Best Way To Improve Your English





As a teacher with over a decade of experience the question I get the most often is what is the best way to improve my English? I always give the same answer.

The best thing of all is to get real practice speaking the language. Have a conversation in English. This does not work well if you do not know enough English obviously. If you are reading this or those asking me in real life they know enough English to either read this or to ask me the question in English.

Not all practice is created equal though. The best practice of all is to speak with native speakers. Speakers that have training and experience are best. Many students do not have easy access to teachers though. Fortunately it is easier to find them now online. In fact you can even contact me and I can offer private tutoring or classes. I will even add information later about good places to work with teachers.

While it is possible to speak with native speakers you might not be able to afford one. Or perhaps the time difference is a problem. It can even be hard to set aside a specific time because of your schedule. There are alternatives though.

The next best thing is to practice with other speakers. Try to find the best speaker you can find. If you can't find anyone close that speaks English you can always work with other students. This has one major drawback. If you are practicing English imperfectly you may be reinforcing bad practices. If you develop bad habits a professional teacher can identify them though and work with you on them. Even though you may develop some bad habits you will be getting practice and building your confidence and familiarity with the language. While there is a downside to practicing with other learners the good outweighs the bad if you do not have another choice.

There are other great ways to improve your English. Real practice is the best and the first of many methods I tell students who ask me what they should do to improve. These other tips I will save for another post.

What do you think? Are these helpful suggestions? Can you find native speakers? Have you used these methods? Let us know in the comments below.





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