Part 2 Bad Habits That Spoil the Development of Good English Language Speaking Skills

More Bad Habits That Spoil the Development of Good English Language Speaking Skills

In the first part of this article post, we began a discussion of seven bad habits which spoil the development of good English or other foreign language speaking skills. In this second part, we’ll continue with some additional aspects to be considered when teaching and learning to speak English or another foreign language.

4. Leaning Face, Chin or Head Against Hand, Fingers or Palm

By all means, learners need to avoid leaning their head against their arm, fingers, palm or hand when speaking. This prevents correct enunciation in a number of ways which can be easily avoided. Be sure that you and your foreign language learners sit or stand up straight during speaking practice sessions with hands and arms away from the head or face.

5. Having Generally Poor Posture

When speaking, neither you nor your foreign language learners should stoop, slump or be hunched over in any manner. Bad Posture restricts the chest cavity, overly compresses the diaphragm and muffles breathing and tone production.

6. Elision, Slurring or Generally Poor Enunciation of Spoken Sounds

If the practice of “cutting off” or eliding word endings is common in your or the EFL learners first language (L1), careful attention should be paid to avoiding this habit crossing over into the speech of English or other foreign language. One technique that is very helpful with this is the “mirror technique”. Briefly, a mirror is used by the foreign language learners to watch themselves speaking and pronouncing in the target foreign language. You can also imitate an English teacher or videos of correct spoken dialogues, conversation or English language sounds pronunciation.

7. Not Correcting “Problem Sounds” When Speaking

When someone is learning English as a foreign language, they tend to get stuck on a certain series of problem sounds in English. These “problem sounds” tend to be quite specific depending on the first language (L1) of the learner. Since these problem sounds are predictable, for the most part, in a particular L1 language group, the English as a foreign language teacher must take care in teaching their correct formation and pronunciation. Native Spanish speakers, for example, will need to work on the correct formation and pronunciation of letters and sounds such as: sh, ch, x, g, w, p, b, v and “th”, among others. Below is a "g" sound pronunciation video from one of my classes.

Promoting the Development of English or Foreign Language Speaking Skills

One final point for now in regards to good speaking skills development is the use of dental prosthetics. If your learners have them they can either be removed, if possible, during English class as an aid to better pronunciation, if applicable. Alternatively, the EFL teacher and EFL learner must take impediments caused by dental or other prosthetics into account when practicing speech and pronunciation in English or other foreign languages. Be sure to consult with a qualified Dentist or Orthodontist too in order to better understand the inter-related relationship between dental mechanics and speech production.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

7 Bad Habits That Spoil the Development of Good English Language Speaking Skills

Development of Good English Language Speaking Skills

When you say that you “know” a language, this more likely than not expressly means that you are able to both speak and understand that language. Even if you don’t read and write the foreign language as well as you speak it, you can still say that you know that language. So then, development of good English or other foreign language speaking and listening comprehension skills is of paramount importance. It follows then, that you need to minimize or eliminate any habits which might be potential barriers to the development of good English or other foreign language speaking skills.


Bad Habits That Spoil the Development of Language Speaking Skills

Do YOU or any of your learners have any of the following bad habits? They are some highly counter-productive habits which can foster poor development of English or other foreign language speaking skills. Every effort should be made on the part of both the English or foreign language teacher and EFL learner to avoid them while speaking.

1. Chewing Gum While Speaking

Whatever the ages of your learners, they simply should not be chewing gum while engaged in English or other foreign language learning speaking practice. It distracts from proper formation of the speech-production organs and structures. Get learners into the habit of throwing away chewing gum before entering your English as a foreign language classes. The same holds true for hard candy and lollipops.

2. Holding Any Foreign Object in the teeth, Lips or Mouth

Are you, or any of your English language learners in the habit of pencil, pen or perhaps toothpick chewing? You’ll then need to find a strategy to cease and desist from the practice – at the very least, during English or other foreign language classes. Learners should be speaking in an on-going manner throughout English class. It’s important then, to shut down this type of habit during the entire English or other foreign language class.

3. Thumb-Sucking

Even though I teach at a university, believe it or not, I still get an occasional case of habitual thumb-sucking among my English as a foreign language learners. Once a person reaches adolescence or even adulthood, if can be a tough habit to halt. You’ll have to tackle the challenge though, at least during your English or other foreign language classes. Not only does it impair proper pronunciation of many labial, palatal and fricative sounds, but makes plosive and dental combination diphthongs, triphthongs and combination sounds virtually impossible to do. Ultimately, thumb-sucking can deform the proper formation and alignment of the teeth, soft palate and alveolar ridge, all of which are essential to good speaking and pronunciation skills.

More Bad Habits That Spoil the Development of Good English Language Speaking Skills

In this part one article post, we began a discussion of seven bad habits which spoil the development of good English or other foreign language speaking skills. In the following second part, we’ll continue with some additional aspects to be considered when teaching and learning to speak English or another foreign language.

See you then.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Improve Your English Language Speaking Skills by Cutting Out Speech Fillers

Listen to Anyone Speak Casually in English
Listen to almost anyone speak casually in English and you’ll most certainly hear them use a constant flow of gap fillers, hesitations, pausings and discourse markers that stall their speech or conversation. You know the ones I mean like, uh, ah, hmm, errr, umm and so on. Others you might hear that are frequently used are Huh, oh, well .., so .., and … but uh …, let me see …, the list could go on and on.

Photo: Hilary Clinton reacts during the 2008 Presidential Campaign

While some discourse markers have a true place in oral discourse of many different types, most often they are unconsciously inserted as fillers or hesitations and do not serve to enhance or promote speaking, but rather heavily detract from what is being said.

English language learners
This can be especially true with English language learners and those who may speak English as a foreign or second language. In addition to the above-mentioned aspects, fillers may also be inserted when the speaker is thinking or searching mentally for the correct lexis and vocabulary. Not only is the distracting and annoying to listeners, but can negatively impact even the speakers themselves. If such is the case with you, what can you do to help minimize the problem?

What You Can Do
Here are five simple steps you might take to help to improve your oral discourse and speaking ability in English.

• Record yourself and others speaking in English
• Note what “fillers” you use, how and when
• Repeat short oral discourses practicing without using the fillers you noted
• Have a friend, peer or teacher listen to you speak and ask them to make note of
your use of “fillers” and unwanted discourse markers
• Watch, record and imitate experienced speakers to improve your skills


Try One Month
Working with these techniques to aid you in cutting out speech “fillers” will help you to improve your English language speaking skills in a very short time. Once you are aware of what you’re doing when you speak in English, and knowing when you use “fillers” will go a long way in allowing you to dramatically improve your spoken English. Try out some of these English language speaking skills improvement methods for one month practice period and you’ll see.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.