Are you wondering what the best way to improve your English language skills is?
I have the answer.
One of the most effective ways to do so is through extensive reading.
When I tell my students they will often say "I don't have time to read" or "I don't like reading". But let me try and convince you to make the time and find material that you will enjoy reading, so that you can build an effective habit and improve your English.
In this article we will examine the following points:
- What is Extensive Reading
- 6 direct benefits of extensive reading for your English.
- Some bonus benefits.
- What you can do.
- Conclusion.
1. What is extensive reading?
Extensive reading is simply reading for pleasure, focusing on reading a wide range of materials quickly and easily with the aim of improving overall language skills and fluency.
2. The benefits of extensive reading.
The benefits of extensive reading for your English are:
1. Vocabulary building: When you read extensively, you encounter new vocabulary words constantly. Reading books, magazines, and newspapers exposes you to new words. Even if you don't look up every new word, this repeated exposure helps you absorb many new words without trying.
2. Grammar learning: Extensive reading helps you see how language is used in context. You are exposed to proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Over time, your mind absorbs the rules of grammar and language patterns. This is a very effective way to learn grammar in a contextual, unforced manner.
3. Writing enhancement: Reading extensively will inevitably improve your writing skills. You will gain a sense of proper sentence structure and vocabulary, and absorb good habits of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
4. Listening comprehension improvement: Reading a lot in English also enhances your listening comprehension. You become faster at processing the language and understanding vocabulary and grammar. This translates to better comprehension when listening to English speech. The activities reinforce each other.
5. Speaking Skill Development: When you read a lot, you become more familiar with the language patterns, vocabulary, and grammar. This familiarity with the language helps you produce more accurate and fluent speech. You will also gain more confidence in speaking, as you will have the vocabulary and grammar structures to express yourself more effectively.
6. Reading fluency improvement: The more you read, the faster and more fluent your reading will become. This boosts all the benefits of reading and helps increase your reading speed and fluency through practice.
In other words, reading benefits all the language skills; listening, reading, speaking and writing.
It’s really important to understand that vocabulary and grammar are not learned by seeing it or using it just once.
A renowned linguist, Stephen Kraahen states that:
“The only reliable way to learn a language is through massive and repeated exposure to it in context”.
There is no way you will meet new language enough times to learn it in the limited number of hours that you have in class.
But extensive reading will give you the repeated exposure that you need.
3. The bonus benefits of extensive reading
1. Exposure to authentic language: Books, magazines, newspapers, and websites contain real English as written by native speakers. Extensive reading exposes you to authentic language examples, colloquial phrases, and cultural insights. This helps you learn real, natural English.
2. Enjoyment: Extensive reading is pleasurable. When you read books or materials on topics you like, it doesn't feel like studying. You can get lost in an enjoyable story or interesting information. This helps motivate you to read more and look forward to reading.
3. Reduced anxiety: Extensive reading in a second language can help lower anxiety and boost confidence. When you successfully read an entire book or long text, you gain a sense of accomplishment and grow more comfortable with the language. This motivation inspires you to continue reading more.
4. Self-directed: With extensive reading, you can choose books or texts on topics that interest you. This self-direction keeps you motivated to read more. You take control of your own learning and reading choices.
5. Provides context: Reading extensively provides context for new vocabulary or grammar concepts. You see how words and language are used in context, in a natural and meaningful way. This embeds the learning more deeply than isolated examples alone could do.
4. What you can do.
Here are some suggestions to help you make extensive reading a habit and watch your English language skills soar!
1. Choose material that interests you to stay motivated and engaged.
2. The material should not have too much unfamiliar vocabulary. You should be able to understand 90 to 95% of the words on the page.
3. Start with graded readers that are at your level to build confidence and fluency.
Below I will put a few sites where you can start your search.
4. Set a reading schedule and stick to it for consistency. Aim to read for at least 10-15 minutes per day, even if it's just a short article or story.
5. Keep a reading log to track progress and new vocabulary words.
6. Mix up the materials and types of reading to keep it interesting and engaging.
Resources
Project Gutenberg is a library of over 70,000 free eBooks
https://www.gutenberg.org/
English e-Reader is the biggest online library of graded e-books.
https://english-e-reader.net/
Another source of graded e-books.
https://adapted-english-books.site/
For news content:
https://www.newsinlevels.com/
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/
5. Conclusion
Extensive reading is a valuable tool if you want to take your English to the next level.
It offers so many benefits, including vocabulary building, grammar learning, writing enhancement and listening comprehension improvement.
Remember that the key to successful extensive reading is to choose materials that are interesting and engaging for you personally while also being at an appropriate level of difficulty.
Experiment with different materials, set a consistent schedule, and enjoy the process of improving your English skills naturally.
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