text: i have a fear to speak in english with people. pl advice me how to avoid it.? i am a adult and not an englishman but i have studied english and i've done some international exams like 'ielts' and got enough marks (more than 75%) for reading and writing.but only around 40% for listning and speaking. also i undestand that i feel shy when i speak in english with some one, because  usualy i do mistakes.but somehow i want to be fluvent in english. beter advice highly appriciated.thank you in advance. try speaking to yourself in english. and watch for your pronunciation. if you cannot remember a word, don't just use it in your language, try to describe what you are willing to say like you are talking to a foreigner. and for listening try to watch movies in english without subtitles watch bbc or cnn or channels like that. when you are speaking with somebody in english, don't worry if you don't understand what they're saying, just ask one more time, if you don't understand, ask again, there is nothing wrong with this. if you do not know the meanings of the words they are using, just ask, if you don't understand the word, ask him/her to spell it. there is nothing wrong with asking. after some period, you'll see that you are not asking any questions anymore, and you are more comfortable in speaking.