can anyone give me some suggestions in my speaking ?

[Tukanja]

Hi martinbau

your situation isn't so bad.
What would you say if you've been here in Bosnia and have chances to talk in English to natives once and to some other people from abroad who speak English up to twice or three times per year but typicaly for five minutes at a try?
I agree with you about learning English from books reading novels. Writers usually talk mostly using the Simple Past Tense and sometimes the Past Perfect Tense and not a lot of combinations in the sentences which are mostly of describing type.
What English one can get from novels is mostly a lot of unknown adjectives and adverbs.
But reading novels we expand our vocabulary and broaden our horizons.

There is not much live conversation in the books.
The same is with newspapers.
It's hard to understand from movies.

In your case you should simply go out to being between natives in the streets, pabs, at black market places, on Australian beaches etc..
Also if you get a job and work with natives you will improve your English a lot.

When we have a word with natives here in Bosnia they usually do not use a lot of phrasal verbs in their sentences thinking that locals probably wouldn't understand that English (what is true actually).
How to get the phrasals then?

[aphrael]

Hi!

I can understand your situation, because I have faced this problem before.
We can write in English, but when it comes to speaking, because we are not native English language speakers, speaking complete or even complex sentences does not come easy to us.

You speak Chinese most of the time with your friends, and even if you get a rare chance to interact with the locals, there is no common topic to talk about. It does create much awkwardness.

Where speaking is concerned, there is no shortcut.
Practice makes perfect.

I would suggest:

(1) Go online, use Skype or whatever voice chat program in MSN, make new friends and chat with them online. Do let them know you need to practise speaking English. I'm sure most will understand.

The benefits are endless.
- Online chat conversations should greatly reduce the awkwardness.
You don't have to be afraid when you make a mistake, as no one can see you : )

- When you don't see the other person, you will have to focus on your voice and your language to express your point.

(2) Form each sentence in your mind before you say it.
It may be slow-going at first, but if you practise hard, you'll find that thinking and speaking will come easier.

Try the above, and let us know whether it works!

[aphrael]

Hi, Martin!

Just to add to my first post, another method I would recommend is to talk aloud to yourself.

This, of course, is best done when you are alone - if not, people may think that you've gone crazy!

So what do you talk about to yourself?
Basically, anything and everything under the sun.

Debate politics (such as what role the US or China can play in the world), argue philosophy, religion, what people should do to protect planet Earth, what is important in life ... ... anything.

Imagine scenarios where you may be asked certain questions, and try to answer it by talking aloud to yourself first. This also serves as a rehearsal, so when you really get asked the question, you are mentally prepared for it.

For example, when you go for a job interview, what do you think the interviewer will ask? Questions about where you see yourself 5 years down the road, talk about your future ambitions, how you can contribute to the company etc.

I know I'm quite long-winded, but I'd like to emphasize the importance of speaking English well. By asking for suggestions here, I'm sure you know it yourself.
In an English-dominated world, how are you going to survive in the global economy if you cannot express your viewpoints and opinions clearly? How are you able to find a job in a Western country if you cannot debate the merits and demerits of other colleagues' proposals and your own?

You mention you have about 1 year left of school to go.
If you start practising speaking now, I'm sure you can do it.

Cheers!

[Tora]

The very first tip the teachers of English give those who choose studying the language abroad is to prevent any communication with people who share your language, so I'd advise you to spend less time with your compatriots and more time "in the open space" with natives, to dive into English-speaking atmospehere

Then what helps me to loosen my tongue is radio, brisk and fluent speech of the radio hosts makes me want to speak English out loud and build a bridge between vocabulary, essays-writing and speaking, but truly I'm a not the best one to give your good advice