Many non-native English speakers make the same mistakes when speaking to people in English.

Online PR News � 21-December-2018 � Many non-native English speakers make the same mistakes when speaking to people in English. These mistakes can make communication difficult or nearly impossible, but they are easily fixed. Claudette Roche, the Accent Coach, offers tips to help those whose second language is English to speak more clearly so they can be better understood.

The most important rule for anyone who is not familiar with English is to slow down. People who speak fast are often difficult to understand even if they speak perfect English. If there is a thick accent involved, it makes being understood almost impossible at a higher speed. When teaching accent reduction, Roche focuses on the student learning to speak slowly so they can think about what they say before they say it. It is also important to keep sentences short. Roche recommends that speakers choose the shortest words and phrases to convey a message. A common mistake for non-native English speakers is to use long words and complex phrases. Many times, these sentences are full of errors and mixed up so that listeners cannot understand what they are saying.

Another rule that Roche has for students is to speak up. Often, a person will speak lower when they are not sure about what they are saying. They may be embarrassed about their quality of English or be afraid of making a mistake when they speak. However, the people they are conversing with will struggle to understand what they are saying even if they have perfect English unless they speak loud enough. On the other hand, there is no need to shout or speak above a normal tone.

Roche says the most important rule for non-native English speakers is to listen to others talk. "What we are around is what become natural to us," she explains. "If you spend time listening to Americans speak, youll begin to sound more like them." She also advises people to speak in English as much as possible even when they are at home with their family and friends. Practice is the key to getting better at English or any other task, so she recommends speaking in English as much as they can. They will not only learn how to enunciate their words correctly, they will begin to understand the complexities of the English language.

"English has a lot of rules, and then it has a lot of words and phrases that break those rules," Roche says. "The only way to master such a complicated language is to spend as much time using it as you can." She recommends that students speak only English for several months while they are learning. It will force their minds to think in terms of English so they will learn it faster. Instead of converting a word back into their native language, they will automatically begin to use English to define things.

Even though English can be difficult to master, these rules will help non-native English speakers begin to communicate better. Perseverance and practice are the tools to success.