If you are learning English as a second language, there are high chances that you are seeking for an answer to this question. It happens with most of us, when having a conversation we hold a part of it inside as we are not sure whether it is the right way to put it. Remember the last time you spoke with your boss. You couldn't talk all that you had practiced in your mind because you were not sure about your language.

The fear of making mistakes becomes worst when somebody in the past had pinpointed your poor speaking skills. The consciousness is so high that you might shun away from communication, just to avoid embarrassment or humiliation. When you come to this juncture, it becomes practically impossible to improve your spoken English, simply because you are not speaking the language enough. So, what is the way out? How can you deal with anxiety of making mistakes when speaking English?

Altering your mindset is the solution

No matter how good you know English, if you are afraid from within you cannot communicate effectively. The fear and anxiety of making mistakes, makes your language learning skills worst.

"Do one thing every day that scares you."

― Eleanor Roosevelt

This quote lays down the first rule of overcoming your fear. Speak English irrespective of your fear. Nothing bad can happen, you will only soar with greater vocabulary and much better speaking skills. The best way to practice this is to put yourself at ease by having a conversation with a person you are comfortable with. The fear of embarrassment will not arise if you are in the company of a friend who would not judge you by your English speaking skills. Practice speaking English with him/her as much as you can.

Mistakes would happen, but that is alright. Nothing worse can happen if you do not speak up to the mark, once your mind is adjusted to this fact, you can go out and speak in English even with native speakers.

Take for instance, you are shopping in a mall and looking to buy a particular product. In spite of looking at it for long, you don't find it. You are afraid how you will strike a conversation with an attendant and so not asking for help. In such cases, it is best to practice a formal conversation.

"Hello there, May I ask your help in finding soap."

Once, you get what you were looking for, just end the conversation with a courteous "Thank you ma'am."

See, that was so simple. As far as you look comfortable and wear a smile, nobody is going to embarrass you on how you speak English. The fear of making mistakes while speaking English should not act as a communication barrier that stops you from having a conversation. The constant fear would just make it difficult to improve your English speaking skills.

You can join an online English learning course to better your communication skills and overcome your fear of speaking English. Since such a mode works in the virtual domain, you may be at more ease.

In our last blog, we touched upon a few tips that will help English students get a grip on English reading, and eventually on the English language as a whole.

Let us just glance back at what 'reading' really implies and why it is an  important skill to develop.

Reading is one of the four pillars of learning the English language; the others being writing, speaking, and writing.

Reading is a skill that comes in handy in everyday life, whether it is to read and understand a piece of news or to gather knowledge from a manual, how do you suppose you can accomplish these tasks without being proficient at reading? Not just this, if you are a student, Reading makes up for a majority of your exam preparations, so much so that reading and comprehension is a separate educational discipline in itself. Whether you aim to crack TOEFL or ESL, reading and comprehension is one of the categories that you need to prepare and tackle.

If you can put a couple of alphabets together and can form a letter, this does not amount to reading. Reading as a skill implies that you can read at a certain speed while grasping the message of the text. Here are a few tips to help you develop this skill, while also improve your overall spoken English in the process as well.

• Treat dictionary as a guide, not a book: One of the most common advices given to amateur English students is to keep a dictionary handy, so that they can check words they do not understand. It is important to stop at that! Refer dictionary only when you cannot understand the key words, the ones that are important to understand the message of the text. Some students make it a habit of referring the dictionary for each and every word, and this seriously hampers the thought flow.

• Read books of your reading level: You are in your 20s, and have just started learning English. This does not mean that you straight away jump into reading a Dan Brown or Stephen King. Your reading age is probably primary or adolescent, so it is best you read books for that level. This way you will learn the basics and get a better understanding of the grammar in a systematic manner.

• Read light: How many of you have been advised to read newspapers? Do you really understand everything that you read in a newspaper? The language used in newspapers is very structured and disciplined. While it is a great tool for learning grammar and syntax, it can be quite overwhelming for an amateur student. Read lighter things like a magazine, funny editorials, etc. to get a grip on English without having to endure a boring task!



English fluency and improving English skills is a problem many people face. The best result-oriented method is to connect with an online language course like eAgetutor. Improving English takes dedication and efforts, and an online tutor is your best option for developing English fluency and developing the requisite skills.