Finding joy in learning English~ Sharing my journey of improving my spoken English!

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This post was last edited by The sound of the waves remains 8228 on 2015-12-13 at 20:00. A few days ago, I saw on Zhihu a sophomore asking how to improve his spoken language skills quickly Hey, you’re quite aware of this. I wasn’t until my senior year of college, after taking the BEC exam and facing setbacks at various job fairs, that I realized the importance of spoken English. At that time, I tried to seek help from those who were experts in English through online platforms; the term “expert” might sound intimidating, but they turned out to be quite helpful, offering me many useful suggestions. However, I personally believe that the ultimate approach still requires one to explore it slowly on their own. The following are the insights I have gained through experience, which I share here in the hope that they will be helpful to you all. Don’t get too emotional! ! ! 　　For students on the mainland, the process of learning English involves listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, the skills that are practiced the most are those related to reading, listening, and writing – in other words, written skills. I can say that I have always maintained good grades in these areas, and I remain optimistic about my abilities; I often claim that my English is quite good. It wasn’t until my senior year, when I wanted to take exams like BEC, Zhongkou, and Gaokou, that I realized I had been learning \"dumb\" English all this time! ! ! Commonly known as someone who can only write but not speak! ! ! It was only at this time that I realized the importance of spoken language and the lack of knowledge I had in this area. In the end, what is truly useful and can actually be used to assess one’s English level is undoubtedly their speaking ability. With graduation approaching, job hunting, and the BEC exam – there’s so much to deal with, it’s really stressing me out; I really regret it now! ! ! If I were in my sophomore year, I would definitely study hard and with dedication! ! ! But I’m already in my senior year; is it still too late? Give up the exam, give up working for a foreign company, give up my parents’ expectations of me! ! ! No, I can’t do it! ! ! So I had no choice but to regain my motivation and pick up my books to start my journey in learning spoken language*. 　　At first, like everyone else, I wanted to improve my spoken English quickly, so I bought many books aimed at accelerating this improvement and browsed various English forums in search of tips. I learned a little here and a little there; not only was I exhausted, but my confidence also dropped from 120 to 50. It was only later that I realized that improving spoken English is a process that requires time and effort, and one cannot rush it. So I decided to start learning from scratch. 　　First: Practice your pronunciation well, ensuring that you master every word and every phonetic symbol thoroughly! In terms of pronunciation rhythm, omit the sounds that need to be omitted, and pronounce those that must be pronounced. You can find some listening materials to practice with on a regular basis; at first it might be difficult to understand, but after listening several times you will get the hang of it. You can also start memorizing some passages. There’s no need to mention things like the New Concept series – it’s quite cliché by now. If you’re really interested, you can try memorizing lines from TV shows or movies; the most important thing is to imitate the pronunciation and intonation. It’s best to watch American shows, as their plots are more relatable to real life. I used to watch shows like \"Desperate Housewives\", \"Friends\", and \"The Walking Dead\" – they’re all classic, with standard pronunciation and intonation, making them excellent materials for learning spoken language. 　　Secondly: the language environment of an English conversation is truly important! ! ! I too was lucky by chance; I had no idea how I managed to stand out among hundreds of highly skilled competitors, and successfully made it into a foreign company. It was during this time that my spoken English improved significantly. My direct supervisor at that time was an American, the junior boss in our company. My role was to assist him and remind him of his daily tasks; in other words, it was the position commonly known as an assistant. I had to communicate with him and other foreign colleagues in English on a regular basis. In such an environment, one has to urge oneself to speed up speaking. However, the efforts and hardships put in after work (such as studying late, speaking up, or attending classes without permission) are probably only known to oneself. After persisting for a while, my English became more fluent and my pronunciation more accurate. Now, I don’t really have any problems with English communication that requires a high level of professionalism. 　　Of course, the language environment needs to be created by oneself! ! ! If at school one can join English clubs or conversation groups, in the workplace one can use MSN to get in touch with foreigners; those who like to go to bars can also go there to chat with foreigners, etc. (I’m allergic to bars – I can stay there for a minute, but staying any longer might make me feel suffocated.) Immerse yourself in English conversations or exchanges, as this will help you progress faster. If one has sufficient financial means, it is best to find a foreign teacher for instruction. Although I learned it on my own, I truly put in a lot of effort. Many of my classmates have signed up for classes with foreign teachers, which helps them avoid many mistakes. 　　Finally: it’s my rather unique method – I *get used to talking to myself in English! Sometimes I recite passages, and other times I try to quickly convert the thoughts in my mind into correct English sentences. I’ve persisted with this for over a year. My friends, seeing my obsession, all said I was \"crazy,\" but as they say, when others call you \"crazy,\" it means success is not far away. Regarding this method, it’s just for reference; what I really want to say is that learning spoken language is like learning to drive – no matter how well one understands the theory behind it, without consistent practice, it’s impossible to master it. 　　Again, the same thing: persistence is actually the best way to learn English! Some fast learning methods may not be very solid, and they might not necessarily be of much help in one’s life. It’s better to take things step by step and master the basics first. If I hadn’t had a solid foundation back then, I might now be just a helpless onlooker, or even someone who has been fired! ! ! 　　Oh dear, I didn’t realize I wrote so much; suddenly I feel like such a chatterbox – I’m getting old! ! ! O(︶︿︶)o ~~~I really hope I can help you all! ! !