October 4
Why is reading important when
you are learning a new language?
- Reading helps you learn to think in the new language.
- Reading helps you build a better vocabulary.
- Reading makes you more comfortable with written English. You can write better English if you feel comfortable with the language.
- Reading may be the only way for you to use English if you live in a non-English speaking country.
- Reading can help if you plan to study in an English speaking country.
HOW TO BECOME A BETTER READER
- Reading For Pleasure
Read as much as you can. Read books, magazines, newspapers,
stories. Read anything you like. The more you read, the better you will read.
2.
Working On Your Reading Skills
When you read, you use many different
skills. You need to work on them one at
a
time.
Here are six important skills you will work on:
·
Previewing. Before you start reading, find out something
about what you will read. Then you can
star thinking about the subject. You
will be able to read faster and with more understanding.
·
Asking
questions as you read. This keeps your
mind on what you read. Asking questions
helps you pay attention. It also helps
you to remember what you read.
·
Guessing
what new words mean. It takes too much
time to look up every new word. And if
you stop, you may forget what you are reading.
Use the whole sentence or paragraph to guess words.
·
Finding
the topic and the main idea. The topic
and the main idea let you know what is important. To find the topic and the main idea, ask two
questions:
What is this about?
What does the writer want to say
about this?
·
Understanding
patterns in English. A pattern is a way
of putting ideas together. If you find
the patter, you can understand more. You
will also remember more.
·
Using
signal words. Some words are like
signposts on a highway. They tell you
what direction the writer is going. And
they help you to follow the writer’s ideas.
Signal words also help you guess what you will read about.
HOW TO READ FASTER
Learning To Read Faster
Reading faster is very important because of
the way your brain works. When you read
slowly, your brain does not get enough information. You understand better
when you read faster.
Why read faster?
Reading faster helps you understand more. This may be surprising. But, in fact, your brain works better when
you read faster. Try reading this:
|
Many students are surprised when
the
teacher tells them to read
faster. But they soon find out
that
they
understand more that
way.
|
If you read slowly, you read one
word at a time. You must remember many
separate words. Soon you can get tired or bored.
But if you read
faster, you can read groups of words together.
Then you can think about ideas and not just single words. That is why you understand better and remember more.
HOW TO THINK IN ENGLISH
If you want to read English well, you must
think of English. Here
are some tips that might help you:
-
Learn vocabulary in phrases, not only the
single words (record not only the new words you come across but also a sentence
that is meaningful for you)
-
Try to read passages you already know - and try
not to translate them into your mother tongue but to understand them directly
in English - you might have to read them several times, so don't worry!
-
Try to
"talk to yourself" in English from time to time - for example, when
it's very cold think "oh, it's cold" instead of thinking of the
phrase in your mother tongue
-
Don't
use a bilingual dictionary, use a monolingual one and try to avoid
textbooks that give explanations of English in other languages.
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