The best way to learn English through reading

INTENSIVE vs EXTENSIVE reading (and why this is important)

There are two types of reading: intensive and extensive.

Intensive reading is where you read to learn new words and phrases and to analyse grammar. You pause when you don’t know a word or when you want to study grammar.

Extensive reading is when you read for fun. You don’t stop to look something up. Instead, you continue reading like you would in your own language.

Which method is best? Well, this depends on a number of factors. Soon, you are going to learn how to do both at the same time – but first, let’s discuss which books in English are best for you.

Find books in English that are perfect for you

Many people ask: which is the best book for learning English?

There is no one book that is best for all learners. A book that suits you might not work for other learners. Find books that:

1. interest you. Don’t waste your time reading something that you find boring. There is no reason to read something that doesn’t interest you.

2. you can understand. There is nothing more frustrating than reading something that is too difficult. Comprehensible input is something you should strive for.

3. are specific to how you use English. For example, if you are going to take the IELTS exam, read IELTS sample papers. Or if you need to learn business English, find books that are related to business.

I highly recommend graded readers. These are books that have been adapted for learners like you. You can choose a book by level. Don’t think that these books are too basic.

Use this method to improve your English

Remember the difference between intensive and extensive reading?

Well, here is a method that includes both of these. This method will help you learn new words and phrases and will improve your grammar too – here it is:

1. Read extensively but highlight vocabulary/grammar that you don’t understand or that you want to learn

2. Keep reading for one chapter or for a certain number of pages – again don’t stop to look anything up yet

3. Once you have read a chapter, go back and look up words you don’t understand or grammar that you want to learn

That’s it. This allows you to read for fun but to also learn something new at the same time. You’re not stopping every time you don’t understand something. Instead, you are reading for pleasure but highlighting language as you go. Once you reach a good stopping point, go back and look up words that you have highlighted.

Here’s how to remember the vocabulary and grammar that you have just learned

1. Take the sentences that you have highlighted and export them (here’s how to do this on a Kindle). This works for ebooks and paper books

2. Import these sentences into a spaced-repetition application (this is the one I recommend) to create digital flashcards

3. Repeat the sentences so that you remember the vocabulary and grammar that you have learned

This is another simple method that will do amazing things for your English level. Once you have done this for a whole book, read it again. You will be amazed at how much you have learned. And this time you won’t need to stop at all. You’ll be able to fully focus on extensive reading.