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Reading Comprehension

6 years ago
Part of learning a new language means that you need to read and understand completely in that language, too. Often that is hard because your vocabulary is not that large. This is why reading comprehension is so important to all learners; it helps you understand what you are reading, and hearing, and gives your vocab skills a boost! So pick a book, a magazine, or a newspaper article and follow the below listed tips.

The following strategies are meant to assist you in improving your reading skills on your own.
  • Review each paragraph after reading it. If you are confused, find the topic sentence, again.
  • Look for transitional words, phrases and paragraphs, which change the topic.
  • Read the first and last paragraph of your text or the first sentence in each section.
  • Monitor if you have missed an idea, backup and reread.
  • Pay attention to vocabulary. Collect new words in a notebook especially for that purpose. Look up the new word in a dictionary and study its meaning. Try to fit the right synonym into context of the sentence. It is a good idea to learn the antonym of the word at the same time. Reading for vocabulary is very important in improving your reading comprehension.
  • When you are building your vocabulary, concentrate on roots, prefixes and endings. This will help you tremendously to recognize new words you will come across.
  • Ask yourself questions about each paragraph. Write the answers down in a notebook.
  • Move ahead on your own, reading as much as possible in the new language. Broaden your background knowledge by reading as many magazines, newspapers and books that you possibly can.
  • Get together with a native speaker and discuss reading material. This is a great way to improve comprehension.
Remember, even native speakers of English have difficulty in understanding texts at times. In addition, native speakers of English engage in a life-long process of learning new words. This process is even more important for the student of English as a second language.

Good luck and happy learning! If you want to discuss an article you have read, then be sure to sign up for a trial lesson! =)