5 Ways To Use Reading To Help Your Fluency
It's easy to think that reading is not the most important skill when it comes to English fluency, because it definitely is more passive than active, however the act of reading itself can really help improve other areas of English. This is why it's another great addition to your fluency plan!
How does reading in English help?
- It helps you become more familiar with new words in a context,
- It shows you correct grammatical structures,
- It presents correct word order and sentence structure,
- It improves your ability to process information.
All of these then help improve your vocabulary, grammar, speaking and writing as well!
So here are 5 tips to help improve your reading skills:
Don't stop when you see new words.
If you complete the whole section that you are reading, the meaning of the new word may become clear with the context, and even if not, you should still understand the general meaning. You can then go back and read it a second time to check the problem word if you are still not sure.
Keep a notebook nearby.
This follows on from the previous tip, so that you can write down those new words.
Try graded readers.
Graded readers are texts that are specifically designed for your level. They are a great way to develop reading skills because you will not find them too difficult to follow and you can gradually progress to the next level.
Use your imagination.
Instead of translating what you read into your native language, picture what you are reading instead!
Preview the texts you read.
Scan through a text before you read it. Look at titles or captions and read through the text really quickly to get the main idea before you start reading in detail. This is also great for practising the reading skill of "scanning", which enables you to get the gist of a text without reading the whole thing.