提高英语的17个小妙招（上）

提高英语水平，意味着你要从说、写和听三个方面入手，但是这并没有想象中的艰难。接下来请读这篇文章并从中体会到学习英语的方法。

Improving Spoken English

提高口语表达

Spoken English is fun because it allows you to communicate directly with other English speakers. It is also challenging! English pronunciation is very different from other languages, plus there are many words pronounced in a unique way! So how do you improve then?

英语口语非常有趣，因为你能使用它直接和其他人交流。这也是一个挑战！跟其它语言相比，英语发音非常不同。甚至还有许多单词的发音很独特！那么怎样提高呢？

1. Break difficult-to-pronounce English words into parts.

把发音难的单词分成几部分

Long English words might be scary, but if you take a closer look, they can be broken down into parts. These parts are often easier to pronounce and sound more familiar. For example:

长的英文单词可能让我们感到可怕，但是你仔细看看，他们可以被分成几部分。这些小部分就比较容易发音而且听起来熟悉一点。例如：

• Wholesome = whole + some

• Antiestablishment = anti + establish + ment

• Psychotherapy = psycho + therapy

All you need to do is to practice pronouncing these separately and then put them back together. The trick is that you already know how to pronounce the long word because you know how to pronounce parts of it!

你要做的就是分别练习这些发音然后把它们组合到一起。秘诀就在于知道各部分的发音，你就知道了整体的发音！

2. Practice letter combinations that are giving you trouble.

练习使你感到困难的字母组合

When a long word includes a letter combo that you cannot pronounce, you will stumble. One way to improve is to get into the habit of practicing these letter combinations separately.

当一个长的单词里包括一个你不会发音的字母组合，你说话的时候就会结巴。克服这个问题的好办法就是养成分别练习这些字母组合的好习惯。

 For example, beautiful is hard to say because of its many vowels:  b-eau-t-i-f-u-l. It may feel like a tongue twister. So you should focus on the /u/ sound in the middle and say it as many times as you need.

例如，beautiful的发音就比较难，因为它有许多元音： b-eau-t-i-f-u-l。这听起来像一个绕口令。你应该关注这个单词中间/u/的发音，你要发很多次这个音。

 Another example is the th combo that often gets pronounced like a t. Saying the may be easy, but saying thorough is tough. Your tongue needs to adjust to this peculiar th combination.

另一个例子就是th字母组合，它的发音和字母t的发音很像。发the的音可能会比较容易，但是发thorough的音就难了。你的发音需要调整以适合字母组合th的发音。

Any sound or letter pair could give you trouble. The key is to recognize them and give yourself a little time to get used to them.

任何发音或者是字母组合都可能会让你觉得困难。关键就在于你需要辨认出它们并且给自己一点时间去适应它们。

3. Repeat difficult words out loud. Then repeat again.

不断大声朗读难的单词

To improve the likelihood of pronouncing English words correctly, you need to say them out loud many times. Choose a few words to focus on at a time and repeat them slowly as many times as you need.

提高正确发音的可能性，你需要大声朗读它们很多次。一次选几个单词，然后尽可能多地慢慢重复朗读它们。

Repeating words out loud to yourself is also important in order to get used to hearing yourself say them. It may not sound right at first, but soon you will get accustomed to even the most difficult English words. Practice is the only thing that helps.

为了习惯听你自己去朗读发音，不断地对自己大声重复很重要。一开始听起来可能并不对，但是不久之后你就会习惯它们甚至是更难的英文单词。练习是唯一能够帮助你的方法。

4. Use Google Translate Listen for unknown words.

使用谷歌翻译里的发音来听不认识的单词。

When it comes to words you do not recognize at all, Google Translate is your best friend! Even if you do not need the word translated, type it into the Google Translate box on the left. You will see a sound sign appear at the bottom, along with a microphone and a keyboard sign. Hit the sound sign and you will hear the automatic voice say the word for you.

每当遇到你不认识的单词，谷歌翻译就是你最好的朋友！即使你不需要把这个单词翻译过来，把它打到谷歌翻译界面的左侧，你就会从界面的底部看到发音的标志，麦克风以及键盘的标志。

This feature is called Listen and it is invaluable to English learners. Google Translate Listen isn’t always the greatest when it comes to other languages, but it gets English right every time. (Note: The software that pronounces words does so with a standard American accent.)

这个特性就是听，这对英语学习者很有效。当涉及到其他语言，谷歌翻译中的发音不总是最好的，但是它的英语发音绝对是正确的。

5. Listen to how others pronounce unfamiliar words.

听其他人是怎样对不熟悉的单词进行发音的

If you have no idea how to pronounce a certain word, but there is a chance that someone else might say it in conversation, listen very carefully to them. In fact, listening carefully is guaranteed to help you improve your English comprehension and speaking skills.

如果你不确定某一个单词如何发音，但是你有机会听到别人是如何让发音的，那就认真听。事实上，认真听是提高英语理解能力和交流能力的保障。

Once you hear the word said out loud, do not be afraid to repeat after them.

每当你听到一个单词被大声的朗读出来的时候，不要害怕，跟着读。

6. If you do not know how to pronounce something, take a guess!

如果你不知道怎样去发某个音，猜一下！

Have you ever been in a situation where you just had to say something, but you had no idea how to pronounce it? It is common! You could be asked to read something in class. Maybe you need to ask for directions to a place.

你是否曾身处于这样的环境里？你不得不说些什么，但是却不知道如何发音。这很普遍。例如，被要求在全班面前读点什么，或者要问路的时候。

It can be an uncomfortable situation, for sure. Be brave and take a guess! If you pronounce it wrong, someone is likely to correct you. If not, you can always make a note of that word and practice it later in private. This is how you keep improving.

当然这是一个让人有点尴尬的窘境。勇敢点，去尝试！如果你发错音了，会有人来纠正你。如果没有，你可以把这个词记录下来，然后私下里不断地练习。这就是不断提高之路。

7. Enunciate.

清晰的发音

Enunciating means pronouncing your words clearly and articulately with the intention of being understood by your audience. Enunciation plays the most important role in being a successful English speaker despite what your accent may be (more on your accent below!).

Enunciate 意为为了使你的听众理解你所说的话而进行清楚的发音。不管你的语音面貌如何，清楚的发音在成为一个优秀英语演讲者的过程中扮演着重要的角色。

Sometimes even native English speakers don’t enunciate enough. It takes a bit of practice.  Not rushing will help you speak naturally.

有时候，甚至是一个以英语为母语的人都无法进行清楚的发音。这需要大量的练习。不慌忙沉稳的发音会帮助你自然的交流。

8. Stop worrying about your accent!

不要再担心你的口音！

Quite possibly the most important tip for improving your spoken English is to stop thinking about your accent! Everyone has one. Even native speakers have one! Regional English accents are a real thing, not to mention the differences between American, British, Australian, South African English and many others.

提高英语口语最重要的一个方法就是不要在担心你的口音！每个人都有口音。甚至是母语使用者！地域性的口音是真实存在的，更不用说美式英语，英式英语，澳大利亚英语，南非英语以及其他语言之间发音的差异。

You may mispronounce something. You may stumble. It makes no difference and no one minds. As long as you follow tip seven and enunciate, you will be absolutely fine! Your accent will become more and more English the more you improve, and you can only improve by speaking more, so just go for it.

你可能把某个事物的读音发错了。你可能是结巴了。这都不重要，没有人在意。只要你按照第七条清楚的发音，你的口音绝对会得到改善的。你提高的越多，你的口音就会变得越来越英语话化。你只能通过多说来提高，所以，行动吧！

Tips for Improving Written English

提高英语写作的小妙招

Speaking English may be the most difficult for English students, but focusing on improving writing is no less important. Here is what you can do regardless of your language level!

口语可能对于学习英语的学生来说是最困难的，但是提高英语写作也很重要。不管你的语言水平怎么样，你都可以通过以下几招来提高英语写作。