Just 5 Minutes to Improve

Tips for improving your level of English. That’s what today’s piece is about.


It all came about during a session with an inspiring group of adults in KL. I shared some of the tips that I had successfully used over the years with other students.


There was one request to have them written out. It shows how serious the person is in improving himself, and I do admire him for it.

So, here are five simple tips that just needs an investment of five minutes per activity. Good luck!


1. Write for five minutes each day
Write on any topic that you like. It could be about what you did yesterday, your plans for the weekend, the colour blue, your ambitions, etc.


The sentences do not have to be perfect. The whole paragraph does not have to flow well. This is just a practice session to let the words flow onto the page. You can worry about grammar later.


2. Read for five minutes each day
Read a storybook / newspaper / magazine, etc.


Look up the meanings of a few new words. Guess the meanings of all the other words that you do not know – this is called predicting and you should practise it.


3. Note five new words and phrases.
Jot down new words and phrases that you find.


It is best if you keep a special little notebook aside for this.

Write down your new words and phrases with lots of coloured pens or draw pictures to show what they mean. You could even pictures next to the words.  These are all little visual tricks so that your brain will be encouraged to remember the new words and phrases (think of mind maps).

Try to have fun doing it because that’s the best way to learn language.


4. Copy for five minutes
Writers and copywriters are advised to do this. They take an article or advertisement that they like and copy it out by hand.

This way, they can easily remember the words and sentence structures used easily. Pick something that’s useful for yourself.

5. Speak in English for five minutes
When we first start on a new language, some friends or colleagues may not be very encouraging. Ignore them.

Instead, make it a point to speak for at least five minutes in English every single day.

The more you speak, the quicker you will become at forming sentences and you will also find it easier to pronounce words that you once found difficult.


Now, if you can  think of other easy tips, please add them on!