(来源：英语学习门户 http://www.EnglishCN.com)

你可能记了无数个单词，你可能掌握了进行对话所需要的所有语法知识，但是当你要自我表达的时候，仍然觉得茫然无措。在这篇文章里，我会给你提供几个小妙招来帮助你克服这个困难，使用最简单的方法来提高你的英文交际能力。

1. Slow Down Your Speaking Speed

1.放慢你说话的速度

You might be an eloquent speaker when it comes to your mother tongue, but expecting the same standards from yourself when speaking in a foreign language may not be very realistic.

使用母语时，你可能是一位雄辩的演说家，但是如果用一门外语(课程)想要达到同样的效果似乎是不现实的。

Especially, if you’re at the early stages of learning. Learners are often told not to worry about the mistakes they’re making, however, it is easy to understand why you would like to make a good impression on your audience. To overcome this difficulty, you may try slowing down your speaking speed.

尤其当你还在初学阶段。学习者经常被告知不要担心犯错误，然而，你想给听众留下好印象这一点很容易让人理解。为了克服这个困难你可以尝试放慢语速。

Nobody will hold it against you if you speak more slowly and clearly. Great speakers do the same to get their message across. Selecting your words carefully may also be seen as a sign of respect towards your audience. It shows that you want to give them the best possible answer.

如果你说的慢一点，清楚一点，没有人会反对。伟大的演说家也用同样的方式传达他们想要表达的消息。字斟句酌可能被看作一种你尊重听众的标志。这说明你想尽可能给他们最好的答案。

2. Give Yourself Time to Think

2.给你自己时间去思考

You may be worried that the people you’re talking to are impatient and would like you to say what you want as quickly as possible.

你可能会担心你正在与之交谈的人不够耐心，想要你尽可能快地说完你想说的内容。

It may not be true – people often prefer a well-thought-out answer to a rushed one.

这可能不是真的 – 与一个草率的回答相比，人们更愿意你经过周详的思考后再做回答。

Another practical thing you can do is equipping yourself with fixed sentence patterns you can use when remaining silent doesn’t seem to be an option.

另一个你可以使用的实用方法就是在沉默不是一个好选择的时候，可以使用一些固定的句式来缓解尴尬。

Here’s an example:

你可以这样说：

Why is there so much violence on TV? That’s a good question. Let me think for a moment, I haven’t really thought about it before. Well, I suppose…

为什么电视上有如此多的暴力现象？这是一个很好的问题。让我来想一会儿，我之前没有认真地想过这个问题。我认为…

Here the speaker gains considerable amount of time to reflect just by repeating the question and adding a few sentences. If you do the same, you’ll sound more fluent and won’t feel the pressure of having to say something before you’re ready.

通过重复问题和加几个句子，演讲者就会得到足够的时间去考虑问题。如果你也这样做，就会听起来更加流利，并且在你准备好去演讲之前不会有压力。

3. Learn Sentences, Not Only Words

3．学习句子，而不仅仅是词汇

In a way, this will take the pressure off too. When you learn a new word, try to memorize a couple of sentences that contain it.

在某种程度上，这样也会减少压力。当你学了一个新词，去尝试记几个包含这个词的句子。

There might come a time when you can use one particular sentence with little, or no alteration at all. Unfortunately, many people learn words by heart, but have no idea how to use them in a sentence.

可能会有这种情况，你不假思索地用了一个特别的句子。不幸的是，许多人牢牢地记住了词汇，但是却不清楚在句子里应该怎样去使用它们。

4. Learn to Listen

4.学会去听

When speaking in a foreign language, you might be so focused on what you are saying ， that you forget to listen to what others are saying.

说一门外语时，你可能会把注意力集中在内容上，却忘记去听别人正在说什么。

This is a big mistake as they might be using the exact words or grammar you’ll be needing later on. So pay attention to what’s being said around you, it’s your most important resource at the time of speaking to someone.

这是一个严重的错误，因为你在以后的日子里会用到他们曾经说过的某个确切的词汇或者语法。因此把注意力集中在你周围的人所说的内容上，当你以后跟别人交谈的时候，这将是你最重要的资源。

5. Practice Your Interrogatives

5.练习提问

We also need to keep in mind the fact that communication is a two-way process. Not only does it make you seem uninterested – even rude – if you don’t ask questions, you might also end up being the one who has to do all the talking. So, when you’ve run out of ideas about what to say next, remember: others might have something to add.

我们应该记住这个事实：交流是一个双向的过程。如果你不问问题，这不仅仅会使你显得冷漠 – 甚至粗鲁 ，你也可能不会再是那个主导话语权的人。因此当你不知道接下来该说点什么的时候，请记住：或许可以让其他人进行补充。