“There are so many good YouTube videos on this topic. Why waste money on books?”
Well, every good book that you read is worth every penny that you put in it. Period.
Reading is an asset and the books that I am going to suggest will guide you tremendously in life: building your career as well as your social life abroad.
These 5 books will help you improve your English-speaking proficiency in your IELTS speaking test and your abroad journey. Most of these are bestsellers with a track record of being absolutely helpful to millions of readers.
But before that, let’s divide this into parts for better understanding.
Score better in the IELTS Speaking test with these 5 books:
Grammar – The Fabric of Language
The one thing that non-native speakers dread the most is Grammar. But do you know how important it is to speak the language proficiently?
Grammar is the skeletal system of any language lest English. In short, IT’S (very) IMPORTANT!
But, yes, it does not have to be a wall for you in your IELTS speaking preparation. You just need the right guidance that makes learning grammar not only easy but memorable.
Let me introduce you to our first friend to guide you through with all the love and care you deserve:
1. Everyday English for Grown-Ups: Getting to Grips with the Basics
I am citing an excerpt from the overview of this book:
“…this book will help native and non-native speakers master the nuts and bolts of the English language.
A poor command of English is a considerable obstacle in almost every walk of life, from conducting business to dealing with everyday problems. This book takes you back to the basics, to the simple rules and tricks that will help anyone to master the language.” (Finlay, 2015)
With a user rating of 4.5/5, this is a great beginning for the list of IELTS speaking books and shines brighter than all other books on English grammar. This is because it enables you with tools that can be used in your everyday life conversations. Doesn’t that sound great already?
The next one has an equally amazing character and the title is:
2. English for Everyone: English Grammar Guide: A Comprehensive Visual Reference
This book is a visual treat for people who learn better with creative images to present the lessons. It’s loaded with easy-to-follow grammar rules and illustrated examples of those rules.
Let’s see what the book has to say about itself:
“Ideal for English test preparations or ESL lesson plans, the Grammar Guide uses visual teaching methods to introduce English grammar for beginners, reinforced through a variety of exercises and examples…” (English For Everyone, 2016)
People who know their basics well enough to write properly but find it hard conversing need to buy this book right away. It can be a great reference point for you to create complex sentence structures as it contains exercises and examples of practical English usage in daily life.
Let’s get to something even more hindering than grammar.
Vocabulary – The Flesh and Blood
Vocabulary is what makes the distinction between a person’s linguistic capabilities. It is where the ‘proficiency’ part of any language test focuses the most. A limited vocabulary can make conversations mundane as repetitions tend to slag down the interest of the listener.
Look at most of the comments on your FB or Instagram photo for instance! It’s filled with either cute or ossum or aww or some other form of boring words that we have seen and been posting on comments when we have to and not when we want to! When it’s different it does catch the eye.
Another eye-catching book coming on the stage is the,
3. English Collocations in Use: Intermediate Book with Answers
Fluency – the trait of a person with a good grip on their vocabulary. This book works wonders on your speaking ability by not only helping you learn new words but also in remembering and using them the right way by giving you hundreds of collocations in the English language.
This book boasts of being a companion for those preparing to appear for their English proficiency tests like Cambridge and IELTS tests.
In its own words, the book says that it’s
“Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Learn collocations in context, with lots of different topics, including ‘Using the Internet’ and ‘Presentations’. Be confident about what you are learning… This book is also perfect for preparing for Cambridge exams and IELTS, which often test knowledge of collocations.” (McCarthy and Felicity, 2017)
Being a well-researched book, the examples can be easily implemented in your IELTS speaking topics throughout your learning journey.
Let’s get to another giant we need to tackle!
Pronunciation – The Skin that You Seek
While Grammar and Vocabulary make the body, the way it is treated or greeted depends on the way you say it.
“Don’t butcher the language, bro!” – A dialogue you’d hear either in this way or phrased differently in a different language is not just a dialogue; it’s an emotion.
You learn by butchering. That is what we did when we were babies, trying to speak but limited by the body. So, butchering is okay when you are learning. But improvement comes when you are on your way to mastering it.
One of the most efficient ways of doing so is through:
4. Ship or Sheep?
With a name that’s creative and obvious about what it deals with, ‘Ship or Sheep’ provides systematic practice of English pronunciation for beginners.
If you haven’t already guessed it, this book focuses on phonetics and teaches you everything step-by-step from vowels, consonants, syllables, and words to phrases and more; a perfect buddy for your IELTS speaking preparation.
Make your purchase if you wish to be a pro at speaking correctly!
Moving on,
Clarity – Seeing the Line Between Right and Wrong
For a beginner, the lines between right and wrong can become hazy. While you might have all the tools required, there’s something that usage of language can teach you i.e., identifying the mistakes you tend to make. Let me shed a little lighter on it…
5. Practical English Usage
Practical English Usage (PEU) could have easily been a part of ‘Grammar’ or ‘Vocabulary’ books, but what makes it distinct from the two and a part of this is that although it deals with both, its power lies in making us understand and realize the mistakes we make in both.
One of the best IELTS speaking books on the list, PEU will be your reference guide for all the problems you might encounter while learning. All the guidance you get is in a very practical, clear, reliable, and easy to find manner and addresses everything from grammar, vocabulary, idioms, style, pronunciation, and to an extent spelling as well.
What do you need the most after you get the required clarity?
Confidence – Leading the Game
I believe that one of the primary reasons why a lot of non-native speakers who have learned English as a second language fail to communicate efficiently is their lack of confidence.
We as humans often tend to make a judgement on most of the things we see, hear or observe. It’s almost natural because we have this urge within us to label things in order to give better responses or involvement.
Do not worry. You won’t have that problem anymore; neither with the IELTS speaking topics nor with any other conversation in English.
What problem? The fear of being judged. In fact, you will not have any kind of fear while having a conversation in English.
(Maybe this is why we have three books in this section.)
Starting with book one,