15 Tips and Tricks for Intermediate Learners

Reaching the Intermediate level of English is an important milestone. It is already enough for most everyday interactions. However, if you’re looking for ways to move even further, you might find this list handy.?

Practice and Grow

1. B1-B2 Grammar Website by British Council

Brushing up on your grammar is vital when you want to upgrade your English. We suggest using the lessons on the website to see where you might need additional practice. However, the exercises there mainly help you to see if you understand the rule. It means that you'll need to go the extra mile to implement the knowledge in speech or writing.?

2. BBC Learning English Intermediate Course

Another thing you can do is to take this course, which covers a range of topics you need at the B1-B2 level. You will be given the same grammar first in written form and then in podcasts. Also, the course presents a great deal of useful vocabulary items (e.g. to talk about trade, art, etc.).

As for the drawbacks, there might be not enough practice opportunities. You will find some kind of grammar review on the website, but it’ll be necessary to organize vocabulary revision yourself.

3. The Quizlet App

Probably, no introduction is needed for this widely-used tool. If you’re on the lookout for vocabulary revision, Quizlet will help you. You can either use ready-made word sets or create your own. We believe that the latter is more effective since you can customize it. Make sure to get a subscription to have unlimited access to the app.

4. Word of The Day App?

Can you find only 1 minute a day to increase your vocabulary? If your answer is yes, you should download this mobile app on your phone. Once downloaded, it’ll suggest taking a test to estimate how much you already know. After that, you’ll get personalized word suggestions from well-known dictionaries.

5. English Collocations In Use Intermediate by Felicity O’Dell and Michael McCarthy

To advance in English, you should work with collocations, or common combinations of two words. This book is an effective way to learn them. There, you’ll find short explanations of B1-B2 level collocations and the opportunity to practice them. Make use of the contextual examples to be confident about the collocation use. Top up your self-studying routine with some speaking practice for visible results.

6. Vocabulary In Use Upper-Intermediate by Felicity O’Dell and Michael McCarthy

Coming from the same series, this book is for those looking to enrich their vocabulary with more than 100 topics. Each topic contains an explanation and practice, which is suitable for self-study. A perk of the book is its authentic, up-to-date language.

7. English Phrasal Verbs In Use Intermediate by Felicity O’Dell and Michael McCarthy

No English-speaking person does without phrasal verbs. Learning and using them is a must if you want to sound natural and informal. This book will provide you with around 1000 Intermediate phrasal verbs. A variety of topics, juicy examples, and some practical exercises will help you nail it! To maximize your progress, make sure to read the section giving you study tips on the first pages.

8. Oxford word skills. Idioms and phrasal verbs. Intermediate. By Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman

Idioms are another thing that may confuse learners. Even though it takes some time to get the hang of and use them in your speech, you do become more fluent once you start it. Explore and practice more than 1000 idioms you can use in everyday contexts. You can consider it for self-studies or suggest it to your tutor.

9. Oxford English Grammar Course Intermediate

The last book in our list is actually an interactive grammar course with lots of practice. It’s a great source for brushing up on grammar through practice because you might find theoretical explanations a bit brief. However, one of the authors, Michael Swan, has written a great book on the practical usage of grammar. You can add it to your resource book, if necessary. In case you’re wondering, the title is “Practical English Usage”.

Watch and Learn

10. LinguaTrip TV

This YouTube channel is a real find for those who want to add some fun to their learning process. Mostly 10-minute videos teach you vocabulary, slang, and accent. It’s also full of tips on how NOT to learn English. Since one of the main creators moved to the USA a long time ago, you can also find videos about cultural and language differences between non-natives and North Americans. One of the drawbacks is that not all of the videos are fully in English.?

11. Business English With Christina

Business English learners should love this channel of an American Business English coach. We highly recommend browsing the videos about communication skills, learning habits, and mindset. Just to give you a preview, Christina has a couple of videos on how to make small talk or pitch your ideas. Don’t know how to break the ice at meetings? Well, you might find something useful in the channel.

12. Learn English With TV series?

Binge watchers, the suggestion is all yours. Short bits of famous TV shows and movies are followed by clear explanations and lots of practice. Watching these short videos can also improve your listening skills. Another perk is native English, jokes, and culture.

Find Your Bottlenecks??

13. Find Out If You Hit the Intermediate Plateau

In short, the Intermediate Plateau is a point in learning when you have enough knowledge gained and feel like you can’t move any further from that point. If this is what you struggle with, you shouldn’t worry. Every learner experiences their own plateau. Your next logical step is simply understanding how to overcome it. This article can give you some insight into what can help you do it. You can also try this video to see how to break through the Intermediate Plateau.?

14. Learn Features of Natural Speech?

Many times students know enough grammar and vocabulary to have social interactions in English, but there’s something in their way. Let’s say, you can understand your colleagues from non-English-speaking countries just fine, but when you speak to natives, they seem to either speak too fast or mumble. In reality, they just speak naturally, linking letters, stressing certain words, and using different intonation patterns. To learn about them, check out this guide to connect speech and linking. Video explanations and workshops can bring your pronunciation and listening skills to the next level.

15. Find Your Learning Style

This is an important point that can help speed up your learning process by far. You should be aware of what works best for you when you perceive information. For example, some people write new vocabulary down when trying to memorize it. Others need to say it out loud for new words to stick. Do you know what your strategies are? Take the test and find out your perception type. Based on the results, decide if your learning process needs some changes.

Staying motivated and driven is really important at any stage of learning. As a bonus, we suggest looking through this article that explains how our motivation works and why it is okay to feel less or more willing to move further over a period of time. You’ll make it!