10 Tips to Help You Speak Correct English

[Sherry Liao]

Wayne:
he he...thank you. If you don't tell me, I never know the wrong.
So correct my wrong English to help me.

That's unfair. I want my English to be corrected, too!

[Wayne]

Unlike intransitive verbs(不及物動詞), a transitive verb(及物動詞) does not require a preposition between its object and itself. A common example of such mistake is the verb "discuss". It is always a transitive verb and therefore saying "discuss about something" is incorrect. Yet another common mistake like this is the verb "mention" It is also a transitive verb and therefore saying "mention about something" is incorrect.

Have you ever said "discuss about" or "mention about" before? See if you can find other examples and keep yourself away from making similar mistakes.

[Claire3922]

Thanks for the tips from Marko! Those ideas (suggestions) really help Yoyo members.

I believe I can improve my English speaking ability if I follow all these tips, and I wish I can use those tips to practice my English persistently.

Taking action is what we have to do regularly .
Practice makes perfect! Doesn't it?

[Sherry Liao]

Marco gave us an English lesson this Wednesday about the importance of syllables, stress and intonation for speaking English.

I have to admit that this was new to me. I used to think that perfect English speaking were all about pronunciation and accent, and pronunciation was what I always focused on when I practiced English speaking. I thought If I could pronounce English words correctly, I would have no problems communicating with others. (Actually I am proud of my Taiwanese accent. I don't want to spend a lot of effort and time on trying to make myself sound like an American. )

However, Marco let me know that there is still something else that I didn't notice before, and that "something else" is crucial - if we want to speak clear and comprehensible English.

[Marko]

Of course, pronunciation is important. As a matter of fact, it's by the proper use of syllables, stress and intonation that one develops an understanding of the proper pronunciation of words. Accents and dialects, however, really are less important. If they were, then I wouldn't be able to communicate with Australians, Brits, etc. That being said, you will still not be 100% with "global" English. Bear in mind that there are many different people who use English today, either as a first or second language, suc as Americans, English, Irish, Welsh, Scots, Indians, Singaporeans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, etc. They all have their own accents and dialects, primarily derived from their own cultural backgrounds. Even for me, there are still some English dialects that I could study for 10 years and still not understand, such as Cornish. In addition, not all English users use the language the same way. Even today, I still have to sometimes ask people who use British English to explain a word that they used, mostly due to the different usage of stress. For example, when saying words such as LABORATORY, Brits put stress on the second syllable, whereas Americans put stress on the first syllable. Another example is GARAGE, where Americans stress the second syllable and soften the second G, whereas Brits stress the first syllable and harden the second G.

Nevertheless, proper pronunciation will help you understand and communicate with other English speakers the majority of the time, regardless of which accent/dialect the other person is using. Long story, short: to improve pronunciation, first focus on one type of English (i.e. American English), then practice the usage of syllables, stress and intonation. Otherwise, you're more than welcome to learn all of the accents, dialects, forms of grammar and spelling.

Sherry, your English is better than you think. I suggest that you relax a bit with the worries about accents. If I can understand you 100% of the time, then your pronuncation is OK. If you need something to worry about, then think about vocabulary, spelling, complex grammar, etc. However, communicating with you is easier for me than you think.

By the way, my name is spelled with a "K", not a "C". I'm Croatian, not a thieving Italian.

Best till next time!


Marko

Marco gave us an English lesson this Wednesday about the importance of syllables, stress and intonation for speaking English.

I have to admit that this was new to me. I used to think that perfect English speaking were all about pronunciation and accent, and pronunciation was what I always focused on when I practiced English speaking. I thought If I could pronounce English words correctly, I would have no problems communicating with others. (Actually I am proud of my Taiwanese accent. I don't want to spend a lot of effort and time on trying to make myself sound like an American. )

However, Marco let me know that there is still something else that I didn't notice before, and that "something else" is crucial - if we want to speak clear and comprehensible English.

[Sherry Liao]

Dear Marko,

Many thanks for your advice! Also thanks for the correction... ha...