Letters | How to speak and write better English, without breaking the bank
- Readers discuss ways Hong Kong students can improve their English skills, oversized baggage delivery at the airport, and the continuing appeal of The Peak
A new school year is set to begin next month. As a Hongkonger educated locally from kindergarten to university, I would like to recommend a few (economic) ways to improve one’s English skills.
The first step is to receive more input. Whether it’s a newspaper or a novel, read something in English for at least 15 minutes a day. Reading provides plenty of examples of how expressions are used and in which contexts. As you are exposed to various tones and different genres, you will develop a more general sense of English usage and not have to rely on memorisation to pass exams.
It’s imperative to read aloud as this allows you to strengthen orthographic mapping, or the connecting of sound to spelling. If you are weak at pronunciation, try mimicking an audiobook narrator.
Reading aloud also improves your fluency. When you read, your brain is taking in different words in context. Thus, when you find yourself in a similar situation later, you will have the words for it.
After receiving so much input, you must also boost output. When I was in secondary school, I was unafraid to express my opinions in English. From time to time, to practise new items of vocabulary I picked up while reading, I would try to incorporate them into my homework, letters to the editor and blog posts.