Tips to make your English more powerful

By Adam Borowski

English is the global language. English opens doors. We all know it. Here are eleven tips to make your English more powerful.

1. Eliminate the psychological barrier ― this issue is rarely addressed. Yes, English is most likely not your dominant language. That doesn't mean you need to keep reminding yourself of that every time you open your mouth. By constantly emphasizing in your mind that English is “foreign” to you, you are limiting your potential. You can speak excellent, powerful English, but you're not going to achieve your aim if you apologize for your “poor English” every time you speak. You're not expected to have a silver tongue, but don't use “foreign” as an excuse to slack off.

2. When giving a presentation, do you really want to start off by saying: Sorry, my English is just so poor, I hope you can understand me. People want to listen to you ― the expert. By constantly apologizing, you're undermining your authority. A bit of humility goes a long way, but there's a stark difference between being humble and being apologetic. There's another extreme here: Don't say you speak perfect English. What does that even mean? Keep it real.

3. Read as much as you can ― newspapers, advertisements, leaflets. Try to absorb as many words as you can ― better yet, try to absorb phrases. People often say they're too “busy” to improve their English. Excuses, excuses. English is all around us, you can always learn a new word, a new phrase.

4. Use English-English dictionaries ― Don't always translate words, phrases into your language, unless you're translating colors, etc., or you're a beginner who has no other choice.

5. Don't limit yourself to one English variety. Don't scoff at American English, just because you dislike American foreign policy. The U.S. won't cry if you ignore American words and that “r-sound.” You're going to be doing yourself a disservice. Be familiar with all sorts of “Englishes,” but choose one variety you want to focus on. Don't mix five accents in one sentence. Don't mix American and British words, and spellings.

6. Set up debate clubs ― It's a great way to boost your English competence. Polish school debating teams often succeed on the world stage, competing against English speakers. Why? Determination, smarts and figuring out your opponent's strategy.

7. Write, write, write ― Short stories, articles, writing helps you memorize words, phrases, etc.

8. Skype someone ― Have conversations with real people, join English clubs, especially if they're a diplomatic initiative, where you can exchange views with educated people.

9. Listen, listen, listen ― Earphones are marvelous inventions. You can learn new stuff even when you're in the middle of nowhere.

10. Learn up-to-date language ― Don't be afraid of slang, just make sure you can use standard English first. You don't want to sound like someone from the 1980s.

11. Don't get discouraged just because someone dislikes your accent. It often isn't you ― It's what a particular accent represents to someone. Then again ― “accentism” is real. The world is not a perfect place.

Adam Borowski (adam.borowski1985@gmail.com) teaches English to students at all levels of advancement. His short novel can be found at: https://existentialtableau.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/existential-tableau/