English Speaking Tips &
Resources
Larry Ferlazzo Blog: “Best Websites to Practice Speaking English”: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/03/17/the-best-sites-to-practice-speaking-english/
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This
blogger writes about the “Best Websites to Practice Speaking English” – has a
list of these different websites and the functions used
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Blabberize allows you to upload
an image, have the mouth’s image move in a comedic way, and then “speak” your
voice. Students can use their own photos, or a famous person, cartoon
character, etc. Blabberize can be used in the same way ESL/EFL teachers
sometimes have students use puppets — students can feel more comfortable
speaking when it’s not really “them” doing the talking.
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Voice Thread is well-known.
Between the free unlimited account for educators, the ability to type text as
well as record audio, the ability to grab images off the Web to reinforce
understanding, and the great feature of being able to leave audio comments, I
don’t think anything beats it.
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A new site is called English Central -  A quick description is that it’s a free video
site for English Language Learners, lets users listen to parts of the video,
then lets them repeat what the characters says and compares it to the original.
You get graded on how well you do.
 
Babbel: http://blog.babbel.com/tech-background-babbel-speech-recognition/
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Babbel uses
advanced speech recognition tools
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Uses
pronunciation samples recorded by native speaking editors to compare
pronunciation à instant feedback is
given, closer your pronunciation is to the sample, the higher points you will
received on a scale from 0-100
o  
If you
receive more than 50 points, good enough to be understood
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Speech
recognition has to consider filtering out background noises, etc.
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Babbel does
speech recognition in the browser (unlike Rosetta Stone and other software that
require audio CDs, etc.) – requires Flash plug-in and a microphone
Talk English: Ways to Improve English Speaking: http://www.talkenglish.com/
Steps to Learning
English
To become a fluent English speaker, you must study and master
reading, listening, and speaking. At TalkEnglish.com, the lessons are
structured to give you practice in all three areas at the same time.
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A complete and efficient solution to Learn
English speaking
 
TalkEnglish.com developed the "Click, Listen, and Repeat"
functionality. In most of the lessons, you read the sentence, click on the
sentence to listen to the sentence, and then you can practice speaking by
repeating after the audio file provided by a native English speaker. This
proven method strengthens your reading, speaking, and listening all at the
same time and makes learning English easy. You will improve your English
speaking using this method.
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The BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/
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Part of the
website that gives insight on how to improve English
o  
Different
sections such as “grammar, vocab, pronunciation” with important vocabulary and
slang in current news, as well as pronunciation tips
Effective Learning: http://www.effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-course-reviews/rosetta-stone-review
Review of Rosetta Stone Language Course
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Rosetta Stone
uses the “total immersion” approach.
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Because Rosetta
Stone really is geared up to utilize the way we learn as children, it is no
surprise that this is a very effective study aid for those who are younger. You
look at the pictures and through your logical à Rosetta Stone programs relying on a series
of games, flashcards and exercises that all follow the same theme: match up the
picture with the spoken words. Grammar is not given any importance whatsoever
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You are
supposed to be able to learn to associate what you say with what is in front of
you, linking the image in your mind with the correct pronunciation of the
object.
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Still,
overall, the pace of the lessons is excellent, with a lot of re-capping
previous points and making sure that you understand the right lessons that have
been taught. It’s pretty focused on vocabulary as well, and you can really
start to feel that having an effect on the way that you think about the
language, even if you won’t be able to form complex sentences yourself by the
end of the course.
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The problem
lies in the fact that this sort of learning just doesn’t appeal to everyone,
and not everyone can use this method of learning to their advantage
o  
The way we
learn as children is completely different to the way we learn as adults, and
for most of us, that’s simply because we cannot process information in the same
open-minded absorbent way that we do as children.
Pros & Cons
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very playful
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no explanations on grammar – you have to guess
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good to learn vocabulary
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mostly good to learn vocabulary
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can be used at the age of 6
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at the end you won’t be able to build complex sentences
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easy to use
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meaning of a picture is  not always clear
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voice recognition isn’t precise
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Language Learning Tips:
#1 Always Carry A Dictionary!
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A pocket
dictionary, or even a phrasebook/dictionary combination. You can also carry a
notebook around to record your freshly learned words.
#2 Read Newspapers
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There are
various ways to acquire literature in foreign languages, and many papers will
have their own websites for you to buy from.
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If you find
newspapers to be a little difficult, try a magazine.
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If you find a
magazine to be a little difficult, try a comic book.
o  
Comic books
are excellent since they are very conversational, and aimed at a younger
audience. Still, once you feel you have mastered comic books, progress your way
up to newspapers, and always keep your dictionary on hand.
#3 Write Letters
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If you lack
the confidence to write to an actual person, writing letters is still a great
way to practice a more relaxed tone of voice.
o   You will need to know new words and to think about
how best to say things in the language. As soon as you begin writing the
everyday things that happen as you would do in a diary, you will able to look
back on how you are progressing.
#4 Think In The Language
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Try to think
as much as you can in the chosen second language.
o  
when studying
to speak a foreign language is the habit to actively translate from your
language to another, instead of thinking automatically in the other language.
o  
If you will
practice it regularly, it will gradually become much more natural to you.
#5 Flashcards
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These are
very effective in studying another language. A mere ten seconds of your spare
time is enough for a quick exam pick a card and memorize the word for a term.
Return to it at intervals and see how long you can remember it for.
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There are
many ways to prepare flashcards, from pictorial to just the words in your
native language that you will then have to translate. You can buy flashcards,
but the act of making them yourself is also beneficial to learning.
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Don’t tell
yourself that you cannot make time for this because it’s just so easy to do!
Keep in mind that the next moment you go online, at the grocery store, bank,
doctor’s office or anywhere, you can make sure of the words that you have
learned.
#6 Read read read!
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While
magazines and newspapers are constructed to be grammatically correct, books can
often focus more on speech between characters, colloquialisms and practical
knowledge about a culture. Read everything, from websites to signs to poetry to
books, and you will soon find that the skills you are picking up in the lessons
are being transferred to your reading ability. However, you should be
interested in the content
#7 Audio
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People
respond very well to listening to a language - Listening to the language is a
critical aspect of studying if you plan to actually speak it. This is also one
of the easiest ways to become comfortable with a language even if you can’t
understand what is being spoken, you will still be picking up pronunciation and
inflection.
#8 Online Radio
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When you
follow the mentioned tips, give yourself some time to absorb the latest
language you learned. Radio will provide you the chance to be exposed to the
latest vocabulary and new content on a regular basis.
o   combine your present audio with other kinds of
sources like radio.
#9  Regular
Contact
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This is
potentially the most important rule when studying different languages, and in a
sense what most of these tips are about. You must be able to expose yourself to
the chosen language daily if you have time. Learning for 10 minutes daily is
better compared when you cram for 1 hour, once or twice a week
#10 Pen pals
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There are
many pen pal services for foreign language speakers that you can join up to
these days, as well as the immense social tool of the internet for engaging
with speakers of other languages, so you can easy practice your writing skills
AND make sure that you are comprehensible to a native speaker.
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They can
assist you, and in return you can help them to learn a little of your language,
if they would like. There are various free websites and forums that are
accessible for you to discover other individuals that will be glad to help you.
#11 Mistakes Are Good!
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Don’t be
stressed out if you can’t recall, or misspell, some of the phrases or words
that you think you have learned. Mistakes are a positive part of learning, and
are absolutely necessary in order to advance. In fact, sometimes learning from
a mistake instead of learning the word the first time, will make that word
stick a little easier in your head because you have spent more time on it.
Gradually, everything will fall into place!
#12 Take your Time
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Assign enough
time to study another language. Set the number of hours that you will use
during the week for studying, and stick to them!
 
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