# A four-week English practice plan

Regular practice beats long but rare study sessions. A four-week plan of 15–20 minutes a day, focusing on one skill each week.

Author: Aslıgül Aşkın · Published: 2026-10-01 · Updated: 2026-10-12
Page address: https://grammardots.com/en/blog/four-week-english-practice-plan

The most reliable way to progress in English is not long, rare study sessions but short, regular practice every day. This four-week plan focuses on one skill each week, with 15–20 minutes a day.

## What one practice session looks like

Following the same three steps every day makes it easier to start: spend the first five minutes looking back at yesterday's work, the next ten on the task of the week, and finish by writing one sentence about what you did. These notes will help you on the review day in week four.

The four weeks at a glance

| Week | Skill | Ask yourself at the end of the week |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Vocabulary | Do I remember most of the words on my cards? |
| 2 | Listening | Is the first day's recording easier to follow now? |
| 3 | Speaking | Do I pause less in my last recording? |
| 4 | Writing and review | Can I use the words from week one when I write? |

## Week 1: vocabulary

Choose a topic (for example home or food) and learn five new words each day. Test yourself with flashcards and make one sentence with each word.

## A sample first week: my neighbourhood

If you choose your neighbourhood as the topic, your first week could look like this. You learn new words for six days and use the seventh day only for review.

Sample plan for week one

| Day | New words | Example sentence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monday | bakery, pharmacy, park, bus stop, post office | “The bus stop is next to the park.” |
| Tuesday | quiet, busy, noisy, safe, crowded | “My street is quiet at night.” |
| Wednesday | walk, wait, cross, meet, catch | “I catch the bus at eight.” |
| Thursday | street, corner, square, bridge, traffic lights | “There's a café on the corner.” |
| Friday | open, close, early, late, every day | “The pharmacy closes late.” |
| Saturday | neighbour, baker, pharmacist, driver, owner | “My neighbour has a small dog.” |
| Sunday | No new words | Test yourself on all the cards and put aside the ones you know. |

If you keep the topic for all four weeks, these words come back in your recordings in week two, in questions such as “Describe your street.” in week three, and in your journal in week four.

## Week 2: listening

Each day, listen to a one- or two-minute recording at your level and repeat it sentence by sentence. Try to notice last week's words in the recordings.

## Week 3: speaking

Each day, answer one question for a minute and record yourself: “What did you do yesterday?”, “Describe your home.” At the end of the week, compare your first and last recordings.

## Week 4: writing and review

Each day, write a short three- or four-sentence journal entry. Try to use the words and phrases from the first three weeks. On the last day, look back over the four weeks and choose a new topic for next month.

## A sample journal entry for week four

This short journal entry describes one day using the words from week one.

“Today was a busy day. I walked to the bakery early and bought fresh bread. My street was quiet, so I listened to a short English recording on the way. In the evening, I met my neighbour at the bus stop and we talked for five minutes.”

These four sentences reuse words from week one (bakery, quiet, neighbour, bus stop). In your own entry, underline the words that came from the plan; you will also notice the ones you never use.

## Common mistakes Turkish speakers make

Common mistakes in recordings and journals

| Mistake | Correct | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| “Yesterday I go to the market.” | “Yesterday I went to the market.” | When you describe something that has already happened, the verb must be in the past. |
| “I listened a podcast.” | “I listened to a podcast.” | “Listen” needs “to” before the thing you hear. |
| “I learned five new word.” | “I learned five new words.” | Turkish keeps “beş kelime” singular; English plural nouns take -s. |
| “Today was very good day.” | “Today was a very good day.” | A singular countable noun needs “a”. |
| “I went to home.” | “I went home.” | There is no “to” between “go” and “home”. |

## To stick with the plan

Tie practice to the same time each day, for example after breakfast. If you miss a day, carry on the next day from where you stopped; there's no need to restart the plan.

To keep going, see [How do I know my English level? A simple A1–C2 guide](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/english-levels-a1-to-c2) and [Preparing for an English exam: the basic steps](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/how-to-prepare-for-an-english-exam).

## Frequently asked questions

### Are 15–20 minutes a day enough?

Done regularly, it is a good amount to start with. If you have more time you can add more, but regularity matters more than length.

### What should I do when the four weeks end?

Choose a new topic and run the plan again, or give one more week to the skill you found hardest.

### What should I use to record myself?

The voice recorder on your phone is enough. If you name each recording with the date and the question, you can easily find your first and last recordings at the end of the week.