It really depends on how much time you are able to spend. If you
have four hours a day to dedicate to improving your spoken English,
then that's great! If you only have twenty minutes a day that you
can devote to your study, then that's helpful, too! It really
depends on you own life, and how much time you are willing/able to
devote. The most important thing is to spend at least a little
bit of time *every day* practicing your spoken English.
By "practicing your spoken English" I mean opening your mouth and speaking--not just reading a book.
There are several different ways that you can practice speaking. I'll list a few of them here:
1) Speaking with a partner
--Communicating with a real person. Either at a language corner,
with a partner in person, or with an online partner via voice chat.
2) Imitation
--Imitating after a native English speaker. A great way to do
this is with a 复读机. You can use tapes, television programs or movies as
imitation materials. It's best if you choose one type of accent
(American? British? Australian?) for the bulk of your imitation
practice.
3) Reading aloud
--Pick an article, a dialogue, or a story, and read it out loud.
You'll get the best results if you can combine all three of these types
of practice. Mix up your studies so you keep yourself
interested. Try to do at least a little of (2) and (3) every day,
and do your best to do (1) at least a couple of times a week.
Improving your spoken English is not easy, but it is very possible, as
long as you are persistent in your studies and make sure that you open
your mouth and speak each and every day.
Best,
John
