Studies have shown that reading daily can help improve your memory and enhance your thinking skills. More than that, these short, daily reading sessions are the best tools you have inboosting many other skills.
For example, you will learn to better comprehend and explain what you read, which will in turn help you to develop more effective communication skills. However, if you need further practice and guidance, you can hire a professional English tutor to improve your English reading skills. This is particularly important for individuals needing to pass their IELTS exam, where effective IELTS reading tips and techniques are crucial.
In this article, ESL Tutoring Services outlines some helpful tips that you can follow on how you can improve your English reading skills.
Tips on How to Improve Your Reading Skills
1. Set Aside Time to Read Each Day
One of the effective approaches to build your skills is to practise. You can take 10-15 minutes every day to develop your reading skills. Reading fiction, news articles, newspapers, magazines, or any kind of text may help you practise your reading skills.
By reading books, you’ll expand your vocabulary, improve spelling whilst getting a better grasp on grammar, and punctuation. Need somewhere to start? Pick a topic that interests you and you’ll want to read until the end.
2. Set Reading Goals
You can set reading goals for yourself to help you expand your vocabulary, obtain a better grasp of different texts, and enhance your ability to link what you read to your thoughts and ideas.
For example, make a goal to learn new terminology connected to a primary topic such as technology, business management, or any area that interests you. Then, as you read, you can look up definitions for uncommon words to help you expand your vocabulary.
You can increase the difficulty level of the texts you read as your vocabulary grows to more complex words and phrases. You can also check the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day website that displays intriguing, distinctive, or beautiful words of the day. This is an entertaining and engaging method to start enhancing your vocabulary.
3. Preview the Texts You Read
Scanning (or skim-reading) over any reading materials is another way to improve your reading abilities. It is a reading technique that allows you to find specific information or a particular fact quicker, grasping the text's essential points and identifying information that you'll want to read in greater depth.
You don't have to read everything word for word when scanning. You simply move your eyes in a wavelike motion across the words.This method can be used by looking at the captions, titles, headlines, and other text characteristics to understand what you're reading.
By utilising the scanning technique you can create central ideas about the book before you even begin reading it.
4. Determine the Purpose
Practise analyzing the purpose of various texts as you read them. Consider why different texts were written and what meanings or themes might be derived from them. Knowing why you're reading a text might assist you in identifying crucial concepts and details that support your purpose.
5. Take Notes While You Read
Taking notes while reading is another effective strategy for enhancing your reading skills.
For example, while reading a fiction novel, you might take notes to better grasp the author's language choices, or while reading a science magazine, you might jot down new words.When you take good notes, you'll be more likely to ask questions and create connections regarding what you're reading.
Or, in some cases, when reading Australian material, you notice that they have a unique way with words, and many people are perplexed by Aussie lingo.You can keep a list of all the interesting and confusing words and phrases you come across and have your Australian friends or co-workers explain them.
This could be an excellent approach to studying and remembering the lingo Down Under.
6. Apply Key Reading Strategies
Follow essential strategies such as predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing to help you improve your comprehension when reading different books. For example, you could identify the text structure as informative, persuasive, or educational when reading a text.
These reading strategies can give you a competitive edge when it comes to improving your comprehension. You may also be able to identify elements of various texts, such as central themes, problems and possible solutions, or comparative concepts presented in what you read.
7. Summarising What You Read
Reading skills can also be improved by summarising what you've read. Summarising requires you to recall specific details from what you've read in your own words and from your point of view.
You may try vocally summarising what you read with a friend or writing a summary to assist you in remembering and comprehending what you read.
For example, reading a daily newspaper will keep you informed about current events while also improving your ability to comprehend complex issues and summarise what you read to a friend or while writing your piece.
ESL Tutoring Services
ESL Tutoring Services is Australia's leading professional English tutoring service that can equip you with tools and techniques to improve your English reading skills, from basic to intermediate to advanced,or for business purposes. ESL Tutoring Services provides English tutoring in the locations listed below, as well as online:
Contact us today and let’s work on your English skill development programme. You can also reach us by email at info@esltutoringservices.com or by phone at 1300 137 186.