According to our survey, the majority of English learners say they need to improve their speaking and listening skills. Even though most of them have been learning English for over 5 years, they still find speaking difficult. 

When they say that their English is not good, they usually mean that they cannot speak the language very well. 

In response to the question 'Where have you studied English?', 80% answered 'at school'.
The other options were: in a language academy, at work, by myself, or abroad. 

In response to the question 'What do you find most effective when learning English?', 90% answered 'developing speaking fluency'. 
'Working on new vocabulary' got only 50%. 

English learners tend to feel shy and embarrassed when it comes to speaking. 

Here is what learners of English usually say: 

• I'm not satisfied with my speaking skills. 
• I want to improve my spoken English and pronunciation. 
• I have a terrible accent. 
• I understand the question but I can't answer immediately. 
• I always use the same sentences and I can't find the words to express myself better. 

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Why do you use the same sentences and cannot think of other ways to express yourself? 

You may be one of those learners who read grammar rules and do exercises regularly, but this does not mean that you will easily access this knowledge while speaking. It is one thing to read a rule and do exercises to practise, and another thing to use the grammar structure automatically.

The reason why you struggle with using a large vocabulary and more complex sentences is because you have gained that knowledge, but you have not made it part of the existing one. In other words, you seldom access what you have learned. You may practise by doing different exercises, but when it comes to using that knowledge in spoken or written language, you never do that. 

Let's say you have recently studied irregular verbs. 

Simple example: go - went - gone/been 

Students often forget to use 'went' instead of 'go' when they talk about something that happened in the past. 

To the question, 'What did you do at the weekend?', they would reply whatever they did using 'go'. 

You may have spent a few hours trying to remember every single irregular verb. Yes, you have that knowledge in your head and it really is there, but you still do not use it automatically.

You need to practise using the verb form in order to be able to access this information naturally. 

The same explanation is valid for your range of vocabulary. You cannot think of synonyms of words and phrases to express what you are trying to say because you have not made them part of your active vocabulary. 

Note: In order for a word to be part of your active vocabulary, you need to have used it at least 20 times. Just writing it on paper won't help. You need to use it actively in speaking or writing. 


Is your communication in English effective? 

Foreign people will probably understand what you are saying in English even if you haven't learned grammar very well. You can rely on different strategies to express yourself. 


Examples of communication strategies: 

• inventing words or phrases: 'investition' instead of 'investment' 
• using gestures and mime to convey the meaning 
• language switch: saying a word in your native language when you don't know the English one 
• being vague (not precise or exact) by using words like: stuff (like that), thing(s), kind of, sort of, a bit, a bit of, etc. 
• using more words than necessary, instead of speaking or writing in a clear, direct way: 'They have small work time' to mean They work part time. 
• asking for help when you can't express something in words: 
  Speaker 1: Young people need to learn how to save money, because if they buy expensive products, the money will end or finish soon. How can I say that? 
  Speaker 2: You can say that the money won't last, so it means you've spent it all. 
  Speaker 1: Ah, OK. 

It is important to know that these strategies usually maintain the illusion that your English is fluent and they can buy you valuable time to process the information when having conversations. 

On the other hand, you may end up relying too much on strategies instead of improving your English competence. There is something called 'interlanguage', which is the current version of the language you are learning. Interlanguage is often influenced by your native language and it usually changes over time, but it can also fossilise when you do not have the chance to improve. 

Most English learners achieve early fluency by using the little language they have. This can prevent them from improving because they overuse memorised words and chunks of information, incorrect word order, throwing in vocabulary to express themselves. 

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Will studying grammar guarantee you speaking English naturally? 

Even if you study grammar, it doesn't mean you will be able to speak English automatically in face-to-face interactions. What can really help you improve this skill is interactive real-time talk. 

​Regardless of how much vocabulary and grammar you know, you will still feel unprepared in the real world. You need to have opportunities to practise speaking spontaneously. 

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SUMMARY 

The main difficulties English learners-speakers face: 

• they don't have enough knowledge 
• their knowledge is not automated and this affects their fluency 

​English Study Habits: 
How to learn new vocabulary 
How to remember vocabulary 
How to use a dictionary effectively 

Learn the difference between some English words: 
Confusing verbs: Say vs. Tell 
Confusing verbs: Speak vs. Talk 
Confusing words: Come vs. Go 
Confusing words: Bring vs. Take 


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Don't forget to remember! 

If you learn 100 English words, how many will you remember next week? 
How many will you remember next month? 
How many will you remember next year? 
 
It is possible to learn vocabulary and remember it. But if this is your situation, if you think “Hmm, if I learned 100 new words, I would forget them all within a year”, then perhaps you should change the way you study vocabulary. 

If you forget most of the words you learn, then you’re wasting a lot of time! 
 
Using effective study methods can help you remember what you learn. 
 
Let's look at some simple ways that you can use to remember English vocabulary more easily and effectively. 

​Tips: 

1. Find examples of how the word is used. 

The best way to remember English vocabulary is to use it. First, you need to know how to use it correctly. Use a good learner’s dictionary, for example: Oxford, Longman or Cambridge. 

Try to get at least three examples of how the word is used in a sentence, and try to remember these examples, so you understand how to use the word. 

Let's see how the word "good" can actually be used in sentences. 

Meaning: pleasant; that you enjoy or want 

• Did you have a good time in London? 
• It's good to see you again. 
• We have some good news for you. 
• Let's hope we have good weather tomorrow. 

2. Learn one meaning at a time.

Many words have several different meanings. For example, the verb “set” has 68 different meanings in the Longman dictionary. And, that’s just the verb – “set” can be a noun too! It can also be an adjective. Think how many meanings it must have! 

If you try to learn different meanings at the same time, you will get confused, and it will be much more difficult for you to remember the vocabulary.

When you are listening or reading in English, you will hear or read words that you don't know. These words are used in context. Whenever you look up new words in a dictionary, try to think about the context and find the meaning of the words you need. 

Let's look at an example. 

• It was tedious, repetitive work. 

The meaning of "tedious" is: lasting or taking too long and not interesting
Synonym: boring 


3. Use the vocabulary in a phrase or in a sentence. 

Let’s imagine you are trying to remember the English verb “play”.
You can write it down in your book, maybe with a translation in your language. But that doesn’t really help your imagination. 

Does the word “play” bring a clear picture to your mind? Why don’t you write down something like: “play inside/outside”, “play games”, or “play football with your friends at the weekend”? 

Using vocabulary in a phrase or in a sentence like this helps you see a picture and this picture helps you remember the word. 

It will always be easier to remember English vocabulary if you can make some phrases or sentences with it. You can add adjectives, adverbs or short phrases like we did here.
 
You can also use the word in a sentence, for example:

• I haven't got anybody to play with. 
• Let's play a different game. 

The more you use the word, the easier it will be to remember it. 


4. Stick new words and phrases around your home. 

You can write new vocabulary on small pieces of paper and stick them up around your home, so that you see them several times a day. For example, you can stick new words on your fridge, on your bathroom mirror or on the top of your computer screen. You can change the words every three days or every week and it will be easy for you to remember them. 


5, Make new words into a picture, a story or a song! 

Your brain is very bad at remembering facts, for example the meaning of new vocabulary in a foreign language. Your brain is very good at remembering pictures, songs and stories, so why not use this to remember English vocabulary? 

So, if you want to learn 10 new words, maybe try to draw a picture, which includes all 10 ideas. Or try to make a short story and practise reading the story with the new words in it.
It sounds strange, but it works very well.
 
 
These are five simple ideas that you can use to learn vocabulary more easily and with a higher success.

Please let us know if you use any of these study methods to remember new words. 


English Study Habits: 
How to learn new vocabulary 
How to use a dictionary effectively 

How to say something in another way: 
10 Ways to Say that Something is Bad 
10 Ways to Say that Something is Good 
Casual Ways to Say Goodbye in English 

English Phrases: 
Common Phrases in Spoken English (Part 1) 
Common Phrases in Spoken English (Part 2) 


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Learning vocabulary is the biggest job you face when learning any language. 

There are some questions you should ask yourself when learning new English vocabulary, which will help you understand and remember the word. 

Tips: 

​​1. Do I really need this word? Will I use it?

This is the most important question. Many English students spend hours and hours trying to learn completely useless vocabulary. Learning and remembering vocabulary is hard work and none of us has unlimited time and energy!
 
Don’t waste time and energy learning words you won’t use.
 
Learn only words that you are sure you will use, and focus on learning them well, so that you can remember and use the vocabulary when you need.
 
It’s better to learn 10 words really well, so you can use them, rather than trying to learn 100 words that you can’t really remember that well. 


2. What is the register of the word? 

What is register?
 
Simple answer: The term register refers to how formal or informal a word is.
 
A more detailed answer is that the register of a word tells us:

• What kind of person uses this word?
• In what kind of situation do people usually use this word?

 
We use the term 'register' to refer to particular varieties or styles of speaking and writing. 
For example, some words are only used in spoken English. Some words are mostly used in written English. Some words are mostly used by teenagers, or engineers, or Americans, or office workers. 
 
It is important to understand the register of a word when you learn it. 

​Registers vary because the language is used for different purposes, in different contexts and for different audiences.

For example, there is a legal register, a register of advertising, registers of banking and a register of weather forecasting. We commonly recognise registers because of their specialised vocabulary, but also because of particular uses of grammar. We also use the term register to refer to whether language is being used formally or informally: 

[From a weather forecast register: depression is a specialised word meaning a system of weather that brings rain.] 

Example: 

There is a depression moving in from the Atlantic and we can expect high winds and local storms over the next few days in the north of the country. 


3. How do I pronounce the word? 

This is simple, but it’s still important if you want to use the word. If you can, use an online dictionary with audio clips. Practise pronouncing the word, and think about these questions: 

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• Does the pronunciation match the spelling? 

colleague BrE /ˈkɒliːɡ/ 
entrepreneur BrE /ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜː(r)/ 
negotiation BrE /nɪˌɡəʊʃiˈeɪʃn/ 
negotiate BrE /nɪˈɡəʊʃieɪt/ 
basically BrE /ˈbeɪsɪkli/ 
accessory BrE /əkˈsesəri/ 
receive BrE /rɪˈsiːv/ 
definitely BrE /ˈdefɪnətli/ 

• Are there any silent letters? (= letters which are written, but not pronounced) 

Examples: 

Silent B: 
climb, debt, doubt, plumber, etc.  
Silent C: 
conscious, fascinate, muscle, scenario, scene, scent, etc. 
Silent D: 
handkerchief, sandwich, Wednesday, etc. 
Silent G: 
assign, campaign, champagne, design, foreign, resign, sign, etc. 
Silent H: 
ache, archeology, architect, chaos, character, characteristic, chemical, chemist, Christian, Christmas, etc. 
Silent K: 
knee, knew, knife, knock, know, knowledge, etc. 
Silent P: 
psychology, psychiatrist, receipt, etc. 
Silent T: 
castle, listen, whistle, etc. 
Silent U: 
biscuit, build, built, guess, guest, guide, guilty, guitar, etc. 
Silent W: 
wrap, wrest, wrinkle, wrist, write, wrong, wrote, etc. 

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• Where is the stress? 

contact BrE /ˈkɒntækt/ (noun) 
to contact BrE /ˈkɒntækt/ (verb) 
connection BrE /kəˈnekʃn/ (noun) 
to connect BrE /kəˈnekt/ (verb) 
report BrE /rɪˈpɔːt/ (noun) 
to report BrE /rɪˈpɔːt/ (verb) 

​

• Does the word have different pronunciations? For example, some words are pronounced differently in UK/US English, and some words change their pronunciation if they are used as a noun or a verb.  

schedule BrE /ˈskedʒuːl/; NAmE /ˈskedʒuːl/; also BrE /ˈʃedʒuːl/ 

organisation BrE /ˌɔːɡənaɪˈzeɪʃn/ 
organization NAmE /ˌɔːrɡənəˈzeɪʃn/ 

record BrE /ˈrekɔːd/ (noun) 
to record BrE /rɪˈkɔːd/ (verb) 


4. Does this word have a direct translation in my language? 

For most English learners, when they see a new word in English, the first thing they want to do is find the translation in their native language. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it can be dangerous, because not all words translate well.
 
Trying to translate English words into your language won’t work well every time.
For example, take the word amazing. Amazing is used in English to mean ‘very good’, but the original meaning is ‘very surprising’.
 
So when we say amazing to mean ‘very good’, it still has a little bit of that original meaning – something which is amazing could also be surprising or unexpected.
 
Does your language have a word with this exact meaning? Maybe, maybe not, but in any case there will be words like this in English (or any language), which have their own history and which do not always translate cleanly into other languages.
 
Every word has its own history which influences the exact meaning of the word.


5. How is this word related to other English words I know?

When learning a word, ask yourself these questions:

• Can I make different parts of speech from this word? For example, if the word you want to learn is a noun, can you make a verb or an adjective from it? 
• Do I know any words with the same or a similar meaning?
• Do I know any words with an opposite meaning?
• Can I make any collocations? (Collocations = words which fit together and are often used together)

Let’s look at an example:
Let’s say you want to learn the word ‘connect’, which is a verb.

• Connection (noun)
• Connectivity (noun)
• Connected (adj.)
• Connecting (adj.)

 
Let’s think of words with a similar meaning to ‘connect’.

• Link (similar meaning)
• Join (similar meaning)

 
Is there a word with an opposite meaning?

• Disconnect (opposite meaning)

 
Let’s make some collocations. What words can you use together with ‘connect’?

• Connect to the Internet (collocation)
• Connecting flights (collocation)
• Connect two events in a story (collocation)

 
If you do this, it will be much easier to remember the vocabulary you learn, because you will understand how it fits in with other words you know in English. 
​

English Study Habits: 
How to remember vocabulary 
How to use a dictionary effectively 

Learn the difference between some English words: 
Confusing words: Begin vs. Start, End vs. Finish 
Confusing words: Practice vs. Practise, Advice vs. Advise 
Confusing words: Breath vs. Breathe, Belief vs. Believe 
Confusing words in English: Famous vs. Popular 
Confusing words in English: Crowded vs. Congested 


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If you’re studying another language, you need a dictionary. However, it’s really important how to use – and how not to use – a dictionary. A dictionary is only helpful if you use it the right way. If you use a dictionary the wrong way, it makes it more difficult to learn English. 

Tips: 

1. Use a monolingual dictionary as much as possible.

There are two kinds of dictionaries:
 

• Bilingual dictionaries show you the meaning of a word in your language, so you have English and a translation.

Bilingual dictionaries = your language + another language 
 
Examples: English - Korean, English - Chinese, English - Japanese, etc. 

Bilingual dictionaries are written in two languages. 

• Monolingual dictionaries explain the meaning of a word in English, so they just use one language.

 
Monolingual dictionaries = one language (no translation) 

Examples: English - English, Korean - Korean, Chinese - Chinese, etc. 

Both are useful, but you should use a monolingual dictionary as much as possible, and a bilingual dictionary as little as possible.

You need to use a dictionary in English with definitions and examples in English. You will be able to understand English, instead of translating everything into your native language. This will make your English more fluent and natural. 


2. Find the right dictionary for you.

Different dictionaries are made for different people. If you are using a dictionary that was written 50 years ago and made for scientists, it might not help you too much. There are many good learners’ dictionaries online, which are designed specially for people learning English. So don’t just buy the first dictionary you see: read reviews, ask others for advice, and choose one that suits your English level and your study needs. 


We recommend the following dictionaries which you can actually find and use online: 

• Oxford Learner's Dictionaries 
• Cambridge Learner's Dictionary 
• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 

 
You will be able to listen to the pronunciation of words and to read different meanings of each word, plus examples (how this word is actually used). 


3. Don’t use a dictionary all the time. 

Remember, you can’t learn a language just by using a dictionary. If you could, everybody would speak many languages. It’s just not that simple. If you don’t understand something when you’re reading or listening, don’t reach for your dictionary every time.
 
Not understanding things you read or hear is a normal part of learning another language.
 
Maybe you can understand the general meaning without understanding this one word, or maybe you can guess the meaning from the context. You don’t want to depend on your dictionary too much.

​
4. Remember that not everything can be translated. 

This is one more reason to use a bilingual dictionary as little as possible – some words just don’t translate well between languages. For example, English has one verb “put”, whereas German has three verbs with the same meaning. So you can’t translate the words directly. 

Example:
Put it on the table!
 
English: “put” = 1 verb, many meanings
German: “stellen”, “stecken”, “legen” = 3 verbs, the same meaning  


English Study Habits: 
How to learn new vocabulary 
How to remember vocabulary 

Learn the difference between some English words: 
Confusing verbs: Say vs. Tell 
Confusing verbs: Speak vs. Talk 
Confusing words: Come vs. Go 
Confusing words: Bring vs. Take 
Confusing words: Know someone vs. Meet someone, Alone vs. Lonely, To feel cold vs. To have a cold, Desert vs. Dessert 

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