Students often ask me about the best way to practice their English. When they do, they are usually asking about some kind of regular (repeated) activity that they can do to improve their skill (or pass a test!).

The traditional idea of practice is very good for some things. Practice helped me learn how to multiply and divide. It helped me learn how to hit a baseball and shoot a basketball (Yes, I did both!). Practice even helped me learn how to play the correct key on the piano when I saw a certain note in the printed music.

Many people think the same kind of practice will help them improve their English. They believe language is like putting numbers into mathematical formulas. They think that they will be successful if they can put the correct number (vocabulary word) into the best formula (simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence, etc.). Unfortunately, that is not the way language works.

Every time we use language, we use it in a new and fresh way. It is different almost every time. Even if we use the same vocabulary in the same sentence, we may use a different tone or emphasis. It is impossible to learn all the formulae (such as grammar structures) and numbers (vocabulary) and when and how to use them. There are too many of them.

What can an English student do? First, an English student can concentrate on acquiring (absorbing or picking up) as much English as possible. The best way to do this is to read and listen to as much easy-to-understand English as possible. It is like feeding your body a good balanced diet so that is has all the nutrients (specific foods) it needs to grow. If a student consistently (all the time) reads and listens to interesting, easy-to-understand English, he or she will absorb vocabulary words and ideas about how to use them to communicate with other people, just like native speakers do.

The second thing an English student can do is to exercise, or use, the English he or she has acquired. This is different, and much better, than mechanically writing or saying English sentences. If you are an English student, look for opportunities to use English to write or to speak with other people. Find an English-speaker and ask if you can talk to him or her once a week for 30 minutes or an hour (Be sure you pay for the coffee!). Ask questions about his or her daily life, work, or school. Tell him or her about yours. Use Skype to find and talk to English speakers in other countries. Find someone who is willing to become an e-mail friend or join an Internet discussion group.

The best way – and the only effective way – to practice a new language is to use it for real communication with real people who use the same language.