subject: English Tips - Understand American English Better [print this page] English Tips - Understand American English Better
Do you need some English tips so that you can better understand the English you hear in movies and on TV? Maybe you are still having a hard time understanding what native English speakers are saying, even though you have been studying English a long time. Here is my first bit of advice, relax and don't get mad at yourself. Learning a language is never easy - you are not stupid. In order to be really good, you need to spend lots of time improving - that's the truth. Hopefully I can help you out with some of these English tips.English Tip #1 - Study a Certain Kind of EnglishBy now you understand that Americans, as well as British, Australians, and all of the other English speaking countries have their own unique speech. Yes, it is all English - but sometimes, and American speaking to British person will be a little confused also. The forms of English are different. I remember meeting an English guy the other day (I am American). Believe it or not, when I talked to him I didn't understand about 10% of what he was saying. Why am I telling you this? Because if you will mainly be dealing with British people, the you should study the British form of English. If you are going to be in contact with Australians, then study Australian English. You will be so confused studying all types of English.English Tip #2 - Watch and Listen to Good English SpeakersJust because someone was born in an English speaking country does not mean they speak good English. I was born in the USA and there are many people here who do not speak good English. Just being born in the USA does not mean you speak good English. What should you do? Find good native speakers on the internet. How? If you want to listen to good American English, visit websites like foxnews.com and cnn.com. Click on the video section of these websites and listen and watch the mouth movements. These people are paid a lot of money because they communicate (speak) well. If you want to learn British English watch the BBC.English Tip #3 - Be Careful With English SlangIt is important to understand slang, but don't worry about it so much. Please do not try to use slang unless you really know how to use it. If you say something in the wrong way, you might offend the native English speaker. You might think it is everyday harmless slang but it make make you sound terrible. If you have a educated native English speaking friend, they will be able to tell you what is acceptable and what is not.
