improve skills

Meaning

This expression means to make your abilities, talents, or proficiencies better than they currently are. It is a standard collocation used in education and career development to talk about personal growth. It can refer to physical, mental, or technical abilities.

Examples

• Taking a writing workshop can help you improve skills needed for academic essays.

  Taking a writing workshop can help you improve skills needed for academic essays.

• He practiced coding every night to improve his skills in software development.

  He practiced coding every night to improve his skills in software development.

• The university offers workshops to help students improve skills in public speaking.

  The university offers workshops to help students improve skills in public speaking.

• You can improve skills like critical thinking by reading diverse perspectives.

  You can improve skills like critical thinking by reading diverse perspectives.

• Continuous practice is the most effective way to improve skills in any discipline.

  Continuous practice is the most effective way to improve skills in any discipline.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I want to make better my skills in English.

  ✓ I want to improve my skills in English.

  While 'make better' is grammatically understandable, 'improve skills' is the standard, natural collocation.

• ✗ The course helped me to progress my skills.

  ✓ The course helped me to improve my skills.

  We do not usually use 'progress' as a transitive verb with 'skills'. Use 'improve', 'develop', or 'enhance' instead.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Online courses are a convenient way to ___ in data analysis.

  💡 To make your professional or technical abilities better.

  Show answer

  improve skills

• If you want to ___ in communication, you should practice active listening.

  💡 To upgrade or refine your abilities.

  Show answer

  improve skills