Live
- Preetham Gowda’s close aide in SIT custody
- Low voter turnout in Hyderabad’s Old city
- Nellore: Anganwadi worker, her son die in train accident
- This is the spirit of democracy
- SIT probe going off track, Bommai seeks CBI probe
- 4,500 police force deployed for polling: SP Patel
- Wild animals menace in Chikkamagaluru coffee estate
- CM Revanth cast vote in Kodangal
- A pregnant woman casts her vote
- Basaveshwara banner torn by miscreants; protest erupts
Whys & Wherefores
Listen to speech or dialogues and repeat it out loud. Repeat it until you feel contented. It will be fun and when you do it frequently, you will start enjoying it. This will help mouth, lips and vocal chords get into action. This will also help in losing the mother tongue influence and gaining good pronunciation.
Sir, I am a journalist working in a reputed Telugu media group. I'd like to grab the available opportunities to get into national or international English media groups. Please suggest few tips to improve my English to reach my goal.
--Venkat, Hyderabad
Firstly, your zealous goal is highly appreciated. Make it a habit to speak out loud in English. The best way to improve your language skills is by speaking the language. There is no substitute for practising with real people. Develop intrapersonal communication. Think in English. Talk to yourself in English in your mind. Design your day in English. Talk about things you see in English. For instance, talk about the climate while walking on the road. Try to imitate/emulate/reproduce/mirror/copy the speakers you admire. Listen to speech or dialogues and repeat it out loud. Repeat it until you feel contented. It will be fun and when you do it frequently, you will start enjoying it. This will help mouth, lips and vocal chords get into action. This will also help in losing the mother tongue influence and gaining good pronunciation.
Watch news. You must be aware that journalists are very good communicators. The news channels try to be succinct because more words cost them more money. Observe the choice of words of the journalists, guests, experts, correspondents who try to put forth their argument in a convincing and persuasive manner. Observe how they present a story in a structural manner. Pick a topic to talk about. Pick any topic and start speaking. Talk about the articles you read. Express your thoughts on issues like Deforestation, Climate Change, World Hunger and Poverty, Global Warming, Global Financial Crisis, Human Population, Environmental Issues, etc with your friends. You can even talk about your morning. Paint a picture with your words.
Go to flickr and describe the photograph to your friend. Try to paint the picture with your words. Speak about the contents of the picture, the expression of the people. What do you feel when you see the picture? Does it remind you of something? Try to express yourself. Watch the TV shows you like. Watch television shows with subtitles to see how the thoughts are expressed effectively and concisely in humorless or humorous manner. Watch anything you enjoy. It is important that you enjoy what you are watching. Observe the body language, emotions and expressions in connection with the speech or dialogues. Try doing these things and you will notice the positive changes coming your way.
