As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. And with that in mind, it should come as little surprise that practising your English language skills is likely to make you better at them sooner rather than later. That’s because how much you practise and how efficiently you do so plays a significant role in the level of improvement you will experience.
That’s why if you want to take your English language skills to the next level faster, it’s probably a good idea to get started with some practical strategies right away. After all, there are plenty of things you can do on a daily basis to improve your English language skills without having to spend too much time and money on formal training programmes or expensive reading materials.
Here are some practical tips on how you can systematically work on improving your English language skills
Speak English language daily
One thing you can do to improve your English language skills is to speak it. If you’re not familiar with certain words, or if you are unsure of what a sentence means, just say it out loud and then repeat the sentence or word until you have the pronunciation correct. It’s important that you keep practising your English language skills because it will remain challenging and difficult even after you have improved.
Another secret weapon in the battle of effective communication is improving your English language skills is to watch TV shows and films in their original language. This is because watching foreign language films and TV shows will increase your vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and listening comprehension all at once.
Additionally, magazines like “The Economist” are great for improving your vocabulary and reading comprehension as they are published weekly in different languages.
Help other people who speak English
If you want to improve your English language skills, you will need to help other people who speak English as a second language. This can be done in many ways. For instance, you could tutor or teach those on your own level or you could work with someone who speaks English as a second language and help him or her learn from your experiences.
In any case, the good news is that this type of work is likely to improve your English language skills and make you more confident in speaking it.
Keep a learning journal
The first step to improving your English language skills is to keep a learning journal. The journal should consist of three sections: a) notes, b) vocabulary and c) vocabulary review.
In the notes section, you should document everything you do that’s related to studying your English language skills. Whether it be reading something or watching a video or listening to an audio clip, make sure you write down the date and time of when you did it and what you were doing.
In the vocabulary section, your journal should have one entry for every word that you learn in any of your learning materials. At the bottom of each entry, jot down at least five words that are related to that particular word. For example, if you learn the word “coffee,” then make an entry for it with words like “black,” “brewing,” “bean” and “made.”
In the vocabulary review section, record all of the words from your learning materials that you need to review before moving on to new material. This can include words from books or videos or anything else for which you need review before moving on.
This journal will help keep track of how much time and energy you’re spending on different aspects of your studies so that you can objectively assess how much work needs to be done before moving on to other material with greater difficulty.
Additionally, this journal will give you insights into what areas need more focus so that they can be adjusted accordingly as needed.
Read English news regularly
The first step to taking your English language skills to the next level is reading English news regularly. This type of practice helps you understand how the language works and it also boosts your vocabulary.
Research has shown that when students read articles in their native language, they have a greater understanding of the subject matter than those who only read material in a foreign language.
If you can’t find time to read news in the English language, there are some other ways you could go about accomplishing this goal. One option would be to listen to English-language radio or podcasts on your commute to work or school everyday.
Doing so helps you maintain your comprehension of what is going on around you while at the same time increasing your listening comprehension. Another option might be reading online newspapers from a variety of countries as this could help with comprehension and vocabulary retention.
Watch English TV and movies
One of the best and most efficient ways to improve your English language skills is simply by watching English TV or movies. This can be a great way to both practise speaking and get exposed to all the different accents, dialects, and other varieties of UK and US English that exist today.
One key thing to keep in mind when watching English TV or movies is that you don’t have to focus on the dialogue. Instead, you should try concentrating on absorbing everything else: facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, unique vocabulary, etc.
Another good idea is to listen more than you speak while viewing these programs—try catching every word spoken in order to study how they are delivered.
When it comes down to it, what matters the most when it comes down to improving your English language skills isn’t how quickly you can translate an unfamiliar line of dialogue into your native tongue; rather, what matters is how well they are delivered.
Play games in English
The good thing about playing games in English is that it doesn’t require too much time and effort. To get the most out of this strategy, you should focus on games that challenge your vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills.
There are plenty of different kinds of games available. Some people prefer to play educational games while others like to play more fun or action-packed games with friends or family members.
In order to make sure you are able to maximise the advantages of this strategy, it’s important that you understand exactly what it is you want to improve. If your goal is improving your listening skills, there are plenty of fun games that will help you achieve that goal without having to spend hours upon hours reading textbooks or following lessons.
If you want to take things up a notch, try checking out some live language learning websites such as Livemocha.
Conclusion
If you want to learn how to make your English language skills better, then it’s important that you start by speaking English and helping others who speak English. By doing this, you will be able to practise and improve your English without feeling intimidated and overthinking it.
You should also keep a learning journal, read English news, and watch TV and movies in your native language.
