Reading isn't just a hobby; it's a gateway to mastering English effortlessly. Reading is a great tool to learning the English language, it has many benefits such as improving vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, fluency and writing skills alongside giving great cultural insights with use of common phrases or idioms in different contexts. In this blog you will learn how you can incorporate reading into your language learning journey.
Why Reading is Crucial for Learning English
Reading can have a lot of benefits in helping you learn English. When reading a variety of content such as newspapers, magazines, articles, journals or blogs, you can increase your vocabulary as you are exposed to new words or existing words in different contexts. Additionally, reading can improve grammar knowledge. You can learn a variety of sentence structures naturally by seeing the grammar in action, this can also help to consolidate any previous grammar you struggled with. By reading a variety of content regularly you can boost your comprehension skills by understanding complex ideas but also improve your overall fluency, particularly helped by reading the content out loud. When you read well-written texts such as news articles, it can help you to write better and express yourself more clearly. as well as exposing yourself to more natural idioms, expressions and phrases in a variety of cultural contexts which gives you a great insight into more natural language that is used by native people.
Types of Reading Materials for English Learners
To begin with it can be a mind-boggle trying to figure out where to start and which materials to begin with. Begin with the topics, genre and style that you are most interested in. What do you read in your native language? If you read a lot of news to keep up to date in your own country, start with simpler news articles in English such as BBC News, news in levels or breaking news English. If you are of a more advanced level and would like a challenge, try the Guardian newspaper with more complex vocabulary and sentence structures.
Below are some other ideas for different reading materials:
Magazines: These can be great because they tend to have shorter articles and pages with accompanying pictures to help support understanding.
Children's books: If you are a beginner, children's books can offer the guidance and simple language needed to follow plots and ideas. Then, gradually build up into teenage fiction, then adult.
Online articles and blogs: Choose topics which interest you and these are great as they tend to be shorter, and more clear to build vocabulary and there's huge diverse content online.
Subtitled scripts: Follow along to your favourite film or tv show with subtitles. Reading subtitles can help improve comprehension skills, context, vocabulary and pronunciation in words.
E-books and audiobooks: Just like above immerse yourself into reading and listening to improve overall fluency.
Books: There is a huge range of books accessible in libraries or bookshops in all towns and cities. For beginners, try short and simple. If you are intermediate or advanced, try fiction or non-fiction books.
Tips to Learn English Effectively Through Reading
Use these helpful tips to assist you in using reading to learn English.
Start with your level: Choose materials that are slightly above your level so you can have a manageable challenge. If you can read everything in the text, then the content is too easy for you. Ensure there are some words or sentences that are not familiar but you can slightly understand the concept or context. Then search for meanings in surrounding sentences before looking in a dictionary to identify the full context.
Focus on context: You don't need to understand every single word in the text. Try to focus instead on the full context of the text, try to use the sentences and other key words to grasp the meanings of some words and don't search in a dictionary for every word. Write a summary of the text and what you understand of it, then translate it (if you can) or search for an online summary.
Set reading goals: To keep you motivated and on track, set a daily or weekly time limit on minimum time spent reading. This way you can keep on track and be consistent with your learning. Choose a place of comfort to read, if you read in 'study' mode this might feel too strict for you, instead choose a cosy place you feel comfortable, keep a notepad next to you and jot down any useful words or phrases. You can then revise and practise them at a later date.
Re-read favourites: In order to reinforce learning, re-read your most enjoyable articles or stories. If you made a lot of notes the first time of reading, notice how confident and how much you remember each time after you read it again. This can also be a way of tracking progress and keeping your motivation high.
Read aloud: Reading out loud is a great way to practise pronunciation and improve fluency. It can help you to notice sounds and the importance of intonation. The more you speak out loud the more confident you can become in speaking situations and the more fluent you can feel.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
When learning a language there are always some challenges that come along with it, here are some of the challenges with using reading as a learning tool and how you can overcome them.
You may start to feel overwhelmed with the amount of new words you are searching for. Solution; don't focus so much on the individual words, focus on the context of the sentence or text. This will help you feel less stressed and help with your overall understanding and comprehension of what you just read. The more you read, the more you'll come across the words and grasp more meaning.
If reading isn't something you always do but you know it will help with your journey, you need to find ways to keep motivated so you don't lose interest. Always make sure the topics you're choosing are ones that interest you and you're passionate about. That way, you will keep interest for longer.
You may find the texts too complicated or difficult. Remember, having a challenge is good, this is how you progress and learn more. Break the text into sections, and read at your own pace. Try one section per day, become familiar, practise new words and understand the context of the section/paragraph. Then focus on the next section, the next day. This can help reduce feeling overwhelmed and make the text more manageable so it shouldn't seem as difficult as before.
Recommended Reading List
Below are some recommendations for some book titles for each level.
Beginner: Use simple language, basic structures and straightforward vocabulary:
Roald Dahl's books (Matilda, BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox) - These books are fun and engaging including British humour and will help to learn descriptive language and dialogue.
Michael Bond (A bear called Paddington) - Uses simple language and introduces British culture.
Oscar Wilde (The happy prince and other stories) - These are short and simple fairy tales and uses poetry in a beginner way.
CS Lewis (The lion, the witch and the wardrobe) - A good introduction to storytelling using simple yet magical language.
David Walliams (Mr Stink, The boy in the dress) - Stories are humorous and light-hearted using typical British humour and vocabulary.
Intermediate: More complex plots and vocabulary:
JK Rowling (Harry Potter series) - These are written for children but appreciated by adults, using modern vocabulary with a magical touch.
Arthur Conan Doyle (The adventures of Sherlock Holmes) - These are classic British English detective stories introducing a variety of British accents.
Agatha Christie (And then there were none) - Classic mysteries which teach logical sequencing and deduction through storylines.
George Orwell (Animal Farm) - A classic novel focusing on narrative storytelling.
Joanne Harris (Chocolat) - This is great for learning sensory vocabulary and expressions as well as reading rich descriptions about characters.
Advanced: Uses more complex language, layered meanings, subtle cultural references:
Emily Bronte (Wuthering heights) - A classic novel with poetic and dramatic language.
Charles Dickens (Great expectations) - Rich in descriptive language and describing intricate characters.
Zadie Smith (White teeth) - A modern novel about multicultural Britain, using humour, colloquialisms and contemporary themes.
Salman Rushdie (Midnight's Children) - Rich, layered vocabulary and cultural insights into postcolonial India and Britain.
Ali Smith (How to be both) - Challenging in structure but fantastic lyrical and creative language.
As you can see from above, there are plenty of benefits as to how reading can be beneficial to your language journey and lots of tips and advice on where to start and how to implement it. Choose your topic and reading style today to get started!
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