How to Learn Oral English Online
English has become the language of business and diplomacy. There are approximately 380 million people in the world who speak English as a native language and 700 million who speak English as a second language. Because a working knowledge of English is necessary in so many fields, many people seek ways to become proficient in spoken or oral English. Finding online resources to learn oral English is simple if you know which English skills you are looking to acquire.
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Instructions
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Decide which type of oral English skills you are seeking. When learning a foreign language such as English, you must decide the type of oral proficiency you seek -- business English, legal English, conversational English skills or English for diplomacy. The vocabulary in these areas is specialized, and you will need to identify appropriate teaching tools or instructors based upon your goals.
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Enroll in an online foreign-language forum that permits you to get feedback from forum participants. Sites such as Live Mocha (see Resources) offer unique ways of getting feedback on oral English. You can record yourself speaking in English, post your recording and get feedback from fellow forum users who are native speakers, and you can do exercises designed to help you feel comfortable speaking in English.
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Find an English-language teacher who gives courses online in the area of specialization you seek. With the advent of voice-over-Internet technology, many language teachers are willing to give courses (for a fee) online through video conferencing, using free applications such as Google Video Chat, Skype or MSN. As with any language course, be sure to interview the teacher and find out her educational background, teaching style and experience in delivering online English-language lessons.
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Join an online foreign-language exchange such as Skype (see Resources). Some individuals are willing to speak English with you if you are willing to also speak with them in your native language. These types of exchanges will permit you to practice your oral English skills with native English speakers from around the world. Many of these individuals have expertise in business or legal English.
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Practice pronunciation with online English-language-learning sites. Some English-language-learning websites have exercises or games targeting pronunciation skills. One example is the British Council's online English-learners website (see Resources).
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References
Resources
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