One of the greatest and cheapest ways to enhance your English is to read fictitious literature (also known as novels).
We can tell the difference in class between individuals who read English novels regularly and those who don’t. Regular readers improve their English more quickly and achieve better exam results.
The main issue is determining which books to read. But, before I tell you how to choose the best books for your level, consider why reading in English would help you improve.
Why is it beneficial to read novels in English?
Reading in English will not only aid in the acquisition of new vocabulary and expressions, but it will also aid in the retention of previously acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures. The greatest approach to enhancing your English is to practice and repeat it, just like learning to play the guitar.
Reading English literature also allows you to practice guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words and idioms by looking at the context of a sentence. Both are understanding English and memorizing new vocabulary need the use of context to predict meaning.
Selecting a Book
The major challenge is selecting the appropriate book for you, as I previously stated. It should be challenging enough to teach you new words but not too difficult. You will become confused and frustrated and stop reading a book that is too difficult or sophisticated for your English ability.
You can read articles in English if you wish to enhance your English, and articles might come from your newspaper or any other website. You can try memorizing adjectives for any letter, for example. Try learning adjectives that start with K.
How do you determine if a book is for you?
Reading the first few chapters of a novel in English is the only way to tell if it’s right for you. You know the book is too challenging for you if you don’t understand more than five words/sentences on each page.
If you already know every phrase or expression from the first few pages of the book, it will be too easy for you (you are not going to be learning any new vocabulary).
A novel is right for you if you grasp the circumstances (where they are, why they are there, what they are doing, etc.) after the first few pages but don’t know the meaning of two to five words or expressions on every page.
Before you buy, read the first few pages
Always read the first few pages of any book/novel you want to read in English before you buy it to save money.
Although you can do this in a bookstore, the best option is to go to amazon.com and look at a book you’re interested in reading/buying. Most books have a free preview/sample of the first few pages available on the website.
Novels for English language learners
You can read books that have been published or adapted for persons learning English in addition to novels written for native English speakers. These books are known as readers, and you can select one that is appropriate for your English ability (e.g. beginner, intermediate etc).
Unfortunately, these books/novels do not have a ‘see inside’ option on Amazon.com. So you’ll either have to seek for one in a bookstore and read the first few pages there, or you’ll have to buy it online without reading the first few pages.
Read it once more
Sometimes just reading a piece once isn’t enough to grasp its meaning. This is true whether you’re reading something difficult or not—reading something more than once can greatly improve your understanding.
When you read the words but don’t understand them, re-reading is a terrific way to go. It’s also useful for locating items you may have overlooked the first time through. If the text contains any new terms, you’ll see them again every time you read them, which will help you remember them.
The best aspect about these suggestions is that they may be used in any language to improve reading comprehension!
If you follow these methods to learn English reading, you may find that you are suddenly reading and understanding more in your original language.
Huh! And you came to learn how to improve your English reading skills!
