Try not to choose materials which are too difficult or too easy for you. The texts you read and the media you consume should be challenging, but they shouldn’t discourage you.

Find a quiet and peaceful place for learning. Reward yourself for your efforts with little comforts like your favourite drink or snack, and try to carve out the same time from your schedule every day or week for study.

Find a learning strategy that works for you. We all have our own learning styles, and knowing what works best for you will help you learn more efficiently.

Seek out help whenever you can. Ask an English speaker about new phrases or vocabulary that you hear, or for help with an area of the language that you’re struggling with.

You are never too old or busy to improve your language skills. The biggest roadblock between you and your success is the excuses that you make for not learning. Like every skill, your language ability is subject to attrition. If you aren’t getting better, you’re probably getting worse.

Overall language competence requires attention to four distinct skills: reading, listening, speaking and listening. While the former are necessary for comprehension, the latter are necessary for creating meaning in the target language. Practice all four of these skills, with extra focus on the areas in which you have the most difficulty.

Record yourself speaking English. No matter how much you hate hearing your own voice, or how afraid you are of hearing yourself speaking a foreign language, this will help you focus on your pronunciation and your mistakes. To improve your fluency, try to record the same thing more than once, but each time focus on speaking more quickly than the time before.

Dedicate a notebook to new vocabulary that you learn, and make sure that you include the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective) and a sample sentence. Pay extra attention to which verb patterns and dependent prepositions are used with your new word. Use your new words as often as you can when you’re speaking, and review them frequently.

If you’re at an intermediate level of English, don’t rely on translation to help you understand new words. Instead, use an English-English dictionary, and make an effort to understand from context. Translation cannot always accurately convey meaning in another language, and isn’t reliable or practical during an English conversation.

Never be ashamed of your accent. It is a part of who you are, and English speakers are delighted to hear a foreign accent. Make an effort to produce the sounds of English clearly, and be proud of your accomplishments.

Learn from your mistakes. If you are like most language learners, you probably make the same errors again and again. Use these as a starting point for your studies, and do everything that you can to unlearn these habits.

Shadow English audio. Get an English copy of your favourite book, as well as the audiobook, or turn on the English captioning for your favourite TV show or movie. Do your best to speak along with the audio while reading along with the text. This will push you to speak at a native speed, and will work wonders on your fluency. Do this as often as you can.

Using the same audiobook, but this time without looking at the text, play about 10 lines of the text a few times while attempting to write what you hear. When you are finished, compare your writing to the original text. This will help you to focus on the structure of the language.

If you anticipate that you are going to speak English soon, prepare yourself by considering what phrases or vocabulary you will need. Imagine the conversation, and rehearse what you want to say in your mind.

Review, review, review. Then review some more.

Practice, practice, practice. Then practice some more. With every attempt that we make at a new language item, we consolidate it a little more. Learning a language is cyclical, meaning that every time you return to something that you have already learned, you will make new connections and achieve deeper understanding. Reach out to whoever you can to help you with this. Find a friend or a loved one who is at a similar level to you, and institute an English only policy.

Use technology. Find language learning apps, and apps for English services for your devices. To get started, check out the following apps: Duolingo, Ted, Slate, Zite, Pulse, the BBC news and Netflix.

Set short term goals that motivate you. Aim to master a certain area of the language, and celebrate small victories.

Set long term goals. Think about how learning English will improve this quality of your life. Never lose sight of or underestimate the rewards this will bring to your career and your social life. It’s estimated that nearly one third of the world’s population can speak English to some degree. Language brings people together and creates opportunities for growth and collaboration where they previously did not exist. Learning English gives you a global voice.

When you speak English, do so with confidence. Never back away from a challenge and never be afraid to make mistakes. People can only correct your mistakes when they hear them, and they can only help you with a difficult sentence if you attempt to make it. Try to have a positive outlook on your language weaknesses, as they are an opportunity for growth and improvement.