Improving a language at B1 level?

Question

I am learning Russian and English. I speak in English and understand everything most of the time when my friends talk. I understand about 60% of the words in movies and news. I also struggle with speaking. I started learning English roughly two and a half years ago and I am now at level B1. I have taken many courses, but they didn't help me much. I learned most when I travelled and had English-speaking friends. English is very important for me, because I read articles and search the internet in English. But, why I still make so many grammar mistakes? And I don't understand why I make sentence the English way, but in my own way (I mean word order). (My Russian is worse than it because I started to learn it 13 months ago. I am sure I do something wrong when learning a language.) How do I improve my language at level B1, especially syntax and other areas of grammar?

Answer 1

You are absolutely right that your English improves when you are forced to use it all the time. As one of my students told me, "When I got back from a long vacation I was starting to think in English. I never thought that would be possible." However, what might have happened then is that you were making a lot of mistakes even in spoken English but you didn't have anyone to coach you or correct those mistakes. Sometimes it's harder to unlearn mistakes if one gets used to saying those mistakes over and over. When it comes to grammar, especially when writing, I would suggest that you schedule a lesson with an experienced ESL teacher who can evaluate what your specific strengths and weaknesses are and develop a game plan for overcoming those defects.