Methods of improving your language

SPEAKING
Having discussions
Speaking to native speakers
Having tandem partners
Skyping
Giving presentations
Speaking to yourself
Singing songs
Interpreting songs
Acting and playing roles

READING
Reading novels
Reading newspapers
Reading articles on the internet
Reading letters/e-mails
Reading instruction manuals
Reading comics
Reading poems and plays

LISTENING
Listening to the radio
Watching TV
Watching videos
Watching movies
Listening to podcasts
Listening to e-books

WRITING
Writing letters/e-mails
Writing diaries
Writing short stories
Writing shopping lists
Writing To-Do lists
Chatting on the internet

Useful expressions: Writing essays

1 Introduction:

It is often claimed / said / asserted / stated…

Today we are often confronted with the problem of…

One must ask oneself whether / why / how…

This assertion raises a fundamental question / issue…

We must examine the truth of this…

2 Developing arguments:

a) First(ly)… second(ly)… third(ly)…

On the one hand… on the other hand…

However,…

b) Furthermore,…

In addition,…

Likewise,…

Similarly,…

Moreover,…

It must also be said that…

c) For example…

Take for example…

…, for instance, …

To illustrate this,…

…illustrates this point perfectly.

d) As X said / wrote / claimed…

In the words of X…

To quote X,…

e) It is certainly true / correct…

…as everyone knows.It is difficult to believe…

…seems (un)likely / probable / (im)possible…

f) It is vital / essential to realize / acknowledge / accept…

g) However,… we must not forget that… / there are other issues to consider.

Let us now turn to…

h) On the contrary…

This completely contradicts…

It must be admitted that…

3 Ending the essay

All in all,…

All of these facts lead me to the conclusion…

Summing up, I…

Having outlined the main arguments…

To conclude…

As a result,…