Study games of Staunton (filter for 1.c4 and white wins games before 1900 so not just his wins but some Anderssen wins too), Petrosian (he had a mean reversed Dragon, good vs. 1...e5 variations), and Karpov.
The most critical to study are in order 1...Nf6 1...c5 and 1...e5. As a 1...e5 player 1.c4,e5 2.Nf3,Nc6 3.Nc3,Nf6 4.g3,d5 5.cxd5,Nxd5 6.Bg2 and here 6...Nb6 is the most popular line, but I personally go 6...Nxc3 so I can place a bishop on c5 and retreat it to b6 if needed. A Nb6 and Bc5 is a clumsy combination. If Nxc3 you want to capture towards the center or else Qxd1+ you can't castle.
I have recently been using the English opening, and am growing very fond of it..however as I am a beginner, I was wondering if anyone could give me any useful tips on the opening and how to use it to it's full potential.