How to effectively read English books

Reading is one of the best ways to improve your English. In this article, it’s explained how you can use simple novels to learn about English vocabulary, grammar and culture.  All who sooner or later begin to learn English, want to read fluently and correctly. So, it’s highly recommended for students to start reading books in English. Students must develop this skill from the very beginning of training and gradually improve it. To enjoy the reading process and benefit from it, the teacher should help students choose the right book that would be interesting for them. There are several criteria for doing this.

Students should rely on their level of knowledge of the English language.

They choose a book depending on their interests and take into account their level of English. Easy books for children are suitable for those who are just beginning to learn English (textbooks and special adapted literature). But popular-science literature is the best for Intermediate and Upper Intermediate levels with a large vocabulary and complex grammar. For example, they can read such books as «Little Women» by Louisa May Alcott, «Harry Potter» by J. K. Rowling, «Alice in Wonderland» by Lewis Carroll, etc.

Work with unknown words

Remind the students that learning new words in the context is much easier. So, they are recommended to write down unfamiliar words along with the sentences in the context of which they are used. If they do not want to stop reading, then first they go over several pages and find words that they do not know, write down the sentences that include them. And they read, referring to the dictionary only at the most critical moments.

Read aloud as often as possible

Reading aloud, the students  practice their pronunciation. They learn the pronunciation rules. The students must not to read as quickly as possible. They should read slowly, pause, use the dictionary where there is a transcription to learn how to pronounce the phrases correctly. It’s also easy to find audio books to read and improve the pronunciation.

Read regularly

Regular reading helps the students to keep knowledges of English, especially if they  study the language with interruptions. They are recommended to read at least 5 pages every day. If their level of English is basic, the students can start with a book that they have already read in their native language. If students’ level is Intermediate or higher, it’s better to select a book that they are not familiar with yet. An interesting story will make them regularly return to the book.

5 books that must be read in the original language:

— «A Farewell to Arms» by Ernest Hemingway;

— «Fahrenheit 451» by Ray Bradbury;

— «The Great Gatsby» by F. Scott Fitzgerald;

— «The Jungle Book» by Rudyard Kipling;

— «Jane Eyre» by Charlotte Brontë.

Kissanova   Z.