7 Ways to Quickly Improve Your English Language Skills

If English isn’t your first language, you might find you need to take an English language proficiency (ELP) test such as the IELTS or TOEFL as part of your application to study abroad. These tests may seem straightforward, but learning to write and speak in English is a skill that requires a lot more than simply understanding. Here are seven different ways, which will help you hone your skills to improve your English language or acquire the level to compete with others on the job market abroad.

Use Vocabulary Words On The Job.

Don’t think only about what words you need to know and don’t worry about how to spell them correctly, even if they are from our world. Remember that you can learn new vocabulary words by looking at examples, watching movies and TV shows, or asking questions. Also remember that when you need to translate something into another language or try to communicate with someone whose native language you do not understand, there are plenty of tools that allow you to see how it should be done. For example, Google Translate allows you to add more than one word in just one click.

Use these simple terms to simplify things and reduce unnecessary vocabulary. It can help to identify common phrases that occur frequently in everyday conversations. This way you won’t need to worry about remembering all the different forms of those same words, and will use them instead. In simpler terms, this means using the same kind of terminology to describe many concepts in the same way. You’ll also find yourself thinking less about details and more about relationships rather than just information.

Make A List Of Key Terms And Their Meanings

As someone who speaks French but knows only basic Spanish, sometimes I have a hard time translating.

Sometimes, it’s because it’s easier to translate the language itself, and other times, it could be because we are talking about two or more languages, so I’ve started to use keywords to make sure I know the exact terms I need. So, for instance, I’ve started to ask myself if it’s a good idea to always say “I am reading for a Master”, but now I am trying to figure out whether I need to add the prefix “for” to that translation, or just saying “I am studying for my master”. Either option gets rid of the verb “read for”, so both options are equivalent, and I haven’t found any differences in effectiveness or quality.

Write As Much As Possible With Any Other Medium Tool

I wrote most of the stories I submitted to Vocal during the lockdown on that site, so at the beginning of March, I made a list of topics I wanted to cover. The article appeared on social media, and after it was posted, I thought there would be no chance it would go viral. But once it did, the comments were amazing – people shared their tips, advice, knowledge, support, and congratulations. Writing on social media helps me to sharpen my writing skills and I’ve noticed that some readers don’t read articles, but comment on them.

Many of my friends started posting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, suggesting that I write more often and post regularly on Vocal itself, even though I didn’t post anything at all. So that has helped me to build up a clearer picture.

Focus More On Grammar & Topic Structure Than Just Basics

For some reason, English grammar is almost the hardest thing to memorize, as well as structure. There is a plethora of useful tools for beginners, but very few tools for advanced students.

So I decided to focus mostly on two principles: focusing on the meaning of the text and its theme.

For example, if I want to explain to a friend why he shouldn’t eat candy bars, I can write a blog post explaining how we can get better at eating them and make sure that we enjoy the food much more easily. Or if I want to discuss a topic on politics or religion I can set up a subreddit to keep track of all the discussions and post a link to that topic.

Start Small

When starting a new language, you need to think a little bit big. It doesn’t matter how smart you are or how much you can memorize, the more you know, the harder it will become to learn everything. So take notes and start with a small sentence or phrase first.

When things get easy, switch to a larger one and continue doing that until you reach your target. Don’t overthink anything; it might sound odd, but the more you learn it, the happier your brain will be. By keeping things as compact as possible, as small as possible, you’ll eventually make progress.

Read Fiction Books

It took me a while to appreciate fiction books until I got to read Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina by myself. After finishing the second book, each day I’d read the story and consider what I liked or didn’t like. That was especially helpful to me during the final section of my degree, where we had to write an essay based on a fictional novel that had been written just before us. We had to come up with three main characters whose actions shaped this story’s plot to achieve a high grade.

Even without knowing the actual plot, I tried to relate to the characters, making sure that they had something in common and something different, and then giving them unique identities that fitted them better than the rest of the group or society could. The idea of telling fictional characters their backstories helped me to understand their motivations better. Fictional characters have different perspectives on life and can help us gain a deeper understanding of why things happen the way they do. They can even teach us lessons.

Choose Your Memorable Narrative

Once upon a time, before smartphones and social media came through the door, I used to love to watch movies and cartoons. Nowadays, however, I don’t mind waiting for a longer movie. Maybe only one or two episodes will impress you, but most probably it’s all boring and predictable. How would I choose my favorite episode? Well, I’m not going to read a bunch of random pages and then decide if it’s worth my time. Besides, in case you want to pick a specific character and tell him/her your story, don’t do it, it’s not a real character anymore. Instead, pick the best memory of yours and make it memorable. What movies and TV shows do you watch every week? Do you care about the setting or the themes? Or maybe I’m going to watch some historical films and I’m excited to watch the olden days. All these questions can help me to narrow down which scenes are suitable for my tastes. However, that’s just one method to decide which ones I like and recommend.