New members: A better way to practise English

"Only you can make yourself fluent in English. You’ve got to spend time on it.

But spending time by itself is not enough. You also have to make sure that your practice is focused on improving the areas that you have the most trouble with. If you read English well but have trouble with speaking, no amount of reading will fix your problem. Likewise, chatting with English-speaking friends in a coffee shop or a bar won’t build your academic vocabulary very much.

Here's an article that discusses the idea of "deliberate practice", which is a term that has become popular in the last 2-3 years in the United States. Deliberate practice means practicing carefully, paying close attention to areas that you need to improve on. When you read this article, don't just read it through without thinking about it. Pay close attention to what you understand well and what you don't. Take notes. Put any new phrases you encounter into your flash cards. Re-read difficult sentences out loud until you can say them clearly."

http://lifehacker.com/5939374/a-better-way-to-practice