Speaking Clear and Fluent English with possibly American accent?

Question

Hi guys. I am from India in Georgia, US since 1 yr. I am a graduate and know English. I work in a Gas Station. My problem is that when it comes to new situations, I dont get words to speak. I feel i lack vocabulary. People say that i speak too Fast. Even in my native language. I can speak fluently only in a known situation. The place I work, its an urban crowd, and they use a lot of slang. I dont know much in slang. I know few slang words like Whts up, etc. So when they try to make fun of me, i dont know anything to say to them.

My question is
1) How do i stop speaking fast
2) How do i start speaking fluent and clear english
3) How do i learn slang. Are there any movies i can pick up slang from? I heard Friends series is a good one. I dont know if it will help me in slang. If possible i want to learn cursing too. You know how important that is, living with an urban crown.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

http://www.manythings.org/slang/

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wrader/slang/

http://www.esl-lab.com/slang/slangrd2.htm

http://www.pbs.org/speak/words/sezwho/slang/

Answer 2

first of all 'Namaste', OK now i think that u have confidence but u lack the accent of India, Indians do speak English, and their English is very simple & understood by everyone so i feel that u should practice speaking politely, slowly and nicely in front of a mirror (create some situations before urself so that in any condition u can answer someone quickly and u need not think before or take time or rather don't know what to say). As far as learning slangs u must watch teen movies. I hope u can cope up with any situation. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Answer to 1, think before you speak. Plan what your going to say so you can say it directly and confidently. When I was little, I had the same problem. The parents just said that as I settled into speaking, I slowed down. Answer to 2, don't give up your native tongue, but when you're not speaking to family/old friends, speak english. Read English books aloud and be very critical of yourself. And 3, Friends is a very good choice, also an enjoyable one. Some other good shows are Psych on USA, Scrubs (this would be my first choice, actually) on Comedy Central and NBC, basically comedies. Good luck, English (I heard?) is a very hard language to learn because it changes all the time, so keep a sharp ear and listen for new things!

Answer 4

Please do not try and learn slang or learn how to curse that does not make you a better Englishing speaking person.

As for speaking slower that just takes time. You may be nervous and that is why your a speaking fast.

Learning to speak fluent and clear English. Be where you can only speak English, Do not speak your birth language for awhile . That should help.

Any american show should help you with learning better english.

Answer 5

Well you seem to have a fairly good grasp on the written part of English. Try reading something out loud in english people tend to read out loud slower than they do when they read to themselves.

Punctuation in written language are visual reminders to pause when you speak try to visualise where these punctuation marks go this may help you to slow down. When you speak too fast it's like writing the words down with out spaces or punctuation. Here's an example:

Spoken correctly "Hi, how are you? I am from Georgia."

Spoken too Fast "HihowareyouIamfromGeorgia"

Answer 6

My 3 step children- ages 13, 16, and 19, who were born and raised in Great Britian, says that our American English accent sounds LAZY. They are my husband s children from a previous marriage and once a year we fly them here for a month. Whereas I believe my English to be very proper; for I m an English instructor and tutor; having majored in English, they tell me that I have a lovely voice, but it doesn t sound proper.

Answer 7

Practice makes perfect my friend.