English is a difficult subject for me, and I was wondering how you improve all parts of it, reading, writing, etc. I was wondering what I should do and how long I should do it to improve my english.
<p>I had the same problem as you during my freshman and sophomore years. I was in Honors English classes, and not doing so well. However, over the last two years my grades have improved, and I have even recieved two A's. My suggestions for you would be to actually read all of the material (no SparkNotes or CliffNotes) and talk to the teacher outside of class. Also, have your teacher (or any english teacher) proofread your essays before you turn in a final draft. Finally, when you recieve your essays back, actually read the comments (dont just look for the grade) and try to put them into use on your next essay.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. Anyone have anymore advice, and perhaps even some methods that i could do on my own time to improve my english?</p>
<p>Well, I've always loved english as a natural extension of loving to read when I was a kid-there's an enormous variety of books, surely you can find something you are interested in. If you have time to read for pleasure and find something interesting to you, make it a habit. Your writing will improve as a result. Also, talk to your english teacher, they usually love to give advice.</p>
<p>i agree with kate. i've always loved to read, which has reflected in my writing, including grammar and vocabulary. when you're reading for class, one thing that has helped me is to have a pencil nearby so that you can underline important passages and take notes in the margins. that can include symbolism, imagery, language, word choice, or anything you think is significant that you may want to remember for essays or class discussions. i know you probably want a quick solution, but really, the only thing that'll help you improve is practice. you have to train your mind to think in terms of literary analysis, while you read, and after a while it'll become second nature.</p>
<p>another thing that helps is to look at the writing not only in terms of what plot points they convey, but also structure, length, vocabulary, metaphors, and so on. it sounds tedious, but it can actually be interesting to see what things like that can tell you about a passage, including things that don't seem evident at first.</p>
<p>i hope this helps! i definitely think you should talk to your english teacher, who could give you some pointers on how to improve.</p>