One of my previous students used to have very good English grades. They scored high in English exams and also excelled at reading comprehension. However, whenever it came to speaking English, things went south really quickly. It was as if they had sentences stored in their minds, but when it comes to speaking them out, everything becomes silent.

Unfortunately, cases like the above are very common in Hong Kong's education system.

A global survey conducted recently found that Hong Kong's overall proficiency in English is relatively moderate, doing better than some of its neighboring countries but still lagging behind Singapore. Such results show a problem which is well-known by many teachers and lecturers for many years already – their students know English but they are not provided enough chance to practice it.

(Source:https://www.hk01.com/%E7%A0%94%E6%95%B8%E6%89%80/1086462/%E5%85%A8%E7%90%83%E8%AA%BF%E6%9F%A5-%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%BA%E8%8B%B1%E8%AA%9E%E8%83%BD%E5%8A%9B%E5%B1%AC%E4%B8%AD%E7%AD%89-%E9%81%9C%E8%8F%B2%E5%BE%8B%E8%B3%93-%E9%A6%AC%E4%BE%86%E8%A5%BF%E4%BA%9E-%E9%81%A0%E8%BC%B8%E6%96%B0%E5%8A%A0%E5%9D%A1)

Why Are So Many Students Afraid to Speak?

The traditional method of teaching English in Hong Kong is one of the major problems here.

Vocabulary learning, grammar exercises, reading comprehension practices, and preparations for English exam in HKDSE are all part of the usual routine. All of these activities help gain knowledge about the language, but not practice speaking it.

Herein lies the difference, that conversation is not a test but rather an ability to get to know a person quickly, think clearly, answer naturally and keep the discussion alive. That is an ability which one cannot gain merely by studying in books.

The Biggest Misconception About Spoken English

Many students think that they must first be "good enough" before they start speaking in English.

But what is even more important is the other way round – if you don't speak, you will never improve.

There was a time when I met a little child from Hong Kong, who was not good at all in English and rarely used this language to communicate. Once moved to Canada, he showed some improvements just in two weeks. And in just three months, this boy began speaking English fluently with a local accent as well. Amazing, isn't it?

Henceforth, it shows that vocabulary does not have to be learned anymore as it is acquired naturally during conversations.

Speaking English Is like Training a Muscle

Fluency is achieved through training and repetition. It doesn't matter how incorrect your sentences are because each conversation will improve your reaction time and will make you talk more naturally.

Below are some useful tips for learning English language speaking skills.

1. Shadowing

Pick any YouTube video or podcast and repeat all the sentences immediately after the speaker. Try to mimic his pronunciation, rhythm and intonation but not translate word by word.

2. Talk Every Day

Take just fifteen minutes a day answering simple questions in English.

What have you done today? What did you eat? How was your day?

The task is not to build grammatically correct sentences, the main thing is to keep talking non-stop.

3. Memorize Sentence Patterns Rather Than Words

Don't learn individual words such as "go," "eat" or "school." It is much better to learn chunks that native speakers use. Like:

"I'm on my way to...", "I'm not sure if...", "It depends on..."

Why One-on-One Practice Accelerates Progress

The other major obstacle which many students of English language encounter is the absence of instant feedback.

If you learn on your own, no one will help you to correct your pronunciation, improve sentence construction and suggest a better way to express yourself. Thus, development will be impeded.

However, private tutoring turns out to be extremely useful in such cases. You get an opportunity to practice communication skills, receive instant correction, get instant feedback regarding pronunciation, and constant exposure to natural English.

On our website edudable.hk you can find tutors, corresponding to your learning preferences and aims. It is absolutely clear for us that speaking English cannot be taught but should be developed with the help of guidance, practice, and proper studying atmosphere in which the learners are not afraid to speak.

The first talk is the hardest one, but every proficient speaker started his way with the very first phrase.

如何學好英語對話