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To evaluate my ability to write and speak English is more difficult then it may seem. I have studied English since I was ten years old, formally, but the English language has been part of my life for so much longer in television, music and in other areas too. English is very much a part of my life and I have almost stopped considering when and how I use it, not to mention how well. 
In school of course I got a grade, but that did not tell me much about my strengths and weaknesses and neither did my teachers. Now it is years since I last wrote something formal in English and I have learnt much since then.

I have read many books in English and I believe this has given me an ability to form a sentence without being to much influenced by Swedish. Reading books in English has also given me an idea of in which context a word is suitable and how many different meanings a word can have. It has made me realize how important it is that I learn more about the different connotations of a word can have. 
My biggest problem while writing, I believe, is grammar. I know many of the rules in theory, the problem is using them while writing, without making my text look like an example of clause elements.
I also feel that I am a bit uncertain of which preposition to use.

Reading a lot has also influenced my speaking ability. The books I have read has mainly been novels and there are often conversations in novels. I think I have learnt a lot from them. I have also read many cassette books in English and I think that may have influenced my pronunciation. 
I believe that I can hold and understand a conversation without any problems. What I find hardest is explaining things in English. I think that is because I find it hard to hold a monologue in English for a longer period of time without preparation. 

What I need to learn is to get my texts grammatically correct. I need to learn what kind of words fit in a formal text and which do not. I need to better my pronunciation and I need to speak more fluently and for longer periods at a time, without having to stop and think.
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