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ways.

I'm not suggesting that you always have your dictionary to hand and immediately sidetrack towards it as soon as you hit an unfamiliar word. You'd probably never finish a book. You'd certainly never enjoy one. The trick is to develop the habit of retaining the word in the back of your mind, to look up later.

I love learning new words. I love the synchronicity. Whenever I learn a word, I find I'm surrounded by it. In the first few days or so after "fixing" a word (which to me means discovering its etymology, understanding its modern usage) I find I hear it on the radio, on television, find in the papers, books. I have got through 40-odd years of my life without this word and suddenly it is everywhere.

WRITING

Being able to read is one thing. The ability to understand a language is only the first step to being able to use it. Write. Remember in infant school when we had Busy Books and Diaries? Remember having to write what you did at the weekend or make up a story or describe a place. Start doing it again.

You can be as nave or as sophisticated as you wish. Keep a journal. Do formal writing exercises buy a How to be an author' guide. There's a huge number to choose from, flick through to see which ideas stimulate your imagination. Pick your favourite magazine or TV show and write an article/programme. Write poetry or verse or songs. Start a blog. Write letters. Join a website that accepts user content. Write reviews.

Do anything and everything you can think off that obliges you to put words to paper or screen. You will get more value by doing this in a context that enables other people to feed back to you on your errors.if you're using a contributive website to improve your English, let your co-contributors know this. Why not see if you can find a site-buddy willing to help you specifically with your language skills.

As with reading, try to vary your writing context.

Whatever your personal reasons for wanting to improve your English, the fact is that the better your abilities, the wider your opportunities. Perhaps it should not be so, but we do still equate poor language skills with an overall poor level of intelligence. If you sound intelligent (or read so, e.g. on the application form) you stand a better chance of making the next round.

It is important therefore that whatever your primary interest, you seek to become proficient in business English'. This isn't the jargon-laden trade-speakbut plain, professional usage. The ability to write to customers or clients

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