English Opening

I guess the simplest would be to answer 1. c4 with 1... e5 and develop the kingside pieces quickly : Nf6, Bb4 after Nc3 by White, and 0-0. Black can play for d5 or c6-d5.

Another way would be to transpose into a solid Queen's Gambit with 1... e6 and 2... d5, but White can choose to stay away from it by avoiding d4 and play in the Reti or Catalan territory.

You could also play c5, and mimic is moves until a point where you have most of your pieces developed

i don't think there's only 2 ways to best meet it. 

a lot of it depends on what you play against 1 d4.

if you play the king's indian or the queen's gambit declined you can pretty much play the same way here, with only a few tricks you have to know.

if you play the queen's gambit accepted, then likely you have to play 1..e5.

the dutch is also quite nice, at least in terms of not being move ordered by white.

1..c5 is probably played if you have the benoni or the benko vs 1 d4. 

in my opinion the easiest to play would be the queen's gambit declined setup, as white doesn't really have a deviation that is better than what he will get from a normal queen's gambit declined (with a pawn on d4 and c4) while in other lines he might actually get a better version of that line's d4 equivalent.

That is definitely a drawing way to play but if White knows what they are doing there is a counter to it.

Reverse Sicilian I think is the best way to counter it, another is the nimzo Indian.

As someone who plays the English, I might say something. The good defense depends on what kind of play you prefer and how your friend plays the English.

The English can be played in several ways. The classical way is to play it as a flank opening, usually with moves like Nc3, g3, Bg2 and so on, later starting an attack on the queenside. Another way is to play it as a back door to d4-openings - if your opponent plays towards your favorite d4-line, then just play d4 and otherwise continue without it. You can also start a delayed attack at the center. All of these are quite different approaches.

If you prefer a calm and slow game and your opponent plays the English in a classical way, then an ultrasymmetrical approach (1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 ...) is good. If you play the Sicilian or like imbalanced positions in general, then the reversed Sicilian (1. c4 e5) is an option, but there are some differences in the play compared to the Sicilian because White has the extra move. Some recommend the "reversed Rossolimo" (1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4), but if White knows how to play it, they are better - on the other hand some English players feel very uncomfortable in this variation.

One option, already mentioned, is to try to get White in to your favorite d4-line. The problem is that White need not to play d4 soon and until they do, they have an extra tempo, which can make the positions different.

Of course I have my own lines against the English (against my own style I would use the Keres variation of the reversed Sicilian, but there are other options), but what suits me may not suit you. In general you should be prepared for a somewhat slower game than in most of the other mainline openings.

just play solidly and you will be fine.

I respond with either the English defense (1...b6) or the dutch (1...f5). I used to play the English defense, now I play the dutch.