2 books you should have next to you when studying English...

If you don't have those yet, here are 2 books you should really consider buying:

- Grammaire anglaise de l’étudiant or Grammaire pratique de l'anglais, edited by Ophrys.

- Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's English Dictionary, by Collins Cobuild. I think the last edition also includes a CD-Rom.

Why use a monolingual dictionary: it stops you from translating systematically into your own language, therefore making it easier to think naturally in English after a while. Moreover, you will learn to explain subjects and concepts directly in English, contributing to a more fluent conversation.

I have been using those references for 15 years...