I am originally from Russia and I've been living in the UK for the past 5 years. I work in IT so the requirements for English are not very high. I speak and write well enough to be understood by my colleagues and other people around me.I understand my colleagues perfectly well, I read a lot of literature and watch a lot of videos in English. However, I literally can't read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland since my vocabulary is too small :)

I also enjoy speaking the language, and I like its structure a lot. And here is my question. Obviously, I will never be able to speak like a native speaker, but I want to improve my English as much as possible. However, I do not have any immediate need for this(so no external motivation) - just my inner motivation to improve the language.

What would be the best strategy for me? My primary goals are:

1. Expand vocabulary
2. Learn how to structure my sentences better. I feel like native speakers structure what they say differently(e.g. naming colors in a particular order?..).
3. Better understand people's English from different backgrounds(the sound of English I hear in Leicestershire is very much different from what I hear in Glasgow :))
4. How to use "a" and "the" appropriately

My English background:

1. I learned English formally from 7-20yo.
2. I have received PhD degree from one of English universities

So what is the best strategy for me here?

Thanks a lot!

I am originally from Russia and I've been living in the UK for the past 5 years. I work in IT so the requirements for English are not very high. I speak and write well enough to be understood by my colleagues and other people around me. I understand my colleagues perfectly well, I read a lot of literature, and watch a lot of videos in English. However, I literally can't read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland since my vocabulary is too small.

I also enjoy speaking the language, and I like its structure a lot. Obviously, I will never be able to speak like a native speaker, but I want to improve my English as much as possible. However, I do not have any immediate need for this  (so no external motivation) - just my inner motivation to improve the language.

What would be the best strategy for me? My primary goals are:

1. Expand vocabulary
2. Learn how to structure my sentences better. I feel like native speakers structure what they say differently  (e.g. naming colors in a particular order?..).
3. Better understand people's English from different backgrounds  (the sound of English I hear in Leicestershire is very much different from what I hear in Glasgow)
4. Learn how to use "a" and "the" appropriately

My English background:

1. I learned English formally from 7-20yo.
2. I have received a PhD degree from an English university

So what is the best strategy for me here?