5 TIPS TO LEVEL UP YOUR ENGLISH

5 TIPS TO LEVEL UP YOUR ENGLISH

Hi, guys, I'm Nouhaila from Speaking English With Noha and in this lesson, we will talk about improving your English. And how to take your English to the next level: intermediate to upper-intermediate, upper intermediate to advanced and beyond. We can all agree that speaking a language fluently has its ups and downs.

5 TIPS TO LEVEL UP YOUR ENGLISH

Some are more advanced in your language journey than others. Some of you spend more time each week practicing and others work harder than others to improve their English. Right?

But I have a question for you. Do you feel you have reached a point in your English where you have reached a plateau? You have made a lot of progress in the past and now you feel a little flat. Your progress has really slowed down. You have lost energy and momentum. You don't get better as fast as you want. But maybe that's how you feel now. The feeling of being stuck in your progress is really, really common. Most language learners, regardless of their language, can understand this feeling.

But what we need to do together is move from intermediate to advanced and then fluent English. But how are we going to do that? Well, I have some useful tips to help you progress and continue to climb this mountain.

But before you start, if you have a friend who feels unhappy about his progress in English. And you think they'd like to be up to it, then share this video with them too. It's always nice to have a friend with you to hold you responsible and train together.

Tip # 1 Develop your vocabulary

Develop your vocabulary. Wider. Wider. This may seem like an obvious trick, but it can be really easy to get stuck using the same words over and over again, over and over again. That's what's comfortable and it's easy.

And hey, if you can communicate your message in English, do you really need to know more? Well, if you are satisfied with your current level of English, then maybe not! Maybe what you got is perfectly correct. But if you want to improve your English, you need to improve your vocabulary, which can seem like an overwhelming task. Where do you start?

In fact, using the new words you learn is the key to acquiring a new vocabulary. Then make the new words relevant. Make sure you use them. Look for interesting new practice materials. New shows on Netflix or TedTalks or different podcasts. Our world is full of information, opinions and ideas, and most of them can be found at any time. In your pocket!

Always look for new and interesting content. Don't get stuck watching the same shows, listening to the same things over and over again. If you like to talk about food, don't just watch cooking shows. But look for podcasts where people discuss topics and questions about food. Or even better, join online groups or communities that discuss ideas and trends on these topics. From everyday life.

Even if you are not ready to participate in these discussions in these groups, you can see what other people are talking about, what they are talking about. It is an infinite supply of new ideas, words and subjects. And they are real, they are current and relevant conversations that will help you stay motivated and interested in learning and practicing your English. You won't even notice you're studying!

So tell me which topics are of most interest to you? What conversations do you like to have in English? Can you add them in a comment under this video?

Who knows? Who knows? I might even be able to recommend to an online group to join on this topic or maybe someone else watching could even recommend one for you.

Now, I have shared some tips for learning a new vocabulary in this lesson right here. You may want to check this later.

But before you continue, with regard to vocabulary, while watching a video on Youtube, take notes on the new words you hear, activate the subtitles and rewind the video a little bit to understand how the words are used.

Tip #2 Get used to different English accents

Now, put your hands up if you've ever been in this situation. You're just starting to feel confident with your English skills and you're feeling pretty rough with yourself, aren't you? And then all of a sudden, you find yourself in a conversation with someone who has an English accent you're not used to. Or someone who speaks very quickly. There's nothing that makes you feel more deflated and miserable, is there?

In the United States, Australia and England, English is spoken with different accents. Scottish and Irish, South African, Canadian, New Zealand and Canadian accents. But then there are all the others who have learned English as a second language, which is by far the majority of English learners.

English is spoken by about twenty percent of the world's population, which represents about one point five billion people. But only about twenty-five percent of these 1 billion people speak English. And since English is the most widely studied language in the world, there will be many, many more non-native English speakers in the future. You must therefore familiarize yourself with English in different accents.

Look for videos and lessons from teachers with different accents. Watch films from different parts of the English speaking world. Don't just watch American movies. And speak with people who have different English accents.

Tip #3 Use English filler words

Learn them and train yourself to use them. Fill words are meaningless words that can be used when you stop or hesitate when speaking. In a conversation, it helps others to know that you are not finished yet. But you're just thinking about what you're going to say next.

So you will probably have these filling words in your own language, but they are probably different in English.

Okay....
Uh....
Well...
Right....
You see....
Like....
I mean.....
You know...

Taking a break or hesitating in a conversation is normal! Especially when you need an extra moment to think about what you're going to say next. And since we use keywords without really thinking about it, your instinct or habit will be to use keywords from your native language.

But instead, I want you to think about these English words and the next time you can't think of a word, try using them instead. Try to get used to using natural words and sounds in English.

Now, it is important not to abuse these words.

Filling words can really help to bring your thoughts together. And give your speech a more natural tone. I mean, if you think about it, the keywords can be, well, well, well, they can be really useful sometimes!

Tip #4 Use Phrasal verbs

Now, English speakers use tons of particle verbs, you will hear them everywhere! Especially in spoken English. Voiced verbs are very, very common. It's a nightmare to try and learn, isn't it?

Verbs in the sentence are a verb followed by a preposition. Or an adverb.

And together, it creates a new meaning. Often, a meaning completely different from the original meaning of the verb.

We now know that particle verbs are difficult to learn and it is so important that you learn them in their context.

So, what is my recommendation? Set a goal to learn and use a new particle verb every day. Just one.

Tip # 5 Practice your language

You can have perfect listening skills and grammar, but if you can't communicate your message clearly with your mouth and language, well, it's really hard to feel positive about your oral skills.

Good pronunciation is certainly a very, very important part of taking your English to the next level.

Now think about it this way: what do you do if you want to improve the strength of your arms or legs? You practice! You go to the gym. You're practicing. We train our muscles to be stronger. Now the tongue is also a muscle and it can also be trained.

Some English sounds simply do not exist in your native language. That is a fact. So, of course, it's normal if your language simply can't make these sounds at first. But that doesn't mean you can never make those sounds. With a little practice and a little work, your tongue and mouth will be able to produce these sounds.

Now, first of all, you really need to know what sounds are difficult for you. What sounds do you really need to practice?  Maybe the "ch" sound is really difficult for you. And maybe you say "seeded" instead of "chicken". So find video lessons that focus on the sound you need help with and study it. Then choose a word that sounds like this - a difficult word, right?

And say it again and again and again and again.

Squirrel.

Say it until you can't say it anymore until your tongue is really tired. And he will feel tired, just like your stomach will feel tired after a hundred sit-ups. But even better, why don't you practice pronunciation while you practice?

When you train your tongue muscles, these difficult words and sounds will become easier and easier to do. It just takes a little practice, constant practice.

So these are my tips to help you improve your English. And I want to know if you want to add any more. Please share them in the comments below.

All right, this all!

thank you for reading this, if you enjoyed the lesson say hi in the comments and if you have any question or suggestion to the next lesson put them in the comments and I’m gonna answer all of your questions.

See you soon in another English lesson.