Hi, everyone

Today I will instruct you how to speak English like an American in one month with 24 topics of using collocations and idioms in conversations.

To speak like an American, you should include idioms, especially collocations in communicating, it will help you to speak more naturally. Therefore, it would be better if you follow the natural process of learning any language:

 Listening -> Speaking -> Reading -> Writing

Now I will show you 3 steps to speak like Americans based on that process and you will see your improvement in 1 month.

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Let’s get started.

1. Method

First, take time to memorize 3 steps you will follow:

Step 1: Listening and reading

Listen to 3 or 4 times to the conversations in the video below. Then, you had better take note of the collocations, idioms or phrases bold in dialogues. If you don’t understand these words for the first time, try to guess their meaning basing on the contexts used, then you can look at the explanation written in each conversation to recheck.

[Video]

Part 1. American conversations

Other conversations: 

• English Conversations in Real Life with Common Phrases (Meaning & Example)

Step 2: Speaking

Practice speaking what you have learned above. (You can learn to speak relying on our topics or conversations. To maximize your results, you can use the method “IMITATION” to practice. Click to the link if you don’t know the “IMITATION” method)

For example: look at the below conversation:

After listening and taking note of some bold collocations, you can learn these words by imitation. The easiest way to imitate is to change the subject in the dialogue. Instead of talking with your friend, you can be a person retelling their idea. Here is my change:

Andrea and Eric are really nervous about the teacher because they are taking this class together. Someone told them that their teacher gives a lot of homework, and they have to talk a lot in class but Eric is afraid of talking in front of people.

To learn how to imitate further, click the link below:

Read more: Easy tips for improving your English speaking skill (Imitation method)

Other speaking tips: 5 Tips for Self-study Speaking English Naturally

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Besides, to be able to speak like an American, you should focus on the American accent in the video and try to imitate the way they speak (both intonation and tress), hence, your voice will become more natural.

Step 3: Writing

 After practicing, try to rewrite the topics in conversations in your own way by using the phrases and collocations learned. And don’t forget to practice speaking these conversations you have made, you will definitely remember better.

For step 3, if you want to dig these phrases in your mind, it is the best way to change all the conversations in your own way so that you can understand it clearly because you are the one who makes it.

There are 2 ways to rewrite the conversation.

The first method is using the topics given with collocations, only change how it delivers.

For instance,

It will help you not only speak fluently but also diversify your grammar structures.

The second method should be used after you learn by heart all collocations above because you will learn them with synonyms, which means you learn how to rewrite the sentences by different collocations.

Here are my changes:

2. Schedule 

We have 3 levels from elementary to advanced:

Level 1: Topic 1-8 for the first 10 days

Level 2: Topic 9-16 for the next 10 days

Level 3: Topic 17-24: for the last 10 days

Base on this schedule, you will learn each topic per day and 2 days for revision for each level. Therefore, you will set a sound basis of English in one month and with that foundation, you can widen your knowledge in English gradually on your own and get the goal of speaking like an American.

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Fluency is the ability to speak a language with ease, without any hiccups! Now, you must be wondering what I mean by ‘without any hiccups’. Do not take that literally! It is an idiom. An idiom is a group of words whose actual meaning is different from the
literal meaning. ‘Without any hiccups’ does not mean speaking a language without
suffering from a bout of hiccups, what it means is speaking a language without stopping
and stuttering, and being unsure of how to use your words. Fluency means knowing how
to use your words with ease and comfort.
Fluency comes with practice. You cannot study every “How to speak English” book and expect to be fluent in the language. Practice is a must! Also, if you think you read well and so you must be fluent as well, you are mistaken! Reading and speaking are very different.
The thing with learning English is that you need not concentrate on the grammar while
speaking. Concentrate on conversing. English is a weird language with a lot of
loopholes.

1. Practice
Practicing speaking in English is a must. You cannot learn how to speak fluently
otherwise. The reason for this is the slang that has infiltrated the language and also the
utter lack of regard for grammatical rules while speaking. However, if one starts using
correct grammar, by the book, English would sound extremely weird.

Read more: Top Linking Words for Speaking

2. Small talk
Learn how to begin a conversation. This will also grow your confidence. While
standing in line, ask the person in front or behind you a simple question such as ‘What
time is it?’ Try continuing with the conversation. If you have trouble understanding the
person, politely ask them to repeat what they said. Normally, people say “I’m sorry?”
but you could also say “Pardon”.

How to Speak English Fluently like American Speakers in one Month

3. Confidence
Practicing English speech will require confidence. During a social gathering, start small conversations. Do not hesitate to ask the person to repeat him or herself. If you do not understand the meaning of a particular word or phrase, ask them to clarify. Chances are they know you are in the learning process and would gladly help. Do not think that you
can go home and open Google translations and type in the word or phrase they used.
This does not work! Also, do not feel embarrassed when somebody corrects you. You
could also go to a karaoke bar!

4. Listen
Reading and speaking is not enough. Listen to how people speak, the pronunciations,
and the way words are use. Watch T.V., listen to songs etc. This way you are listening
to other people speak and observe how they pronounce the words.

Learn more:  How to Improve Listening Skill Effectively? (without spending extra time)

5. Read books
Read novels. Concentrate on the formation of the sentences. Novels have dialogues, a conversation between two people that you can use to your advantage. Notice how
people speak. They do not pay attention to the grammar as much as they do to talking.
Also, when you are reading, mark every unusual phrase or word and find out what it
means. Incorporate new words into your vocabulary.

5. Do not translate
Avoid translating what you hear, or what you say. Translating a phrase from your
mother tongue to English or vice versa will completely ruin the actual meaning of the
phrase. It will also most likely be incorrect. Instead, use a dictionary.

6. Study words and phrases
I’ve been using the term ‘phrases’ a lot. You may know a thousand words in the
language, but putting them together and making an intelligible sentence could be
difficult. This is because you are not concentrating on using the words you are learning.
To speak fluently, you need to learn how to put words together into phrases and
sentences.

Learn more: 1500 Real English Phrases from Beginner to Advanced

7. Idioms
Idioms are an essential part of the English language. You will find yourself dumbstruck
if you do not understand idioms. You might hear somebody saying ‘break a leg’ to you
before your English exam, and you would be baffled at why somebody would want you
to break a leg. ‘Break a leg’ is actually an idiom meaning ‘best of luck’ or ‘I hope you
do well’. Fluency in English requires the knowledge of idioms.

Learn more: Speaking English Fluently like Native Speakers through 901 perfect English Phrases

8. Do not think of yourself as a student
To become fluent, think of yourself as a person who can speak English. You will make mistakes, but these are the building blocks. As a student, you would probably find
yourself studying Grammar books. This is not important. To speak English properly, you
do not need to study Grammar books. You would also be wasting a lot of your time by
reading these books.

9. Recruit a friend as a mentor
An English-speaking friend is the perfect person to be with when learning the language. Surrounding yourself with people who can speak English fluently is important. You can ask a friend to help you along the way. Make it a point to talk in English, no matter how scattered it sounds. Ask friends and colleagues to correct you if you are wrong.

10. Movies and songs
Build a library of English songs and movies. This works better than just reading or
listening to others speak. Songs and movies stick to your mind. ‘My Fair Lady’ is a
good movie to watch since you are learning English.

Learn more: Learn English through Movies – 4 Tips, New method and Tool

11. Think in English
Make it a point to think in English and not your mother tongue. Whenever you are talking to yourself or thinking, do it in English. This way you will become more comfortable
with the idea of speaking and learning the language.

12. Record yourself
Every night before going to bed, record your day’s events in an audio journal in English. You will find that you speak much better when you do not have to worry about
embarrassing yourself in front of others. When you realize that you can speak reasonably
well without stumbling around, your confidence will grow and you will find yourself
initiating conversations.
Incorporate these points in your day-to-day life.

“Do It Right Now”: Steps to Start Improving instantly
Step 1: Watch an English movie twice and concentrate on how a person speaks
Step 2: On a piece of paper, note down all idioms and colloquialisms you come across
Step 3: Look up their meanings
Step 4: Make your own sentences and try incorporating them in your everyday life

Author:  Edward Clemons

According to the book: How to Speak English Fluently in 1 Week

English Book: The New Oxford Picture Dictionary (Pdf) Download