“I read many English stories and news articles, but when I try to speak, I can’t find the words…”
“I know more English words now, and I understand grammar, but I still can’t speak smoothly…”
“My listening is okay, but speaking is so difficult for me.”
Does this sound familiar? It’s like your brain is having a great time reading English, but it forgot to invite your mouth to the party. You feel stuck. You know a lot, but you cannot use it when you want to speak. This is a big challenge for many English learners around the world.
So, what’s the problem here? Why are your brain and your mouth not working as a team?
Often, we learn English for tests. We memorize word lists and grammar rules. This is like collecting tools for building a house. You have a hammer, nails, and wood. You have all the parts. But just having the tools does not mean you can build a house. You need to practice using them together.
Reading is an important part of learning, of course. It gives you the tools. But if you only read, your brain learns English like a “knowledge” for tests, not a tool for communication. That is why it is hard to speak when you need to. Speaking is a skill, like playing the piano or riding a bicycle. You need to practice it to get better.
But how can you practice speaking, especially when you are alone?
This article will show you 4 simple and practical ways to use stories to practice speaking. We will explain each step with many examples. This guide will help you turn your reading knowledge into real speaking skills. Let’s take your English to the next level, starting today!
Why Are Stories the Best for Speaking Practice?
Before we start the training, let’s think more about this question: Why are stories so good for speaking practice? Why not textbooks or news articles?
There are three main reasons.
1. You Can Connect with the Characters
In a story, characters are happy, sad, surprised, or angry. They have feelings, just like you. Their words are a great way to learn phrases to express your own feelings.
For example, in a dictionary, you might learn the word “excited.” But in a story, you might see a character say, “I can’t wait for the party tonight!” This phrase feels much more real and emotional. When you practice saying it with an excited feeling, you remember it better. It feels more personal than a simple word list, and it connects the word “excited” to a real situation.
2. You Learn Real, Natural Phrases
Have you ever thought, “How do I use this word in a sentence?” Or maybe your sentences sound a little strange, like a textbook.
In a story, all words and phrases are in a natural context. Authors write dialogue that sounds like how people really talk. So, you can learn not just word meanings, but also how to use them in real conversations.
For example, a textbook might teach you to say, “I am going to the store.” But in a story, a character might say, “I’m popping out to the shops.” or “I’m heading to the store.” These are more natural and common in daily conversation. Stories teach you these small but important differences.
3. You Can Remember Phrases More Easily
Our brain is good at remembering stories. It’s how humans shared information for thousands of years. A good story creates a picture in your mind.
When you remember an exciting or touching scene, you also remember the phrases from that scene. The scene—the place, the characters, the feeling—works as a “memory hook.” It helps you pull the phrase out of your memory later. This helps you have more phrases ready to use when you speak. It’s much easier than trying to remember a rule from a grammar book.
4 Easy Steps: How to Turn Reading into Speaking
Are you ready to help your brain and mouth become friends again? Here are four simple steps to connect what you read to what you say. Please try the one that looks easiest for you first!
STEP 1: Make Key Phrases Your Own
The first step is to make the phrases you find your own. A phrase in a book belongs to the author. To use it, you need to borrow it and make it your phrase. Think of it as teaching your mouth the cool things your brain just learned.
How to do it:
- Each day, when you read a story, find just one phrase that you think is cool, interesting, or useful. Don’t try to learn ten phrases. Just one is perfect for daily practice. A good phrase is one you can imagine using in your own life.
- Next, change the words in the phrase to be about you, your family, or your friends. This is the most important part. Let’s make some simple sentences.
【Example】
Imagine you read this phrase in a story:
He decided to take a new path.
Now, let’s make it your own. Think about your life.
I decided to start studying English again.
My friend decided to change his job.
We decided to go to the beach on Sunday.
She decided not to buy the expensive shoes.
You can also change the time.
Yesterday, I decided to clean my room.
Next year, I will decide to travel more.
That’s it! When you connect a phrase to your own life, your brain thinks it’s “important information” and remembers it better. Keep a small notebook or use a memo app on your phone. Write down the original phrase and your own sentences. This will become your personal phrasebook.
STEP 2: “Shadowing” with Feelings
Shadowing is a very popular and effective practice. “Shadowing” means listening to English and speaking it at the same time, like a shadow. But don’t just copy the sounds like a parrot! To make it powerful, you need to add feelings, like an actor.
How to do it:
- Choose a short part of a story that has audio. A conversation between two characters is a great choice.
- First, just listen one or two times. Understand the situation and the feelings of the characters. Are they happy? Worried? Excited?
- Now, play the audio again and try to speak at the same time. Try to be an actor and say the lines with the character’s feelings.
- If the character is happy, say it with a smile on your face. Your voice will sound happier.
- If the character is angry, use a stronger, faster voice.
- If the character is sad, speak slowly and in a quiet voice.
When you practice with feelings, you can naturally learn English intonation (the music of the language) and rhythm. You practice moving your mouth and tongue muscles in a new way. This is a special training you can only do with stories.
Quick Tip: Don’t worry about getting every word perfect. At first, it’s very difficult. Just try to follow the rhythm and the feeling. It’s okay to miss some words. The goal is to get comfortable with the sound of English.
STEP 3: Write a Short Summary in English
Next, let’s try a practice for both reading and writing skills. This step helps you organize your thoughts before you speak.
How to do it:
After you finish a chapter or a short story, write a very short summary in English, like you are posting on social media.
This can feel difficult, so let’s make it easy. You can use a simple template to start.
This story is about… (a character)
He/She wanted… (the character’s goal)
But… (the problem)
So… (the action the character took)
Finally… (the result)
The goal of this training is to organize your thoughts and retell the information in your own words. It moves words from your passive vocabulary (words you understand) to your active vocabulary (words you can use). This helps organize your thoughts so your mouth has an easier job later.
Start Small: In the beginning, just write one or two sentences. For example: “This story is about a cat who was lost. He wanted to go home.” That’s a great start! As you get more comfortable, you can write more.
STEP 4: “Self-Talk” Using the Story
You can practice speaking even if you don’t have a partner. You can talk to the best practice partner in the world: yourself! This is called “self-talk.” With self-talk, there is no pressure and no fear of making mistakes.
How to do it:
Ask yourself questions in English about the story, and then answer them out loud.
Here are some different types of questions you can ask yourself:
【Example Questions】
- About the plot: What happened in this chapter? What will happen next?
- About the characters: If I were the main character, what would I do? Why did he/she say that? Do I like this character? Why?
- About your opinion: What do you think about this character’s decision? Which scene was the most impressive for you? Did you like the ending?
By thinking about the story beforehand, you can become quicker at sharing your ideas in a real conversation. It’s great speaking practice you can do alone.
Challenge: Try to speak for just one minute without stopping. It’s okay if you speak slowly or make mistakes. Just try to keep talking. Use a timer on your phone. You will be surprised at how much you can say!
How to Make Speaking Practice a Habit
Now you might be thinking, “Okay, I’ll try it!” But the most important thing is to continue. A little practice every day is much better than a lot of practice once a week. Here are three final tips to make this practice a daily habit.
- Don’t try to be perfect.This is the most important rule. It’s okay if your sentences are not perfect at first. It’s okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are proof that you are trying and learning. Think about learning to ride a bike. You probably fell down many times, but you got back up. Learning to speak English is the same. The most important thing is the courage to take the first step and try to speak.
- Decide on a time to practice.If you think “I’ll do it when I have time,” you might not do it. Life is busy. It’s better to add a small “output time” to your daily schedule. Find small pockets of time in your day. For example, “for 5 minutes while I wait for the bus,” or “for 10 minutes while I am cooking dinner.” Connect it to something you already do every day.
- Having fun is most important. Above all, choose stories that you truly find interesting. If you like comedy in your own language, find funny English stories. If you like mystery, find a simple detective story. The feeling of “I want to know what happens next!” is the best motivation. If you are having fun, it doesn’t feel like studying.
Conclusion: From Understanding to Using English
We looked at four detailed, practical steps to help your brain and mouth work together as a team.
- Make key phrases your own by connecting them to your life.
- Do “shadowing” with feelings to learn the music of English.
- Write a short summary in English to organize your thoughts.
- Use “self-talk” with story topics to practice speaking alone.
You don’t need to do all four steps every day. It’s okay to start with STEP 1, the easiest one. Why don’t you choose your favorite story and take a new step today—from just “reading” to actually “speaking”?
Your English learning journey is your own special story. With these steps, you can write a new chapter—one where your mouth speaks as confidently as your brain reads. We hope your story becomes a wonderful one, full of confidence and fun conversations.
▶︎ You can find great short stories for practice here.
