Volunteer Social

Contents

How can I help my one-on-one conversation partners with their English?

How can I have a great conversation in English?

How can I improve my English? What online resources can help me with

my English?

Tips for Conversation Leaders Get to know your conversation partner’s

interests Identify the level of readiness and build on

with new things step by step Know your partner’s learning strengths and

preferences Incorporate all the language aspects into

your lesson Make it challenging, but not too challenging Create friendly, encouraging and curiosity-

stimulating learning environment

Resources www.eslflow.com http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk http://www.onestopenglish.com http://www.waze.net/oea http://www.englishclub.com http://www.eslgold.com http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/less

on-plans

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/esl-printables-worksheets.html

How to improve my conversation skills? Don’t be shy and self-conscious! Communication errors can be solved. A conversation is an interactive activity

involving listening and speaking from both parties.

It’s all about listening and asking questions. Do some research! Lulls are normal. If a conversation is going wrong, it may not

be your fault.

How to introduce myself? Greet with smile Maintain eye contact Give a firm handshake Tell your name Ask for the other person’s name Repeat the other person’s name Never draw a negative picture of

yourself

How to have a great conversation? Relax and forget about yourself Listen Ask questions Use a friendly tone Choose your words and questions carefully Avoid controversial and intimate topics as well

as arguments Neither interrupt a person in the middle of his

thought, nor speak on top of it Compliment the other person Thank for a great conversation

How to handle a difficult question? Personal, intimate question

I’m sorry, but I’d prefer not to answer this question. Question you don’t know the answer

I have no idea. Question you didn’t catch

Can you repeat the question? Question you don’t understand because of

unfamiliar words or question structure

I’m sorry, but I don’t understand your question. Would you mind telling it in different words?/What do you mean by…?/What does…mean?

How to avoid awkward lulls? Move on to another topic Ask questions for clarity Find common interests Compliment the other person Observe any visual clues to draw a topic

out If an awkward lull happens, correct it by

saying the following: I am thinking of what we have just talked about. And paraphrase what you have been talking about.

How can I improve my English? Be active and set goals for improving

your English! A language is not only speaking, but a

combination of speaking, listening, reading and writing, including grammar.

Use different learning styles such as visual, auditory and kinesthetic to achieve your objectives.

Resources

Learn English Free Online:

http://www.learnenglish.de Learn American English Online:

www.learnamericanenglishonline.com Learn Languages for Free Online:

http://www.busuu.com English Club:

http://www.busuu.com

How to improve speaking? Listening and reading aloud Writing Networking and making friends Greeting people on the street Having small talks in public Watching foreign movies with English

subtitles Joining one-on-one conversations,

conversation and common interest groups

Resources

Daily Conversations:

http://www.worldenglishclub.com/daily-english-conversations EBooks:

http://www.gutenberg.org Phrases and Expressions for Speaking:

http://www.eslgold.com/speaking/phrases.html

How to improve listening? Speaking to English speakers Watching TV and movies Listening to radio Reading audio books Singing English songs Practicing pronunciation Joining conversation groups/one-on-one

conversations

Resources

Listening Lab:

http://www.esl-lab.com Listening Activities:

http://www.manythings.org/e/listening.html Audio Books:

http://librivox.org

http://www.audiobooks.org

http://www.audiobooks.net

How to improve comprehension? Reading picture books or comics Reading newspapers and magazines Asking questions during conversations Watching TV and movies Browsing English websites Consulting dictionaries Constantly learning new words Clarifying meaning of slang and idioms Knowing grammar

Resources Idioms:http://www.idiomconnection.com Slang Words:http://www.eslcafe.com/slang/list.html Reading Comprehension Exercises:http://www.englishcorner.vacau.com/reading/reading.html Listening Comprehension Exercises:http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/eslvideo/ Vocabulary Games:http://www.vocabulary.co.il

How to improve pronunciation? Listening to native English and imitating Reading along with audio books Speaking, being corrected or asking for

correct pronunciation and repeating after Paying attention to letter combination

sounds, stressed syllables, word linkage and intonation

Training speech organs position, shape and movement of English sounds

Resources Accent School:http://www.accentschool.com/run_software.html Some Pronunciation Rules:http://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/index.htm http://www.fonetiks.org Pronunciation Exercises:http://www.pronunciationworkshop.com/pronunciationexercises.htmhttp://www.englishmedialab.com/pronunciation.htmlhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/pronex/pronex.htmhttp://www.manythings.org/pp/ Dictionaries with Pronunciation:http://www.merriam-webster.comhttp://www.howjsay.comhttp://www.thefreedictionary.com http://dictionary.cambridge.org

How to improve grammar? Reading, listening, writing and speaking Using subject-verb structure Differentiating questions from statements Understanding parts of speech Practicing verb tenses Knowing words beyond their meaning Learning phrasal verbs Doing grammar exercises Quizzing yourself

Resources English Grammar Exercises and Tests:http://world-english.org English Grammar:http://www.manythings.org/e/grammar.html English Grammar Quizzes:http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/http://a4esl.org/a/v.html English Study Zone:http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/studyzone/ English Grammar Rules and Exercises:http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/index-ex.htm Phrasal Verbs:http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/verb_preposition.html http://www.learn-english-today.com/phrasal-verbs/phrasal-verb-list.htmhttp://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/phrasal-verbs-list.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/phrasals.htm

How to improve reading? Reading audio books Watching movies with subtitles Listening to songs and following their lyrics Learning letter/letter combination sounds Stressing words correctly Paying attention to punctuation signs Slowing down and pronouncing every

single word as well as word endings

Resources Listen and Read Along:http://www.manythings.org/listen Phonics Games:http://www.vocabulary.co.il/phonicshttp://www.familylearning.org.uk/phonics_games.html

Songs and Lyrics:http://www.isabelperez.com/songs.htm http://www.songsforteaching.com/esleflesol.htm

How to improve writing? Reading, listening and speaking Learning English grammar and vocabulary Understanding the basic subject-verb

sentence structure Using correct spelling Analyzing frequently misspelled words Making use of grammar and spell check Punctuating correctly Blogging, text messaging or having pen

friends

Resources Blogging Sites:www.blogger.com www.blogtopsites.com ESL Blogging:http://www.eslgo.com/conversation/ Spelling Games:http://www.vocabulary.co.il/spelling Punctuation Rules:http://www.englishclub.com/writing/punctuation.htm http://www.angelfire.com/blues/writing/punctuation.html http://www.wikihow.com/Use-English-Punctuation-Correctly http://esl.about.com/od/englishgrammar/a/a_punctuation.htm http://grammar.about.com/od/punctuationandmechanics/a/

punctrules.htm