I’ve seen countless articles on various blogs with tips on how you can improve your English. Which books to buy, which apps to download, which DVDs and software to download.
Actually, the first place to start is to find someone to speak with. This should be your number one priority. Do you really think that spending a few hours downloading 50 different apps is going to be as useful for you as simply meeting up with a native speaker or a competent speaker of English, and talking with them?
Speaking to someone, whether it be a conversation partner, a language exchange, a friend or an English teacher, will be the best use of your time. It’s the best way to be exposed to real language. Hopefully it’ll go beyond language too – you’ll get to meet someone with different perspectives and maybe you’ll have a great friendship. You can’t get that from a book.
Sure, all the other aids can help your learning. But if you’re doing grammar exercises or downloading apps because you’re afraid or hesitant to speak, then you’re using them as a crutch, as a way of putting things off.
First, speak with someone, and then on a rainy day you can grab that cool vocabulary or grammar book and do some studying on top of all your speaking.
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