How can I improve my English? This is a question I was often asked by my students when I was teaching in South Korea. My first recommendation was simple: you have to put in the time and effort.

However, they and I could not be satisfied with this somewhat simplistic advice. As a Korean learner myself, having only reached an intermediate level after years spent in the country, I understood their frustration.

For learners who dedicate hours each week to studying a second language, the road often seems endless. They may feel like they are going nowhere. So telling them to “keep calm and keep going” may not seem like the most sensible thing to do.

It was after I left Korea that my level suddenly jumped. This revelation came too late for me to share it with the students I followed there, but others will be able to benefit from it. Indeed, I discovered the teaching methodology of the linguist Paul Nation who proposes a balanced approach to language learning and this completely changed my perspective. It is about considering that language teaching is divided equally between four essential components that we will review.

Working on your comprehension skills

This involves being exposed to the target language through listening and reading. It is not just about understanding what is said or written in general, but about really immersing yourself in the speeches or texts. Watching movies, discovering songs or books is a way to improve your comprehension skills.

Dare to express yourself

Speaking is just as important as writing in the language you are studying. Producing statements helps to consolidate knowledge and build self-confidence.

Learners should look for opportunities to converse with other users of the language they are learning, not just “native” speakers. Writing emails or even starting a blog can also be helpful.

Consolidate basic knowledge

Learning the structure of language relies on more traditional methods such as grammar exercises, vocabulary flashcards, and pronunciation exercises. While these activities have gained the unfortunate, and perhaps unfair, reputation of being tedious, they are essential for building a solid foundation in any language.

Nor does learning have to be dry and boring: you can make it a game. One of the motivating benefits of this aspect of learning is the clarity with which progress can be seen, whereas advances in listening or speaking skills are more difficult to detect on a day-to-day basis.

Language games and apps that help you improve your vocabulary and grammar can be fun, rewarding, and provide a sense of accomplishment. Yesterday, you may have only known 47% of your vocabulary items, but today you scored 72%.

Gaining ease

Finally, it’s about practicing using the language fluently and quickly without having to pause to think. For example, you can organize timed conversation practice sessions, speed reading exercises, or impromptu speaking exercises.

Note that it’s not just about focusing on fluency. If reading and writing are tedious processes, will learners want to practice them very often? Probably not. That’s why fostering fluency makes language learning even easier.

By integrating these different strands equally into your study routine, even outside the classroom, the path to language mastery becomes clearer and more structured. If you feel stuck in your path, stop and look at your learning habits.

Do you primarily use flashcards for vocabulary and grammar? This activity is useful, but should only take up about 25% of your total learning time. Do you primarily watch movies? Again, think about how you might balance this comprehension practice (if that’s how you use them) with learning activities in other areas: grammar, conversation, etc.

It is not necessary for every study session to include all four components listed above. But your course should generally allow more or less equal time for each of them.

For my part, when I began teaching Paul Nation’s method to my applied linguistics students in the UK, I realised that most of my own Korean learning had focused on the basics of the language.

So I put away my flashcards and started reading and watching Korean novels and movies. Although I no longer lived in Korea, where I had the advantage of being immersed in the language, my skills increased dramatically. It surprised my Korean friends and me when I went back for visits.

For those like me who feel like they’re stuck in their language learning, rebalancing your revision habits might just be the key to finally breaking through the intermediate plateau.

Author Bio: Jill Boggs is Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at Swansea University