The desire to be able to read English-language literature in the original is one of the reasons why many people rush to start studying English courses. An incredible amount of information is currently only available on English. If you strive for professional and personal growth, you simply do not have the right to deny yourself access to this information.
Reading in English will allow you to learn news from world sources, receive important information from your field of activity first-hand, and feel like a full member of the global information community. We won’t talk at length about broadening your horizons and other prospects that will open up for you along with the ability to read books in English - we all understand perfectly how important this skill is in life. modern world. We have already talked about how to improve your reading skills in English. Today we’ll talk about how to master this skill and learn to read English literature in a short time.
How can you learn to read in English in a short time?
There are three main aspects that need to be taken into account when learning English and practicing reading skills: vocabulary, grammatical minimum and the ability to understand the text. Thanks to these aspects, we can indicate three mandatory conditions, the fulfillment of which will allow you to quickly develop the skill of reading English literature:
Increase your passive vocabulary of words and expressions
We can speak using only an active vocabulary. Having at least 500 frequently used words in the English language in our active vocabulary, we can communicate in standard situations. The passive vocabulary is several times greater than the active one, and we understand the text that we read precisely thanks to the passive vocabulary. In order to increase it, it is not necessary to cram words. It is enough to listen, hear, read, pay attention to English words and phrases every day, hear new words in context. English films, books, news, TV shows, etc. will help increase your passive vocabulary.
Improve your grammar
While you may not use complex grammatical structures in your speech, you are more likely to come across them when reading books. That is why, in order to understand what is being said in the text, you will have to improve your grammar.
Try not to translate the text, but to understand what is being said
As you read, you will sooner or later realize that not everything can be translated into native language, some phrases, words or phrases exist only in English. Do you understand what they mean? That's enough. Trying to literally translate the text of a book into Russian is not necessary. You are still a reader, not a translator.There are many ways to fulfill these conditions and learn to read books in English.
8 ways to quickly learn to read English literature
Method number 1. Choose books that interest you. Start with the simplest thing - literature for children.Method number 2. Use the wordsfromtext.com service. You can use this service before you start reading. Study the list of words that appear in the book, create a list of unknown words (preferably the most frequently used in the work) and start studying them. When you feel that you are already oriented in words, pick up a book.
Method number 3. Use lingualeo.com trainers to memorize new words. You can add the words that you extract from the text using wordsfromtext.com to one of the Lingua Leo simulators and study them faster and more clearly, since these simulators allow you to automatically link pictures to words.
Method 4. Read books out loud. This helps to pay attention to each word, pronounce it clearly, and remember what it means.
Method 5. Read books electronically. Even if you are a fanatical connoisseur of printed literature, you will have to do this. E-books simplify the process of reading literature in English: if you come across an unfamiliar word, you can immediately click on it and see the translation (after downloading and installing the dictionary). There are a great many resources through which you can download electronic books in English.
Method 6. Listen to audiobooks. After reading a work you like, listen to it. This will help consolidate the learned words, expand vocabulary. Classics of English literature, the most popular books have long had audio versions.
Method 7. To finally consolidate new words, use the Anki program. The program helps you repeat words using cards: the word is shown to you, you mentally or out loud say the answer, then click on the “Show answer” button. The card turns over - you see whether your answer is correct. After that click:
- “Easy” – if you pressed the button without delay (in this case the card will be delayed for 4 days)
- “Good” – if remembered with a slight delay
- “Again” – if you couldn’t remember the word
When learning English, everything is important and interconnected: pronunciation, reading, writing and listening comprehension. For some it is more important to learn to speak English, for others it is more important to understand English, for others it is more important to draw up documents or write. But the ability to read English is also important for everyone. This allows you to learn how to speak well, understand others better, and write correctly.
We can say that this is one of the universal skills necessary to master the entire system of the English language. There may be many options and techniques for learning to read in English, but almost all of them involve complicating and increasing the material being studied: from letters to entire paragraphs and books.
Features of reading in English
In general, there are several principles in spelling that determine the structure of each language:
- Phonetic principle characteristic of Latin language, is determined by the fact that the spelling of a word corresponds to its pronunciation, in other words, we hear it as we write it.
- The morphological principle, characteristic mainly of the Russian language, is determined by the presence in the spelling of only part of the sound composition of the word. Thus, the root of a word does not change when written, although stress and pronunciation may change, for example, “head-head-head”.
- The semantic principle characteristic of the Chinese language is revealed in the absolute discrepancy between what is written and what is spoken: hieroglyphs express only the meaning, and not a specific sound.
There is also a traditional or historical principle that is especially evident in the English language. It is characterized by the fact that the spelling of the word is determined historically, although its pronunciation has changed. So, in English the word “knight”, now pronounced as , was previously pronounced as , i.e. all silent letters were read that are not read now: k, gh.
This determines the difficulties in trying to learn to read English correctly, although, of course, with careful consideration of all such points and regular practice, you can achieve success.
Learning the alphabet
First, to learn to read English well, you need to learn the alphabet. Not all letters in the English language are written the way they are pronounced, especially depending on the place a particular letter occupies in a word. Many manuals that explain how to correctly read and pronounce letters in English consider all possible options for their arrangement in a word.
If at the beginning of studying you do not master how different sounds are written and pronounced English speech, in the future it will be very difficult to master the language.
Letter combinations and syllables
Letters and syllables in different combinations are also written and read differently. There are open syllables and closed ones. 5 letters of the English alphabet, representing all vowel sounds, are read in 4 ways depending on the syllable - as many as 20 sounds are obtained.
The combination of vowel letters with vowels forms diphthongs, which also have features in pronunciation. The letters representing consonants make up 24 sounds. Various tables with examples and a detailed analysis of each sound with an experienced teacher will help you learn to read and speak English correctly.
English pronunciation
What makes it different English pronunciation from the Russian we are accustomed to, it is the very nature of speech due to differences in the articulatory apparatus and its work. Naturally, both the English and the Russians have a tongue and a mouth, but the position of the tongue and the strength of articulation differ.
When a Russian person is silent, his tongue in a relaxed state lies in a mound, and it seems to be cramped because it rests on his front teeth. The tip of the tongue is bent downwards and touches the lower teeth. In the English, the tongue in a relaxed position is pulled back, lies flat and almost rests the tip of the tongue on the alveoli, i.e. slightly bent upward.
If you monitor the position of your tongue during silence, although this is quite difficult, you can master all the subtleties of pronunciation a little faster.
As for the strength of articulation, the British exhale forcefully and tense their mouth muscles when pronouncing words. Russian people move their lips weakly, do not tense their muscles and pronounce sounds easily, sometimes as if muffling the endings. In order to convey intonation similarly to the English, you need to take these features into account.
Understanding Transcription
To read well, especially aloud, you also need to be able to understand transcription. In English-Russian dictionaries, transcription is provided for each word, i.e. recording of its sound image. The transcription is enclosed in square brackets and uses generally accepted symbols. Those who usually write down the transcription of an English word in Russian are unlikely to learn to speak, read and write correctly, because in the Russian language some English sounds simply do not exist.
Reading Comprehension
Reading is not just reproducing what is written on paper, it is also understanding the essence of the text. To read with understanding, you also need to learn the words. There are many ways to enrich your vocabulary, you just need to choose the appropriate method for yourself.
Even if words are learned separately from reading, there will still be unfamiliar concepts in a book or newspaper that need to be understood. You shouldn’t get hung up on every incomprehensible word, the main thing is to grasp the meaning, but if the same term appears several times over a short period of time, it’s worth writing it down, finding a transcription and translation.
Intonation
Once you have mastered the basic rules of reading and have a sufficiently large vocabulary, you can move on to mastering correct intonation, i.e. emotional coloring of what is read and spoken. It may rise and fall slightly when reading English text.
Intonation differs in interrogative, affirmative and exclamatory sentences. To understand and catch the intonation characteristic of English speech, you can use audio books. If you listen to the story and read the same text at the same time, you will learn both intonation and correct pronunciation.
Organization of classes
The main rule for mastering reading in English is regular practice.. Every day you can set aside half an hour to read some text and memorize words, choosing a time and place that is convenient for you. Of course, the ability to read is not an end in itself, but it is necessary for successful mastery of the entire system of a foreign language.
You can read and parse individual words on your own, but it’s better to get the correct pronunciation with a teacher. Only he will be able to immediately teach you how to pronounce sounds correctly or will point out previously acquired mistakes and help you correct them.
Learning to read in English - http://lingualeo.ru/
Among all the languages that exist on Earth, some are very complex. For example, Chinese or Sanskrit. It will take a lot of effort to at least somehow be able to express yourself and understand something from the interlocutor’s speech. Another thing is English. For a native speaker of the Russian language, studying English literature might seem like something like “spit and grind,” if not for one “but.” The stumbling block for beginners in English studies is the painfully strange and incomprehensible rules for reading English texts. In fact, one thing is written, but something completely different is read. Moreover, the same words can be read differently. And many students ask a logical question: “So how to learn to read in English?”
There is no way to skip this stage, otherwise you will have to forget about learning the language: after all, reading is one of the basic skills of learning any foreign language. Without learning to read, it is impossible to learn to speak. And if, while learning, you make a mistake in something, then later you will have to learn many things again, and this is a waste of time, effort and, in general, not a very interesting pastime.
But there is always a way out - we must never forget about it. And if there is sufficient motivation, mastering the rules of reading the notorious English will be within the capabilities of almost any person.
Option 1
The first path is the simplest and most reliable, since it does not leave the opportunity to memorize something wrong; this is the path of placement under the sensitive guidance of a competent teacher. A qualified teacher will explain and explain, check the quality of assimilation, and coach you in practice. By choosing this method, you will be confident in reading English in just a couple of weeks. The disadvantage of this method is that for the services of a teacher (unless, of course, this is your close friend or relative), you will need to pay a certain amount of money.
Option 2
The path is more painstaking, but also more admirable - self-study. IN in this case to understand how to read english words, you need to start with the basics - learn the alphabet, transcription, the notorious english sounds. Regarding the last point, it is worth special mention - there is no need to follow the path of least resistance and replace English sounds with Russian analogues. Whatever one may say, English phonetics is quite unique and original, so that, having gotten used to the Russian version of pronunciation, you risk later finding yourself in a situation where you will not be understood or misunderstood. As in the case of the wife of the unforgettable Vladimir Lenin, who decided to inquire about a bath at the hotel, and in the end, unwittingly, ordered a bus.
Iron Rule No. 1: Check
When you cram the rules from the textbook, never forget that for every rule in the English language there are exceptions. Therefore, at first, do not really trust reading using a familiar analogy, but double-check all the words in the dictionary.
Iron Rule No. 2: Read
To understand how to learn to read in English, you need to actually read in English. Every day, without days off, holidays or weekends. There shouldn't be a day in your life when you don't read at least half a page of English text. Use Google Translator as little as possible. If this is not possible, still read the text in English first. And be sure, uncompromisingly - read out loud! This will help you remember the correct pronunciation on a muscular level, so that when the time comes to exchange a few phrases with foreigners, you do not have to strain your ligaments, lips and teeth, trying to squeeze out the correct and beautiful English the and the like. In addition to the fact that you will quickly learn the rules of reading and be able to read at a decent level, you will significantly expand your English vocabulary. And this, you see, is a very good bonus in learning a language.
Iron Rule No. 3. Significant nuances
Clearly imprint in your mind that sounds in English are long and short. For the Russian ear this is a trivial nuance, but for English-speaking comrades the meaning of the entire sentence depends on it. And if you don’t want to offend your interlocutor with an indecent word when trying to invite him for a walk on the beach, it’s better not to neglect this feature of the English language.
While reading smart books that tell you how to learn to read in English, do not forget to listen to the correct and competent speech of native speakers as often as possible. If you don't have a couple of friends from somewhere in Wales, the USA or Nigeria, audiobooks in English are ideal for you. If, while listening to incomprehensible English muttering, you feel an irresistible desire to sleep, then there is an excellent alternative - watching films and videos. Here, in addition to your sound perception, you will be able to focus on how English speakers form their lips, how they extract certain specific sounds. The most ideal option would be a film in English with English subtitles. This way you can not only listen to the words, but also read them after the characters in the film.
By following all these rules, you will definitely understand how to learn to read English, and you will even be able to master this science perfectly. The most important thing is motivation, unbending intention and persistent training. Then your success will be guaranteed!
English is considered the most popular among all foreign languages. It is he who is popular in many countries. It is advisable to take it seriously even in childhood so that there are no difficulties in the future. It is important to learn not only to speak English fluently, but also to read it well. This may be a difficult undertaking for many, but it is worth it. You just need to show desire and perseverance, which will help you overcome all difficulties. If you have never learned English, then you need to start from the very beginning, gradually mastering all the basics.
First, let's learn letters
The first thing you will have to master is the letters in english alphabet. It is important here not only to know their names, but also to pronounce them correctly. Very often in English the pronunciation and names of letters differ. Special video lessons will help you master this, which tell you in detail about the pronunciation of each letter.
It should be borne in mind that in words the pronunciation of letters will very often depend on their location. In order to be able to read a word correctly, you need to know the rules of pronunciation. So start studying them. When you read the text, this will help you understand it by ear.
Keep the rules always at hand, highlight the main ones to remind yourself how to read a particular letter in a particular situation.
Dividing words into syllables
One more important points in reading English words, is the ability and ability to divide them into syllables. You will have to learn the rules of agreement and publicity. In addition, find out which syllable is considered open and which is closed. Pay attention to these rules. You can find them in reading textbooks. Take literature for beginners, where everything will be described in accessible language.
English dictionary to help
A good English dictionary is of great importance when learning English. It should contain not only the translation of words, but also show their transcription. With its help you can learn to read words correctly. Make sure that the dictionary contains as many words as possible. It should be convenient to make it easier for you to find the right word and use it for its intended purpose. When you choose a dictionary for yourself, pay attention to this.
For best result It will take a lot of study and practice. A good mentor can help with this. It could even be a teacher who will show you how to work with a dictionary correctly and how to read various words. In addition, he can help you figure out errors and suggest ways to solve them. It's actually not as difficult as it might seem.
Read more
In order to learn to read English quickly, and at the same time understand what is being said, you need to read as much as possible. This should be done regularly. If you interrupt your studies for a long period of time, this will lead to inhibition of development. You will stagnate in one place for a long time.
Today there are many interesting online services on the Internet with which you can learn to read English. You can do this every day and learn something new. In addition, there are programs in which you can check the correct pronunciation. This allows you to do without professional teachers. You will be able to devote more time to this, using every free minute while at home.
Studying intonation
Once you can read and understand many words in English fluently, move on to learning intonation. While reading, try to raise it or lower it. Say sentences with an exclamation or narrative depending on the situation. Try to read the text first correct pronunciation, and then think about its translation. This way you can learn to read quickly, initially thinking only about the pronunciation of English words, and only then moving on to translation.
Reading should be enjoyable
At the initial stage, you will have to read methodological literature and all kinds of textbooks. You simply cannot do without this. However, you need to love reading in English, and to do this, choose books that will interest you. Read them for fun, because it will make you more interested in your studies.
You need to choose texts for reading that will correspond to your level of knowledge. Start with easy ones and gradually move on to complex texts. If you immediately try to read complex publications, it will be more difficult to achieve a positive effect. You shouldn’t dwell too long on easy articles either. There will be no progress in this case. Each new book will become easier to master.
Try using bilingual publications, which are books in two languages. You can find such publications in electronic libraries. If you don't find a suitable option, try reading the book first in your language, and then re-read it in English. Try to go back to what you read. Especially if you liked the work, re-read it again. In this case, you will have a deeper understanding of the language and the work. Of course, this applies to a greater extent to those who already understand the language and read better.
Discuss the works you read
In order to learn how to read English quickly, you need to learn the basic rules. You need to know how certain sounds and words are read. It is also important to master translation skills and constantly practice. The more you read, the better you will get at it.
Reading is one of the four language skills. By reading books in English, you increase your vocabulary, consolidate your grammar knowledge and broaden your horizons. And in general, a good book always brings pleasure.
First, let's decide on the choice of book.
Recommendations for choosing a book to read in English
A lot depends on the choice of book. The book you decide to read must meet the following criteria:
1. The book should be interesting to you.
2. The book must match your level of English.
If you take a book that is too complex, there will be a lot of incomprehensible words in it. And such reading will be quite difficult. If you are just going to read literature in English, it is better to start with short stories that will correspond to your knowledge.
So, after choosing a book, we need to decide how we will read it: with or without a dictionary.
Do you need a dictionary when reading in English?
When answering this question, opinions are divided. Some say that you need to read without a dictionary, understanding individual words from the context. After all, if you look up every word in the dictionary, the reading will take a long time, they believe.
Others are sure that they cannot do without a dictionary. How else can you understand unfamiliar words? After all, one misunderstood word can distort the entire meaning of what you read. Who is right?
In fact You must use a dictionary. Now I will show and prove this to you.
To understand the meaning of a text, you need to understand the meaning of each sentence that makes up the text. And to understand the meaning of a sentence, you need to understand the words that make up the sentence. Do you agree?
Attention: Can't remember English words? Find out how to learn words correctly so as not to forget them.
The words that make up sentences can be divided into two categories:
Keywords
These are words that are important for understanding the text, as they carry the main idea. If you don't understand the meaning of the key word in a sentence, its entire meaning will escape you.
If such words are repeated many times in a book and you do not understand them, then you will not understand the entire text.
Minor words
These are usually descriptive words. They complement the meaning of sentences, but such words most often do not affect the understanding of the text. That is, without clarifying these words in the dictionary, you can understand the very idea of the sentence.
Let's look at an example:
The woman was in an azure gown.
Key words of the sentence: woman and gown. Secondary - azure. If you don't understand the meaning of the word gown, then you won't understand the meaning of the sentence.
This sentence may not be that important, but you won't understand that until you look the word up in the dictionary. In your head you will say: “She was in...”. And what exactly is not clear: either in the building, or in bad mood, or in a dress. By the way, the word gown means “long dress”.
If you don’t understand the word azure (azure/blue), nothing bad will happen. You will read the sentence and realize that the woman was wearing some kind of long dress.
Should all the words in the dictionary be cleared?
Certainly, correct will clarify all words: both key and secondary. This is especially important when you are just starting to read books in English. After all, in literary works words are often used that we do not use in everyday life. Even if you have good level, then you will come across many such words.
As you begin reading, of course, you will slowly clear the words. But after reading 10 books (stories), you will easily and quickly look them up in the dictionary and remember them!
How more books you will read:
- the more words you will know
- the easier it will be to separate keywords from unimportant ones
Sometimes people who have read a lot of books are lazy to open the dictionary every time. When they see an unfamiliar word, they either skip it or guess the meaning based on the context. Of course, this can be done if the number of such words is small and they are all secondary. But I recommend (and rightly so) clarify all words.
Be careful: Very often, the “guesses” of the translation of a word are not entirely correct. And then you can find yourself in awkward situations due to the incorrect use of this word.
For example, people sometimes call us for courses and say that their level of knowledge is “entertainment”. Although, naturally, they mean the intermediate level. =)
When is it especially important to look up all the words in the dictionary?
This is important when you read technical or business literature.
Usually the purpose of reading such literature is learning something new. Therefore, it is better for you to understand all the words as much as possible, especially since in such literature there are a lot of specific words, the meaning of which can only be understood by looking up this word in the dictionary.
In addition, the explanation in books usually goes from simple to complex. And if you misunderstand one word in a simple part, you risk getting confused in a complex one.
Now let's look at how to work with words correctly so that reading a book brings not only pleasure, but also benefit.
How to read a book and work with a dictionary
What people usually do:
Usually, when people are reading a book and come across an unfamiliar word, they look it up in the dictionary and simply write the translation of that word in the book or write it down in a notebook. As a result, they understand the meaning of the sentence and continue reading the book further.
But just because you wrote down a word that is new to you, you won’t remember it. And when you meet him 4 pages later, most likely you will look into the dictionary again. You won't remember these words for a long time.
Try it yourself. Take a book and write down at least 30 unfamiliar words from there. And the next day, try to remember them. Most likely you will remember only a small part.
How to work with words correctly:
When reading, when you come across an unfamiliar word, you need to look it up in the dictionary. It's good if you have electronic dictionary, since it will be faster.
Please note that one word sometimes has several different meanings and translations. Read all the meanings and choose the one you need based on the context.
To the word remained in your head and you were able to use it in life, you need to start using it. Make up sentences with this word. It is best to do this orally and in writing.
If you read, for example, on the subway, then at least mentally make up 5-6 simple sentences with this word.
Having worked with a word in this way, start reading from the sentence in which you found this word (that is, you read this sentence first). For a detailed guide on how to learn English words correctly, read this article.
There is no need to be afraid that there will be a lot of unfamiliar words. Especially if you are just starting to read books in English. The more you read, the it will be easier for you, and you will understand more words.
So, when reading English books, you definitely need a dictionary. Always make your keywords clear and try to look at all the non-essential ones too. This way you will get the most out of your reading! And soon you will be able to read books quickly and easily.
