Here are 101 things (in no particular order) you can do to improve your English
这里有101条为您准备提升英语的建议(重要程度无先后顺序)
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Be confident. People can only correct your mistakes when they hear you make them.
1. 别害怕犯错。自信点。人们只能在听到你说错后才能纠正你。
Surround yourself in English. Put yourself in an all English speaking environment where you can learn passively. The best way to learn is through speaking.
2. 将自己沉浸在英文环境，这样可以不经意间学习。最好的学习方式是开口说
Practice every day. Make yourself a study plan. Decide how much time a week you are going to spend studying and stick to it. Establish a routine.
3. 每天练习。制定学习计划，来决定你每周要花多长时间来学习英语，可以坚持多长时间。 形成一个固定的学习模式。
Tell your family and friends about your study plan. Get them to push you to study and also don’t let them interrupt you.
4. 将学习计划告知身边的家人和朋友，让他们来推动你，并且可以避免他们来打断你
Practice the 4 core skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. They all need to be worked on for you to improve.
5. 练习英语的听说读写四项核心技能。它们都需要进步
Keep a notebook of new words you learn. Use them in sentences and try to say them at least 3 times when you speak.
6. 准备一个新词本， 当你说英语时使用他们并且最少说3遍
Memorization of lists is one of the most common ways of learning vocabulary for a test. It's only a good exercise for short term studying because you often do not retain the information that you have learned for a test.
7. 记忆单词表是最普通的为了考试学习单词的方式，这是一种短时记忆的好方式，毕竟你为了考试记住的单词一般会很快忘记。
Use your body clock. If you’re not a morning person, study in the afternoon.
8. 利用你的生物钟，如果你不是个早起的人，那就下午学习。
You will find words easier to remember if you try to remember an example sentence using that word rather the word on its own.
9. 你会发现如果你利用一个句子去记忆其中的单词会比单独记忆单词容易很多。
Plan to take a test. You’ll find that you work harder when you need to study for something.
10. 策划参加一个考试，你会发现如果学习有目标，你会更刻苦一些。
Saying that, it’s better not to study just to take a test. Think of the bigger picture. What can you do when you have a good command of English? How will the quality of your life improve?
11. 其实比起参加考试，你可以想得更远些。如果你有了好的英语，你的生活会有什么改善？
Give yourself a long term goal. Focus on working towards it.
12. 给自己一个长远的目标，瞄准他，努力实现
Give yourself short term goals too and reward yourself when you achieve each one.
13. 还要给自己一个短期目标，如果能够实现，要记得奖励自己哦。
Create an atmosphere in which you want to learn, not because you have to. You’ll learn more when you’re learning because you want to.
14. 给自己创造一个想要学习的环境，而不是不得不去。 你会学得更多当你想去学的时候。
Know what works best for you. Think about what methods have been successful for you in the past and stick with them.
15. 你要清楚怎么做对你的效果最好。 找出对你学习效果做好的成功方法并且坚持。
Figure out how you learn. It can be by memorizing, reading, speaking, summarizing or other methods. Find out how you study best. It can be in a quiet place by yourself or with a group.
16. 指出你如何学习。 它可以是默记，阅读，讲话，总结或者其他方法。找出是自己学习还是在小组中学习效率更高。
Get help! If you don’t understand something you’ve got to ask someone. Ask your teacher, classmates or friends for help.
17. 当你不遇到难题时，你需要寻求帮助，去问其他人。你可以问你的老师，同学或者朋友。
Review! Review! Review! Make sure that you take the time to review things you have studied in the past.
18. 复习复习复习，重要的事情说三遍。 你要确保花时间去复习你已经学过的东西。
It’s not a good idea to study on your own for more than 30 minutes at a time. Take regular breaks, get some fresh air and stretch your legs.
19. 不推荐每次持续学习超过30分钟， 要常常休息，呼吸些新鲜空气伸伸腿。
Don’t be in such a hurry to move up a level. Concentrate on the level you are at now.
20. 别着急学习高级的东西，最主要的是夯实你现在的水平
Watch DVDs rather than TV. It’s better to use something that you can watch over again to catch information you might have missed the first time.
21. 如果有选择，要看DVD而不是电视。因为DVD可以重复看，从而能够抓住第一遍漏掉的信息。
Watching TV only gives you the chance to hear something correctly first time. This is better for high level students. It can be great practice for speaking to native English speakers so you don’t have to ask them to repeat themselves!
22. 看电视只给了你第一次就正确听懂的机会。 这对于高水平的学生来说比较好。和当地人说话是最好的练习，所以你不需要总是让他们重复自己。
Read graded readers. These books are especially written for your level. Read a whole novel. You can do it! You’ll feel great afterwards.
23. 读分级读物，这些书为你当前水平的英语缩写。 你可以都整个小说，读完后感觉会很好。
Children’s books have easier words and are a good alternative to graded readers.
24. 儿童书籍的单词更简单，是分级读物最好的替代品。
Newspapers are a good place to find passive constructs. Read through an article and see if you can find the passive sentences.
25. 报纸上是个找到被动结构的好地方。读读它，看你能不能找到被动句。
Read for the general meaning first. Don’t worry about understanding every word, then go back and look up new words.
For a word you don’t understand in a sentence, look at the other words around it. They will give you a hint. Try to guess the meaning from the context.
Learn root words. They’ll help you guess the meaning of words. For example: scrib = write, min = small
When you learn a new word, think of all its other forms: Beautiful (adjective), beauty (noun), beautifully (adverb).
Learn prefixes (dis-, un-, re-) and suffixes (-ly, -ment, -ful), these will help you to figure out the meaning of words and build your vocabulary.
English, unlike Japanese or French, uses word stress. For new words, count the syllables and find where the stress is. Only one stress per word and always on a vowel. Two syllable verbs have a stress on the second syllable (beGIN). 2 syllable nouns (TEAcher) and adjectives (HAPpy) stress the first.
Use English whenever you can. It’s as simple as that!
Don’t translate into English from your own language. Think in English to improve your fluency. Talk to yourself…but not on the bus otherwise people will think you have gone crazy!
You can’t learn English from a book. Like driving a car, you can only learn through doing it.
The most natural way to learn grammar is through talking.
Keep an English diary or journal. Start by writing a few sentences a day and then get into the habit of writing more.
Why not start an online blog and share your writings with the world?
To become a better writer brainstorm as many ideas and thoughts onto paper without worrying about grammar or spelling. Then think about the structure. After that, write your piece using good grammar and spelling. Finally, read it through or give it to someone else to check for mistakes.
Keep an eye on your punctuation as it can totally change what you’re trying to say. Check out the difference in meaning between these two sentences: “A woman without her man is nothing” and “A woman: without her, man is nothing”.
Sing your heart out! Show the world your beautiful voice! Learn English songs and sing along with them to improve fluency and intonation… anyone for Karaoke?
Get a penfriend or use chat-rooms, forums and community sites. If you can’t speak to someone in English, this is the next best thing.
Shadow English CDs. Listen to a few sentences then repeat what you heard. Focus on the rhythm and intonation.
Have English radio on in your house. Even if you are not actively listening to it, you will still be training your ears.
Mirror CDs. Read out loud along with a CD. Again, this is great for intonation, pronunciation and rhythm.
Dictation. Listen to a CD or friend and write down what you hear.
Nobody likes to hear their own voice, but be brave and try it! Record your voice and listen to your pronunciation and intonation. It will help you to identify your problem areas.
Ask your helpful teacher if you can record his lesson. This is a great way to review. You can also listen to your teachers speaking speed and intonation.
Use an English/English dictionary as it will help you to keep thinking in English and not translating.
If an English/English dictionary seems scary, there are learner’s dictionaries for English students of your level.
Don’t become too reliant on your dictionary. Your dictionary should be an aid, not your main teacher. Try to guess the meaning of words rather than going straight for your dictionary.
Don’t give up! Stay positive! Sometimes you will feel that you aren’t learning quickly enough. Everyone feels like this, don’t worry about it. You’ll get there in the end.
Enjoy it! We learn more when we are having fun!
If you get nervous when speaking, take two deep breaths before you say something. You’ll speak better when you feel relaxed.
Keep yourself motivated by looking back at the textbooks and CDs you used in the past. You’ll be surprised at how easy they seem to you now! Congratulations, your level is improving!
You are never too young or too old to start learning English. Don’t make excuses not to learn. What are you waiting for?
Procrastination can stop you from being successful. To stop procrastinating, it's important you understand if your procrastinating is to avoid studying, or if it is your bad habit.
If you haven’t gotten the results you wanted yet, it’s not because you’re bad at languages, it’s because you haven’t found your own special way of learning yet.
Use resources which match your level. Don’t use texts/listening exercises which are too difficult or too easy. Use materials which challenge you but don’t frustrate you.
Don’t worry about making your accent perfect. It’s an important part of your cultural identity to keep your accent. Native English speakers enjoy hearing English spoken with an accent.
There are many types of English: British, American, South African and so on. None of these are wrong or not as important. English is English.
Instead, be aware of the differences in American and British English and use your words accordingly. For example: Elevator (US) / Lift (British).
Carry cue cards with you. These are small cards which you can write new words on. You can pull them out and look at them whenever you a free minute.
Use post-it notes and stick them around your home. You can use them to label things. Stick one on your pet dog!
You can’t ignore phrasal verbs (two words verbs), there are hundreds of them in English and they’re widely used. The more you focus on their meaning, the more you’ll be able to guess the meaning of new ones. You’ll start to recognise their patterns.
Use your intuition. Go with your gut feeling, you’ll be surprised how often your first guess is the right guess. Like we said before, be confident.
Gather your thoughts. Take a second to think about what you’re going to say. You know the grammar, but maybe you don’t use it correctly when you speak.
Meet new people. Make the effort to mix with English speakers in your town. You could join a club or go to bars where foreigners hang out. Buy one a drink, they love that!
Be the person to start conversations in English. Try to keep the conversations moving and use listening words (‘really?’ / ‘go on…’/ ‘what happened then?’) Don’t wait for others to speak to you. Get in there!
Debate. Discuss topics in a group. Each person should choose a viewpoint (even if you don’t agree with it) and debate it within the group. Make sure you get your point across. Learn to listen actively. Active listening will help in the classroom and it will help you get more out of, and contribute more to, group study sessions. Focus on the person who is talking. Don’t fidget or become distracted by other people or events. Concentrate on the speaker with your ears and eyes. Follow the movements the speaker makes in an effort to hear more. It may help to repeat what you hear others say in an effort to understand their thoughts.
It’s not enough to only learn English words. You can teach a parrot English words but that doesn’t mean it can speak English! You still need to have an understanding of grammar.
Verb tenses are used by English speakers to talk about the timing of actions. You might not have the same expressions in your own language. It’s important that you know these tenses and when to use them.
English has many irregular verbs. You should drill yourself on them.
Keep it up! If you take a break from speaking English, you will find that your level decreases and all your hard work has been wasted.
Don’t be put off by a bad test score. Sometimes students have the ability to pass an English test, but can’t communicate well with English speakers. If you can speak freely in English, you should be proud of yourself.
Remember that as long as you have tried your hardest, you have succeeded!
Learn English with a friend. You’ll have someone you can practise with and you can motivate each other to study.
Remember, the way we write English is not the same as how it’s pronounced. For example ‘Ough’ has over 6 pronunciations. Familiarise yourself the Phonetic Alphabet. It will help you correctly pronounce words in the dictionary.
Get used to the ‘schwa’ sound [ə] - an unstressed and toneless neutral vowel sound. ‘Schwa’ is the most common vowel sound in English. For example, the 'a' in about and the 'u' in supply.
Keep in mind that it takes longer to improve when our level is high. Usually the fastest progress is made when we are beginners. Don’t think that you’re suddenly not learning anymore, it’s just a less noticeable progress.
Make sure that your English matches the occasion. It’s OK to use slang with friends but not in a business meeting. Decide in which situation it’s appropriate to use the words and phrases you have learned.
Textbook English is often different from the way we casually speak. To learn casual ‘slang’ watch movies.
Idioms can be difficult to memorise, but they are great fun to use and they’ll make your English more colourful.
When talking we usually link words together so that two words can sound like one. Simply put, we link words ending with a consonant sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (consonant > vowel). We link words ending with a vowel sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (vowel > vowel). Practise these to improve your listening and pronunciation.
Make use of the internet. It’s full of resources to help you learn: BBC Learning English ; learnenglish.ecenglish.com
Think about your strong and weak points. Write down which areas you want to improve on and work on improving them. Of course, don’t ignore your strong points. Congratulate yourself on how well you’ve done!
Unlearn your mistakes. You probably make the same grammar mistakes over and over again. Use English tests results as a study tool. Go over your mistakes and choose one or two that you want to focus on. Use your favourite grammar book to check rules.
Use the correct article (a/an, the). Be aware that there is more to this rule than a/an= non specific, the=specific. For example: A university (not an university because it begins with a consonant sound). An hour (not a hour because the ‘h’ is often silent).
For fluency, try image training. Before you go to that restaurant think through what the waiter is likely to say to you. Think of what phrases you are going to use.
Much communication comes through body language and gesture. These can be different between cultures and countries. For example, the two-fingered "V" for victory symbol is fine palms-out. If you make it with you palm facing toward you, you'll offend a British person. It means…well, you ask a British person and find out for yourself!
The easiest one - Sleep! You’ll learn more after a good night’s sleep. You’ll be able to concentrate more.
Take an English course in an English speaking country.
If you studying abroad, mix with people from other countries not only people from your own country. It’s not a good idea for you to live in a shared house with people from your own country. Enjoy a more cultural experience by spending time with other nationalities.
Have you thought about getting a job or doing an internship abroad?
Get yourself a qualified teacher. Who wants to learn wrong things?
Nobody can learn all of the English language. No need to worry about trying. A useful shortcut to learning is that in English we have lots of words that have the same pronunciation, but a different spelling and meaning. For example, ‘come here’ has the same pronunciation as, ‘I can hear the birds’. You might find it easier to build vocabulary by knowing the different meanings.
Once you have a basic level of English explore the different ways you can say the same thing. This makes your English more interesting to the listener and it shouldn’t be too difficult for you because you already know the basics. For example, how many ways can we say, ‘Goodbye' in English?
When you are on your English course, be prepared for your class. Do your homework as soon as possible and hand it in on time. Review your notes and your last lesson a few minutes before the class. Doing this will refresh your memory and you'll be warmed up for lesson.
Don't get distracted in class. Focus on the lesson, don't stare out of the window. Don't be late, arrive a few minutes before the start of the lesson. Don't sit next to people who won't speak to you in English. Switch off your phone. Be organised, remember to take your textbook, notebook and pen.
Find a comfortable, peaceful place for quiet study. You need somewhere where you can focus 100%.