Stuck at Intermediate? How To Improve Your English From Intermediate To Advanced (Study Plan)

Do you feel like your English is  stuck at the intermediate level?

You're on a treadmill that  never gets you anywhere.

You can survive in simple conversations,  

but you can't express your ideas  fluently, naturally, or confidently.

You still pause, hesitate,  and translate in your head.

Let's fix that.

Today.

You'll learn 9 mistakes that keep you stuck and  

a study plan to reach the advanced  level in only 20 minutes per day.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer, Now let's get started.

Mistake #1 focusing on language learner topics.

One of the most common mistakes is  sticking to beginner level topics  

like daily routines, hobbies, or favorite foods.

These are great at the beginner level to learn the  

most common English words  and grammatical structures.

But sticking to these topics won't  get you to the advanced level.

In the real world, people discuss their work,  

relationships, opinions, current events,  world issues, and personal interests.

Imagine you're at a party in the real world.

Is anyone going to ask you what  time you wake up at a job interview?

Will your future boss want  to know your favorite foods?

The conversations in the real world are way  more diverse, so to reach that advanced level,  

you need a diverse range of  vocabulary on a variety of topics.

Mistake #2 Learning individual  words instead of phrases.

Please stop memorizing  vocabulary one word at a time.

Reaching the advanced level  comes from knowing how words  

fit together in phrases, colocations, and idioms.

Knowing individual words won't help you if you  

can't use them to express  your ideas in real speech.

For example, almost all my students make mistakes  with the word recommend because they only learned  

that word and not the grammatical structures  required to use that word, and how to easily  

switch from one structure to another, or one  verb tense to another using that one word.

You can easily double or triple your vocabulary by  focusing on phrases instead of individual words.

Mistake #3 Spending too much time on grammar?

This one might surprise you.

While grammar is important,  obsessing over it can hold you back.

Many learners spend hours  perfecting tiny grammar details,  

like the difference between  on a team or in a team.

In reality, these differences don't  matter much in everyday communication.

If you focus too much on grammar,  

you might avoid speaking all together  because you're afraid of making mistakes.

Plus, you only have so much time per day.

If you spend all that time on minor  things, like on a team or in a team,  

then you're not spending that time  on expanding your vocabulary with  

phrases that you you can use to  communicate on a variety of topics.

This reminds me of the Tony Robbins quote.

Most people major in minor things.

Please don't be like most people mistake #4  prioritizing exam preparation over real life use.

If you need to pass an exam  like the IELTS or TOEFL,  

then absolutely focus on it  until you take your exam.

But many students focus on these exams even  though they have no intention of taking them.

This isn't a problem unless you're using  all your available study time on exam prep.

Exams prepare you for specific scenarios  that are more common in a classroom  

environment but not in a real world environment.

And most exams highly focus on  grammar, which can lead you to.

Mistake #3 In your daily life, you likely  don't write a lot of academic essays.

You likely have casual conversations  on a wide variety of topics.

Mistake #5 overusing learner resources.

Learner resources like my YouTube channel and  English learning podcasts are definitely helpful.

Please keep watching my videos.

But please don't only watch my videos.

Watch 10 Talks, read Time magazine, read blogs,  or listen to podcasts on topics that interest you.

Because you'll soon learn that  understanding me in this video  

doesn't mean you can understand native speakers.

And my YouTube channel is on language learning  topics, which leads to mistake number one.

I do my best to use real world English  resources on a variety of topics.

That's why every Monday I post a new  learn English with the news lesson.

So make sure you subscribe if you haven't already.

The more you expose yourself to natural  English on on a variety of different topics,  

the faster you'll reach  that coveted advanced level.

Mistake number six, Too much input.

This is a big one.

Many learners spend too much time reading,  listening, or watching videos, which is  

language input, and they don't spend enough time  speaking or writing, which is language output.

Input builds understanding, output builds fluency.

If you only consume English passively,  you'll stay stuck at a lower level.

Imagine learning how to cook by only watching  cooking shows and never turning on your oven.

Ridiculous, right?

Aim for a ratio of 70% input and 30% output.

So if your study session is 60 minutes in total,  

that's about 40 minutes of learning  English and 20 minutes of using English.

How does that compare to your  current ratio of input and output?

Mistake #7 Fear of making mistakes.

One of the biggest barriers to fluency is fear.

Fear of sounding silly, making  mistakes, or being judged.

You can't reach the advanced  level without using your English.

If fear prevents you from actually  speaking in English with both native  

and non-native speakers, then  you need to manage that fear.

And obsessing over grammar won't  help you overcome that fear.

In fact, it's likely one of the  reasons why you're so afraid you  

have to use your English to be considered fluent.

You can't go to a party and never  open your mouth because of fear.

Or maybe you don't even go  to the party because of fear.

Don't let fear keep you stuck  at that intermediate level.

Getting to the advanced level also  means realizing that you will make  

mistakes and have awkward situations  because of your communication skills.

So do I, and English is my native language.

Mistake #8 neglecting pronunciation.

Pronunciation often gets overlooked, but  it's critical for clear communication.

Poor pronunciation can make it harder for  

others to understand you even if your  vocabulary and grammar are correct.

So all that time learning vocabulary and grammar  

is wasted because you didn't  communicate successfully.

To improve your pronunciation, you need  output because only getting input doesn't  

give you the chance to practice  and improve your pronunciation.

Mistake #9 Ignoring cultural context.

Language and culture are inseparable.

Without understanding cultural nuances,  

learners often use English in ways  that feel unnatural or inappropriate.

Most students think that they  should use C1 words in the real  

world and and that's the secret  to sounding fluent and advance.

Most native speakers prefer phrasal verbs,  idioms, and more casual speech in most situations.

That's a cultural nuance.

You might learn how to order a coffee in  a textbook, but then get to a local cafe  

and realize that the native speaker in front  of you used a totally different expression.

That's a cultural nuance.

Should you greet your boss with how's it going?

Is that appropriate or inappropriate?

That's a cultural nuance.

Now you know some of the  mistakes you might be making.

Let's solve all of these mistakes with one study  

plan that you can complete  in about 20 minutes per day.

This five step study plan will  help you learn real English in  

context with the right ratio of input and output.

Step One Daily real world listening.

Find a real world English resource like  a Ted talk, an interview, or ATV show.

Choose topics that interest you or  that are relevant to your daily life.

Listen to 5 minutes of that resource.

Your goal is to understand the overall  idea, not to understand every word.

Step 2 Context based vocabulary and grammar.

Listen to the same clip again with  subtitles and choose two to four words,  

idioms, or phrases that you don't currently  know but that you believe are commonly used.

Write down the full sentence  that contains your word, idiom,  

or phrase and study the grammar of the sentence.

How is that word used in context?

What does it mean in this context?

Remember that most English words have  multiple meanings depending on context.

Learn the meaning in this specific context.

Step 3.

Shadow and repeat.

Now it's time to learn the correct pronunciation  

of this individual word and how  the word sounds in fast speech.

Listen to that sentence in the clip multiple  times and repeat the sentence of loud each time.

Record yourself and compare how  you sound to how the clip sounds.

You'll do this until you feel comfortable  pronouncing the word and sound.

This will likely take 5 to 20 repetitions.

At the same time, you're improving  your listening skills of fast English.

Step 4.

Writing Practice Now you need more output.

Write three to five sentences using your new word.

Write different styles of sentences  using different grammatical structures.

Review your sentences to  make sure they're correct.

For this step, your focus is  on grammar and your accuracy.

Step 5.

Speaking practice.

You still need more output.

Now you can form natural sentences  using your new vocabulary.

For this step, your focus is  on communicating, not accuracy.

Making mistakes is OK, and they  shouldn't prevent you from communicating.

Think about how you can use this new  word in a business meeting or at a party.

The important thing is that you're forming  

realistic sentences that will help  you communicate in the real world.

I also recommend recording yourself speaking  so you can listen back and see how it sounds.

Now you can focus on accuracy and you  can identify any areas for improvement.

This will also help you get comfortable  hearing your voice in English.

And now, in only 20 minutes per day, you'll  take your English from intermediate to advanced.

You can watch this learn English with  the news lesson right now to start  

expanding your vocabulary on a variety of topics.

And you'll learn full phrases in real context.

Watch it now.