Why More Study Time Does Not Always Mean Better English

Hi there!

If you studied English twice as long this week, would your English actually be twice as good?

Whenever English students have a moment where their progress slows down a bit (which can happen to anyone!), most people tend to add more. More vocabulary lists. More grammar exercises. Another hour of Netflix or podcast. Another app. Following one more teacher on social media. And don’t get me wrong, more English exposure can definitely be helpful, but more time invested does not automatically mean more progress. Especially at an advanced level, what you do with the language can matter more than the number of hours.

There is actually a point where adding more study time can actually be less beneficial, for example when you’re tired, repeating things you already know, consuming without actually processing, or just doing exercises simply and half-heartedly only because they are on your list.

So, today we’re not talking about the question “how can I study more?”, today we’re tackling what could actually make the time you already spend on English more useful.

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You don't need more English. You need better practice.

More exposure does not necessarily mean more learning

Being surrounded by English is one thing, but actively noticing the language is different. Once your brain becomes familiar with a language, it gets very good at filtering it out; i.e. understanding everything can actually make you less conscious of the language. 

Take watching an hour-long series in English as an example: you understand everything but barely notice the expressions or words being used, as you’re just following the story. Sometimes a shorter piece of content that actually makes you stop and notice one interesting phrase is more useful than another hour of passive exposure.

Repeating what you already know has a limit

Repetition is an incredibly useful tool, but mainly when it is reinforcing something you genuinely need… Advanced learners could spend huge amounts of time revising things they already have under control. Whether it is revising the difference between “affect” and “effect” when they rarely use either, doing another exercise on a grammar structure they rarely get wrong, learning more synonyms for “good” when their actual problem is sounding natural in conversations, and so on.

Sometimes the problem isn’t that you haven’t learnt something. It’s that you’re practising the wrong thing.

Doing more input can hide the real problem

Sometimes learners keep consuming English because it feels productive and comfortable. But their actual weakness might be output.

If the problem is speaking, another three hours of listening may not be the solution. If the problem is natural word choice, another vocabulary list might not help. 

More studying can actually make you overthink

Knowledge is very valuable, but eventually it needs to become automatic. 

It is very common for people to be less spontaneous the more they try to memorise every single rule. Just think about it, imagine you’re trying to make a suggestion, and suddenly you’re going through a mental list of different ways of doing so and start to mentally choose between them while the other person is waiting for your answer… Or, you know exactly how a sentence should sound, which makes you notice every tiny imperfection when you speak and, therefore, makes you more insecure.

There is a difference between knowing English and being able to access it without analysing every decision.

Deliberate practice beats endless practice

So, what can you do about this? Well, why don’t you start by giving your English a specific purpose rather than simply “studying”? Instead of: “I’m going to study English for an hour”, why don’t you try:

• Today, I’m going to practise telling a story without stopping to search for words

• I’m going to notice three phrases native speakers use to disagree politely

• I’m going to explain a complicated idea using simple English

• I’m going to use five expressions I’ve recently learnt in an actual conversation

• I’m going to listen to a two-minute clip and copy the speaker’s rhythm

Your English improves when you use it for something that matters

I can tell you this out of experience: English becomes much more memorable when it is connected to a real purpose. Let me give you a few examples:

• You read about a place you are planning to visit

• You watch an interview because you’re genuinely interested in the person, not because it’s “English practice”

• You have to tell a funny story to a friend and realise you need more than the basic vocabulary you normally use

• You follow a cooking video in English rather than your native language

Sometimes the most effective English practice doesn’t look like studying at all 😉

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Before we finish off, I want to clarify that more time is not automatically useless. But more time without intention can easily become more of the same. Why don’t you analyse your current routine:

• What are you spending the most time on?

• Is that actually where you need to improve?

• Are you actively producing the language or mostly consuming it?

• Are you challenging yourself or simply repeating what already feels comfortable?

I hope you enjoyed today’s topic, and, as always, feel free to respond to this email if you have any questions, feedback, want to join our English classes, or simply want to say hi!

Until next time!

Camila