How to Learn Perfect English As a Native English Speaker

Last Updated: January 12, 2023 References Approved

Even if you speak English, there is a wide variety of regional dialects and patterns of speech. These are diverse, useful, and dynamic ways of communication. But unfortunately, if one cannot communicate in Standard English a person may be discriminated against as uneducated, and sometimes not be able to communicate effectively. Fortunately, there are many ways to immerse yourself in this way of communicating. English borrows words from all sorts of different languages, and new terms are constantly emerging.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

General Guidelines

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Use standard English. Standard English is a form of English accepted as the most universally accepted, based mostly on written English. British and American style English are very similar, but vary substantially in accent, some spellings, and pronunciation. Be aware that there are many regional accents and dialects throughout the world.
- Avoid nonstandard (i.e., ungrammatical) forms such as “ain’t”, “can’t hardly”, “can’t seem to”, “irregardless”, and “anyways”. See the list below (“Nonstandard and Questionable Usage”) and How to Use Commonly Misused Words. Consult a dictionary for proper usage and a style manual, such as Strunk and White’s Elements of Style.
- Know what phrases, words, and pronunciations your locality uses that is not Standard English.
  - These might be common ones like "aint".
  - Or It can be meanings such as "ugly" (New England, U.S.A) meaning either possibly "unattractive" or "angry" depending on context.
- Understand if a word is slang or not. Slang words are not accepted as formal Standard English even if often understood informally in conversation. They are often highly localized.
  - Examples include: LOL, dead presidents, DIY, or whopper.
2
Keep proper pronunciation in mind. For most words that can be pronounced more than one way (such as "either"), all the different pronunciations are correct. For a few, such as "mischievous", one pronunciation is preferred.
- What the "correct" pronunciation is may depend slightly on your region. Words like "Aluminum" are pronounced quite differently in British English and American English. While neither is incorrect, you may want to speak in the same manner as the people you converse with.
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3
Keep proper spelling in mind. For words like "Color", all the different spellings are fine, but for "jail", one spelling is preferred.^{[1]
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4
Watch major network TV news, and other programming that uses Standard English.
- Newscasters in particular are very careful to present language that is grammatically clear and well articulated. Therefore, it is usually recommended to people trying to learn Standard English to watch such news programs.
- Certain other television shows will present very good Standard English, however television ranges wildly in terms of proper English usage.
- In general, broad-appeal scripted shows from networks tend to have very good English. Reality shows may have speech that is actually closer to what normal speech really is, but may not help you speak closer to Standard English.
5
Expose yourself to writing to pick up structures, tones, and ideas. Not everything in print is perfect, but the vast majority of printed works, such as books and magazines, have been thoroughly edited. Look at what makes good writing good. As you read more, mistakes and problems will start to "look" or "sound" wrong to you. Correctness will start to feel natural.
- If you want to write with a particular style or in a particular genre, read things that are related to that. You will tend to adopt styles and ideas from what you read.
6
Listen to talk radio, podcasts, and audio books.
7
Read aloud, with intonation. You can read to your children or even your pets. Reading passages aloud is one way to interpret their structures, and it will make you more conscious of their details. It will improve your speech, especially if you are hesitant when you speak or say "uh" and "um". If you practice reading aloud, you will be less likely to stammer or pause when you speak. You will find yourself saying words carefully instead of slurring them together.^{[2]
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Reading Rockets
Online resource supported by PBS providing research-based strategies for assisting children to become confident readers
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8
Build your vocabulary. Reading will expose you to a far wider range of words than conversation or spoken media, such as radio or television. Collect words that you do not know. Also browse the dictionary, play word games (such as Hangman, Fictionary, and Freerice), and subscribe to a word of the day.^{[3]
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9
Play with the language to explore it. Start a pun war. Dust off your Scrabble game. Invent your own word. Try your hand at a garden path sentence, write your own aprosdoketon, or enter the Bulwer-Lytton contest for bad prose or one of its imitators.
10
Practice writing. Write for a journal, blog, or wiki. Wikis, especially, need writers and frequently come with a whole community of editors who will help you. Whatever and wherever you write, practice daily, if possible. In email and text messages, use complete sentences. That counts as writing, too.^{[4]
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Consider your audience and purpose. Just as you wear different clothing for different weather, you should write or speak differently depending upon your audience. Is this communication factual or fanciful? Are you telling a story, arguing a point, or explaining a procedure?
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12
Proofread your writing and have it proofread by someone else. As you proofread, you can see what kinds of mistakes you make often. Read your composition aloud. You may find a grammatical error when something that you read does not sound right.^{[5]
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University of North Carolina Writing Center
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13
Do not be afraid to make mistakes. That fear may keep you from writing well. Language takes extraordinary amounts of practice to master, and mistakes are part of the learning process.
14
Try learning another language. It will make you more conscious of the structures and grammar in your own. Many of the Latin-based and Germanic languages have words and structures similar to those in English, and exploring these similarities and differences will strengthen both languages.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Nonstandard and Questionable Usage

1
If you know why you want to study, setting goals is easy. Make an agenda.How long do you need to study to achieve your goals? This answer is different for every student. The important thing is to be realistic. Make a commitment Learning English requires a lot of motivation. Nobody is going to take your attendance when you aren't in class. If you are sure you are ready to begin studying, make a commitment.

A lot, alot – “Alot” is not a word; use “a lot” in informal writing. Substitute "many", “much”, "several", "numerous", "a large number", and "a large amount” in formal writing.
Ain't – "Ain’t" is always wrong, whether it is used to mean "to be" or "to have". The use of “ain’t I?” is nonstandard. “Amn’t I?” is also nonstandard English; “aren’t I?” is standard English.^{[6]
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Research source} Despite the use of “ain’t I?” and “amn’t I?” in some dialects, “the correct standard singular form is the plural form aren’t: I’m right, aren’t I?”^{[7]
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Alright, all right – "Alright" is nonstandard; use “all right”. Like "okay", "all right" is an informal word; substitute "fine" or "acceptable" in formal writing.
anyways – The proper word is "anyway".
Gonna, wanna – These are contractions of "going to" and "want to". They are unacceptable in all writing except in dialogue. If the speaker truly did say, "I’m gonna go to the supermarket", write it down that way.
Hopefully – “Hopefully” is a formal, impersonal word. There is no perfect alternative with the same meaning. As it is one word, “hopefully” is more concise than any of the alternatives. “Hopefully” was initially criticized because it was expected to modify the verb. In the sentence “The candidate will hopefully be nominated by the party”, “hopefully” does not mean “in a hopeful manner” but instead makes an impersonal, hopeful prediction. It is a sentence adverb, which can modify an entire sentence, and sentence adverbs are common in formal writing. “Hopefully” is used even in legal writing.^{[8]
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Research source} In fact, “hopefully” might have once been a rogue word that was considered even “pretentious”.^{[9]
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Impact – The use of “impact” to mean “have an impact on” has sometimes been criticized, especially by those who say that it was a noun transformed into a verb. “Impact” was actually a verb first.^{[10]
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Research source} The word is most commonly used in formal writing.^{[11]
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Research source} Employing “impact” also forces the writer to be more precise.
- The paper will have a negative impact. (This may well be an empty sentence.)
- The paper will negatively impact the historian’s reputation. (This sentence structure, with a transitive verb, forces the writer to say who will be impacted.)
Irregardless – This form is nonstandard. The prefix “ir-” and the suffix “-less” make it redundant. Standard English uses “regardless” or “irrespective”.
'Merica – Use "America"
Of – It is incorrect and redundant to use “of” with prepositions such as “off”, “outside”, and “inside” and with the pronoun “all”. Note that “of” is proper when “off” is, in fact, an adverb (e.g. “the breaking off of rock”).
- "Get off of me."
- "Get off me."
- "What is inside of the bag?"
- "What is inside the bag?"
- "All of the students knew the answer."
- "All the students knew the answer."
Out loud – “Out loud” is nonstandard; use the more concise “aloud”.
Until, till, ‘til – "'Til" is a nonstandard form. "Until" is preferred to "till" in formal writing.
Use to – The proper form of this phrase should be "used to". Be sure to pronounce the "d" in "used".
- "As a child, I use to go to nursery school."
- "As a child, I used to go to nursery school."

Community Q&A

Question

What is the difference of use and used?

Community Answer

'Used' is the past tense of 'use.' You would say 'used' if it happened in the past. 'I used a knife to cut the cake' or 'I used to play football'. You say 'use' when it is in the present, or what is happening right now, such as 'I use a brush on my hair.' (For a discussion of "use to" vs. "used to," see "WritingExplained.org/used-to-or-use-to-difference".)
Question

When do I use "the" versus "a" in a sentence?

Donagan

Top Answerer

In general, "the" points to something more specific than "a" does. For example, "the house" points to one specific house, while "a house" could be referring to any of several houses.
Question

Should I work to improve my English communication skills?

Community Answer

Absolutely. Even if you are a fantastic communicator, there is always room for improvement.

Warnings

It is true that "practice makes perfect", but no one is perfect.

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Be careful about correcting others when you are in conversation. Some people take it the wrong way.

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Articles on the Internet (especially those on blogs) are more likely to contain errors than printed works such as books or magazines. Internet pages are often not checked as carefully as other written works.

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No one is perfect. Even English mavens such as William Safire, Richard Lederer, and Lynne Truss draw comments and criticism on their writing styles.

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