If you are learning English, there is a good chance that your teacher has recommended reading more to improve your English. It’s true. Reading really does help language acquisition, but how exactly?
Below I have given my top 5 reasons why reading in English will have a huge impact on your general level of English.
1. Contextual Learning
When reading you are exposed to a number of sentence structures, vocabulary, verb tenses and grammatical forms used repeatedly, in context, giving meaning to the text as a whole. Compare this to many English language coursebooks or self-study guides which often present specific language points without any wider context and as isolated pieces of grammar and it’s easy to see why reading anything - books, articles, academic papers - is more useful than just ‘studying’.
2. Critical (English) thinking skills
Reading longer texts in English helps you to develop your critical thinking skills, not only helping you to process the material but slowly changing your internal dialogue into English. We have all heard that you need to ‘think in English’ to really become fluent and reading is exactly the kind of activity that will help you develop this skill.
Reading books (especially nonfiction books) requires you to analyse different ideas, evaluate evidence and credibility, and make inferences and connections. Put simply, reading in English forces you to start thinking in English.
3. Recognition of Mistakes
Reading published work in English reinforces your knowledge of grammatical structures meaning that you become more aware of grammar mistakes when you hear (or read) others making them. In your own writing, and even speech, you start to become aware of common errors because you have seen the correct form time and time again. Reading helps many common grammatical structures become deeply embedded in your brain, having a beneficial effect on your spoken and written English.
4. Vocabulary expansion
Reading English texts gives you the opportunity to encounter a number of adjectives, phrasal verbs, expressions and idioms that you can add to your passive and active vocabulary. While learning vocabulary from reading is not a passive exercise - you need to take the initiative to highlight words, look them up, translate them and memorise them - it provides you with examples of new words and expressions used in context, seeing how those terms interact with verb patterns, grammatical structures and sentence order.
5. Explore what you love & use English as a tool to learn
The wonderful thing about reading is that there is an almost unlimited amount of material to choose from. Whatever your interest, whatever your area of study or profession, there is always something for you. When you start to use English as a tool to learn and explore the things you love, not only are you more motivated to keep reading but you’re also leaving the title of ‘English student’ behind and starting to do what native speakers do; learn in English.
Unlocking the Power of Reading: Our English Reading Course
If you're excited about the idea of using reading to improve your English and become a more fluent and confident language user, then consider enrolling in my comprehensive English Reading Course. Our course is specifically designed to harness the power of reading and take your language skills to the next level.
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