Tips to Improve Reading

Do you know that along with improving your vocabulary, reading can also make you smarter? It increases your knowledge, exercises your brain, and enhances your concentration! However, most of us would instead do anything but sit idle with a book for hours.

If you are trying to improve your reading skills, we have good news for you! With these 5 simple tricks, you can enhance your reading and enjoy it too! Scroll down to read about 5 ways to have fun while you work on improving your reading skills.

Understand What You Read

Reading is not all about going over words fluently. It is essential to understand what you read. It is because, obviously, how can you enjoy a book when you are only reading the words and not understanding a thing?

One way to better understand the text that you read is to stop and think about it. It is advisable to skim through the page that you are about to read before you start reading it. Browse through it for a few seconds and observe things like whether it contains dialogues or not? Does it have titles and subtitles?

Are there any words in bold or italic that you must emphasise on? Doing this quick activity will help you understand the words when you start reading them. It will also help you enjoy the book!

Improve Fluency

While fluency may not be everything, it is still vital. Fluency is the most important thing to be a good reader. One way to become fluent is to practice “sight words.” What are sight words? Well, they are the words that you should not have to spell out every time you read them. Instead, you should recognise them by merely looking at them. Practice these words to make sure you don’t ever pause or stutter while reading. You can even call your friends and practice it as a fun activity. Challenge them to see who can go through the list faster!

Master the Skill

So, you understand what you read, and you are fluent, now it’s time to master the skill! The best way to become a pro at reading is to read out loud. Reading out loud will not only polish your reading and understanding, but it will also help you improve your speaking, pronunciation, and listening. 

Mix it up

Remember, you are not going to read the same kind of text forever. Most of us like to read a certain type of books. For example, you may be into poetry, or maybe you enjoy reading stories. However, it is essential to try and understand all sorts of texts. Don’t limit yourself to books. You can try reading the newspaper, magazines, online blogs, and even tweets! In this way, you will get to learn new words every day. Plus, you will never get bored!

‍Reading is a Serious Business

Sure, reading book is an enjoyable activity. However, when you are doing it to improve your reading skills, it requires all your attention and determination. Start by choosing a good book and select a quiet spot.

Every time you finish reading, jot down a few lines about it. Make a list of all the new words that you understand and practice them like your sight words. You can also, try re-reading some text to improve your fluency and don’t forget to read out loud!

Follow these tips to become a pro at reading and ace all your reading exams in no time!