My most important advice is to do something (anything), but above all have fun! Make it your hobby, not a chore
There are many ways to improve your level of English, but only you can find the right way for you. Here are a few tips that might help
IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH LEARNING SKILLS
Learning is a skill and it can be improved.
Your path to learning effectively is through knowing
yourself -
your capacity to learn -
processes you have successfully used in the past -
your interest, and knowledge of what you wish to learn -
Motivate yourself
If you are not motivated to learn English you will become frustrated and give up. Ask yourself the following questions, and be honest
Why do you need to learn/improve English -
Where will you need to use English-
What skills do you need to learn/improve-
Reading/Writing/Listening/Speaking)
How soon do you need to see results-
How much time can you afford to devote to learning-
English
How much money can you afford to devote to learning -English
Do you have a plan or learning strategy-
Set yourself achievable goals
You know how much time you can dedicate to learning English, but a short time each day will produce better, longer-term results than a full day on the weekend and then nothing for two weeks
Joining a short intensive course could produce better results than joining a course that takes place once a week for six months
Here are some goals you could set yourself
Join an English course (and attend regularly)
Do your homework
Read a book a month
Learn a new word every day
Visit an English speaking forum every day
Read a news article on the net every day
Do 10 minutes listening practice every day
Watch an English film at least once a month
Follow a soap, comedy or radio or TV drama
A good way to meet your goals is to establish a system of rewards and punishments
Decide on a reward you will give yourself for fulfilling your goals for a month
A bottle of your favourite drink
A meal out / or a nice meal at home
A new outfit
A manicure or massage
Understanding how you learn best may also help you
There are different ways to learn. Find out what kind of learner you are in order to better understand how to learn more effectively
The visual learner
Do you need to see your teacher during lessons in order to fully understand the content of a lesson
Do you prefer to sit at the front of the classroom to avoid visual obstructions (e.g. people's heads)
Do you think in pictures and learn best from visual displays including: diagrams, illustrated text books, overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and hand-outs
During a lecture or classroom discussion, do you prefer to take detailed notes to absorb the information
!Learning Tip - you may benefit from taking part in traditional English lessons, but maybe private lessons would be better
The auditory learner
Do you learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through and listening to what others have to say
Do you interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances
Does written information have little meaning until you hear it
!Learning Tip - you may benefit from listening to the radio or listening to text as you read it. You could try reading text aloud and using a tape recorder to play it back to yourself
The Tactile/Kinesthetic learner
Do you learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around you
Do you find it hard to sit still for long periods
Do you become distracted easily
!Learning Tip - you may benefit from taking an active part in role plays or drama activities
IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Use self-study grammar books
Practice forming meaningful sentences. Make positive statements, negative, turn statements into questions, make active statements passive. Turn past tense sentences into present tense sentences etc. etc
Learn the different tenses. Learn by heart a simple example sentence using each tense
Do online exercises. Keep a note of how you did and go back in a few weeks to see how you have improved
!On this site:- Use the grammar pages to learn new grammar and then test yourself.
IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY
Use self-study vocabulary books
Expose yourself to as much English as possible by reading, watching the TV, films or the news and listening to the radio or music
Do online exercises. Keep a note of how you did and go back in a few weeks to see how you have improved
Use stick it notes and label things around your home
Vocabulary webs
Build a vocabulary web to organise your vocabulary about certain subjects
For example your personal life
and then extend it:-
and then extend it further
Flash cards
Start a flash cards box
Buy or cut out some cards all the same size
Draw or cut out some pictures
Paste the pictures onto one side of the card and write the correct word on the other side
Put new words in the front of the box
Test yourself using either the pictures, the words or both If you have forgotten a word bring it to the front of the box.