuper..IaminspiredandhereafterwhateverhappensIamgoingtospeakEnglishwithoutfear.
Reply Share
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