How to Practice Speaking English Alone

Co-authored by Patrick Muñoz and Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: November 16, 2024 References

There are plenty of ways that you can practice your English all by yourself! Here, we've gathered some of the best ways to work on your pronunciation and the fluency of your speech, even if no one else is around to hear you.

1

Speak in front of a mirror.

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Watch the shape of your mouth and your facial expressions. Pronouncing words correctly has a lot to do with getting your mouth in the right shape to make the necessary sound. By speaking in front of a mirror, you can see what your mouth and face are doing and correct what's wrong before it becomes engrained.
- The mirror also creates an illusion that you have a partner, which can help build your confidence without the stress of talking to a native speaker. ^{[1]
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  Patrick Muñoz
  Voice & Speech Coach
  
  Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.}
- Work on sounding more conversational or natural—not being grammatically perfect every time. Try mimicking the musicality and rhythm of native speakers. ^{[2]
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  Expert Source
  
  Patrick Muñoz
  Voice & Speech Coach
  
  Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.}

2

Read aloud to yourself.

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This gives you a chance to practice reading and speaking. There are plenty of words in English that are spelled differently than they sound. Reading aloud is a different kind of speaking practice, in that it helps you better understand how words are written in English as well as how they're spoken. ^{[3]
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- Choose a story or article on your reading level to get the best speaking practice. You want to be able to read the words fairly smoothly without having to stop frequently to look something up.
- If you're reading dialogue, try to say the parts that characters would speak using the same tone they would use if they were speaking the words. For example, if a character is asking a question, speak with a rising tone at the end of the sentence to indicate a question.

3

Listen to spoken English and repeat it back.

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Play a video with a native speaker talking in English. After each sentence, pause the video and repeat the sentence aloud. Rewind the video and listen to the native speaker again, then repeat it again yourself. ^{[4]
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Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach

Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.}
- When you get one sentence right, move on to the next. It can take some time to get through even the shortest video like this, but you'll get a lot of good English practice.
- You may have to bring longer, more complex sentences up into shorter phrases at first so you can get them right.

4

Narrate your actions.

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Say what you're doing or thinking aloud in English. As you go about your day, pretend you're a character in a novel and tell your "reader" about your every move. Don't worry about getting everything exactly correct grammatically—just work on expressing yourself and describing actions.
- For example, you might say, "I'm getting ready to go to work. Now I'm taking out the trash. I see clouds in the sky. I hope that it won't rain today. I'm looking forward to playing soccer later."
- You can use this to practice verb tenses or conjugation as well. For example, you might say, "I am taking out the trash. My brother is not taking out the trash. He will take out the trash next week."

5

Memorize a poem or speech and recite it.

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Find a short poem or speech you love. Go line by line to memorize the passage you've chosen—just this act is already helping you become more familiar with English. Repeat the passage until you've memorized the whole thing. Then, when you've got a minute or two, recite the passage aloud. ^{[5]
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- You can even do small parts of the passage when you have just a few seconds. For example, suppose you've decided to memorize the poem "Trees," by Joyce Kilmer. Whenever you have a couple of seconds, you might say aloud, "I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree." ^{[6]
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6

Test out tongue twisters.

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Use these silly phrases to practice problematic pronunciation. Tongue twisters are typically troublesome sentences that stress certain sounds. These phrases can be difficult even for native speakers, so don't beat yourself up if you have a hard time with them! Here's a few to get you started: ^{[7]
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Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach

Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.}
- She sells seashells by the seashore.
- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
- How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
- He threw three free throws.
- We surely shall see the sun shine soon.

7

Record yourself speaking and play it back.

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Read a passage in a book aloud, then listen to yourself speaking. Any sort of voice recorder will work for this—most smartphones have recording apps. It can be awkward to listen to your recorded voice, but it'll help you recognize issues with your pronunciation. ^{[8]
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Expert Source

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach

Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.}
- If you have a recording of a native English speaker reading the same passage, play your recording first, then play theirs. Note where your pronunciation differs so you'll know what you need to practice more.

8

Sing along with English lyrics.

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Learn the lyrics to English-language songs that you like. Popular music can be great because you'll also pick up some of the slang and casual speech that most people use in daily life. The rhythm, rhyme, and repetitiveness also make the lyrics easier to memorize.
- Listening to English-language music is a good way to immerse yourself in the language. Initially, you might find that you don't understand all the words. But as you continue to listen, you'll start understanding more and more.
- If you're having trouble understanding the lyrics, search for them online. Then, you can read along as you listen to the song.

9

Dictate in English instead of writing.

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If your word processing app has a dictation function, use it to practice. Many smartphones, including the iPhone, also have dictation apps that you can use for this purpose. If the app shows the word you meant to say, you'll know your pronunciation is clear. ^{[9]
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- The neat thing is you can also see your words in print, so you can read them back and check for grammatical errors.
- If you have a virtual assistant, such as Siri or Alexa, you can set its default language to English. Then, you'll have to speak to it in English to get it to do things for you. How the virtual assistant understands what you've said also helps you improve your pronunciation.

10

Read English subtitles aloud.

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Watch a show in English with subtitles, reading along. Try to say the words at the same time as the person on the screen (although this can be difficult if there's a lag in the subtitles). This will help you with the speed of your speech as well as your pronunciation.
- Keep in mind that subtitles don't always show you the exact words the person on the screen is saying. This is especially likely in movies where the actors frequently deviate from the script. Even if the words aren't exactly the same, it's still good practice!

11

Commentate a sports broadcast.

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Put the game on mute and make the play-by-play yourself in English. This gives you a running commentary, similar to if you were narrating yourself as you go about your day. It's also a good way to learn a lot of vocabulary that's really specific to whatever sport you're watching.
- You can also try to translate a sports broadcast in your native language into English. Translating is a much more advanced skill, because you have to be able to listen and speak at the same time, but it will definitely improve your speaking skills.

12

Practice shadow reading.

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Get a transcript and read along as someone is speaking. For this exercise, you'll need both a written transcript and a video of a person saying those exact words. When you start the video and the person starts speaking, speak aloud along with them using the transcript. Try to mimic their speed, rhythm, and speaking style as closely as possible. ^{[10]
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- This is a more advanced practice, because many native speakers will speak much faster than you're used to. It can be easier if you find a prepared speech—people making speeches tend to speak more slowly and distinctly than in casual speech.
- This practice differs from reading subtitles aloud because subtitles aren't meant to be a verbatim transcript. Often, the subtitles merely provide the general idea of what the person is saying, and they don't get everything—especially if there are several people talking at once.

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Question

How can I sound more natural when learning a new language?

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.

Patrick Muñoz

Voice & Speech Coach

Expert Answer

If you begin to incorporate the rhythm and melody of the language, then you'll be off to a really good start. Practice specific sounds and overall intonation patterns, notice their differences, and reproduce and copy those sounds.

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What does "split" mean?

Donagan

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The verb "to split" means "to divide" or "to separate." The noun "split" means "division" or "separation." The adjective "split" means "divided" or "separated."

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How do I improve my functional English?

Donagan

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See Learn English Grammar .

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Tips

Most English speakers use contractions, such as "I'll" or "can't," instead of "I will," or "I cannot," which are considered more formal. These are good things to practice when you're speaking alone.

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Search online for language exchange websites you can use. Some are free, while others charge a monthly subscription fee for access. These websites pair people wanting to speak English with native speakers. Typically, the native speaker is also learning your native language—hence the "exchange."

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How to Practice Speaking English Alone

Steps

Speak in front of a mirror.

Read aloud to yourself.

Listen to spoken English and repeat it back.

Narrate your actions.

Memorize a poem or speech and recite it.

Test out tongue twisters.

Record yourself speaking and play it back.

Sing along with English lyrics.

Dictate in English instead of writing.

Read English subtitles aloud.

Commentate a sports broadcast.

Practice shadow reading.

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