How to improve your English
Mastering the English language takes time. And even as a English Language teacher of 20 years’ experience, I am still learning new vocabulary and pronunciation. But we all need to start somewhere and we all need direction so here are a few tips on becoming a better speaker in English.
Read
I read a lot. Books, magazines, Medium articles, websites, newspapers. Most of the time I read for enjoyment but some of the time I am looking at how sentences have been put together, how words have been chosen and which tenses have been used.
Every now and again, take some time to analyse sentences and see how the writer has composed a paragraph. Learn from it and try and replicate the style.
Buy a grammar book
To develop a deeper understanding of grammar, invest in a grammar book that teaches you the ins and outs of the beautiful English language. Look at the examples so you get an idea of how the language works.
Practice makes perfect
Write, read, listen and speak as much as you possibly can. Speak with friends and relatives who can also speak English, join a language exchange programme so you can swap your first language with a native speaker of English over a beer or two.
Write, write and write some more
Just as you should read vociferously you should also write as frequently as you can. Start contributing to Medium or start a blog, post long Instagram missives on the food you are eating right now — fill your prose with detailed adjectives that encapsulate perfectly the deliciousness of the fish.
Proofread and edit
After I have written several pages, I put the document in a drawer for a few days and return to it with fresh eyes. Read through it again to see how well it flows and to pick up on any errors that you missed before. If there are unnecessary words then edit them out.
You can also try reading the document aloud to yourself or to a friend to see whether it flows.
Improve your vocabulary
An ex-student of mine wanted to start reading the dictionary but I don’t recommend this. There are many ways to develop your vocabulary skills but above all I would suggest looking at a serious newspaper such as The FT or The Economist and reading an article or two. Pick ten key words from the articles and learn them — learn how they are used and how they can be placed into sentences. You should also try and incorporate them into conversations that you have.
Get a teacher
If Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo still hire coaches despite being at the top of their games then you should not be too proud to either. I have lost count of the number of people who have told me that they do not need a teacher just after sending a poorly written email.
Keep learning and do not get disheartened — it’s a slow and steady climb to mastery of the English language and with these tips you will get there.
Michael Davies teaches at Legal English UK, the world’s leading school of English for lawyers and law students.