How Does Reading Improve English?
If you are on the journey of improving or learning English, you must take time every day for reading.
Reading is an active process that will help you learn the language.
You must have noticed that all successful people, such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg, are avid readers.
This fact shows that reading daily for fifteen to thirty minutes can have immense benefits.
In this article, we will discuss what benefits we can get from reading as language learners. How can we polish our English language skills through reading?
So, let’s start with the discussion.
1. Reading Enhance Your Vocabulary:
The primary benefit of reading is to enhance our vocabulary. It teaches us different vocabulary words and how to use them in the context.
Different reading materials will acquaint you with different types of vocabulary. For example, you can learn slang words from fiction reading or technical words by reading other technical blogs and books.
While reading, you can highlight the words that are unknown to you. Then, you can open the dictionary and check the word’s meaning.
You can also make a list of difficult words on your notepad so that you can remember them later on.
For example, you can list “Positive Words Starting with Z” in your notepad. This way, you will have a structured and refined list of words.
So, reading can help you in creating a whole list of new words which you can use later on.
2. Reading Can Help You in Learning Grammar and Punctuation:
You can learn the grammar rules from grammar books and see their practical form while reading books and blogs.
If you slow down your reading pace and pay attention to sentence structure in the one to two pages of a book, you can learn how writers have applied different grammar rules in their writing.
Esha Manwani said in one of her Ted Talks that she improved her English by reading. This activity helped her in forming grammatically correct sentences without any difficulty.
So, slowly reading one to two pages of a book or a blog in a day will gradually acquaint you with all the grammar and punctuation rules
3. Reading Can Make You a Writer:
Stephen King has said that you can’t be a writer if you are not a reader. So, if you want to enhance your writing skills, you must be an avid reader.
Reading can acquaint you with different writing styles, will tell you how writers are researching, will enhance your knowledge, and will help you in creating your opinion and voice.
If you read articles and books on your favorite topics and read famous writers, you will gradually learn how authors convey their ideas to the world.
Reading your favorite topics will keep you engaged in reading and can help you in learning more about writing styles.
So, in the beginning, go with your favorite topics and gradually move toward other ones.
4. Reading Out Loud Improves Spoken Fluency:
Reading can enhance your speaking skills too. If you read a part of a book or blog in a loud voice, you can gradually become fluent in English.
Reading out loud will teach you pronunciation, pauses, and intonation. It can build your speaking pace and bring clarity to your voice.
So, if you take out time daily to read out two to three pages of a book in a loud voice, you can become a fluent English speaker.
5. Reading Enhance Your Knowledge:
To speak English fluently or become a successful writer, you should have vast knowledge about different topics, and you can get this information through reading.
Great writers have written various books revolving around their expertise and knowledge.
You can gain knowledge from their books which will make you smarter and well-acquainted with the world.
Reading books, newspapers, articles, and blogs can familiarize you with a bunch of information from different phases of life.
6. Reading Can Help You in Passing IELTS:
If you want to pass the IELTS exam, you should have strong reading skills. You should know how to skim the text, gain knowledge, and answer related questions.
So, if you have a reading habit, you can pass this phase swiftly and efficiently.
Key Takeaways:
So, improving your English reading skills and making it a part of your routine will help you become a fluent English speaker.
This guide has explained why reading books and articles are essential and how they can help you in learning English. We hope that this reading activity will make your language-learning journey smooth.