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Writer's pictureSawsan Charif

5 English Habits to Practice Every Day to Improve English Fluency and Communication Skills


Upper intermediate and advanced English learners who want to make English part of their daily lives can benefit from creating daily habits centered around English practice. In this lesson, the speaker shares five daily habits that take no more than one hour of each day and are designed to make English practice fun. The habits focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehending, and learners are encouraged to choose activities that interest them or that they are curious about learning.


For reading, learners are encouraged to choose their favorite type of reading and content to read for 10 minutes each day. Examples include reading online news, books, recipes, blogs, articles, or newsletters. Reading aloud is recommended to help with pronunciation and retention.


For writing, learners are encouraged to write for 10 minutes each day about something they enjoy, such as a gratitude list, worry pages, stream of consciousness, or a daily log. Writing aloud is recommended to help with clarity and structure.


For listening, learners are encouraged to listen for 10 minutes each day to songs, podcasts, audiobooks, or the radio. Pausing and imitating pronunciation is recommended for fun and comprehension. For watching, learners are encouraged to watch 10 minutes of English content each day to improve listening comprehension and awareness of non-verbal communication. Examples include YouTube videos, TED talks, web courses, webinars, or streaming shows without subtitles. Pausing and imitating non-verbals and doing self-administered comprehension checks are recommended.


For speaking, learners are encouraged to speak for 10 minutes each day with strangers, colleagues, or online communities through virtual communication platforms. Using newly acquired expressions, phrases, idioms, and vocabulary, and testing out grammar and syntax are recommended. Asking for corrective feedback is also recommended.


Key Takeaways

  • Upper intermediate and advanced English learners can benefit from creating daily habits centered around English practice.

  • The five daily habits focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehending, and learners are encouraged to choose activities that interest them or that they are curious about learning.

  • Reading, writing, listening, watching, and speaking for 10 minutes each day can dramatically improve English communication skills.

Creating Daily English Language Habits


At the upper intermediate and advanced levels of English, it is essential to make English a part of day-to-day life. In order to use English every day, daily habits centered around English practice need to be created. In this lesson, the speaker shares five daily habits that can be added to daily routines and schedules. These English habits will focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehending.


For each of the five categories of English habits, try to choose something that interests or is curious to learn. The idea is to make it fun and not a chore. Don't think of it as homework, but as a way to add value to life. What's great is that it serves a dual purpose: one, improving English language skills, and two, learning something new.


Read for 10 Minutes in English Each Day



Reading for 10 minutes in English each day is an excellent way to absorb grammatical structures, learn spelling, and acquire vocabulary. Choose your favorite types of reading and content to read and make it a daily practice. Examples of this include reading online news, books (paper or digital), recipes, blogs, articles, or newsletters. The pro tip is to read aloud because it can help with pronunciation muscles and speaking endurance. Reading aloud also helps to retain information better.


Write for 10 Minutes Each Day in English


Writing for 10 minutes each day in English is a fun way to practice vocabulary retention and thinking in English. If writing feels laborious, try to make it something that is enjoyable. Examples of fun writing activities include writing a gratitude list or journal entry on gratitude, writing down worries, writing in a stream of consciousness, or writing about the day's events. Writing an email in English to a friend or a fictional person is also a great writing practice. The pro tip is to write aloud, which helps to think more clearly and structure writing more effectively.


Listen for 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Listening comprehension is essential, and giving this skill some time to shine is crucial. Some ideas for listening materials include songs in English from favorite artists or genres, podcasts in areas of interest or expertise, audiobooks, or the radio. The focus is on connected speech, training the ear to prosody, stress patterns, and intonation. It also helps to learn new words and expressions. The pro tip is to pause and imitate the pronunciation, which is a lot of fun and helps to laugh afterward.


Watch 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Watching 10 minutes in English each day is a great way to increase listening comprehension and improve awareness of non-verbal communication. Video-based learning is more accessible these days, making it easier to make time for working on this skill. Examples of possible content to watch include YouTube videos to learn something new or watch favorite channels, TED Talks without subtitles, half an episode on a favorite streaming platform, web courses, or free webinars. The focus is on listening comprehension, learning nonverbal communication, and gestures and facial expressions. The pro tip is to pause and imitate the non-verbal of the speaker and do a comprehension check.


Speak 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Speaking for 10 minutes in English each day is a great way to practice verbal communication skills, communicative competence, and strategic competence. It may be the most challenging habit, but it can be practiced anywhere in the world. Joining an online community, making small talk with strangers, chatting with a colleague, joining a book club or any type of meetup based on interests, doing a Zoom or Skype call with someone, or even a regular phone call would work. The focus is on practicing newly acquired expressions, phrases, idioms, and vocabulary, and testing out grammar and syntax. The pro tip is to ask for corrective feedback and think in English.


In conclusion, creating daily English language habits is essential to improve communication skills dramatically. These five daily habits focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehending, and they won't take more than one hour of each day. Choosing something interesting or curious to learn and making it fun is the key to success.


Reading in English for 10 Minutes Daily


At the upper intermediate and advanced levels of English, it's important to create daily habits centered around English practice to make English part of your day-to-day life. One of the daily habits that can be added to your routines is reading in English for 10 minutes each day. This can be done by choosing your favorite type of reading material such as online news, books (paper or digital), recipes, blogs, articles, or newsletters. The focus here is on absorbing grammatical structures and learning spelling, and vocabulary acquisition.


Reading aloud can be helpful in improving pronunciation muscles and speaking endurance. It can also help to retain the information that is read better. It's important to choose reading material that interests you or something that you're curious about learning. This will make it fun and not a chore.


Write for 10 Minutes Daily in English


Another daily habit that can be added to your routines is writing for 10 minutes each day in English. This can be done by writing a gratitude list or a journal entry on gratitude, writing down things that you're grateful for in your life and what you're thankful for, writing out your worries (also known as worry pages or a brain dump), writing in a stream of consciousness, or writing about your day (logging the events of the day).


Writing aloud can be helpful in thinking more clearly and structuring writing more effectively. It can also improve vocabulary retention and thinking in English. Writing about fictional characters or writing an email in English to a friend can also be a fun activity to try.


Listen for 10 Minutes Daily in English


Listening comprehension is important in English and can be improved by listening for 10 minutes each day. This can be done by listening to songs in English from your favorite artist or genre, podcasts in areas of interest or in your field of expertise or study, audiobooks (using the free library app called Libby, which only requires a library card if you're in the US), or the radio.


The focus here is on connected speech, training your ear to prosody, stress patterns, and intonation, and also learning new words and expressions. Pausing and imitating the pronunciation can be a lot of fun and can improve comprehension.


Watch for 10 Minutes Daily in English


Watching videos in English for 10 minutes each day can improve listening comprehension and awareness of non-verbal communication. This includes things like head movement, hand gestures, facial expressions, and overall body language that we use to communicate our points.


Watching without subtitles can give an extra comprehension challenge. This can be done by watching YouTube videos to learn something new or watching your favorite channel, watching a TED Talk without subtitles, watching half of an episode on your favorite streaming platform without subtitles, watching a web course that you're following, or watching a free webinar that you've signed up for.


Pausing and imitating the non-verbals of the speaker and doing a self-administered comprehension check every few minutes or seconds can be helpful.


Speak for 10 Minutes Daily in English


Speaking for 10 minutes each day can be challenging but can be done by making small talk with strangers at a cafe, waiting in line, or at the library, chatting with a colleague from work, joining an online community, joining a book club, or any type of meetup based on your interests, doing a Zoom or Skype call with someone or even a regular phone call.


The focus here is on verbal communication skills, communicative competence, and strategic competence. It's important to use newly acquired expressions, phrases, idioms, and vocabulary, and test out grammar and syntax. It's also a great opportunity to think in English and ask for corrective feedback.


Writing in English for 10 Minutes Daily


At the upper intermediate and advanced levels of English, it's essential to incorporate English into daily life. To achieve this, one must create daily habits centered around English practice. In this article, five daily habits that can be added to one's daily routines and schedules will be discussed. These habits focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehending. The idea is to make it fun, not a chore. The following are the five categories of English habits that can be built:


Read 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Reading is an excellent way to improve grammar, spelling, and vocabulary acquisition. To make it a daily practice, choose your favorite type of reading material. It can be online news, books, recipes, blogs, articles, or newsletters. Reading aloud can help with pronunciation muscles and speaking endurance. It also helps retain the information read.


Write for 10 Minutes Each Day in English


Writing can be a fun activity if one chooses a topic they enjoy. Writing a gratitude list or a journal entry on gratitude, writing out worries, writing in a stream of consciousness, or writing about one's day are some examples of fun writing activities. One can also write an email in English to a friend or a fictional person. Writing aloud can help me think more clearly and structure writing more effectively.


Listen for 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Listening comprehension is essential, and some ideas for listening materials include songs in English, podcasts, audiobooks, and the radio. The focus is on connected speech, training the ear to prosody, stress patterns, and intonation. Pausing and imitating the pronunciation can be a lot of fun and help with comprehension.


Watch 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Video-based learning is more accessible these days, and watching can increase listening comprehension and improve awareness of non-verbal communication. Examples of possible content to watch include YouTube videos, TED talks, web courses, and free webinars. The focus is on learning nonverbal communication and doing a self-administered comprehension check.


Speak 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Speaking practice can be challenging due to nerves or limited access to real-world communities. However, technology has made it possible to practice anywhere in the world. Examples include making small talk with strangers, chatting with colleagues, joining online communities, book clubs, or meetups based on interests. The focus is on verbal communication skills, strategic competence, and communicative competence. Using newly acquired expressions, phrases, idioms, and vocabulary, and testing out grammar and syntax is a great way to practice. It's also an excellent opportunity to ask for corrective feedback.


In conclusion, incorporating English into daily life can be fun and easy. These five daily habits won't take more than one hour each day and will dramatically improve English communication skills. Choose something that interests you or something you're curious about learning. It's a way to add value to your life while improving your English language skills.


Listening to English for 10 Minutes Daily


In order to make English a part of daily life, it is important to create daily habits centered around English practice. This section will outline five daily habits that can be added to daily routines and schedules, each taking no more than one hour per day. These habits will focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehending.


For listening, it is recommended to listen to English for 10 minutes each day. Some ideas for listening materials include songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and the radio. The focus should be on connected speech, training the ear to prosody stress patterns and intonation, and learning new words and expressions.


To make the most of this habit, it is suggested to pause and imitate the pronunciation, as well as to laugh at oneself when making mistakes. This habit will help improve listening comprehension and increase awareness of non-verbal communication, such as head movement, hand gestures, facial expressions, and overall body language used to communicate points.


Overall, listening to English for 10 minutes daily is a great way to improve English communication skills while learning something new and having fun.


Watching English Content for 10 Minutes Daily


To improve listening comprehension and non-verbal communication skills, it is recommended to watch 10 minutes of English content daily. Examples of possible content include YouTube videos, TED Talks, web courses, free webinars, or half of an episode on a streaming platform. The focus is on understanding connected speech, stress patterns, intonation, and non-verbal communication.


To challenge comprehension, subtitles can be turned off. To further improve skills, the speaker's non-verbal communication can be imitated, and a self-administered comprehension check can be done by pausing and paraphrasing or summarizing what was discussed.


Speaking in English for 10 Minutes Daily


At the upper intermediate and advanced levels of English, it is essential to make English part of your daily life. To create daily habits centered around English practice, the speaker shares five daily habits that won't take more than one hour each day.


The first habit is to read 10 minutes in English each day. One can choose their favorite type of reading and content to read, such as books, articles, recipes, or blogs. The focus here is on absorbing grammatical structures and learning spelling, and vocabulary acquisition. Reading aloud can help with pronunciation muscles and speaking endurance.


The second habit is to write for 10 minutes each day in English. One can write about things they are grateful for, their worries, or their day's events. Writing aloud can help me think more clearly and structure writing more effectively.


The third habit is to listen to 10 minutes of English each day, such as songs, podcasts, audiobooks, or the radio. The focus is on connected speech training, stress patterns, intonation, and learning new words and expressions. Pausing and imitating the pronunciation can be a fun way to learn.


The fourth habit is to watch 10 minutes of English each day to increase listening comprehension and improve awareness of non-verbal communication. One can watch YouTube videos, TED talks, web courses, or free webinars. Pausing and imitating the non-verbals of the speaker and doing a comprehension check can be helpful.


The fifth habit is to speak 10 minutes in English each day. One can make small talk with strangers, chat with colleagues, join an online community, or do a Zoom or Skype call. The focus is on verbal communication skills, communicative competence, and strategic competence. Using newly acquired expressions, phrases, idioms, and vocabulary, and testing out grammar and syntax can help improve speaking skills.


Overall, creating daily habits centered around English practice can be fun and dramatically improve English communication skills.


Setting Up a Schedule


At the upper intermediate and advanced levels of English, it's essential to make English a part of your daily life. To create daily habits centered around English practice, here are five daily habits that you can add to your daily routines and your schedules. These habits won't take more than one hour each day, and they will dramatically improve your English communication skills. The habits focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehending.


For each of the five categories of English habits, try to choose something that interests you or something that you're curious about learning. The idea is to make it fun, not a chore. Don't think of this as homework; think of it as a way to add value to your life. What's great is that it serves a dual purpose: improving your English language skills and learning something new.


Read 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Choose your favorite type of reading and content to read and make it a daily practice. Some examples of this include reading online news, reading books (paper or digital), reading recipes, reading blogs, and reading articles or newsletters. The focus here is on absorbing grammatical structures and learning spelling, and vocabulary acquisition. The pro tip is to read aloud because it can help with your pronunciation muscles and your speaking endurance. Reading aloud will also help you retain the information that you read better.


Write for 10 Minutes Each Day in English


If you're not sure about what to write or if writing feels laborious, try to make it something that you really enjoy. Here are some examples of fun writing activities: writing a gratitude list or a journal entry on gratitude, writing down things that you're grateful for in your life and what you're thankful for, writing out your worries (also known as worry pages or a brain dump), writing in a stream of consciousness, writing about your day, logging the events of the day, or writing an email in English to a friend (or a totally fictional person such as your favorite character from a book, a movie, or a show). The focus here is on vocabulary retention and thinking in English. The pro tip for this is to write aloud, meaning as you write or as you type, you are speaking aloud your thoughts. This will help you think more clearly because you actually hear what you say, and it will also help you structure your writing more effectively.


Listen for 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Listening comprehension is essential, and we want to make sure that we're giving this skill some time to shine. Some ideas for listening materials are songs in English from your favorite artist or genre, podcasts in areas of interest or in your field of expertise or study, audiobooks (the Libby app is a free library app, and all you need is a library card if you're in the US), the radio (if you're in a car, you might be able to turn the radio on or access some stations from your computer). The focus is on connected speech, training your ear to prosody, stress patterns, and intonation, and also to learn new words and expressions. The pro tip is to pause and imitate the pronunciation. It's a lot of fun, and you might find yourself laughing afterward, which is a good thing.


Watch 10 Minutes in English Each Day


The point of watching is to increase your listening comprehension and also to improve your awareness of non-verbal communication, which is very important. That includes things like head movement, hand gestures, facial expressions, and overall body language that we use to communicate our points. Some examples of possible content to watch are YouTube videos to learn something new or watch your favorite channel, watch a TED talk without subtitles, watch half of an episode on your favorite streaming platform (no subtitles), watch a web course that you're following, or watch a free webinar that you've signed up for. The focus of this is listening comprehension, learning nonverbal communication like gestures, facial expressions, hand movements, and when they are used. The pro tip is to pause and imitate the non-verbals of the speaker and also to pause and do a comprehension check every few minutes or seconds depending on your preference.


Speak 10 Minutes in English Each Day


Some of you might find this to be the most challenging habit to do because of nerves or because of limited access to real-world communities. The beauty of speaking practice is that you can literally practice anywhere in the world, and that's because we can tap into online communities and leverage our virtual communication platforms. If you're not able to have in-person conversations, that is okay. Hop online and join a forum where you can have conversations in the comments or in the chat rooms, or you can jump online for a Zoom or a Skype call, say while doing a virtual book club meeting. The point is you can practice your speaking skills in person or in the virtual world. Some examples include


Finding an Accountability Partner


At the upper intermediate and advanced levels of English, it is essential to make English a part of your daily life. Creating daily habits centered around English practice is crucial to using it every day. In this lesson, the speaker shares five daily habits that can be added to daily routines and schedules. These English habits focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehending.


To find an accountability partner, one can join an online community or a book club based on their interests. It is an excellent opportunity to practice verbal communication skills, communicative competence, and strategic competence. Practicing newly acquired expressions, phrases, idioms, and vocabulary, and testing out grammar and syntax is also important.


The focus of having an accountability partner is to stay motivated and consistent in practicing English skills. The accountability partner can provide feedback, encouragement, and support to improve English communication skills. It is essential to choose someone who is also interested in improving their English language skills.


In summary, finding an accountability partner is an effective way to improve English communication skills. Joining an online community, or book club, or having regular conversations with someone can provide the necessary support and feedback to stay motivated and consistent in practicing English.

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