How to Become
Fluent in
ENGLISH EASILY
KEITH O'HARE
Helping you Become a
Confident English Speaker
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This PDF is one of many that Keith
has developed to help you do this.
Keith has been working in international education for over 20
years as a teacher, teacher trainer, and education manager.
He has helped over 40,000 students prepare for their IELTS
Speaking test with his online courses.
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Becoming fluent in English is simple, really!
But it often seems complicated as lots of people offer ‘new secret
methods’, ‘a new way to learn’, ‘a new revolutionary technique’. To
be honest, even I have the ‘Speaking Success System’ in my online
English courses!
However, the truth is the principle behind all these methods is very
similar and as old as the hills.
I am going to try and explain it to you in a simple way, so you can
see how simple the route is to gain fluency in English.
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The English Fluency Formula
Here is a super simple formula based on sound pedagogy, and if you
follow it, you will eventually reach fluency.
[Study + Practice] x Time = Fluency
You don’t need a ‘revolutionary’ method, ignore the tips and tricks to
become fluent in a month, just follow this simple formula.
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How to Study English
[Study + Practice] x Time = Fluency
The first most important thing to do when you study English, is to study
language in context. Avoid word lists. Yes, use grammar books, but use
them as references; don’t study a whole book grammar book from start
to end.
Next there are a series of 4 steps you should follow
1. Know your level
You can do simple tests like these online to get an approximate idea of
your English level.
Or you can ask a teacher to give you a spoken test, to know your level.
You can book a teacher on platforms like Preply, Cambly, or italki, to do
this.
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2. Choose texts at your level (or slightly above)
When it comes to finding texts, which can be written, audio or video,
you have three choices
1. Find your own resources
2. Choose a course book
3. Choose an online course
If you want to look online for your own materials, that’s fine, and here is
a tip to help you search.
Write the level you want (e.g. B1)
Write the topic (e.g. shopping)
Write the type of text (e.g. stories, conversations, news)
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If you are using a search engine like Youtube, you might get something
like this”
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3. Read, listen or watch the whole text for enjoyment
Start by reading, listening or watching the whole text from start to end.
Don’t start looking up words. Just try to get the overall meaning first.
If it is too hard, or boring, change the text.
4. Analyse the text
Finally, look at the text and start to analyse it to see what you can
understand, and to learn new language. Now, here is the key, when you
analyse a text, analyse the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation at
the same time.
Avoid spending 20 minutes studying vocabulary, and then 20 minutes
studying grammar and finally 20 minutes studying pronunciation. That
is not a very good way to study.
It’s better to spend 60 minutes studying vocabulary, grammar and
pronunciation all together in the text. Remember, study language in
context. That way, you will not only understand it, you will know how to
use it.
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How to Practice English
[Study + Practice] x Time = Fluency
There are 2 ways to practice, either on your own or with other people.
Both are fine, and in fact you probably should do both.
How to practice speaking English alone
When you practice alone, one of my recommendations is to follow the
Speaking Success System. In short, this involves taking an audio or
video and listening to phrases and after each phrase pausing and doing
one of the following,
Repeat
Change a word
Change tense
Make up phrases
Shadow
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In addition, I recommend you try and mix the following three types of
practice
Controlled (mainly repeating)
Semi-controlled (repeating but changing a part of the phrase)
Free (speaking more freely)
Learn more about these three types of speaking practice here.
How to practice English with a speaking partner
You can find a speaking partner from a course you are following, and
there are also lots of online communities and groups where you can
look for a speaking partner at a similar level to you.
When you practice with a speaking partner, there are different ways
you can practice, including,
Focussing on communication and fluency
Focussing on using new words or grammar
Focussing on accuracy
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Organise Your Time
[Study + Practice] x Time = Fluency
‘We are our habits’
When your learning English with a goal to reach fluency, then I think it is
essential to create a study habit.
Here are my top tips for doing this.
Tip #1. Study and practice on a regular basis.
It’s better to study 10 minutes a day over a week, instead of studying for
1 hour once a week.
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Tip #2. Same day(s), same time, same place
If you are going to study twice a week, let’s say Monday and Fridays,
then try and stick to those same days each week. Likewise, aim to
choose a time and fix it. Even studying in the same place, helps create
the study habit.
The fewer choices you have to make (about time and place), the more
successful you are likely to be.
Tip #3. Plan content, before you study.
If you arrive at your study session but don’t know what you are going to
do yet, you will waste lots of time looking for ideas and content, and
most likely get distracted on the Internet and social media.
Spend 2 or 3 minutes the night before your study session and decide
exactly what you want to study, so when you start studying the next
day, you don’t waste any time looking for stuff to study!
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Tip #4. Prioritise and be persistent
If you want to be successful at studying English and becoming fluent,
you have to prioritise your English study. If not, ‘more important’ things
will always happen and you will slowly give up your study.
If you are serious about fluency make a commitment to study at least
one year - and prioritise that.
Of course, if’s fine if you take a few weeks off now and again during the
year, but always aim to stay on track.
Tip #5. If you miss a day, don’t worry, just carry on next time.
If you miss a day, or even a week, just relax. As soon as possible, take
one step, towards starting your study again.
That step may be a simple plan, a 5 minute study session or just
listening to the radio in English again. Whatever that step is, you must
take it as soon as possible. The longer you are ‘away’ from study, the
harder it is to get back in.
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Conclusion
Don’t overcomplicate your English study! Don’t be like a magpie, always
chasing the newest method, book, course or fashion!
The truth is planning for fluency is simple, just follow the Fluency
Formula.
[Study + Practice] x Time = Fluency
Make a plan and keep going!
It does also help if you enjoy your study, because then you are more
likely to continue. Good luck on your journey to English fluency!
Practice your grammar and develop your fluency with the
FLUENT GRAMMAR course. Click below to learn more.
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