How can reading improve your language skills?

_{There are many advantages to reading if you would like to improve your English.} 

_{1: Firstly, reading improves your vocabulary!} 

_{You discover new words and expressions for various subjects.  Seeing the words in use and in context helps you to understand their meaning and how they can be used.  Also, seeing them repeated again and again helps you to memorize them, so that you can use them yourself in writing or speaking.  This is much more effective than simply reading a word and its definition in a list or a dictionary. You will also discover expressions, formal and informal, and how they are used.} 

_{Why is this important? The more vocabulary you learn, the more ideas you can express comfortably in English!}

_{As you read, you can underline new words and expressions, or note them in a notebook. This will help you to remember them and use them in discussion.} 

_{2: Secondly, reading can help your grammar.}

_{We often study grammar books, with explanations followed by practice exercises. This is a good base, but reading books allows you to see different conjugations and grammar points applied in various situations and contexts, so you see and understand why and how certain structures are used.} 

_{3: Of course, your reading skills and fluency will improve as you read.}

_{The more you read, the easier it will be, and your fluency will improve as you see natural ways to form sentences, questions, dialogues…}

_{It might sound surprising, but reading also improves pronunciation and intonation, if you practice reading parts of the story out loud or by recording your voice and listening to yourself. You can also listen to an audio version of the book, hearing native pronunciation of the reader..} 

_{4: Finally, reading even improves your writing!} 

_{Again, as you read, you regularly see grammar structures, vocabulary, a variety of text forms like dialogues, narration, etc.  You will have more and more knowledge to apply to your own writing, whether it is for work or pleasure.}  

_{One way to practice writing as you read is to write a short summary after each chapter, or a small text with your thoughts and reactions to the pages you are reading.} 

_{Here are some tips for progressing as much as possible while reading!} 

• _{Do it regularly! Even a few pages a day is great.}
• _{Read various types of texts, such as books, articles, magazines, comics, etc.} 
• _{Read something that interests you! This will keep you motivated over time.} 
• _{Look at the context. You don’t need to understand every word, and spend a lot of time searching vocabulary in the dictionary. It is great to note some new words, but you can also aim to understand the idea of the sentence using the context even if you are missing a word or two.} 
• _{Take notes: note down new vocabulary and expressions, interesting quotes, etc}
• _{Discuss with another reader if possible: a friend, a reading partner, or a book club!}

_{Check out our Book Clubs in the Schedule link and come read and discuss a book with us!}