15 unique ways to practice speaking english

You have no problem practicing your English reading, writing, or listening skills when you’re alone, but when it comes khổng lồ practicing speaking, what are you supposed to lớn do? Everyone says that you have khổng lồ practice speaking in order to lớn improve, and that reading, writing, and listening are not enough. But it’s not always possible khổng lồ find an English teacher or friend to speak with, right? Are you supposed khổng lồ talk lớn yourself?AdvertisementsYes! & it’s not as weird as you think! It might feel strange at first, but the more you vị it, the more natural and fun it will become.Besides, it’s not just about talking khổng lồ yourself. It’s about finding creative ways to speak when you’re alone. Today, we’re going to talk about ten strategies you can use when you practice speaking English by yourself:AdvertisementsTeach yourself a famous speech or monologue.

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Memorize your favorite quotes to lớn repeat out loud.Memorize your favorite song, & sing it!Memorize a poem that speaks to you.Have a discussion with yourself.Dictate your ideas instead of writing them down.Use the rubber duck method.Use a voice recording app.

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Record videos of yourself.Check-in with your progress once a month.So, if you still don’t believe me when I say that it’s possible to lớn practice your English speaking when you’re alone, or if you’re ready to learn more, let’s keep reading!WAYS khổng lồ PRACTICE ENGLISH SPEAKING ALONE

1. Teach yourself a speech or monologue

If you know that you need lớn practice speaking, but you don’t know what khổng lồ talk about, memorizing something is a great place khổng lồ start. It allows you to get more comfortable with hearing yourself speak in English and strengthen your pronunciation muscles!So, to begin, you should find your favorite scene from a movie or play, or a joke from your favorite stand-up comedian, & memorize it. I promise this can be a really entertaining way to spend your time. If this sounds overwhelming, take it step by step. Choose a short passage khổng lồ memorize, maybe no more than five hundred words. Read the passage và underline or highlight any phrases or expressions you don’t know. Look them up and practice using them in sentences so you can get comfortable using them. Then, take the monologue or speech và break it down into small sections. Start with memorizing just a few sentences at a time. If you need some ideas or inspiration, you can start here:20 Best Monologues in Movie History10 Uplifting Speeches from History That Will Inspire You in Times of Crisis75 Short Jokes That Will Get a Laugh Every Time

2. Memorize your favorite quotes khổng lồ repeat out loud

If you’ve spent any time on social media, you know that quotes are an incredible way khổng lồ connect with and inspire people instantly. And, if you don’t feel ready lớn memorize a speech yet, you should start with memorizing quotes.The great thing about this strategy is that, if you check social media every day, you can make this part of your daily habit. It can also expose you to expressions và slang that you might not find in other places.If you need ideas, just search for #inspirationalquotes on Instagram, or tìm kiếm Google for quotes about a particular subject, like self-care or perseverance.In the beginning, I recommend that you give yourself a small goal of learning one quote per week. Then repeat it to lớn yourself or khổng lồ friends and family, over và over, until they say, “Please find a new quote!” 

3. Memorize your favorite song, và sing it!

Many of my students laugh at me when I ask them if they’ve ever tried singing in English, but there’s a method lớn my madness! In a 2013 study conducted at the Reid School of Music in Edinburgh, researchers discovered that adults who sang in a new language instead of just speaking it performed better on a series of language tests. I understand that people don’t lượt thích to sing, or they feel self-conscious about their ability, but if you’re by yourself, you should give it a try! và you’ll find that, because you’re singing it, it will be much easier lớn memorize a tuy vậy than it is khổng lồ memorize a monologue or famous speech.For your first song, try not to lớn choose something that’s too challenging or fast-paced, but vày choose a song that you really enjoy so that you’ll want to lớn listen to lớn it again & again. Listen to the tuy nhiên first as you read the lyrics, & look up any words or phrases you don’t know. Then, play the song again, and try singing along as you read the lyrics. Vày this a couple of times until you feel ready khổng lồ start singing the chorus - or the part of the song repeated after each verse - without reading the lyrics. Once you’ve memorized the chorus, work on the first verse. Take the tuy nhiên one verse at a time until you know it by heart (without reading the lyrics).Then, sing it all the time: in the shower, in the car, in the supermarket when no one’s around. Sing it until you’re sick of it, & you’re ready for a new song.If you need inspiration, I highly recommend choosing a song from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, or Prince. These are just a few examples of musicians who have been around for a long time, but who are still popular and who have really influenced modern culture.

4. Memorize a poem that speaks to lớn you

But, if you absolutely refuse khổng lồ sing, you should try memorizing a poem. Why poetry? Well, why not? Poetry is often powerful & emotional, và anything that can help you connect emotion to lớn learning English will help you retain more vocabulary.And poetry with musical qualities, like rhythm & rhyme, is still a bit easier lớn memorize than a speech. And you don’t have lớn choose anything long or challenging from over a century ago if you don’t want to. Poets lượt thích Rupi Kaur, Nayyirah Waheed, và Atticus post their short, beautiful poems regularly on Instagram, so it’s easy khổng lồ find. And, just lượt thích with the quotes, you can give yourself a small goal of memorizing a short poem every week và reciting it out loud khổng lồ anyone who will listen. 

5. Have a discussion with yourself

Have you ever tried asking yourself what you think about things? About life? About what you would do in a certain situation?Did you know that we create free, self-study worksheets self-study worksheets that can give you some awesome ideas? And, before you’re ready khổng lồ give a presentation or have a conversation, answering some thought-provoking questions can be a great warm-up.If this idea sounds good lớn you, give yourself the initial goal of answering three questions a day out loud. You can record yourself or write your answers down, too, but make sure that you actually answer the questions out loud.

Designed lớn help adult learners build fluency and confidence in English. Perfect for learning online or in class!

6. Dictate your ideas instead of writing them down

So, maybe you’ve done enough memorizing, or you’re just ready lớn produce your own wonderful, original thoughts.Instead of writing, try dictating your spoken words. Dictating is just speaking your words khổng lồ a person or computer program so they can be written down. Dictating used to lớn be a job for humans, but now we have apps và computer programs that can dictate for you.Using a dictation phầm mềm or program is great for your speaking skills because it forces you khổng lồ speak clearly and slowly. And, because you usually have to say “comma” and “period” if you want khổng lồ insert a comma or a period, it can help you improve your punctuation as well.If you have an iPhone or other táo device, try the không tính phí Apple Dictation tiện ích to get started with dictation, và if you have a PC or Android, you can check out Dictation.io, which is a không tính phí dictation website. It takes a little bit of practice to lớn get used lớn dictation in the beginning, so be patient with yourself. To start, create a Dictation Diary & commit to lớn dictating your thoughts for five minutes a day or fifteen minutes per week. 

7. Use the Rubber Duck Method

If you’re raising an eyebrow and thinking, “What in the world are you talking about?” just wait. The Rubber Duck Method is one of my favorite new discoveries. The Rubber Duck Debugging Method is simple. You find an inanimate object (like a rubber duck or a houseplant) and teach it something. Computer programmers created this method and actually use it in order lớn solve problems with their code. But you can use it lớn practice your speaking skills!This works especially well if you feel strange about talking to lớn yourself. If you use the Rubber Duck Method, you’re not really talking lớn yourself. You’re teaching a rubber duck something important.When you’re starting out with this method, choose a subject that you love lớn talk to lớn people about. So, if you lượt thích teaching people about sustainability, films, engineering, or the benefits of gardening, write down a few bullet points on some notebook paper, và give a short presentation to lớn an inanimate object. If you notice yourself making any mistakes, write them down, correct them, và try giving your presentation again with your corrections.I know this sounds strange, but I promise it works!

8. Use a voice recording app

If you’re someone who likes to đánh giá yourself to check your progress và listen for mistakes, you should definitely try using a voice recording app. You can use this khổng lồ record yourself reciting a speech, singing a song, or reciting a poem, but you can also use it lớn record your thoughts.Similar to lớn the dictation method I talked about before, you can give yourself the goal of recording yourself every day for five minutes, and then listen lớn your recording to kiểm tra for mistakes & write them down. If you have an táo khuyết device, you can use the không tính tiền Voice Memo phầm mềm that is available lớn you, & if you have an game android device, you can use the không lấy phí app Easy Voice Recorder.But, if you’re still a beginner with speaking in English, I recommend downloading ELSA Speak, which is an tiện ích that helps you focus on English pronunciation. This is better for those learners who want to lớn focus more on building their vocabulary và improving their pronunciation. 

9. Record yourself speaking on video

This idea might not be for everyone, but if you lượt thích watching or making videos on YouTube or Instagram, you should try making videos in English!If you have access khổng lồ a camera, or just a camera on your phone or computer, that’s really all you need khổng lồ start recording yourself.And if you’re not ready to show them khổng lồ anyone, that’s ok! You can upload your videos to YouTube or Vimeo as unlisted, so they won’t be available to the public, but they won’t take up space on your computer or phone.If you’re just starting out with this method, I recommend recording a video of yourself speak once a week. And give yourself some guidelines for what you will talk about. Are you going lớn teach something or discuss something? nhận xét your favorite horror movie? Just tóm tắt your thoughts of the day? It’s best khổng lồ give yourself a specific focus so you don’t get too overwhelmed by the idea of being on camera. 

10. Check-in with your progress once a month

Practicing a skill like speaking on your own can be tough. But you’ll make more progress if you check-in with your goals every month.So, if you use a calendar app on your phone or computer, or if you prefer lớn track goals in a paper planner or bullet journal, set aside one day a month for you to measure your progress. Ask yourself: Are you making fewer mistakes? How many new English phrases or expressions have you learned? Have you memorized a speech, a song, or a poem? vày you feel more comfortable when you’re speaking?Even if you’re learning English with a teacher or in a classroom, learning how to lớn keep track of your own goals helps you take charge of & stay invested in your progress, và it will have a bigger pay off in the end. 

Know when lớn ask for help

If you’re feeling stuck or that you’re not making enough progress, I highly recommend reaching out to an English teacher to help you figure out your own self-study path. I can personally say that, as an online English teacher, I love empowering people khổng lồ study on their own, and most English teachers that I know feel the same. I know that I’ve encouraged you to lớn learn on your own in this post, but remember that it’s also okay to lớn ask for guidance or help from a teacher or a language partner if you need it. 

About the writer

Marta is an online ESL teacher who works with students from around the world. As a writer, language nerd, and content contributor for In English With Love, her mission is khổng lồ empower English learners with knowledge & positivity.