At university, you will need to do a lot of speaking. You will need to speak to your teachers, in seminars, to other students, and you will probably have to give presentations too. But speaking can be difficult when English is not your first language. Building confidence, fluency and accuracy when speaking a second language takes lots of time and practice. Try our online speaking resources and Spotlight workshops to improve your speaking skills today.
Study Skills Success is an online resource which can help you to develop the academic study skills you will need to be successful at university. This resource is designed for non-native English speakers and can help you not only with a range of study skills, but also with the academic English that underpins them. To improve your speaking, try the Speaking section in Study Skills Success.
Can you hear the difference between the two vowel sounds? Try this quiz!
Can you hear the difference between the two consonant sounds? Try this quiz!
In these activities you are going to look at some of the differences between spoken and written varieties of English. You will also listen to some examples of spoken English taken from a more formal context.
In these activities you will think about how seminars are conducted in British universities and explore some examples of the kind of language that can be useful for discussing in seminars.
In this activity you will focus on the kind of language which speakers may use in seminars. Using an extract from a seminar, which contains examples of such language, you will practise listening to the different speakers and identifying what the purpose of each specific utterance is.
In these activities you will explore some useful techniques that can help you to improve the way you give an oral presentation and consider some advice on presenting from a student.
In these activities you will explore examples of useful signposting language used by presenters. You will also watch extracts from a presentation and note the language used by the speaker and the different functions it serves.
These activities will introduce some of the ways that English speakers use to maintain their flow when speaking informally and allow you to practise using some of them.
These activities will help you to understand how words link together smoothly in connected speech and give you some practice in linking up sounds when you are speaking.
In these activities you will identify and then practise using different ways of checking or clarifying meaning in seminar discussions.
In these activities you will learn about the use of stress both at the level of the individual word and of the sentence. You will also practise recognising where to place stress correctly in words and sentences yourself when speaking.
In these activities you will learn about the difference between weak and strong forms in English and listen to examples of unstressed forms in use taken from a variety of different spoken contexts.
In these activities you will explore the pronunciation of contracted forms through listening to them and you will also practise using contracted forms yourself.
In these activities you will consider different ways of communicating in social situations which you may find yourself in while studying in the UK and different norms for communicating in the classroom.
In these activities you will be introduced to ways of understanding culture, and its effect on language and communication, with a focus on the English language.
Spotlight workshops are short interactive sessions on a range of topics which run repeatedly throughout the year. Workshops are free, fun and can help you develop your academic language and skills, enabling you to succeed on your course. The following Spotlight workshops can help you with your speaking:
Improving your English
Improving your Pronunciation
Speak up: Chat with Confidence
Participating in Academic Discussions
Pronunciation Clinic
Presenting with Confidence
Delivering an Effective Presentation