Your English Isn't Improving? You are Probably Making These 12 Mistakes

Hey! You started your journey to English fluency, and after a few weeks or months, you are still at the same level. How many of you feel that you are this person? Why do you think you are not improving? Is it about your surroundings, or is it about something you cannot see, something internal?

Well, I will share the top 12 reasons which are obstructing you from reaching your English fluency goal. I will also give you the solution to overcome them. So, please read on!

(1) You Do Not Practice Regularly

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The most common reason people do not improve their English fluency is the lack of practice. Attaining English fluency is like building a muscle. The more you work it out, the more it will grow.
I have observed people who start practicing, but after three days or a week, they retreat! The same is the case with gym memberships. People join on the 1st of January, but after 2-3 days, the gym is empty! After a month, you can see only a handful of enthusiasts working out!
To improve your English fluency, please practice daily. Spare 30 minutes of your time every day. Consistency is key! You cannot have six-pack abs by working out two days a month. (And for the ladies, you cannot have a hot beach body by working out once a week, isn’t it?)
So, please spare 30 minutes of your time every day. I understand it becomes tough to make time. But it will take you a very long time to reach your desired level of fluency if you practice only during the weekends. I don’t mean to be authoritative, but you must do it daily. There isn’t any other way around it.

(2) You Do Not Learn New Things

The second reason your English communication skills are not improving is not learning new words, new phrases, or new idioms.
Learning new words will expand your vocabulary and, you will be able to communicate your message to your audience better. In my blog about the Most Popular Idioms, I have listed the 30 most popular idioms that you can use in your daily life and appear to be a better speaker. Knowing only one will help you to construct many sentences.
For example, you can use the idiom “the ball is in your court” in the following sentences or situations:
- You have to find a place for lunch. You can say, “We are going out for lunch today. My friends could not find a restaurant so, the ball is in my court.”
- You have asked out a girl. (Did she say yes?). When you have asked her out and wait for her answer, you can say, “I have asked her out on a date. The ball is in her court now.”
The same goes for words and phrases. If you know a lot of words, you will be able to say one thing in many ways. The more you know, the better you will convey your message.

(3) You Lack Motivation

The third reason you cannot improve your English fluency is no motivation. You find learning English boring and are not motivated to learn.
When you do things you don’t love or don’t have passion for, you will find them exhausting! (Boring history lessons, ugh!)
To make learning English enjoyable, you can play one or all of the following games:
1. Create flashcards: You and your friends can create five flashcards containing words and their meanings. Then you can exchange the cards and learn the words for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, you can give your cards to your friend(s) and let them ask you the meaning of the words. The person who gives more correct answers wins.
2. JAM: Just A Minute (JAM) is a game where you speak on a particular topic for an entire minute. It does not have to be factually correct. Speak whatever comes into your mind and, gradually, you can increase the duration to 2 minutes, 5 minutes, and so on.
3. Imitation: This is super hilarious! In this game, you start by choosing a video, any video, and imitate the speaker. Play the first 5-10 seconds of the video and copy the speaker as is. Mirror them! Say as they said! Copy their posture, their gestures, their mannerisms, their tone, and so on. If you cannot keep up with the video’s pace, pause the video, imitate the speaker, play for another 5-10 seconds, pause and imitate, got it? Play-Pause-Imitate-Repeat

(4) There Are Many Distractions

Ding! You pick up the smartphone, check the notification, and after an hour, you are on YouTube.
Our attention spans are reducing day-by-day, and a tiny distraction can take us off course. A big reason you are not improving is distractions.
You start practicing, and after five minutes, you find yourself on Instagram checking out your friend’s story. The smartphone designed to make our lives easier is doing the exact opposite. Whenever you practice, please put your smartphone on airplane mode. Put it on normal mode only after finishing your session, okay?
Eliminate distractions and, if possible, practice in a place where you will have no disturbance for at least half an hour.

(5) You Have No Time

Is this a fact or an excuse? I have seen many of my friends who say no to a particular activity by saying they don’t have enough time.
Let me ask you a question. How many minutes do you spend on social media every day? I should have used hours, I think.
I may sound harsh, but the fact is you have time. You are just not making time. It is also true that people are not busy and it is a matter of priorities.
You have 24 hours. If you work for 10 hours and sleep for 10 hours, you still have 4 hours. Of the 4 hours, I would request you to spare 30 minutes for your improvement.

(6) You Do Not Have A Speaking Partner

Are you someone who wants to be fluent but have no one to practice? Let me tell you that this is a common problem with my students. In my blog about improving speaking skills alone, I have listed five ways to improve fluency alone.
No matter how weird it may sound, you can become fluent without a speaking partner. If you do not have a partner, you can play the games I mentioned above alone. You can also speak in front of a mirror to see how your lips and mouth move while speaking, and you can also read aloud to exercise the muscles that involve speech.

(7) You Do Not Have Required Resources

You may set a goal of becoming fluent in English, but without the required resources, you may end up far from them. It is analogous to a ship set to sail without a captain.
Without the proper resources, reaching your goal will be difficult. So when you embark on the fluency journey, please ensure that you have quality English books to learn new words. You can also subscribe to a YouTuber who teaches English.

(8) You Have No Proper Guidance

The eighth reason you are not improving is that you do not have proper guidance. Guidance is crucial for learners, and it has a role in bringing out the best in them.
A teacher will help you ascertain your weaknesses and give you tips to overcome them. You can take help from someone who speaks English well, and you can request them to listen to you and correct you when you make mistakes.
Having guidance will keep you on track, and you will know where you need to improve.

(9) Lack of Confidence

The ninth reason you are not improving your English fluency is you lack confidence. You may be overthinking, and your mind could be giving you incorrect signals.
I have been in a situation where I had to speak with fluent English speakers, and I felt nervous even before saying a single word. According to my experience, the lack of confidence is due to comparison. If you compare yourself to people who speak fluently, it is natural to feel nervous.
If you happen to be in my position, then shed your inhibition and talk to them. Fluent speakers, especially those from non-English speaking countries, will respect you for trying and will be kind enough to interact with you.
The key is to speak.

(10) Fear of Making Mistakes

The tenth reason your English fluency has stunted is the fear of making mistakes.
If you think people will make fun of you, you will never be able to grow. Please keep in mind that no English speaker is perfect! Yes, you read that correctly. Even native English speakers make mistakes. So, do not worry that you will make mistakes.
In 2017, when I was a beginner, I read somewhere, “Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Be afraid of not learning from them”, and it struck me like lightning. If you fear making mistakes, you will never grow.
Make mistakes, learn from them, and improve. Make more mistakes, learn more from them, and improve more.

(11) You Translate in Your Mind

The eleventh reason you are not improving your English fluency is translating in your mind.
Translating in your mind can have many problems, as highlighted in this blog by FluentU.
If you are someone who translates in your head, you can follow the steps mentioned in this blog by FluentU.

(12) You Do Not Have Realistic Goals

The twelfth reason your English fluency is stuck is you do not have goals. Without goals, you will not reach the destination.
Without goals, you will be like the captain without a map. If the captain does not know where to take the ship, he will be lost, and the vessel might reach the wrong destination.
Hence, when you start your practice, set an achievable goal in every session. Do not stop until you achieve the goal.
For instance, you can aim to learn 3-5 new words, idioms, and phrases every day. When you have clear goals laid out, you can create a plan to achieve them.

Conclusion

You started your journey to English fluency, and after a few weeks or months, you are still at the same level. Why do you think you are not improving? Is it about your surroundings, or is it about something you cannot see, something internal?

The 12 most common reasons for not improving English fluency are as follows:

You Do Not Practice Regularly: The most common reason people do not improve their English fluency is the lack of practice. Attaining English fluency is like building a muscle. The more you work it out, the more it will grow.
You Do Not Learn New Things: The second reason your English communication skills are not improving is not learning new words, new phrases, or new idioms. Learning new words will expand your vocabulary and, you will be able to communicate your message to your audience better.
You Lack Motivation: You find learning English boring and are not motivated to learn. When you do things you don’t love or don’t have passion for, you will find them exhausting! (Boring history lessons, ugh!) To make learning English enjoyable, you can play games.
There Are Many Distractions: Our attention spans are reducing day-by-day, and a tiny distraction can take us off course. A big reason you are not improving is distractions.
You Have No Time: If you observe, you will realize you waste a lot of time on social media. You can spare 30 minutes for practice daily.
You Do Not Have A Speaking Partner: No matter how weird it may sound, you can become fluent without a speaking partner. If you do not have a partner, you can speak in front of a mirror to see how your lips and mouth move while speaking, and you can also read aloud to exercise the muscles that involve speech.
You Do Not Have Required Resources: Without the proper resources, reaching your goal will be difficult. So when you embark on the fluency journey, please ensure that you have quality English books to learn new words. You can also subscribe to a YouTuber who teaches English.
You Have No Proper Guidance: Guidance is crucial for learners, and it has a role in bringing out the best in them.
Lack of Confidence: Fluent speakers, especially those from non-English speaking countries, will respect you for trying and will be kind enough to interact with you. The key is to speak.
Fear of Making Mistakes: If you think people will make fun of you, you will never be able to grow. Please keep in mind that no English speaker is perfect! Make mistakes, learn from them, and improve. Make more mistakes, learn more from them, and improve more.
You Translate in Your Mind: Translating in your mind can have many problems, so please do not translate in your mind.
You Do Not Have Realistic Goals: Without goals, you will be like the captain without a map. If the captain does not know where to take the ship, he will be lost, and the vessel might reach the wrong destination.

Happy Learning!!!

Your English Isn’t Improving? You are Probably Making These 12 Mistakes