essay about how to improve your reading skills

Reading these problematic passages aloud can often help circumvent that block and help you to form a visual of what the text is trying to convey.

Tip 3: Re-read (or Skim) Previous Sections of the Text

For the most part, reading is a personal activity that happens entirely in your head. So don't feel you have to read just like anyone else if "typical" methods don't work for you. Sometimes it can make the most sense to read (or re-read) a text out of order.

It is often helpful to glance backwards through a piece of text (or even re-read large sections) to remind yourself of any information you need and have forgotten—what happened previously, what a particular word means, who a person was...the list is endless.

Previous sentences, sections, or even whole chapters can provide helpful context clues. Re-reading these passages will help to refresh your memory so that you can better understand and interpret later sections of the text.

Tip 4: Skim or Read Upcoming Sections of the Text

Just like with the previous step, don't feel that the only way to read and understand a text is to work through it completely linearly. Allow yourself the freedom to take apart the text and put it back together again in whichever way makes the most sense to you.

Sometimes a current confusion in a work will be explained later on in the text, and it can help you to know that explanations are upcoming or even just to read them ahead of time.

So skip forward or backwards, re-read or read ahead as you need to, take the piece in whatever order you need to in order to make sense of the text. Not everyone thinks linearly, and not everyone best understands texts linearly either.

Tip 5: Discuss the Text With a Friend (Even an Imaginary Friend)

Sometimes discussing what you know so far about a text can help clear up any confusion. If you have a friend who hasn't read the text in question, then explain it to them in your own words, and discuss where you feel your comprehension is lacking. You'll find that you've probably understood more than you think once you've been forced to explain it to someone who's completely unfamiliar with the piece.

Even if no one else is in the room, trying to teach or discuss what a passage says or means with "someone else" can be extremely beneficial. In fact, software engineers call this technique "rubber duck debugging," wherein they explain a coding problem to a rubber duck. This forces them to work through a problem aloud, which has proven time and time again to help people solve problems. So if a piece of text has your head spinning from trying to work through it by yourself, start chatting with your nearest friend/pet/rubber duck. You'll be surprised with how much easier it is to understand a text once you've talked it through with someone.

Even if that someone is a duck.

The Take-Aways

Improving reading comprehension takes time and effort, but it can be done. Be patient with yourself, work through your reading comprehension steps, and try not to get frustrated with yourself if you feel your progress is slow or if you feel you're "falling behind." You will utilize your reading skills throughout your life, so go at a pace that works for you, and take care to maintain that balance between reading for pure pleasure and reading for dedicated improvement.

As you begin to incorporate more and more reading into your daily life, you'll find that comprehension will become easier, and reading will become more fun. In every piece of text, there are worlds of meaning to explore, and learning how to uncover them can be the ultimate rewarding journey.

What's Next?

Can't get enough reading? Whether as part of your reading practice or just for fun, check out our picks for the 31 best books to read in high school.

Problems with procrastination? Whether you're studying for the SAT's or studying your reading comprehension vocabulary check out how to beat procrastination and get your studies back on track.

Want to earn better grades? Our guide will help you get that 4.0 you're striving for .

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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How to Improve Your English Reading Skills

Reading comprehension, or your ability to understand what you read, is a key skill that should be trained to make sure that you understand the words on the pages whenever you read an English book.

While reading more is one way to work on your comprehension, there are tips and methods you can implement to make your reading more effective.

This article will help you improve your English reading skills with proven strategies for smarter, more efficient reading practice.

1. Make Special Time to Read

2. use a good dictionary, 3. use context clues, 4. learn to read english with the right books, 5. check the difficulty level, 6. do both intensive and extensive reading, 7. read more smoothly with sight words, 8. get familiar with english spelling conventions, 9. focus on repeated words, 10. remember vocabulary with flashcards, 11. make a language journal, 12. ask yourself questions , 13. look for clues to “get the gist”, 14. break up readings into chunks, 15. write a summary, 16. discuss the text, 17. reread short articles, 18. do reading comprehension exercises, 19. read many kinds of texts, 20. read and listen with subtitles, 21. check popular forums and blogs, 22. be consistent with reading, reading recommendations by level, beginner to intermediate, intermediate, intermediate to advanced, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

If you’re reading to improve your comprehension, you need to focus and study.

This means making a special time for reading without risk of being interrupted. You should try to spend at least 30 minutes every day on focused reading. 

To turn your reading process into a ritual:

• Find a quiet, comfortable spot with bright lighting to sit.
• Get everything you might need ready before you sit down, such as a pen, notebook and something to drink. 
• Decide how long you will read.
• Put all your electronics on silent mode (or turn them off) and put them away.

If you have a specific process for reading practice, then your brain will know when you’re about to work on your comprehension. As a result, you’ll be more focused before you even start.

If you’re a beginner learner, choose an English dictionary that translates words into your native language. There are also learner’s dictionaries, which explain words using simple terms.

• Thousands of learner friendly videos (especially beginners)
• Handpicked, organized, and annotated by FluentU's experts
• Integrated into courses for beginners

For more advanced learners, I recommend using a  monolingual  dictionary—one that has definitions only in English with no translations. Monolingual dictionaries force you to  think in English  rather than relying on your native language.

For a dictionary that translates English into multiple languages , check out  WordReference . It covers dozens of languages, such as French, German, Russian, Japanese and Dutch. WordReference also has a monolingual English dictionary.

For online content, you can use LingQ ‘s built-in translation features. LingQ allows you to choose unknown words in any text, get an automatic translation and then convert those words to flashcards.

Just because you find a good dictionary doesn’t mean you should look up every single new word! 

Using context clues means trying to understand a new word by looking at what’s around it. If you’re stuck on a word you don’t know, try looking at the whole sentence for a hint about what it means .

Don’t stop to look up every new word. It’s harder to focus on your reading if you keep interrupting it. You can write down the word and look it up later. Only look up a word if without it, you can’t understand what you’re reading.

• Interactive subtitles: click any word to see detailed examples and explanations
• Slow down or loop the tricky parts
• Show or hide subtitles
• Review words with our powerful learning engine

When you’re choosing books (and other texts) to read, keep two things in mind:

1. What you’re interested in

2. Your reading level

Whenever you can, you should read things that you enjoy. You should also choose books that are at an English level just above the one you’re most comfortable with . You want to challenge yourself enough to learn new things, but not so much that you frustrated with your reading.

You can use this test from the British Council’s Learn English website to get a general idea of your reading level:

• Beginners should aim for texts specifically made for beginner learners . These include dialogues, short readings about common topics or children’s books.
• Intermediate learners can read longer texts, news articles and popular novels with simpler language. 
• Advanced learners  can read almost anything, but should approach some classic literature such as Shakespeare’s plays with caution.

Not sure where to start? There are lots of places online where you can find recommendations for books to learn English reading:

• Listopia on Goodreads is full of lists created by people just like you.
• What Should I Read Next? gives you book recommendations based on a book that you like or even a list of your favorites. 
• Jellybooks helps you discover new books and sample 10%, which means you can try the book and see if it’s a good fit for you.
• Whichbook is a very different kind of website—you choose the kinds of things you’re looking for in a book (happy/sad, beautiful/disgusting) and the website gives you suggestions based on that.

I’ve also added a detailed list of reading recommendations per level at the end of this post.

• Learn words in the context of sentences
• Swipe left or right to see more examples from other videos
• Go beyond just a superficial understanding

Once you’ve picked a book, double-check its difficulty level by making sure that it has no more than 10% unknown words .

Count the number of words on a page or paragraph, and then count the number of words you don’t recognize. Divide the number of unknown words by the number of total words, multiply by 100, and you’ll see what percentage of words you don’t know.

Here’s a rough guide: 

• 0-2% new words: The text is too easy for you.
• 4%-6% new words:  The text is just right.
• 8% new words:  This text might be too hard for you. (You might try it anyway if it’s something you really want to read.)
• 10% (or more) new words:  This text is too hard right now. Set it aside for later, when you’ve learned more English words.

There are two kinds of English reading that you have to practice: Intensive reading and extensive reading.  

Intensive reading is when you try to understand every word on the page . 

This is the kind of reading you do when you have some time to focus. Most of the tips below are about how to make the most out of intensive reading. 

When you practice intensive reading, pick a fairly short text that interests you. If you have a really long text—or you just don’t care about the topic—you might give up before you finish.

• FluentU builds you up, so you can build sentences on your own
• Start with multiple-choice questions and advance through sentence building to producing your own output
• Go from understanding to speaking in a natural progression.

Aside from intensive reading, you also need to do extensive reading , which simply means casually reading anything you see in English . Don’t stress. Don’t worry about what every word means.

Read a new recipe. Read an email. Read a blog post.

Read billboards along the highway. Read newspaper headlines.

It doesn’t matter  what  you read—just read in English. Anything. Everything.

The more extensive reading you do, the more comfortable you’ll be with reading in English. 

Fluency is how smoothly you can read. When you read in your head, you should have a certain rhythm to the words, understanding full sentences rather than going one word at a time. The words should flow together naturally, like when somebody is talking. 

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To improve your fluency, look out for “sight words.” These are words that you should know by sight and should not have to think about how to read them.

Find a good list of sight words, like this one , and take about a minute or two every day to read the words as fast as you can.

English spelling often doesn’t reflect the actual sounds of a word . When you read in English, the voice in your head can get stuck on new words that you don’t know how to pronounce.

Don’t be discouraged!

By learning common spelling conventions, that reading voice will maintain the flow of English and you’ll improve your overall reading ability:

• kn:  The  kn-  at the beginning of a word is pronounced as simply  n , as in the words “know” and “knife.”
• wh:  The  -h-  in  wh-  words such as “what” or “when” is silent and isn’t pronounced.
• c :  This letter typically sounds like  s  before the vowels  e, i  or  y, like in the word “city.” Otherwise, it typically sounds like  k,  like in the word “cat.”

It’s important to be smart about which words you look up as you read. I recommend looking up words that are repeated more than three times in a passage , or words that appear crucial to the meaning of a sentence.

In other words, don’t look up every single unknown word while you’re reading. Think about it—it’ll get boring and break up the flow of reading.

When you read a text for the first time, underline or highlight unknown words .

Once you’re done reading, go back and identify the repeated words and words that are crucial to understanding. Now you can look those up and write down translations or definitions.

Finally, read the text again with your word list and watch as you understand the text more fully.

A great way to build up your vocabulary and reading fluency is to create flashcards of important words. But don’t just stop there: Review these flashcards often .

While reading, keep your word lists or flashcards handy. You can refer to these if that word comes up again while reading for fast translation.

As you come across these words while reading new content, move them to the back of your flashcard pile. This counts as review, and you don’t need to review words if you feel you’ve already learned them!

Anki is a great app for creating your own digital flashcards and accessing them on the go. 

Aside from making flashcards, you can use a language journal (notebook) for practice.

In the pages of your journal, try writing sentences with your new English vocabulary . Make your own definition for each English word you’ve learned. Use colored pencils to draw pictures of what the words mean.

Every once in a while, look back at older pages in your language journal. Review words to keep your memories of them strong. And feel proud of how much you’ve learned!

Taking notes and asking yourself questions can help you really understand an English text. 

Before you read , here are a few questions you can ask yourself to prepare:

• Are there any words in bold or italics ?
• Are there titles or subtitles?
• What are some of the names mentioned?
• Is there a lot of dialogue?
• Are the paragraphs short or long?

While you’re reading , try asking these questions: 

• What’s happening now?
• Who’s speaking here?
• Why did he do that?
• What is she thinking?

After reading , the questions below can also get you think about what you did and did not understand:

• What was the text about?
• What are the most important things that happened in the text?
• Did anything confuse you?
• Did anything surprise you?
• Are there any parts you didn’t understand?

The  gist is the overall meaning. Practice using clues to get the gist of a text quickly and effectively. Use these tips to improve your overall understand of what you’re reading. 

For example:

• Use a highlighter to  identify important information or main ideas  in the text.
• Pay attention to verb tenses  so that you understand the timeline of the story. (Are past, present or future events being described?)
• Examine any images that accompany the text. These images often give vital information and can help your understanding. 

Reading can be tiring, so break it up into manageable chunks (pieces). Aim for between one and three paragraphs to start. As you build your skills, you can start reading with longer and longer chunks of text.

You can also simply break up your reading by time. In particular, I recommend trying the Pomodoro method . For every 25 minutes of reading, take a five-minute break to give your brain a rest.

After reading a text, you can write a short summary of what you’ve read. This can just be a   couple of sentences that present the main ideas .

Writing a summary is a great way to reinforce what the text was about as well as use new vocabulary in context. I like to write summaries down in my notebook and then underline the new vocabulary that I learned from reading the text.

Writing summaries will also help you notice any parts of the text that you didn’t fully understand, so you can go back and re-read. 

Call upon an English-speaking friend or conversation partner to help you understand what you read.

You can explain the text to them. Your friend could then ask you questions about what you’ve read.

By talking about what you’ve read with a fluent English speaker , you can make sure that you understood the text. Another bonus is that you’ll practice listening and speaking in English.

Sometimes reading a text just once isn’t enough to understand it. Rereading is great for finding things you might have missed the first time and reviewing new words. 

Try these out:

• Choose something that takes less than five minutes to read . This can be a story or a news article.
• Read the text at your own pace, then write down everything you can remember–every little detail, even parts of sentences if you remember them.
• Read the text again and write down what you can remember. Do you see how much more you remember the second time around?

Every time you read something, you understand more of it. When you want to get the most out of your reading, try reading three or more times:

• The first time, focus on understanding the words.
• The second time, focus on the meaning.
• The third time, you can start asking deeper questions like “what is the author really trying to say?” or “how does this news affect the rest of the world?”

For more structured practice, you can do reading comprehension exercises, which are designed to test how much you understand and improve your reading ability.

Generally, these exercises start with a short text. Then you have to answer multiple choice or fill-in-the-blanks questions, or even longer written responses about the text. 

Whatever your level, here are some useful places to find online reading comprehension exercises:

• AgendaWeb  offers texts for all levels of English as well as short stories and fairy tales that include audio.
• My English Pages has hundreds of exercises for various topics including science, history and biographies.
• The ESL Lounge also has exercises broken into four levels.

To find even more online, look up “ESL reading comprehension quiz.”

Today we don’t just read books and newspapers. We read blogs, emails, Tweets and chats. The more you read anything in English, the better you’ll get at the language.

Magazine Line is a good place to go to find digital or print magazines on just about any subject. They give you lower prices on magazine subscriptions, and you may be able to save even more if you’re a student .

You can also check out aggregators —websites that take news and interesting articles and put them together for you to look through. A couple of useful aggregators are Mix , which helps you find new websites based on your interests, and  Digg , which collects interesting stories from around the Internet onto one page.

It might seem strange, but another great way to practice reading is to watch English videos with subtitles or transcripts .

That way, you will read the words while hearing how a native speaker says them. Because English is not a phonetic language, the subtitles remind you how to spell a certain word, regardless of the sound.

Watching movies and videos is probably the most fun and interactive way of learning English. I don’t know about you, but I spent a lot of my younger years watching “Friends” and learned  a lot  of English from the TV show.

You can do similar things with  TED Talks or Netflix . 

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

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Read the transcript before you watch the video, then read along with the subtitles as the video plays. Since you have to keep up with the speed of the video, you’ll be training your fluency this way.

Do you know that ChatGPT , the chatbot that is making waves all over the internet because of how well it can communicate, read Reddit threads to teach itself language?

Forums like  Reddit ,  Quora  and  Yahoo Answers contain English in its most natural forms, as it is all written casually by native speakers. Even if there are spelling and grammar mistakes, conversations are mostly enlightening, natural and full of everyday words. 

Aside from forums, you can add some personality and fun to your English reading practice with blogs in English . They discuss all kinds of topics in a lively and friendly way. You can even be part of the conversation—and practice your English writing skills—by leaving a comment now and then!

Perhaps the most important tip to learn English reading is to make sure you read consistently. Remember, a little bit of reading every day is better than reading a lot once a month. Aim to create a reading habit!

If you become frustrated or bored, I suggest changing your reading material. Reading things you’re interested in will improve your reading skills tremendously, and the best way to become better at reading English is to read what you enjoy.

Now that you know how to maximize your English reading, I’ll show you what kind of English texts would work well for you based on your level:

• Children’s picture books — These books have simple words and pictures, and they teach you basic English words so you can talk about the world around you. Some of them are funny and some of them are  touching (sweet or emotional).
• Easy fairy tales — These magical stories have been told for many, many years. They’re a part of cultures all over the world. Chance are, you probably know a few of them already—which will make it even easier for you to understand them.
• Simple short stories — Aside from fairy tales, many short stories are easy enough for beginning English learners because they use simple language to make you think about big, important ideas. 
• Graded readers – These are specially made for learners, with lots of different themes. There aren’t too many hard words, but you’ll still find new ones to learn. Some of the readers come with audio, so you can listen to the stories as you read them.
• Bilingual readers – In these special books , the text is in both English and your native language. You can focus on the English text and only look at the translation when you need a little help.
• Superhero comics – Superhero comic books are exciting, filled with colorful characters and illustrations  (drawings). You’ll recognize the characters, like Superman and Batman, from television and films.
• Popular books – Keep up with the crowd with these best-selling books. Find thrillers, suspense, romance and more. Popular books are some of the best books to learn English !
• Translated books from your own culture — You first read a book in your own language, from your own culture. Then you find an English translated version of it, read that through, and carefully compare the two versions. Some examples of books in a language pair are: “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo”  (French) —  “The Count of Monte Cristo, ” “Ngược dòng nước lũ” (Vietnamese) — “Against the Flood”  and “Cien años de soledad” (Spanish) — “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”  
• Short stories — Challenge yourself in just a few minutes a day with intermediate-level short stories in English that you can read quickly. You can even find some new English words to learn with these spooky  (scary)  ghost stories in English .
• Interactive Books — Get extra adventure with these books that let  you decide what happens . There are also text-based video games such as Zork that you can read like a book.
• Long reads — These are usually long articles that offers a wider and more complex perspective on contemporary issues. The quality of writing is high, so you can benefit from the best writing and best information. You can find long reads on websites such as Longreads and Reddit’s Longreads subreddit . My favorite source for long reads is  The Guardian  because the articles are also recorded and published as podcasts .
• Funny stories —  These books take humor to a more grown-up level, with parody that  pokes fun at (makes fun of) serious subjects and puns that play with English words. Humor can be hard to translate, so reading these will help you better understand English-speaking cultures.
• Fantasy and science fiction — These books often use imaginative ideas that take you beyond simple English words. Some fantastic reads for intermediate English learners are “Harry Potter” , “A Wrinkle in Time,” “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “The Martian Chronicles.”
• TV tie-in books and movie novelizations — Read novelizations (movies written as books) of your favorite films or choose stories with familiar characters from the television shows you love. There are series of novels related to popular shows, such as “A Game of Thrones,” “Star Trek,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and “Charmed.”
• Simple poems — Poems can say volumes in just a few short words. They often use words you won’t find in everyday English conversation, and they help you learn the rhythm of English. Try reading and studying a few poems perfect for learning English . You can also watch slam poetry performances with transcripts, like “A love poem for lonely prime numbers” and “If I should have a daughter…”
• Classic books — A book becomes “classic” because it stands the test of time. Reading the “classics”—important pieces of English literature—can help you better understand the culture of the English-speaking world. Most classic books are available for free to read online , on cool websites like  Project Gutenberg . Some of my favorites include  “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,”   “Emma” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
• Iconic plays — A lot of English-language plays have influenced (made their mark on) how people think about certain subjects. Try reading some of these well-known plays aloud, since they’re meant to be performed: “Our Town,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Raisin in the Sun.”
• Literary poems — Literary poems can be tricky to read even for native speakers! If you’re up for a challenge and want to read classic poems, study the works of Edgar Allan Poe ,  T.S. Eliot  or  Emily Dickinson . Another great source of literary poems is Poetry Foundation , which features a mix of classic and modern poems. 

Learning to read English might take time, but it pays off a lot because you’ll have so much fun, widen your cultural knowledge and improve other skills at the same time.

Pick the reading tips and resources that suit you best or try all of them out to bring your English to the highest level of fluency!

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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How to Improve Your Reading Skills

Last Updated: February 28, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Soren Rosier, PhD . Soren Rosier is an Education Expert based in Palo Alto, CA. He is the founder of PeerTeach, a platform that empowers students to grow their leadership, confidence, and love of math through AI-powered peer tutoring. Additionally, he is an instructor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, where he teaches courses on designing impactful tools for learning. Before beginning his PhD, he taught middle school in Oakland, developed teacher training programs, and evaluated the efficacy of popular ed tech products at SRI International. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a PhD in Learning Sciences & Technology Design at Stanford University. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,738,527 times.

Many people have trouble with reading. Reading well takes time, patience, and practice! The most important thing to figure out is the purpose of your reading: looking at instructions to build furniture and studying a textbook are not the same thing! Once you’ve figured out your purpose, you can choose to focus on what are known as intensive reading techniques that stress things like vocabulary and speed, or instead on extensive techniques that will help you engage with the meaning of a text in a deeper way.

Pre Reading

• For instance, if you’re reading to follow instructions (like a recipe or assembly guide), you’ll need to understand the exact meaning of each step.
• If you’re reading a text that has lots of information, like a textbook, then you’ll be reading most of all for new information on things you don’t know or understand.

• If you’re reading to gain information (for instance, to meet work or school requirements), you’ll probably want to try extensive techniques.
• If you’re reading to practice pronunciation, learn vocabulary, or study grammar, you’ll probably want to try intensive techniques.

• Does the work have a title?
• Is there a table of contents you can scan?
• Is the work divided into separate sections?
• Does the work have any “extras,” like bolded key words, illustrations, or graphs?

Reading Intensively

• Don’t get too caught up in parts you don’t fully understand. If you can summarize the main point of what you’re reading, then you’re doing ok.

• For example, say you read the following sentence and wanted to know what "pessimist" means: My mother is always happy and optimistic, the total opposite of my brother, the pessimist.
• From the sentence, you can gather that "pessimist" means the opposite of happy: being moody and angry.

• Read whatever interests you, if you’re just trying to improve your basic skill.
• Rereading things you’ve already gone through can build your confidence.

Soren Rosier, PhD

Be thoughtful about the books you choose to read. PhD candidate and former teacher Soren Rosier says: "The best thing to do to get better at reading is to read a lot independently. Look for books that you're interested in, and that are also at your reading level. If you're reading texts that are too hard and you have to struggle through them, then you're not going to enjoy reading."

Reading Extensively

• For instance, you can make bullet points to summarize every time you come to a major idea.
• If there are key terms or dates in whatever you’re reading, make a note of those as well.
• If there are parts you don’t understand, write down the questions you have and come back to them later.

• If you have trouble summarizing or remembering any part of what you’ve read, go back over it again.
• You can also try writing out a summary in an outline form, rather than full sentences.

• If you come across a word or concept that seems important but is not clearly defined in the text, look up its meaning in a dictionary or encyclopedia (either online or print).
• If you see certain words being used over and over again, that’s another sign that they’re important for what you’re reading and worth looking up.

Staying Focused and Motivated

• To improve reading aloud you can even pair yourself with someone you feel is a better reader. While your partner is reading, listen to your their pronunciation, speed, and rhythm. Take a turn yourself, then ask for feedback.

• Try reading in a quiet, well-lit place with a desk and comfortable chair, if you can.

Community Q&A

Tips from our Readers

• Try to avoid listening to music or putting the TV on in the background while you read. It can make it harder to track what's happening in the book if you have too much going on noise-wise.
• Try reading a little bit before bed every night. Not only is it a good way to improve your reading skills, but you might have some fun dreams about whatever you've read!
• If you're new to reading, choose books with fun pictures! It really makes the process more enjoyable.
• Whenever you come across a word you don't recognize, stop and look it up.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/chapter/use-pre-reading-strategies/
• ↑ https://usq.pressbooks.pub/academicsuccess/chapter/reading/
• ↑ https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/reading-strategies
• ↑ https://www.readingrockets.org/article/using-collaborative-strategic-reading
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-aloud/
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-learn-new-words-while-writing/
• ↑ https://success.oregonstate.edu/learning/reading
• ↑ https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/professional-development/teachers/knowing-subject/d-h/extensive-reading
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/taking-notes-while-reading/
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/annotating-texts/
• ↑ https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/chapter/writing-summaries/
• ↑ http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/paired_reading
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-textbooks-effectively/

About This Article

To improve your reading skills, start by reading every day for at least 15-30 minutes, since the more you read the easier it will become. Additionally, read out loud if you can, since reading out loud will help you learn more as you both see and hear what you’re reading. When you come across words you don’t know, first try to guess their meaning through context. Then, if you need to, write them down and go back later to look them up. You can also take notes on key words and concepts to better understand, process, and remember what you’re reading. To learn how to read if you're looking for individual details or for the bigger picture, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Improve Your Reading Comprehension

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Reading Comprehension Fundamentals

How to approach a reading comprehension passage, how to analyze a reading comprehension passage, how to prepare for reading comprehension questions on standardized tests, how to answer reading comprehension questions on standardized tests, resources for teaching reading comprehension.

To succeed in high school, college, and beyond, it is important not just to read, but to read effectively. For that reason, many of your in-class assessments and standardized tests ask you to read a passage and answer questions about it—an exercise often referred to as "critical reading." On college-entrance exams like the SAT and ACT, you might have to classify the passage by genre, identify the main idea, paraphrase, summarize, or define vocabulary in context; in some cases, you might have to analyze rhetoric, grammar, tone, and other aspects of prose composition. This guide is a collection of dozens of links to reading comprehension resources that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your reading and test-taking skills.

What is reading comprehension? Why is it important? The resources in this section help you get a grip on one of the fundamental aspects of education in English—or any language. It includes introductions to the concept of reading comprehension as well as general advice for reading in an academic context.

"What is Reading Comprehension?" (K12 Reader)

This page provides a solid yet succinct grounding in reading comprehension fundamentals, including an explanation of what reading comprehension is, how it develops, and why it's so important. 

Wikipedia Article on "Reading Comprehension"

Wikipedia's article literally defines "reading comprehension," discussing its history, relationship to vocabulary, and strategies for improvement. It includes links to scientific studies and education journals.

"How and Why We Read" (YouTube)

In this seven minute video, John Green introduces his multi-part course—Crash Course English Literature—beginning with the importance of robust reading skills.

"10 Reading Comprehension Strategies All Students Need" (ThoughtCo)

Written by a former high school social studies teacher, this blog post provides 10 strategies educators can use to help students improve their reading comprehension. The list includes generating questions, reading aloud, annotating, summarizing, and more. 

The first step to tackling any reading comprehension test is to read the passage. Having difficulty with genre, language, and style? Are you afraid of running out of time, or are you looking for ways to read quickly and efficiently? This section contains video tutorials and articles to help you approach reading comprehension passages. 

"The Best Way to Read the Passage in SAT Reading" (Prep Scholar)

This blog post outlines the types of passages you might see on the SAT reading test—those relating to U.S. and World Literature, History and Social Studies, and Science—and the unique strategies you should use when approaching each one.

"Top 10 New SAT Reading Tips" (Magoosh)

This blog post discusses what and how to read outside of school to improve your reading skills, as well as how to familiarize yourself with the prose styles (even that tricky nineteenth-century Victorian prose) and question types on the exam. 

"ACT Reading: How to Improve Your Reading Comprehension for Fiction Passages" (YouTube)

This video tutorial by Kaplan focuses on the ACT's fiction reading passages, giving you tips for approaching the fiction passage as well as answering questions about it.

"ACT Reading: How to Understand the Passage Despite the Science Jargon" (YouTube)

This video tutorial by Kaplan is geared toward the ACT's science reading passages, showing how to find what a passage is about without getting bogged down by confusing specialist vocabulary.

Once you've read the passage, you'll need to analyze it. What is the main idea? Can you point to supporting details and evidence? Can you summarize or paraphrase the passage? What is the passage's tone? The resources in this section help you break the passage down, making sure you understand the basics before you answer questions.

"How to Find the Main Idea" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post explains what the main idea is and how to identify it in a sentence, paragraph, or passage. Besides showing you how to use the passage's topic, summary, first and last sentences, and repeated words, it points out common mistakes to avoid.

"Finding the Main Idea When Reading" (Columbia College)

This webpage shares helpful hints: where the main idea is located (if explicitly stated), how to figure it out if it's implicit, and how to double-check if you've got the right main idea.

"How to Summarize a Passage With One-Sentence Summary Frames" (Classroom)

This helpful blog post discusses how to summarize longer passages succinctly using "frames," or templates such as "X happens because Y" or "X and Y are similar in that ____, but different in that ____." 

"Summarizing a Paragraph" (Long Beach City College)

On this handout, you'll find a four-part method to use when summarizing: "preview and read," "make a list or outline," "write a summary," and "read aloud and correct." The method is demonstrated in a detailed example.

"Critical Reading Skill: Identifying Tone" (Brainfuse)

This page uses examples from the GRE (a test similar to the SAT and ACT, but for entrance to graduate school) to show how to identify tone while reading using key words, specific details, and comparisons.

Khan Academy Live: "SAT Reading Class" (YouTube)

This free, 40-minute class walks through the kinds of questions on the SAT, and how to read the passage with them in mind. Using the strategy of "Rephrase and Predict," you'll be equipped to answer two common question types: "Words in Context" and "Command of Evidence."

Still looking for ways to read better? Do you struggle to read everything in the time provided, or do you read so quickly that you don't remember what you've read? This section is filled with more resources to support your reading comprehension practice, including video tutorials and discussion forums relating to common standardized tests.

SAT Reading Test Tips Share Space (Khan Academy)

Scroll through this forum to see what advice other test-takers have for SAT reading comprehension. There are discussion boards for General Tips, as well as for the Writing and Language Test specifically; this is a place for people with different experiences and learning styles to respond to your questions.

"Most Common Mistake: SAT Reading" (YouTube)

SuperTutor identifies "ignoring context" as the most common mistake students make on the SAT Reading test. Take a look at her tutorial (which walks through example questions and answers) and see how to avoid this trap.

"Ultimate Guide to the New SAT Reading and Writing Test" (College Vine)

This blog post introduces you to the components of the current SAT Reading test, the skills it assesses, and the kinds of questions the test uses to assess those skills. The in-depth post is followed up with test-taking strategies and links to free study materials.

"Best ACT Reading Prep Strategies, Tips, and Tricks" (YouTube)

This video tutorial culls its most popular tips and tricks from a longer series by the same creators, Best ACT Prep. It shows how to budget time when reading, and how to read for the information you're likely to be asked to recall in the questions.

"How to Speed Read Your Way to ACT" Success (YouTube)

Slow readers will benefit particularly from this targeted video tutorial from Veritas Prep, which introduces you to the idea of "speed reading" (reading quickly for content) and how to execute it on the ACT. The video contains walk-through examples.

The two primary college entrance exams in the United States, the SAT and the ACT, contain reading comprehension sections. Use the resources in this section to prepare for those exams with tailored guides, quizzes, and exercises. Of course, because classroom assessments and state benchmark exams often mimic the format of the SAT and ACT, these tools might be equally useful in preparing for other reading comprehension tests. 

SAT Suite of Assessments: Reading Test (College Board)

The College Board provides the official introduction to their reading test, including an overview of the exam structure, a video guide, descriptions of passage and question types, and links to sample questions.

"How to Get 800 on SAT Reading" (Prep Scholar)

This in-depth blog post begins with an overview of the SAT Reading, along with thoughts on why it's important to get a good score. It contains a breakdown of how scoring works, plus 11 strategies from a student who got a perfect score on the SAT Reading section.

ACT: Description of Reading Test (ACT, Inc.)

ACT, Inc. provides the official introduction to their reading test. This page describes the three components ("Key Ideas and Details," "Craft and Structure," and "Integration of Knowledge and Ideas") as well as links to sample questions.

"How To Get 36 on ACT Reading" (Prep Scholar)

This extensive blog post begins with an overview of the ACT Reading, along with thoughts on why it's important to get a good score. It features a breakdown of how scoring works, plus 11 strategies from an ACT perfect scorer.

The ACT and the SAT are designed to trick you; questions based on reading comprehension passages not only test your ability to understand what something says, but also your ability to contextualize and extrapolate from it. This section is filled with resources specifically designed for answering questions on college-entrance exams.

"ACT Reading: How to Solve Reading Comprehension Questions" (YouTube)

This video tutorial from Kaplan gives a step-by-step account of how to tackle a reading comprehension question. It suggests questions you can ask yourself while reading the passage, then walks through example questions, demonstrating strategies like focusing on key words and returning to the passage.

"Using Key Words to Answer Questions on the SAT Reading Section" (YouTube)

Veritas Prep suggests using "key words" to search for an answer back in the passage. This two minute tutorial shows how to navigate longer passages effectively when confronted with an information-based question.

"Tips, Tricks, Strategies for the SAT Reading Section" (YouTube)

SuperTutor's SAT crash course walks through example questions on plot, tone, and passage structure, giving you strategies tailored to each of these common question types.

"5 Rules (And One Secret Weapon) for Acing Multiple Choice Tests" (YouTube)

Thomas Frank offers general strategies for multiple choice tests beyond the proverbial "when in doubt, choose C." He shows how to use words in the question to eliminate answers that are obviously wrong, thus narrowing your choices and helping you save time.

Looking for activities, worksheets, games, and practice tests to improve your students' reading comprehension? This section contains everything from complete lesson plans to sample reading comprehension passages (even mobile apps!) that will supplement your work in the classroom.

Reading Comprehension Classroom Activities

"A 'New English' in Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart'" (National Endowment for the Humanities)

This complete lesson plan includes reading assignments, learning objectives, activities, and take-home assignments geared toward assessing the relationship between language, globalization, and multiculturalism in Chinua Achebe's classic novel.

"'Their Eyes Were Watching God': Folk Speech and Figurative Language" (National Endowment for the Humanities)

This complete lesson plan includes reading assignments, learning objectives, activities, and take-home assignments around the topic of metaphor and idiom in Zora Neale Hurston's classic novel.

"Benjamin Franklin's Satire of Witch-Hunting" (America in Class)

This passage is paired with interactive student PDFs and reading comprehension exercises. Exemplifying all that's difficult about nonfiction, satire, and eighteenth-century prose, this activity familiarizes students with a kind of passage they're likely to encounter on the SAT or ACT.

"One-Page Nonfiction Readings, Grades 8 - 10" (DePaul University)

DePaul University curates this suite of one-page PDFs for in-class reading comprehension practice, ranging from political speeches to scientific reports on climate change.

Reading Comprehension Worksheets

"Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Worksheets" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post brings together seven nonfiction reading passages and worksheets to challenge your students. Topics span the scientific (on the role of the carbohydrate in nutrition) to the humanistic ("Minimalism in Art and Design") to the historical (Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?").

"Reading Comprehension Worksheets Grades 1 - 12" (K12 Learning)

K12 has a bank of worksheets organized by grade level. The ten high school worksheets included cover fiction and nonfiction passages, and are paired with questions that simulate the standardized test experience.

"Free Reading Comprehension Worksheets" (BusyTeacher.org)

This web page is stacked with over 1,000 free, downloadable PDF worksheets for all grade levels. Some of the worksheets are short passages with questions, while others are visual organizers and other tools to improve general reading comprehension skills.

"All Reading Worksheets" (E Reading Worksheets)

This former teacher's personal blog is a treasure trove of reading comprehension worksheets. It's notable for organizing worksheets by skill (e.g. "Author's Purpose," "Story Structure," and "Setting") so that you can target specific aspects of reading comprehension and passage analysis. 

Reading Comprehension Games

"SAT Reading and Writing Practice" (Khan Academy)

These free tutorials and games are the perfect way to prepare for the SAT or, indeed, any reading comprehension exercise. They're organized by passage type: Science, Literature, History and Social Studies, and Social Science.

Daily Practice for the New SAT (College Board)

This mobile app created by the College Board sends a practice question to your phone each day. You can also use the app to automatically grade practice tests that you print out from the website and complete on your own.

"High School Reading Activities" (Bright Hub Education)

The ideas listed in this blog post will help you liven up any class period devoted to reading comprehension with group activities like wipe-board read-aloud sessions and classroom debates.

"Games for Students to Help Build Comprehension: Teaching with Games" (eHow via YouTube)

This eHow tutorial for teachers (hosted by a veteran English teacher) is packed with reading comprehension game ideas: the "Connection Chain," "What Book Am I?," "Visualization," and "Literary Elements Jeopardy."

Reading Comprehension Practice Tests

New SAT Practice Tests (College Board)

The printable full-length practice tests on this page will familiarize you with the Reading and Writing test formats; CollegeBoard even gives you instructions on timing and set-up that will help you mimic the conditions of an actual exam.

The ACT Reading Practice Tests (ACT, Inc.)

These official, interactive ACT practice questions give you a sense of what to expect on test day. The page also links to full-length, printable practice tests.

"STAAR Released Test Questions" (Texas Education Agency)

Preparing for a state benchmark exam? This page contains links to official practice questions for end-of-course exams in every grade level in the state of Texas—just one such bank of state resources on the web (and the largest!).

"Reading Comprehension Questions" for GRE (Educational Testing Service)

Although the GRE is a graduate entrance exam, the reading comprehension section is very similar to the SAT, ACT, and other high-school level standardized tests. Take a look at the official practice questions on this page.

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• Categories: Engaging with Courses , Strategies for Learning

Reading is one of the most important components of college learning, and yet it’s one we often take for granted. Of course, students who come to Harvard know how to read, but many are unaware that there are different ways to read and that the strategies they use while reading can greatly impact memory and comprehension. Furthermore, students may find themselves encountering kinds of texts they haven’t worked with before, like academic articles and books, archival material, and theoretical texts.  

So how should you approach reading in this new environment? And how do you manage the quantity of reading you’re asked to cover in college? 

Start by asking “Why am I reading this?”

To read effectively, it helps to read with a goal . This means understanding before you begin reading what you need to get out of that reading. Having a goal is useful because it helps you focus on relevant information and know when you’re done reading, whether your eyes have seen every word or not. 

Some sample reading goals:

• To find a paper topic or write a paper; 
• To have a comment for discussion; 
• To supplement ideas from lecture; 
• To understand a particular concept; 
• To memorize material for an exam; 
• To research for an assignment; 
• To enjoy the process (i.e., reading for pleasure!). 

Your goals for reading are often developed in relation to your instructor’s goals in assigning the reading, but sometimes they will diverge. The point is to know what you want to get out of your reading and to make sure you’re approaching the text with that goal in mind. Write down your goal and use it to guide your reading process. 

Next, ask yourself “How should I read this?”  

Not every text you’re assigned in college should be read the same way.  Depending on the type of reading you’re doing and your reading goal, you may find that different reading strategies are most supportive of your learning. Do you need to understand the main idea of your text? Or do you need to pay special attention to its language? Is there data you need to extract? Or are you reading to develop your own unique ideas?  

The key is to choose a reading strategy that will help you achieve your reading goal. Factors to consider might be: 

• The timing of your reading (e.g., before vs. after class) 
• What type of text you are reading (e.g., an academic article vs. a novel) 
• How dense or unfamiliar a text is 
• How extensively you will be using the text 
• What type of critical thinking (if any) you are expected to bring to the reading 

Based on your consideration of these factors, you may decide to skim the text or focus your attention on a particular portion of it. You also might choose to find resources that can assist you in understanding the text if it is particularly dense or unfamiliar. For textbooks, you might even use a reading strategy like SQ3R .

Finally, ask yourself “How long will I give this reading?”  

Often, we decide how long we will read a text by estimating our reading speed and calculating an appropriate length of time based on it. But this can lead to long stretches of engaging ineffectually with texts and losing sight of our reading goals. These calculations can also be quite inaccurate, since our reading speed is often determined by the density and familiarity of texts, which varies across assignments. 

For each text you are reading, ask yourself “based on my reading goal, how long does this reading deserve ?” Sometimes, your answer will be “This is a super important reading. So, it takes as long as it takes.” In that case, create a time estimate using your best guess for your reading speed. Add some extra time to your estimate as a buffer in case your calculation is a little off. You won’t be sad to finish your reading early, but you’ll struggle if you haven’t given yourself enough time. 

For other readings, once we ask how long the text deserves, we will realize based on our other academic commitments and a text’s importance in the course that we can only afford to give a certain amount of time to it. In that case, you want to create a time limit for your reading. Try to come up with a time limit that is appropriate for your reading goal. For instance, let’s say I am working with an academic article. I need to discuss it in class, but I can only afford to give it thirty minutes of time because we’re reading several articles for that class. In this case, I will set an alarm for thirty minutes and spend that time understanding the thesis/hypothesis and looking through the research to look for something I’d like to discuss in class. In this case, I might not read every word of the article, but I will spend my time focusing on the most important parts of the text based on how I need to use it. 

If you need additional guidance or support, reach out to the course instructor and the ARC.  

If you find yourself struggling through the readings for a course, you can ask the course instructor for guidance. Some ways to ask for help are: “How would you recommend I go about approaching the reading for this course?” or “Is there a way for me to check whether I am getting what I should be out of the readings?” 

If you are looking for more tips on how to read effectively and efficiently, book an appointment with an academic coach at the ARC to discuss your specific assignments and how you can best approach them! 

Seeing Textbooks in a New Light

Textbooks can be a fantastic supportive resource for your learning. They supplement the learning you’ll do in the classroom and can provide critical context for the material you cover there. In some courses, the textbook may even have been written by the professor to work in harmony with lectures.  

There are a variety of ways in which professors use textbooks, so you need to assess critically how and when to read the textbook in each course you take.  

Textbooks can provide: 

• A fresh voice through which to absorb material. For challenging concepts, they can offer new language and details that might fill in gaps in your understanding. 
• The chance to “preview” lecture material, priming your mind for the big ideas you’ll be exposed to in class. 
• The chance to review material, making sense of the finer points after class. 
• A resource that is accessible any time, whether it’s while you are studying for an exam, writing a paper, or completing a homework assignment.

Textbook reading is similar to and different from other kinds of reading . Some things to keep in mind as you experiment with its use: 

The answer is “both” and “it depends.” In general, reading or at least previewing the assigned textbook material before lecture will help you pay attention in class and pull out the more important information from lecture, which also tends to make note-taking easier. If you read the textbook before class, then a quick review after lecture is useful for solidifying the information in memory, filling in details that you missed, and addressing gaps in your understanding. In addition, reading before and/or after class also depends on the material, your experience level with it, and the style of the text. It’s a good idea to experiment with when works best for you!

 Just like other kinds of course reading, it is still important to read with a goal . Focus your reading goals on the particular section of the textbook that you are reading: Why is it important to the course I’m taking? What are the big takeaways? Also take note of any questions you may have that are still unresolved.

Reading linearly (left to right and top to bottom) does not always make the most sense. Try to gain a sense of the big ideas within the reading before you start: Survey for structure, ask Questions, and then Read – go back to flesh out the finer points within the most important and detail-rich sections.

Summarizing pushes you to identify the main points of the reading and articulate them succinctly in your own words, making it more likely that you will be able to retrieve this information later. To further strengthen your retrieval abilities, quiz yourself when you are done reading and summarizing. Quizzing yourself allows what you’ve read to enter your memory with more lasting potential, so you’ll be able to recall the information for exams or papers. 

Marking Text

Marking text, which often involves making marginal notes, helps with reading comprehension by keeping you focused. It also helps you find important information when reviewing for an exam or preparing to write an essay. The next time you’re reading, write notes in the margins as you go or, if you prefer, make notes on a separate document. 

Your marginal notes will vary depending on the type of reading. Some possible areas of focus: 

• What themes do you see in the reading that relate to class discussions? 
• What themes do you see in the reading that you have seen in other readings? 
• What questions does the reading raise in your mind? 
• What does the reading make you want to research more? 
• Where do you see contradictions within the reading or in relation to other readings for the course? 
• Can you connect themes or events to your own experiences? 

Your notes don’t have to be long. You can just write two or three words to jog your memory. For example, if you notice that a book has a theme relating to friendship, you can just write, “pp. 52-53 Theme: Friendship.” If you need to remind yourself of the details later in the semester, you can re-read that part of the text more closely.

Reading Workshops

If you are looking for help with developing best practices and using strategies for some of the tips listed above, come to an ARC workshop on reading!

Academic Reading Strategies

Completing reading assignments is one of the biggest challenges in academia. However, are you managing your reading efficiently? Consider this cooking analogy, noting the differences in process:

Taylor’s process was more efficient because his purpose was clear. Establishing why you are reading something will help you decide how to read it, which saves time and improves comprehension. This guide lists some purposes for reading as well as different strategies to try at different stages of the reading process.

Purposes for reading

People read different kinds of text (e.g., scholarly articles, textbooks, reviews) for different reasons. Some purposes for reading might be

• to scan for specific information
• to skim to get an overview of the text
• to relate new content to existing knowledge
• to write something (often depends on a prompt)
• to critique an argument
• to learn something
• for general comprehension

Strategies differ from reader to reader. The same reader may use different strategies for different contexts because their purpose for reading changes. Ask yourself “why am I reading?” and “what am I reading?” when deciding which strategies to try.

Before reading

• Establish your purpose for reading
• Speculate about the author’s purpose for writing
• Review what you already know and want to learn about the topic (see the guides below)
• Preview the text to get an overview of its structure, looking at headings, figures, tables, glossary, etc.
• Predict the contents of the text and pose questions about it. If the authors have provided discussion questions, read them and write them on a note-taking sheet.
• Note any discussion questions that have been provided (sometimes at the end of the text)
• Sample pre-reading guides – K-W-L guide
• Critical reading questionnaire

During reading

• Annotate and mark (sparingly) sections of the text to easily recall important or interesting ideas
• Check your predictions and find answers to posed questions
• Use headings and transition words to identify relationships in the text
• Create a vocabulary list of other unfamiliar words to define later
• Try to infer unfamiliar words’ meanings by identifying their relationship to the main idea
• Connect the text to what you already know about the topic
• Take breaks (split the text into segments if necessary)
• Sample annotated texts – Journal article · Book chapter excerpt

After reading

• Summarize the text in your own words (note what you learned, impressions, and reactions) in an outline, concept map, or matrix (for several texts)
• Talk to someone about the author’s ideas to check your comprehension
• Identify and reread difficult parts of the text
• Define words on your vocabulary list (try a learner’s dictionary ) and practice using them
• Sample graphic organizers – Concept map · Literature review matrix

Works consulted

Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2002). Teaching and researching reading. Harlow: Longman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout (just click print) and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

If you enjoy using our handouts, we appreciate contributions of acknowledgement.

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10 Strategies to Improve Your Reading Comprehension for College

Some college students struggle with assignments because they lack sufficient reading comprehension skills. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy , 43% of U.S. adults lacked the basic skills to read and understand college-type and other such dense texts. They also can’t determine cause and effect, make simple inferences, summarize, or recognize an author's purpose.

In high school, some savvy students can get by with doing little reading and relying on class discussions to prepare them for quizzes and tests. It’s not easy to do the same in college—especially if you’re taking classes online. If some reading is assigned, you are expected to do it.

If you are out of practice or your comprehension isn’t up to standard, you can find yourself in trouble. Putting assignments off until the last minute won’t help, either.

One way to make sure you’re getting all you can from your assignments is to brush up on your reading comprehension skills. Here are some active reading strategies and tools you can use to bolster your reading for college.

1. Find Your Reading Corner

The right reading environment should fit with your learning style. The right spot will increase your focus and concentration. Consider four factors:

• Atmosphere: Is there sufficient lighting? Do you have a comfortable chair?
• Distractions: Is there enough quiet? Have you muted or turned off your phone?
• Location: Is this spot convenient to things you need?
• Schedule: Have you given yourself enough time to complete the reading and assignments?

2. Preview the Text

Survey the material and ask some questions before you start reading. What’s the topic? What do you already know? What can you learn from the text from any table of contents, glossary, or introduction? What do titles, subheadings, charts, and graphs tell you?

3. Use Smart Starting Strategies

When you start reading, don’t let the text overwhelm you. Use these strategies to keep your reading assignment under control.

• Break up the reading: If an assignment seems daunting, break it into bite-sized sections.
• Pace yourself: Dense material, such as that in textbooks, can be tough to read. Manage your time well and schedule regular breaks.
• Check for understanding: As you read, occasionally ask yourself if you understand what is being communicated. If not, you may need to go back and reread a paragraph or section.

4. Highlight or Annotate the Text

Watch for important terms, definitions, facts, and phrases and highlight them or add annotations within the document—digitally if you’re on a computer. However, don't get carried away with the highlighting.

If you would rather not use a highlighter, try to annotate the text with notes in the margins or in comment mode, or underline key phrases. Also, look for and mark the main idea or thesis.

5. Take Notes on Main Points

This is different from highlighting because you can take your own notes separately. Here are a few note-taking strategies:

• Have your own style: Try bullet points, mind mapping, outlines, or whatever method works for you.
• Turn subtitles into questions: By making section headers into questions, that can help you find the answers.
• Summarize as you read: After reading a paragraph, write a sentence to summarize the paragraph’s main points. Is the author’s thesis supported? Is an opposing view introduced?

6. Write Questions as You Read

Asking questions can help your comprehension. The tactic also works when reading. Ask questions in your notes—who, what, when, where, how—and then look for answers as you continue. That helps you understand what you read.

7. Look Up Words You Don’t Know

Don’t let unfamiliar words derail you. Look them up in a dictionary before you go any further. It can be hard to recover if you miss the main point because of new words. You may want to bookmark an online dictionary, like Merriam-Webster , so you can easily find word definitions.

8. Make Connections

Look for links and connections between the text and your experiences, thoughts, ideas, and other texts.

9. Review and Summarize

After you finish reading, summarize the text in your own words. This will help you understand main ideas and take better notes. If you don’t understand what you’ve read, reread carefully.

10. Discuss What You've Read

Describe what you have learned to someone else. Talk to your professor or another classmate. Join discussion groups. This will move the information (or content) from short-term to long-term memory.

Additional Reading Comprehension Strategies and Tools

Sometimes, charting what you learned will help you digest what you’ve read. Here are some sites and tools you can use to help.

• 10 Tips to Improve Your Reading Comprehension —This YouTube video features an instructor talking about reading and sharing tips.
• Inspiration —Create concept or mind maps, graphic organizers, webs, and more to make sense of reading materials.
• Purdue Global Academic Success Centers —Assistance with business, math, science, technology, and writing is available through Purdue Global’s online Academic Success Centers.
• Purdue Global Study Essentials —This student support website offers action plans, study skills, hints on time management, and other tools to help students.
• Quizlet —Create flashcards, quizzes, and other study aids with this website.
• Rewordify —Turn arcane language into readable modern words with this free tool.
• Snap&Read —Rephrase complicated text into simpler language with this Google Chrome extension.

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Get an insight into the minds of our academics and team of educational creatives here at Oxbridge Essays. From expert guidance and practical advice on essay and dissertation writing, to commentary on current academic affairs, our blog covers all things student-related, with the goal of helping you do better during your time at university.

Essay preparation: Reading Skills

As you prepare to write essays you will be faced with more reading than you are probably used to.  How can you improve your reading skills so that you read with greater speed and efficiency than before?  You may be reading books or essay examples, but if your reading is holding you may miss vital details.

Essay Reading Skills

You don’t have to read the whole book or article.  If a title has been recommended for an essay, you can skim through it and read the important points .  See the table of contents and flick through the chapters to see which sections are relevant to your essay question.  Captions for images and photographs can be useful too.

If you’re really stuck for time , just look at the abstract (if there is one) and the Introduction and Conclusion.  You may not get the subtleties of every point in the argument, but much of the writer’s opinion will be set out in the introduction or summed up in the conclusion.

Make sure you have a comfortable place to do your reading .  Consider the light available, temperature, noise levels and the comfort of your chair.  Don’t make it harder on yourself by trying to read in dark, noisy or otherwise intolerable physical conditions.

Read with purpose. Academic study demands that you read material critically.  You don’t have to agree with a source – in fact, often your tutor will be impressed that you have come up with a fresh point of view.

Essay Reading Difficulties

It can be difficult to admit as an adult that you have a problem with reading .

If you’re suffering from blurred vision or migraines when reading or after working on the computer for a while, visit the opticians.  Reading for long hours in badly lit places may mean that your eyesight is changing.

There are a number of reading problems related to health , from dyslexia through to less well known health problems.  If you are concerned that you have a health issue you may want to see a doctor to investigate the causes.

If it’s purely a case of motivation , make sure you read for pleasure as well as for your studies.  You’ll be surprised at how often a book you read purely ‘for fun’ months ago becomes something you can usefully footnote in your essay writing.

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9 Tips to Improve Your Reading Comprehension Skills

Having advanced reading comprehension skills will benefit students not only in their academic careers, but also in their personal and professional lives. Much like other skills—whether it’s solving a math problem or shooting a basketball—reading comprehension skills are improved with a plan and practice. 

In this post, we’ll go over some effective ways to practice your reading comprehension, to help you become a stronger and more efficient reader.

What is Reading Comprehension?

At its most basic, reading comprehension is the ability to understand what you’re reading. However, reading comprehension is more than having a basic understanding of what you’ve read—which is useful for reading directions, signs, and labels—but less valuable when reading denser work like books, articles, and emails. Rather, reading comprehension is an in-depth understanding of what you’ve read, using text and subtext to fully understand the meaning and emotion of the text as a whole. 

Tips to Improve Your Reading Comprehension Skills

Keep reading to learn some popular strategies to go from regular reader to someone with remarkable reading comprehension skills. 

1. Find a Distraction-Free Environment

Concentration is key when working on your reading comprehension skills, and your attention needs to be focused on the text in front of you, not what’s happening around you. Find a place away from the television and your computer, and silence your phone, turn its notifications off, and tuck it out of sight. A quiet room in your house and the library are both great places to work on your reading skills. If you can’t find a completely quiet place, ambient music without lyrics is a proven way to drown-out distracting noises. 

To fully understand what you’re reading, it’s imperative that you remain focused. If you feel your attention starting to wane, step away from your book and take a short break before continuing on. If time isn’t the issue—rather, it’s how much reading is in front of you—try breaking down the text into smaller, easier digested sections. For example, work on reading a chapter (or a certain number of pages) at every sitting. Much like reading comprehension, focus is built through practice, so try increasing the amount of time between breaks as your reading progresses. 

3. Slow Down Your Reading 

One of the main reasons why some readers struggle with comprehension is that they read too fast. Rushing through tricky texts, like those of your American Lit course, often leads to only a surface-level understanding of what the author is saying. Reading more slowly allows you to better absorb information, make connections with the knowledge you already possess, and take notice of the literary devices being used, such as symbolism and foreshadowing. 

Even the best readers don’t always process all of the relevant information on their first pass. If you encounter a sentence, paragraph, page, or chapter that leaves you perplexed, go back and read it again. The famous poet Ezra Pound once said about reading literature that “no reader ever read anything the first time he saw it.”

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4. Speed Up Your Reading 

Slowing down is a tried-and-true method for building reading comprehension skills, but some people benefit from speeding up their reading, which allows them to improve comprehension by exposing them to more volume and diversity of texts. A few tips for speeding up your reading without sacrificing your comprehension are: 

• Stop subvocalizing: many people read by “speaking” the words in their head, which is extremely slow; think of reading as humming instead of speaking 
• Read in clusters: focus on chunks and blocks of text instead of individual words
• No rereading: rather than going back to understand difficult or challenging sections, move forward and use context to make sense of them
• Skim and scan: train yourself to find the relevant bits of information in a text and use it increase your understanding of its more challenging parts

These tips can be especially helpful for denser texts (like history books), where you don’t necessarily need to catch every detail. 

5. Note Unfamiliar Words and Look Them up Later 

If you don’t understand what a word means, it is difficult to know what a sentence using that word is saying. One way to combat this is to expand your vocabulary. If you encounter a word you don’t understand, try to figure out what it means using context clues and make a note of the word to look up later (if you can’t understand the passage the word is used in, stop and look it up before continuing on). Dedicate some time to learning the definitions of the words you’ve written down and work to incorporate them in your own writing to cement them in your memory. 

6. Read a Wide Variety of Texts

The best way to improve your reading compression skills is to read more widely and more often. Newspaper articles, magazine features, and books of all genres are great tools for building reading compression. One easy way to encourage yourself to read more is to find enjoyable reading material. A few favorites include:

For those who love adventure, non-fiction classics like Endurance, The Greatest Adventure Story Ever Told , details Ernest Shackelton and his 27-man crew’s epic fight for survival in the South Atlantic Sea, or check out The White Spyder , a suspense-filled account of the first rock climb of the Eiger’s north face, also known as the death wall. 

Looking for something more modern? Between a Rock and a Hard Place is the harrowing story of a hiker trapped in one of the most remote spots in the U.S. who cuts off his own arm to save his life. 

Those who would rather escape to less dire circumstances in their reading might enjoy The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy , a fast-paced and funny ride through the cosmos. The entire series of Harry Potter books offers another escape into a mirror world of witches and wizards. Lastly, the dwarves, elves, magic, and questing of the Lord of the Rings trilogy has delighted readers for decades. 

Other works of the authors you’ve already encountered in school and enjoyed is another great way to find fun-to-read books. For example:

• Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey , author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest , tells the tale of the Stampers, an Oregon timber family.
• If you enjoyed The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, his novel East of Eden intertwines the stories of two families into one unforgettable tale. Another Steinbeck favorite is Travels with Charley: In Search of America , a travelogue about Steinbeck’s trip around the U.S. with his dog Charley. 
• Hemingway’s novels—from For Whom the Bell Tolls to The Sun Also Rises to A Farewell to Arms —have a way of making it into everyone’s high school curriculum. For many readers, however, his novella The Old Man and the Sea is their favorite—it’s short, easy to read, and works on multiple levels. 

7. Don’t Try to Understand 100% of the Text

It is not always necessary to understand everything in the text; what’s most important is to grasp the main ideas that the author is trying to convey. When reading, pause every few paragraphs (or any time you feel confused) and think about what the author is trying to say, summarize it, and put in your words to clarify the idea.

8. Underline Important Points (If You Can)

If you own the book, or you’re working with a printout of an article, feel free to mark it up. Highlighting and underlining key concepts and ideas as you read has a way of forcing you to pay attention, and is a useful way to identify important parts of the text if you need to revisit a section later. Similarly, making notes in the margins is another way to help you remember and understand important sections of text. 

9. Seek Professional Help

Some people struggle with reading comprehension as the result of a learning disability like dyslexia or ADHD. For example, people with ADHD have a tendency to lose interest, miss important information, or become easily distracted. While those with learning disabilities can benefit from the strategies listed above, they may also need additional assistance and more specialized techniques for building reading comprehension skills.  

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Active reading strategies: remember and analyze what you read.

Choose the strategies that work best for you or that best suit your purpose.

• Ask yourself pre-reading questions. For example: What is the topic, and what do you already know about it? Why has the instructor assigned this reading at this point in the semester?
• Identify and define any unfamiliar terms.
• Bracket the main idea or thesis of the reading, and put an asterisk next to it. Pay particular attention to the introduction or opening paragraphs to locate this information.
• Put down your highlighter. Make marginal notes or comments instead. Every time you feel the urge to highlight something, write instead. You can summarize the text, ask questions, give assent, protest vehemently. You can also write down key words to help you recall where important points are discussed. Above all, strive to enter into a dialogue with the author.
• Write questions in the margins, and then answer the questions in a reading journal or on a separate piece of paper. If you’re reading a textbook, try changing all the titles, subtitles, sections and paragraph headings into questions. For example, the section heading “The Gas Laws of Boyle, Charles, and Avogadro” might become “What are the gas laws of Boyle, Charles, and Avogadro?”
• Make outlines, flow charts, or diagrams that help you to map and to understand ideas visually. See the reverse side for examples.
• Read each paragraph carefully and then determine “what it says” and “what it does.” Answer “what it says” in only one sentence. Represent the main idea of the paragraph in your own words. To answer “what it does,” describe the paragraph’s purpose within the text, such as “provides evidence for the author’s first main reason” or “introduces an opposing view.”
• Write a summary of an essay or chapter in your own words. Do this in less than a page. Capture the essential ideas and perhaps one or two key examples. This approach offers a great way to be sure that you know what the reading really says or is about.
• Write your own exam question based on the reading.
• Teach what you have learned to someone else! Research clearly shows that teaching is one of the most effective ways to learn. If you try to explain aloud what you have been studying, (1) you’ll transfer the information from short-term to long-term memory, and (2) you’ll quickly discover what you understand — and what you don’t.

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When studying, especially at higher levels, a great deal of time is spent reading. 

Academic reading should not be seen as a passive activity, but an active process that leads to the development of learning. 

Reading for learning requires a conscious effort to make links, understand opinions, research and apply what you learn to your studies. 

This page covers the following areas: how reading develops, the goals of reading, approaching reading with the right attitude and developing a reading strategy.

Everything we read tells us something about the person who wrote it.  Paying close attention to how and why the author writes something will open ourselves up to their perspective on life, which in turn enriches our understanding of the world we live in.

How Reading Develops

Learning to read as a child usually results in the ability to read simple material relatively easily.

As we develop our skills in reading, the process often becomes more challenging.  We are introduced to new vocabulary and more complex sentence structures.  Early school textbooks offer us facts  or ‘truths’ about the world which we are required to learn; we are not, at this stage encouraged to question the authority of the writers of these published materials.

As schooling progresses however, we are led to consider a range of perspectives, or ways of looking at a topic, rather than just one.  We learn to compare these perspectives and begin to form opinions about them. 

This change in reading from a surface approach (gathering facts) to a deep approach (interpreting) is essential in order to gain the most out of our studies.

Reading becomes not simply a way to see what is said but to recognise and interpret what is said, taking into account subtleties such as bias, assumptions and the perspectives of the author. 

Academic reading, therefore, means understanding the author’s interpretation of reality, which may be very different from our own.

The Goal of Reading

Most of us read in everyday life for different purposes – you are reading this page now, for a purpose.

We read to gain factual information for practical use, for example, a train timetable or a cinema listing. For such documents we rarely need to analyse or interpret.

We may also read fiction in order to be entertained; depending upon the reader, a level of interpretation may be applied, and if reading fiction as part of an English Literature degree, then analysis of the author’s writing style, motives etc. is imperative.

Many of us read newspapers and magazines, either in print or online, to inform us about current events.  In some cases the bias of the writer is explicit and this leads us to interpret what is said in light of this bias.  It is therefore easy to view a particular article as a statement of opinion rather than fact. Political biases, for example, are well known in the press.

When reading academic material such as textbooks, journals and so on, you should be always reading to interpret and analyse. Nothing should be taken as fact or ‘truth’.  You will be engaged in, what is termed as, critical reading .

When you read while studying an academic course, your principal goal will be to gather information in order to answer an assignment question or gain further information on a subject for an exam or other type of assessment. 

Underlying this is the more general theme of learning and development, to develop your thoughts, to incorporate new ideas into your existing understanding, to see things from different angles or view-points, to develop your knowledge and understanding and ultimately yourself.

Learning therefore comes about from developing your understanding of the meaning of the details. It is therefore crucial to engage with the text as you read, in a process called active reading.

Active Reading

Active reading is the process of engaging with the text as you read. Techniques for making your reading more active include:

Underlining or highlighting key phrases as you read . This can be a useful way to remind yourself about what you thought was important when you reread the text later. However, it is important not to highlight too much. You might, for example, consider reading a paragraph at a time before highlighting or underlining. This will allow you to identify the most important ideas within it. Alternatively, you might find that it is best to read a whole chapter first, to get a sense of the main ideas, then go back and highlight points that build the argument.

Make notes in the margin to highlight questions or thoughts . You can do this in both ebooks and hard copies, or use post-it notes if you do not wish to mark the book (for example, if it is a library book). This process helps you to engage better with the content, and therefore makes what you read more memorable.

Use the signposts within the text itself . Look out for phrases such as ‘crucially’ and ‘most importantly’. These highlight areas that the author(s) felt were important.

Break up your reading time with periods where you write down summaries of what you have read . You can either do this without referring back to the text, or simply use draw on the text. This will help you to focus on the most important ideas.

Asking yourself questions about the author’s intended meaning , or the effect they wished to produce. This is a process called critical reading , and there is more about this process in our page on Critical Reading .

Necessary Reading Materials

When you are engaged in formal study, for example at college or university, there will be distinct areas of reading that you will be directed towards.

These may include:

Course Materials

Course materials will vary considerably from one institution to another and also across different disciplines and for different teachers.

You may be given course materials in the form of a book, especially if you are taking a distance-learning course, or in hand-outs in lectures.  Such materials may also be available online via a virtual learning environment (VLE). 

You may be expected to make your own notes from lectures and seminars based around the syllabus of the course.  The course materials are your main indication of what the course is about, the main topics covered and usually the assessment required.  Course materials also often point you to other types of reading materials.

Core texts are the materials, usually books, journals or trusted online resources which you will be directed to via the course materials.

Core texts are essential reading, their aim is usually to expand on the subjects, discussions and arguments presented in the course materials, or through lectures etc.  Remember that core texts are primarily what you will be assessed on. You will need to demonstrate comprehension of theories and ideas from these texts in your assignments.

Suggested Reading

As well as indicating core texts, reading lists may also recommend other sources of material.

Suggested reading will not only increase your comprehension of a subject area but will potentially greatly enhance the quality of your written work.

Other Sources

Perhaps one of the most important academic reading skills is to identify your own additional reading materials.

Do not just stick to what you have been told to read but expand your knowledge further by reading as much as you can around the subjects you are studying.  Keep a note of everything relevant you have read, either in print or online, as you will need this information for your reference list or bibliography when producing an assignment.

See our page: Academic Referencing for more information on how to reference correctly.

Attitudes to Reading

Often, when we begin to read books relating to a new topic, we find that the language and style are difficult to follow.

This can be off-putting and disheartening, but persevere; specialist subject areas will contain their own specialist ‘language’ which you will need to learn. Perseverance will mean that you become more familiar with the style of writing and the vocabulary or jargon associated with the specific subject area.

More generally, academic writing tends to use a very cautious style or language. The writer may seem to use elaborate, long sentences, but this is usually to ensure that they are saying precisely what they mean. 

See our page: Writing Styles for more information about the various styles of writing that you are likely to encounter.

A useful aid to reading is to have a good quality dictionary to hand; however, you may find a specialist dictionary is necessary for some subject areas – there are many free online dictionaries also.  Even though a dictionary can be useful, it should not be relied upon too heavily.  Dictionaries do not often take into account the context and, therefore, you may not fully grasp the meaning the author intended by simply looking up a word or phrase.

Fundamentally it is important to remain detached from, and be objective towards, what you are reading, in order to see and understand the logic within an argument.   Objectivity differs from subjectivity which means bringing your own emotions and opinions to what you read.  Being objective allows you to stand back and be emotionally detached from your reading. This allows you to focus attention upon what you are reading and not on your feelings about what you read.

It helps if you have a genuine interest in the subject that you are reading about.   If you find that you are reading something that is designated as relevant then it is important to try to develop an interest so that you may get out of it what is required.  You may, in such circumstances, find it useful to ask yourself questions as you read, such as:  “ Why does the author find this theme interesting or important? ”,  “ How does what I’m reading relate to what I already know about the topic? ”

Continue to: Critical Reading Reading with Children

See also: Sources of Information | Note-Taking for Reading Planning an Essay | Writing an Essay How and Why to Develop the Habit of Reading Every Day

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StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

How To Improve Your English Reading Skills: 18 Top Tips

Can you improve your English just by reading? 

Given that reading is central to my StoryLearning method, it's no surprise that many people often ask me that question.

Of course, there's much more involved in learning English than reading can provide. 

But I do believe that exposing yourself to written language has a tremendously important part to play in the language learning game. 

But how to improve your English reading skills so you can understand more stories, read more and become a better English speaker too? Here are my 18 top tips.

For a quick overview, check out the table of contents below. Otherwise, keep reading.

Table of Contents

1. read regularly .

Reading is a skill. Like any other skill you get better at it by practising it. So getting into the habit of reading as often as you can is fundamental. That’s why this is the number one tip on the list.

I read between 20 to 25 books a year not because I have a lot of free time to read (I’m busy – like you!) but because I never (okay, almost never) skip my 30-minute / 1-hour daily reading session. 

You can start today. From this very moment, you commit to reading for at least thirty minutes a day. Do it in the morning, in the evening or at night – that’s not important. What’s important is that you do it.

Consistency is key to improving your skills.

2. Read What You Can Mostly Understand

Don’t read what you cannot understand. That will give you nothing but feelings of frustration.

If the book you’re reading makes you scratch your head every three words, put the book down and look for something more suitable to your level. Something easier.

Reading should be a pleasurable activity that makes you look forward to doing it. It shouldn’t become a hurdle. 

So read what you can mostly understand. You can then gradually challenge yourself with more complex texts.

But say you want to read a particular book. How can you know if that book is suitable for your level or not? 

Use the 5-finger rule by the Extensive Reading Foundation .  

It’s a useful tool to help you select your reading material.

3. Read What You’re Interested In

Don’t read something just because it’s written in English. Instead, read because you’re interested in what you’re reading.

This is a fantastic way to combine your hobbies and interests with learning English. It’ll make everything more enjoyable, interesting and effective.

For example, if you’re interested in cooking, then it would be a great idea to read cooking blogs. If you like bicycles, read about bicycles, but in English.

When choosing what to read, always ask yourself this question: Would I read this in my first language? 

If you wouldn’t, then don’t read it.

4. Expand Your Vocabulary

Reading is all about understanding what words and sentences mean when they’re put together. So if your vocabulary is limited, then what you can read and understand is limited too.

Expanding your vocabulary is a way to become a more effective reader as the more words you can recognise, the more you can understand.

And guess what? To expand your vocabulary, you must read! 

So you really have no more excuses not to read 🙂.

But you can also check out my post on advanced English vocabulary.

5. Don’t Look Up Words

As human beings who crave certainty, it can be a really stressful experience when there are words we don’t understand.

But when learning a new language, you must embrace confusion and uncertainty. In fact, that’s what successful learners do. 

How can you tolerate confusion when it comes to reading? 

The best way to start is to develop the skill of understanding what’s going in a story even when you don’t understand every word. Use the context to help you do that. Make a guess and move on. 

Maybe the meaning of a word will become clear to you in a couple of sentences, pages or chapters. Or maybe that word is not that important and you can forget about it.

What’s important is the story and the message the writer is trying to express. Focus on the message, not single words.

HOWEVER, see my next point.

6. Do Intensive Reading

It's essential to incorporate two types of English reading into your practice: intensive reading and extensive reading.

Extensive reading is what I’ve been talking about so far: reading for pleasure things you can mostly understand because you’re interested in them. You read to enjoy a story, not to consciously learn new words. 

Intensive reading, on the other hand,  involves making an effort to comprehend every word on the page. 

This type of reading requires focused attention and language tools such as dictionaries and translators because the focus is not so much on the message but, rather, on its form. 

When you’re reading “intensively”, you can look up, translate, and record new words in your notebook or app. The aim is to understand every single thing. There’s no tolerance for uncertainty.

That’s why when you’re doing this type of reading, it’s a good idea to choose a short text that interests you. If the text is too long or if the topic doesn't appeal to you, you risk losing concentration.

Short articles, labels on a carton of milk, social media posts, tweets – these are all suitable texts.

7. Read And Listen At The Same Time

Reading while listening has so many benefits:

• It keeps you focused on the text so you don’t get distracted.
• You hear how words are pronounced so you can improve your pronunciation, intonation , spelling and listening skills.
• You engage multiple senses so you can understand more of what you’re reading.
• You can absorb information faster because you’re combining visual with audio input.

Try to combine listening with reading as often as possible. 

8. Read Blogs In English

Maybe you’re not into books that much. Maybe you’d rather read something quicker and shorter than a book.

That’s okay.

You can use blogs for that. There are billions of them though. Which ones are the best for you?

Have a look at my English blog suggestions here. (Number 2 and 3 are my favourites)

9. Read With Other People

Reading is often considered a solitary activity but it doesn’t have to be. So why not read with your friends, family members or other language learners?

You can join a book club or start your own reading group. You make it a social activity.

The benefits? You get to practise speaking, discuss and learn more about the topic of your reading sessions by sharing ideas and opinions with other people who love what you love.

And of course you can help each other with the language and ask about tricky words you met in the book, article or whatever else you decide to read with your group. 

Listen to my friends Cara and Masha talk about the benefits of being a book club member here.

10. Use Newsinlevels.com

News in Levels is one of my favourite websites for learners of English.

There you can find news articles at different English proficiency levels: Level 1 (easy), Level 2 (intermediate), and Level 3 (advanced). 

Just choose your level and enjoy the article. You can also listen to it as there’s an audio player below each article. It's a great resource for you if you’re looking to improve your English reading skills while staying informed about current events.

And the News In Levels team uploads a new article every day so you’ll always find something new to read.

11. Reread What You Read

There is value in rereading a text you’ve already read as this helps you consolidate vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures. 

Repetition is indeed a powerful tool in language learning.

Okay, you don’t need to reread everything, especially if you didn’t find the text particularly interesting. But every once in a while, try to reread an article, a page or an entire book you read in the past. 

If you’ve been working on your English consistently since the day you finished reading that text, you might even be surprised by how much you can now understand this time!

12. Read Widely

You may fall into the trap of reading only one type of text or genre. Only blogs, only books, only articles about travelling.

But to get better at reading, broaden your vocabulary and improve your English in general, try to add variety to your reading sessions.

Blogs, comics, true stories, transcripts, webpages, news articles, newspapers, magazines, recipes, movie reviews, restaurant reviews, tweets – the list of what you can get your eyes on is endless. 

So read widely!

13. Speed Read

“Speed reading is about increasing the speed that you read at. To do so, it is important to ensure that you are pushing yourself to read faster.

The goal is the fastest time with about 70 percent accuracy on the comprehension questions.”

The paragraph above is taken from the ESL Speed Readings website.

ESL Speed Readings are quick stories that were first created in 1974 by Emmy Quinn and Paul Nation – two linguists –  and were designed to help learners of English improve their reading skills. 

These stories, like my books, are written in simple English and have become very popular all over the world. So much so that you can now get them in the Speed Readings App, which also contains short multiple-choice comprehension quizzes to test your understanding. 

You can check out the app here.

14. Take Reading Tests

I know I know these might be boring.

But here at StoryLearning we take reading tests and answer comprehension questions only after enjoying a story!

So worry not, my dear reader.

Here’s a book I wrote for you.

And here’s another.

These are useful not only to practise reading but also to test your reading abilities.

Enjoy the stories (and then the tests)!

15. Summarise What You Read

Rephrasing what you read in your own words is great for two main reasons.

The first one is that it forces you to reuse words from the text you read. This is particularly helpful for expanding and consolidating your vocabulary. 

The second one is that it reinforces your understanding because you're essentially teaching yourself the information in a way that makes sense to you.

It’s a technique that many students use to internalise information when they’re studying for an exam (and you might have used it as a student too). 

But it can also help you become a more effective English reader.

16. Use Your First Language

Many websites in your first language have also an English version. There’s no harm in reading an article in your mother tongue first and then in English. 

In fact, that’s a very useful exercise that can help you understand more and discover some new words and expressions.

Here is a list of international newspapers that have an English version. 

• Le Monde (France) – English version: “Le Monde Diplomatique English Version”
• El País (Spain) – English version: “El País in English”
• Deutsche Welle (Germany) – Offers news including English.
• El Universal (Mexico) – English version: “ El Universal in English ”
• China Daily (China) – English version: “China Daily Global Edition”
• The Asahi Shimbun (Japan) – English version: “The Asahi Shimbun Asia & Japan Watch”
• Corriere della Sera (Italy) – English version: “Corriere della Sera English”
• Folha de S.Paulo (Brazil) – English version: “Folha de S.Paulo in English”
• The Moscow Times (Russia) – English version: “The Moscow Times”
• Al Jazeera (Qatar) – Offers news in multiple languages, including English .

17. Use Simple English Wikipedia

Did you know that Wikipedia has a version that can be super useful to less proficient readers of English? It’s called  “Simple English Wikipedia” and it’s like the regular Wikipedia but uses easy words and short sentences to explain things. 

It's meant for people who want to learn about stuff without getting confused by big or complicated words.

But it’s for you, too! Use it! 

18. Read Stuff That’s Not Meant For You

Of course you can read authentic books written for native English speakers. It’s admirable that you want to challenge yourself. So go ahead and do it. 

Only don’t expect to understand everything if you’re an intermediate learner. That’s simply not possible.

So, yes, read authentic material, but be realistic!

How To Improve Your English Reading Skills

So there you have it – how to improve your English reading skills. I hope you enjoyed my list of tips on how to become a more effective reader in English. 

Which one are you going to try today? Did any of these spark your interest? 

Pick one that you can easily implement and find some time each day to read. 

And if you’re a beginner or intermediate reader, have a look at some short stories in English I've written for you.

Happy reading!

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Improving Student Writing through Reading Strategies

In their MLA Style Center post “Reading Is Not One Thing,” Annie Del Principe and Rachel Ihara make some excellent points about student reading behaviors. They observe that reading a text carefully while marking key passages and making notes in the margins, while once traditional, is no longer required in every class or discipline. The cursory, nonlinear reading that many students do often yields the information they are looking for, especially online. Perhaps this should not surprise us. As Del Principe and Ihara note, experienced academic readers also read selectively to see if a text merits closer attention. (In fact, I skimmed Del Principe and Ihara’s article the first time through!) The authors argue that “[t]hese strategies are not shortcuts or signs of laziness; rather, they are skillful, smart approaches appropriate to our goals and purposes and to the genres we are reading.” I agree in many instances.

Why Deep Reading Is Valuable

That said, what Nicholas Carr characterizes as deep reading is still a valuable skill (97). For one thing, good writing is unlikely without deep reading. Composition courses emphasize documentation (as readers of The MLA Style Center know), but students also learn about essay content and structure from exposure to effective models . Instructors can teach students to notice and analyze authors’ rhetorical moves and to practice applying those techniques in their own writing.

In the classroom, writing instructors may focus on fewer texts so they can spend time helping students read more actively and deeply. In my classes, I demonstrate how I approach an article, a story, or a poem by “thinking aloud” to show the mental connections I make when I read (Schoenbach et al. 101). I read a few lines of the text (a paragraph or less) out loud slowly, verbalizing the thoughts, questions, and associations that come to my mind as I read. After I model the process, students take turns verbalizing their own reading thoughts in pairs or small groups. I also show various ways to annotate or mark the text and, again, give students time to experiment. As the semester progresses, students use these reading strategies and others to connect with assigned texts both in and outside class. Our group discussions are better, and many students seem more engaged as a result.

How Reading and Writing Intersect

In more than twenty years of experience teaching composition and working in a writing center, I have seen many ways that reading intersects with writing:

• In all disciplines, reading is an important precursor to writing on a purely informational level. Students must understand a topic before they can write coherently about it. They must do the research before they can write a research paper.
• Students who read widely (in any genre) usually have a greater command of vocabulary and the nuances of written expression. Many readers also absorb correct grammar and punctuation subconsciously, whether or not they know the rules behind when to use a comma. The poet Jane Kenyon’s advice to “have good sentences in your ears” is often quoted for a reason (qtd. in Popova) .
• This relationship between reading and writing is not a new concept. Reflecting on his writing process, for instance, the popular author Stephen King notes the value of ineffective models as well as inspirational ones. “One learns most clearly what not to do by reading bad prose,” he says. In contrast, “[g]ood writing . . . teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth telling” (211). While fiction writing is less emphasized in academia, the principle holds true.
• Finally, college writers need a deeper knowledge of their subject to think—and write—critically about it. Whether it be anthropology, economics, or literature, that knowledge often comes from scholarly articles and books, whether in print or online.

In our digital society, we have become accustomed to easy access to information; however, the metacognitive work of active reading is still necessary for effective writing. Google and YouTube are useful, but there are things they cannot provide.

Using Reading Strategies in the Writing Center

Learning assistance benefits from cross-pollination with reading as well. Some training and practice with reading strategies is a valuable addition to the skills of any tutor, especially in the writing center. Writing tutors focus primarily on the process of developing an essay, but they can also demonstrate and encourage reading strategies on multiple levels:  

• The text that tutors and students look at together most frequently is the writing prompt assigned by the teacher. Tutors should model how to break the prompt into manageable parts; point out questions, key terms, and other significant features; and help tutees interpret unfamiliar vocabulary.
• Tutors can read both writing prompts and student papers aloud and verbalize their thoughts. This gives tutees some “reader response” feedback and often helps them feel more comfortable sharing their own thoughts and questions.
• Embedded tutors who work with students in a specific class have even more opportunity to coach students in reading skills because they are familiar with the teacher’s expectations and the assigned texts as well as the required writing.

Ultimately, tutors are ideally situated to support metacognitive development by helping students recognize, evaluate, and adapt the ways they approach both reading and writing in college courses.

Modeling Literacy Expectations

Reading—in all its variety—is a key method of accessing information and understanding concepts in every academic field and in the world at large. Students have limited experience, so college instructors who want their students to engage effectively with the course material must take responsibility for explaining and modeling the literacy expectations of their disciplines. Tutors can help, but teachers need to “make the invisible visible” by showing students the cognitive moves that seem natural to them after years of study and specialization (Schoenbach et al. 23). To quote Del Principe and Ihara again, we must “slow down our instructional pace to make space to model and enact the types of reading we think are valuable and will work best in our classes for our students.” Then we must scaffold assignments that facilitate their learning. This takes time and effort, but the results are worth it for both students and instructors.

Works Cited

Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology , edited by Samuel Cohen, 5th ed., Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 87–97.

Del Principe, Annie, and Rachel Ihara. “Reading Is Not One Thing.” The MLA Style Center , 27 Aug. 2019, style.mla.org/variability-of-reading-practices/.

King, Stephen. “Reading to Write.” 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology , edited by Samuel Cohen, 5th ed., Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 210–14.

Popova, Maria. “Poet Jane Kenyon’s Advice on Writing: Some of the Wisest Words to Create and Live By.” Brain Pickings , 15 Sept. 2015, www.brainpickings.org/2015/09/15/jane-kenyon-advice-on-writing/.

Schoenbach, Ruth, et al. Reading for Understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship Improves  Disciplinary Learning in Secondary and College Classrooms . 2nd ed., Jossey Bass, 2012.

Jamil 10 November 2021 AT 01:11 PM

Your article is excellent

Your e-mail address will not be published

Sophy sophi 16 November 2021 AT 12:11 AM

The work is awesome...what are the reading strategies that one can adopt that can help in writing a term paper?

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How to Make Your Essay Better: 7 Tips for Stronger Essays

By Krystal N. Craiker

Essay writing doesn’t have to be intimidating. With a few tips, you can improve your writing skills for any type of academic essay.

How to Write Better Essays

7 tips on how to make your essay better, how to become a better essay writer.

The best way to sum up how to write better essays is, “Make sure you’re answering the question.”

This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how many students struggle with this.

From not understanding the prompt to poor research skills to off-topic body paragraphs, it’s easy for an essay to derail.

We’ve got seven tips for writing better essays that will help you avoid common mistakes and craft the best essays possible.

Here are our top tips for improving your essay writing skills.

Understand the Prompt or Research Question

The first step in your writing process is to fully understand the essay topic. If your professor gave you a prompt for your academic essay, spend some time analyzing it.

First, take note of whether you’re writing an expository or persuasive essay. The tone, structure, and word choice will differ between essay types.

Pay close attention to the wording of the prompt.

If your teacher wants you to “analyze” the effects of new technology in World War I, but you turn in a descriptive overview of the technology, you are not answering the question.

If they have given you a topic but no prompt, you’ll need to create a guiding question for your research.

Be specific in what you are trying to research, or you’ll end up overwhelmed with a topic that is too big in scope.

“Symbolism in modern literature” is too broad for a term paper, but “How does F. Scott Fitzgerald use symbolism in The Great Gatsby ?” is an achievable topic.

Take Excellent Notes

Once you understand exactly what your essay is about, you can begin the research phase. Create a strong note-taking system.

Write down any idea or quote you might want to use. Cite every note properly to save time on your citations and to avoid accidental plagiarism.

Once you have gathered your research, organize your notes into categories. This will help you plan the structure of your essay.

You’ll likely find that some of your research doesn’t fit into your essay once you start writing. That’s okay—it’s better to have too much information to support your argument than too little.

Write a Strong Thesis Statement

Possibly the most important step in essay writing is to craft a strong thesis statement. A thesis statement is a brief—usually single-sentence—explanation of what your essay is about.

The thesis statement guides the entire essay: every point you make should support your thesis.

A strong thesis is specific and long enough to address the major points of your essay.

In a persuasive or argumentative essay, your thesis should clearly establish the argument you are making.

Make an Outline

Once you have all your research, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. How do you turn the information into a cohesive essay?

Rather than writing an essay with no roadmap, an outline will keep you on track. An outline helps you organize your thoughts, plan your arguments, and sort your research.

A good outline saves you time, too! You can compile the relevant evidence in your notes before writing, so you don’t have to find that specific quote in the middle of essay writing.

An outline will also stop you from reading your finished essay and realizing you went completely off track.

With an outline, you can avoid finding paragraphs that don’t support your thesis right before you submit the essay.

Craft a Great Introduction

An academic essay needs a strong introductory paragraph.

The introduction is the first impression of your essay. It prepares the reader for what’s coming and gets them excited to read your paper.

A good introduction has three things:

• A hook (e.g. insightful statement, quote, interesting fact)
• Brief background information about the topic
• A thesis statement

Using this formula will help you write a strong introduction for your essay.

Have Original Ideas and Interpretations

The best academic writing advice a professor ever gave me was, “You’ve shown me what other people have said about the topic. I want to know what you think about the topic.”

Even a fact-heavy or data-heavy essay needs original ideas and interpretations. For every piece of information you cite, whether you quote or paraphrase it , offer original commentary.

Focus on insights, new interpretations, or even questions that you have. These are all ways to provide original ideas in your essay.

Proofread for Readability

A good essay is a proofread essay.

Readability, or how easy something is to read, has many factors. Spelling and grammar are important, but so is sentence structure, word choice , and other stylistic features.

Academic essays should be readable without being too simple. In general, aim for a readability score that is close to your grade level in school.

There are several ways to check readability scores, including using ProWritingAid’s Readability Report.

The quickest way to increase readability is to fix grammar and spelling mistakes . You can also raise the readability score by using more complex and compound-complex sentences.

ProWritingAid can offer suggestions on how to improve your essay and take it to the next level.

Our free essay checker will check for spelling and grammar errors, plus several other types of writing mistakes.

The essay checker will offer you suggestions on sentence length and passive voice.

It will help you trim the excess words that bog down your writing by analyzing your sticky sentences and overused words.

The essay checker is here to help you turn in an error-free essay.

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Krystal N. Craiker

Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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Reading and making notes

• Introduction

Setting reading goals

Choosing the right texts, how many sources should you read, going beyond the reading list, active reading, reading techniques, common abbreviations in academic texts.

• Effective note-making
• Reading e-books for university study
• Using and evaluating websites

This guide will suggest ways for you to improve your reading skills and to read in a more focused and selective manner.

• Reading academic texts (video) Watch this brief video tutorial for more on the topic.
• Reading academic texts (transcript) Read the transcript.
• The best file formats and how to use them An interactive guide by the Technology Enhanced Learning team on the key features of alternative formats (such as PDF and ePUB), and how to make the most of these in developing your reading habits.

Before starting to read you need to consider why you are reading and what you are trying to learn. You will need to vary the way you read accordingly.

• If you are reading for general interest and to acquire background information for lectures you will need to read the topic widely but with not much depth.
• If you are reading for an essay you will need to focus the reading around the essay question and may need to study a small area of the subject in great depth. Jot down the essay question, make a note of any questions you have about it, and don't get side-tracked and waste time on non-relevant issues.

Below is an excellent short video tutorial on  reading and notemaking  developed by the Learning Development team at the University of Leicester.

• Reading and note making (video) Video tutorial from the Study Advice Team.
• Researching your assignment (video) A brief screencast on what you need to think about when starting your research.
• Researching for your assignment (transcript) Read the transcript.

It is unlikely that you will be able - or be expected - to read all the books and articles on your reading list. You will be limited by time and by the availability of the material.

To decide whether a book is relevant and useful:

• Look at the author's name, the title and the date of publication. Is it essential reading? Is it out of date?
• Read the publisher's blurb on the cover or look through the editor's introduction to see whether it is relevant.
• Look at the contents page. Does it cover what you want? Is it at the right level? Are there too few pages on the topic - or too many?
• Look through the introduction to get an idea of the author's approach.
• Look up an item in the index (preferably something you know a bit about) and read through one or two paragraphs to see how the author deals with the material.
• Look though the bibliography to see the range of the author's sources.
• Are the examples, illustrations, diagrams etc. easy to follow and helpful for your purpose?

To select useful articles from journals or research papers :

• Read the summary or abstract. Is it relevant?
• Look at the Conclusions and skim-read the Discussion, looking at headings. Is it worth reading carefully because it is relevant or interesting?
• Look through the Introduction. Does it summarise the field in a helpful way? Does it provide a useful literature review?
• It is a seminal piece of work – essential reading.
• It is highly relevant to your essay, etc.
• It is likely that you can get ideas from it.
• There is nothing else available and you are going to have to make the most of this.
• It is so interesting that you can't put it down!

If there is no reading list...

• Use the library website and look up  Subject help .
• Find a general textbook on the subject.
• Use encyclopaedias and subject based dictionaries.
• Do a web search BUT stay focused on your topic AND think about the reliability of the web sites. (For help with this, see the Library's guide to  Evaluating websites .)
• Browse the relevant shelves in the library and look for related topics.
• Ask your tutor for a suggestion for where to start.
• The Library also have advice on how to  and a series of brief videos  showing you how to find and access Library resources.
• To help you decide whether a source is appropriate for academic research, try this short training resource from the University of Manchester -  Know your sources 
• Subject guides Guides to specialist resources in subjects studied at the University.
• Evaluating websites Hints on assessing the reliability of information you find on the Internet.
• Library videos on YouTube A link to Library videos on how to use the Library and access resources
• Know your sources On-line training tutorial from Manchester University on evaluating academic sources

It is not a good idea to rely on 1 or 2 sources very heavily as this shows a lack of wider reading, and can mean you just get a limited view without thinking of an argument of your own.

Nor is it useful (or possible) to read everything on the reading list and try to fit it all into your assignment. This usually leads to losing your own thoughts under a mass of reading.

The best way is to be strategic about your reading and identify what you need to find out and what the best sources to use to find this information.

It can be better to read less and try to think about, and understand, the issues more clearly - take time to make sure you really get the ideas rather than reading more and more which can increase your confusion.

• Use the Library catalogue to find other books on that topic. Either click on the subject headings in the full record of the books you wanted; or make a note of their Call Numbers and check on the shelves for similar titles.
• Look for relevant journal articles using the Summon search box on the Library homepage or using key resources listed on the guide for your subject.
• Use online resources BUT always evaluate them to see if they are appropriate for academic purposes. (For help with this, see the Library's guide to  Evaluating websites .)  
• Ask around to see if any of your fellow students has the books you need. You may be able to borrow them briefly to photocopy any material you need. But be careful to return it promptly - and if you lend a Library book taken out with your ticket to someone else, make sure they take it back on time, or your account will be blocked!
• Don't forget to ask your friendly Academic Liaison Librarian for advice - they are happy to help you find relevant, academic sources for your assignments.
• Contact your Academic Liaison Librarian

Keep focused on your reading goals. One way to do this is to ask questions as you read and try to read actively and creatively. It is a good idea to think of your own subject related questions but the following may be generally useful

• What do I want to know about?
• What is the main idea behind the writing?
• What conclusions can be drawn from the evidence?
• In research, what are the major findings?

Questioning the writing

• What are the limitations or flaws in the evidence?
• Can the theory be disproved or is it too general?
• What examples would prove the opposite theory?
• What would you expect to come next?
• What would you like to ask the author?

Forming your own opinion

• How does this fit in with my own theory/beliefs?
• How does it fit with the opposite theory/beliefs?
• Is my own theory/beliefs still valid?
• Am I surprised?
• Do I agree?

Your reading speed is generally limited by your thinking speed. If ideas or information requires lots of understanding then it is necessary to read slowly. Choosing a reading technique must depend upon why you are reading:

• To enjoy the language or the narrative.
• As a source of information and/or ideas.
• To discover the scope of a subject - before a lecture, seminar or research project.
• To compare theories or approaches by different authors or researchers.
• For a particular piece of work e.g. essay, dissertation.

It is important to keep your aims in mind. Most reading will require a mixture of techniques e.g. scanning to find the critical passages followed by reflective reading.

Good for searching for particular information or to see if a passage is relevant:

• Look up a word or subject in the index or look for the chapter most likely to contain the required information.
• Use a pencil and run it down the page to keep your eyes focusing on the search for key words

Skim reading

Good to quickly gain an overview, familiarise yourself with a chapter or an article or to understand the structure for later note-taking

• Don't read every word.
• Do read summaries, heading and subheadings.
• Look at tables, diagrams, illustrations, etc.
• Read first sentences of paragraphs to see what they are about.
• If the material is useful or interesting, decide whether just some sections are relevant or whether you need to read it all.

Reflective or critical reading

Good for building your understanding and knowledge.

• Think about the questions you want to answer.
• Read actively in the search for answers.
• Look for an indication of the chapter's structure or any other "map" provided by the author.
• reasons, qualifications, evidence, examples...
• Look for "signposts" –sentences or phrases to indicate the structure e.g. "There are three main reasons, First.. Secondly.. Thirdly.." or to emphasise the main ideas e.g. "Most importantly.." "To summarise.."
• Connecting words may indicate separate steps in the argument e.g. "but", "on the other hand", "furthermore", "however"..
• After you have read a chunk, make brief notes remembering to record the page number as well as the complete reference (Author, title, date, journal/publisher, etc)
• At the end of the chapter or article put the book aside and go over your notes, to ensure that they adequately reflect the main points.
• Ask yourself - how has this added to your knowledge?
• Will it help you to make out an argument for your essay?
• Do you agree with the arguments, research methods, evidence..?
• Add any of your own ideas – indicating that they are YOUR ideas use [ ] or different colours.

Rapid reading

Good for scanning and skim-reading,  but  remember that it is usually more important to understand what you read than to read quickly. Reading at speed is unlikely to work for reflective, critical reading.

If you are concerned that you are really slow:

• Check that you are not mouthing the words – it will slow you down
• Do not stare at individual words – let your eyes run along a line stopping at every third word. Practise and then lengthen the run until you are stopping only four times per line, then three times, etc.
• The more you read, the faster you will become as you grow more familiar with specialist vocabulary, academic language and reading about theories and ideas. So keep practising…

If you still have concerns about your reading speed, book an  individual advice session  with a Study Adviser.

• ibid : In the same work as the last footnote or reference (from ibidem meaning: in the same place)
• op.cit: In the work already mentioned (from operato citato meaning in the work cited)
• ff: and the following pages
• cf: compare
• passim: to be found throughout a particular book.

You may also find journal titles abbreviated. You will often find a list in your Course Handbook of the most often used in your discipline. Or ask the Academic Liaison Librarian for your subject.

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• Last Updated: Jul 9, 2024 9:50 AM
• URL: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/reading

• Harvard Library
• Research Guides
• Faculty of Arts & Sciences Libraries

Interrogating Texts

• Reading Strategies

Rogier van der Weyden, 1399 -1464. Altarpiece fragment, Mary Magdalene reading. National Gallery (Great Britain). Available through   A rt STOR

Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden. St. Ivo reading, ca.1450. National Gallery (Great Britain). Available through   ArtSTOR

Max Beckmann (1884-1950). Reclining Woman Reading, with Irises (192 3). Oil on canvas. Private collection. Image available in  HOLLIS

H onore  Daumier (1808-1879). Reader (1863). Oil on wood.  University of California, San Diego.  Image available in   ARTStor

Young Man Reading a Book (c.1570-1574). Attributed to Mirza 'Ali (c.1510-1576). Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Image available in HOLLIS

Ms. Richardson 5, fol. 66v Book of Hours, England, ca. 1420. Houghton Library. Image linked from HOLLIS

Pencil drawing of reader in Farnsworth Room [originally in Widener Library] / E. E. Johnson, March 20, 1917 [Farnsworth Room Scrapbooks, v.1]. image available in HOLLIS

Thinking-Intensive Reading

Critical reading--active engagement and interaction with texts--is essential to your academic success at Harvard, and to your intellectual growth.  Research has shown that students who read deliberately retain more information and retain it longer.

Your college reading assignments will probably be more substantial and more sophisticated than those you are used to from high school. The amount of reading will almost certainly be greater.  College students rarely have the luxury of successive re-readings of material, however, given the pace of life in and out of the classroom. 

So how should you approach reading in this new environment?

While the strategies described below are (for the sake of clarity) listed sequentially, you typically do most of them simultaneously. If you're used to doing little more than moving your eyes across the page, they may feel awkward at first, and you may have to deploy them consciously.  But

But as they become habits, you'll notice the differences -- both in what you “see” in a course reading, and in the confidence with which you approach your texts.

Look “around” the text before you start reading. 

Previewing enables you to develop a set of expectations about the scope and aim of the text.  These very preliminary impressions offer you a way to focus your reading. 

You’ve probably engaged in one version of previewing in the past, when you’ve tried to determine how long an assigned reading is (and how much time and energy, as a result, it will demand from you).  But you can learn a great deal more about the organization and purpose of a text by taking note of features other than its length. For instance:

• What does the presence of headnotes , an  abstrac t, or other  prefatory materia l  tell you?
• Is the author known to you already?  If so, how does their  reputation   or  credentials (like an institutional affiliation)   influence your perception of what you are about to read?

If an author is unfamiliar or unknown in an essay collection, does an editor introduce them (by supplying brief biographical information, an assessment of the author’s work, concerns, and importance)?

Texts demand different things of you as you read, so whenever you can, register the type of information you’re presented with. 

• How does the disposition or  layout of a text  prepare you for reading? Is the material broken into parts--subtopics, sections, or the like?  Are there long and unbroken blocks of text or smaller paragraphs or “chunks” and what does this suggest?  How might the identified parts of a text guide you toward understanding the line of inquiry or the arc of the argument that's being made?
• Does the text seem to be arranged according to certain conventions of discourse ? Newspaper articles, for instance, have characteristics that you will recognize, including "easy" language. Textbooks and scholarly essays are organized quite differently. 

2. Annotate

Annotating puts you actively and immediately in a "dialogue” with an author and the issues and ideas you encounter in a written text. .

It's also a way to have an ongoing conversation with yourself as you move through the text and to record what that encounter was like for you. Here's how to make your reading thinking-intensive from start to finish:

• Throw away your highlighter : Highlighting can seem like an active reading strategy, but it can actually distract from the business of learning and dilute your comprehension.  Those bright yellow lines you put on a printed page one day can seem strangely cryptic the next, unless you have a method for remembering why they were important to you at another moment in time.  Pen or pencil will allow you to do more to a text you have to wrestle with.  
• Mark up the margins of your text with words and phrases : the   ideas that occur to you, notes about things that seem important to you, reminders of how issues in a text may connect with class discussion or course themes. This kind of interaction keeps you conscious of the reasons you are reading as well as the purposes your instructor has in mind. Later in the term, when you are reviewing for a test or project, your marginalia will be useful memory triggers.
• Develop your own symbol system : asterisk (*) a key idea, for example, or use an exclamation point (!) for the surprising, absurd, bizarre.  Your personalized set of hieroglyphs allow you to capture the important -- and often fleeting -- insights that occur to you as you're reading.  Like notes in your margins, they'll prove indispensable when you return to a text in search of that perfect passage to use in a paper, or when you are preparing for a big exam.  
• Get in the habit of hearing yourself ask questions: “What does this mean?” “Why is the writer drawing that conclusion?” “Why am I being asked to read this text?” etc. 

Write the questions down (in your margins, at the beginning or end of the reading, in a notebook, or elsewhere. They are reminders of the unfinished business you still have with a text: something to ask during class discussion, or to come to terms with on your own, once you’ve had a chance to digest the material further or have done other course reading.

3. Outline, Summarize, and Analyze

The best way to determine that you’ve really gotten the point is to be able to state it in your own words. take the information apart, look at its parts, and then, put it back together again in language that is meaningful to you. three ways to proceed: .

Outlining  the argument of a text is a version of annotating, and can be done quite informally in the margins of the text, unless you prefer the more formal Roman numeral model you may have learned in high school.  Outlining enables you to see the skeleton of an argument: the thesis, the first point and evidence (and so on), through the conclusion. With weighty or difficult readings, that skeleton may not be obvious until you go looking for it.

Summarizing  accomplishes something similar, but in sentence and paragraph form, and with the connections between ideas made explicit.

Analyzing  adds an evaluative component to the summarizing process—it requires you not just to restate main ideas, but also to test the logic, credibility, and emotional impact of an argument.  In analyzing a text, you reflect upon and decide how effectively (or poorly) its argument has been made.  Questions to ask:

• What is the writer asserting?
• What am I being asked to believe or accept? Facts? Opinions? Some mixture?
• What reasons or evidence does the author supply to convince me? Where is the strongest or most effective evidence the author offers  -- and why is it compelling?
• Is there any place in the text where the reasoning breaks down?  Are there things that do not make sense,  conclusions that are drawn prematurely, moments where the writer undermines their purposes?

4. Look for repetitions and patterns

The way language is chosen, used, and positioned in a text can be an important indication of what an author considers crucial and what they expect you to glean from their argument.  .

Language choices can also alert you to ideological positions, hidden agendas or biases.   Be watching for:

• Recurring images
• Repeated words, phrases, types of examples, or illustrations
• Consistent ways of characterizing people, events, or issues

5. Contextualize

Once you’ve finished reading actively and annotating it,   consider the text from the multiple perspectives..

When you contextualize, you essentially "re-view" a text you've encountered, acknowledging how it is framed by its historical, cultural, material, or intellectual circumstances. Do these factors change, complicate, explain, deepen or otherwise influence how you view a piece? 

Also view the reading through the lens of your own experience. Your understanding of the words on the page and their significance is always shaped by what you have come to know and value from living in a particular time and place.

6. Compare and Contrast

Set course readings against each other to determine their relationships (hidden or explicit)..

• At what point in the term does this reading come?  Why that point, do you imagine?
• How does it contribute to the main concepts and themes of the course? 
• How does it compare (or contrast) to the ideas presented by texts that come before it?  Does it continue a trend, shift direction, or expand the focus of previous readings?
• How has your thinking been altered by this reading, or how has it affected your response to the issues and themes of the course?

Susan Gilroy , Librarian for Undergraduate Writing Programs, Lamont Library 

PDF version

Interrogating texts [2 page printable]

• Last Updated: Jul 30, 2024 6:26 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/sixreadinghabits

Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy

How to improve reading skills: 10 simple but highly effective strategies

When thinking about how to improve reading skills, do you turn to technology?

This may be an issue, especially for young children, as the digital revolution may stunt their reading comprehension. 

A study by neuroscientists at Columbia University’s Teachers College found that text on paper was better for deeper reading than on screen. 

The study was based on 59 children between the ages of 10 to 12, making them read texts in both formats as data was collected from electrode hair nets that each child wore. 

This age group was specifically chosen as researchers believe that this period is when “learning to read” turns into “reading to learn”. 

Dr. Karen Froud, who led this research, was cautious not to make assumptions, but one thing was evident.

“We do think that these study outcomes warrant adding our voices … in suggesting that we should not yet throw away printed books, since we were able to observe in our participant sample an advantage for depth of processing when reading from print,” the researchers said. 

This study raises many questions, such as: does this fact mean that the reading comprehension of the pre-internet generation is better than today’s?

Also, why does it matter?

The printing press revolutionised the world and the value of paper books remain despite the emergence of smartphones and Kindles. Source: AFP

Here are a few stats that prove that improving global reading comprehension is vital :

• One out of five kids in the UK can’t read at their school level by the time they reach 11 years of age.
• 43 million adults in America have low reading abilities.
• Reading times in the US have gradually declined from 23 minutes daily to 17 minutes.
• People who read for 30 minutes or longer weekly have a 21% greater chance of increasing their knowledge.
• Children’s participation in reading for pleasure has dropped from 79% in 2017–18 to 72% in 2021–22 , according to a survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

What does this mean for the generation of children who experienced the pandemic? Or the schools that are now relying on online learning tools? 

Perhaps eradication is not the way — extreme measures never are — but going back to paper books with technology as a tool (instead of the main method) as a way forward. 

Either way, can we all agree that quality certainly trumps quantity?

Faster than the speed of light: How to improve reading skills

Ever wondered how many books you will read before you die?

The Economist ran a survey with 1,500 Americans and only 54% said they read or listened to a book in 2023 . 

Based on these results, it was estimated that if a seven-year-old began reading in 2023, they would get through roughly 770 books in their lifetime. 

If you are 30, you might only have 500 books left to read. 

What about a more voracious reader like Howard Berg? He was dubbed the fastest reader in the world in 2009 by “The Guinness World Record Book”. 

He is able to read more than 25,000 words per minute. 

The self-proclaimed Knowledge Mastery Strategist has authored many books and even coaches people to increase their reading speed and comprehension and be better learners. 

Most of us do not have such lofty goals. Berg managed to read fast while retaining the information he consumed. 

In fact, here is his reading process when he wants to learn:

• I pre-read the book super fast. I’ll read a 400-500 page book in 4-5 minutes to find out what’s in it and if it’s anything I need to know. I want to be able to determine in 5 minutes: Should I even read this? Is this the right book?
• If it is the right book, then I’ll look for what I know, and what I don’t know, and need to learn. I don’t waste time learning what I know, I look for what I don’t know and need to learn. 
• Then the final step, I look for meaning and significance in what confused me , so now I understand it, and then I use memory skills to lock it in

How to improve reading skills? Events that encourage reading certainly help. Source: AFP

Types of reading skills 

There are four main types of reading , each with its own use and purpose: 

1. Skim reading

The British Council defines skimming as “reading a text quickly to get a general idea of meaning.”

This skill is useful to refresh your memory to get the general gist of the text to save time or determine the overall purpose of the text.

 You should be mindful that skimming can cause you to miss out on the nuances of what you are reading.

2. Scan reading

Scanning “is reading a text quickly to find specific information , e.g. figures or names.”

Unlike skimming, when you scan, you are looking for something. 

For instance, you could be scanning your textbook for the answer to a specific question in your homework. 

You could also scan for statistics in an article to help write your essay. 

Active reading does not mean running and reading simultaneously. Source: AFP

3. Active and intensive reading

While the other two types of reading skills (skimming and scanning) are surface-level reading, intensive reading is all about understanding the details. 

For this reading method, “learners are supposed to read the short text carefully and deeply to gain maximum understanding.”

Online learning and tutoring platform PassroomX states that this type of reading is perfect for :

• Studying academic material and complex subjects in depth.
• Enhancing your comprehension and retention of information.
• Encouraging critical thinking and analysis of the content.

To help with active reading, you can scribble on your text, use your trusty highlighter, and write notes or questions. 

4. Analytical reading

This one requires the most focus of all types of reading skills. 

The research paper “ Analytical Reading for Students ” defines this skill clearly: “Analytical reading is a cognitive skill that stimulates brain work. 

“It refers to an ability to approach a text critically by giving priority to the objectives that the author might have.”

This skill is especially useful when analysing articles or texts for your essays and thesis.

With analytical reading , you can identify key information, asses it, recognise biases and compare it to other relevant sources. 

These reading skills come in handy with day-to-day life and your work. Over time, you can work your way up to mastering all of them.

When looking at how to improve reading skills, perhaps be specific in what you want to achieve with this skill. This makes it easier to guide your performance to your purpose. 

People who read for 30 minutes or longer weekly have a 21% greater chance of increasing their knowledge. Source: AFP

How to improve reading skills for your dream career

There are many benefits to reading and finding out how to improve reading skills. 

For instance, reading fictional books is shown to increase better decision-making in people by 50% to 100%.

Purdue Global — the online university for working adults outlines precisely how to improve reading skills for better comprehension in college :

• Find your reading corner: The right space will make it conducive for focused study.
• Preview the text: Ask questions about the text before you dive in. 
• Use smart starting strategies: This includes pacing yourself and checking for understanding 
• Highlight or annotate the text: Keep an eye out for essential terms, definitions, facts, and phrases. 
• Take notes on main points: Employ note-taking strategies to better your understanding. 
• Write questions as you read: This will help you understand your reading. 
• Look up words you don’t know: Don’t let one word derail your progress.
• Make connections: This will help create better memory pathways in your mind. 
• Review and summarise: This will help you determine how much you understand and cement what you have learned. 
• Discuss what you’ve read: Group discussion turns your short-term knowledge into long-term memory. 

Reading books can certainly improve your job prospects. Source: AFP

Reading can also boost emotional development and career prospects by 50% to 100%.

This does not necessarily mean that the books you read need to be hard-hitting tomes. Light-hearted and easy reads can alleviate your stress from the day and make you more productive in the long run. 

Research by the University of Sussex found that reading reduces stress by 68%, as it helps slow down your heart rate and eases muscle tension in just six minutes. 

In fact, reading was more effective than listening to music, having a hot beverage, walking and playing video games. 

Author and consultant Rakesh Sharma outlines other ways in which reading can help you with your career :

• Makes you a better leader : Reading shows you how people relate and connect to each other. If they can stand in your shoes, a leader can help you achieve your goals with more ease.
• Improves decision-making : Being able to make a decision in a stressful situation or make an impactful choice in a high-pressure environment is crucial. Reading helps you filter information better so your decisions are better informed.  
• Enhances analytical skills : Books often have twists and turns and the more you read, the more you can identify patterns. This analytical skill is very useful in the working world. 
• Expands vocabulary : The more words you know, the better you are able to express yourself with more precision. 
• Strengthen writing skills : From emails to evaluations, being able to communicate yourself effectively in writing is an asset in any working environment. 
• Makes you proactive : Reading allows you to concentrate better, be less stressed and improve both your IQ and EQ. This in turn makes you better at your job in that you are more able to analyse and work hard. 

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6 Techniques for Building Reading Skills—in Any Subject

Students need good reading skills not just in English but in all classes. Here are some ways you can help them develop those skills.

As avid lovers of literature, teachers often find themselves wanting to impart every bit of knowledge about a well-loved text to their students. And this is not just an ELA issue—other disciplines also often focus on the content of a text. However, teaching reading skills in English classes and across the disciplines is an almost guaranteed way to help students retain content. Unfortunately, the tendency to focus on the content is a real enemy to the ultimate goal of building reading skills.

Without a repertoire of reading strategies that can be applied to any text, students are being shortchanged in their education. In order to teach students to read effectively, teachers must be sure that they are not simply suppliers of information on a particular text but also instructors of techniques to build reading skills. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate reading skills lessons into a curriculum.

Teach Close Reading Skills

Guide students in annotation by directing them to do more than highlight or underline. Encourage students to have a conversation with the text by jotting notes on the text while reading—this keeps students engaged and often increases comprehension. Annotations can include:

• Defining new words
• Asking questions
• Coding recurring words and themes
• Making personal connections to the text
• Citing current events
• Highlighting heading and subheadings
• Summarizing paragraphs
• Categorizing information
• Numbering and ordering
• Drawing pictures

The list of possibilities is endless—the point is to have students form their own process when approaching a text. But don’t be afraid to give students specific annotation guidelines such as “annotate the writer’s characterization techniques” or “find examples of . . .” to help them focus. Annotations also help students identify which strategies work best for them as they try to process and understand information. The clip “ Girls Read Comic ” from The Big Bang Theory is a great way to introduce the concept of reading closely and its importance.

Appeal to the Senses

While reading is the work of the mind, incorporating the senses provides extra reinforcement for students who are still growing their skills. Reading passages aloud and verbalizing questions you would mentally ask while reading can be a great benefit to students. Students often have no idea how to ask questions, what type of questions to ask, or the frequency of questions, so modeling this skill is invaluable. This can be further reinforced especially for visual learners by using a document camera or overhead projector to write questions, mark key words and phrases, and interact with a text. And as always, encourage students to read with a pen or pencil in hand.

Guide Students in Setting Reading Goals

While writing goals are used regularly in the classroom, students do not assess personal reading skills on a regular basis. Begin the year by having students write a reader’s biography to gain insight into their reading habits, struggles, and successes; this serves as a foundation for discussions on setting reading goals. After reading a novel, nonfiction text, short story, or poetry unit, help students evaluate their reading skills: Did you feel confident reading the text? Why or why not? What parts of the text gave you trouble? Could you have used a different strategy to make reading the text easier? Students should evaluate goals on a regular basis and create new goals based on their needs and growth.

Vary Text Length

When approaching a particularly difficult text, break it up and offer it in shorter segments. Students often become discouraged with lengthy texts that require intense concentration. Giving smaller segments allows the students to digest chunks in pieces, acquire academic vocabulary, and build confidence.

Offer Opportunities for Choice Reading

Simply put, the best way to improve reading is to read, and students are more likely to read when they have a choice in the reading. Newsela and CommonLit offer a variety of nonfiction articles for choice (and CommonLit includes fiction as well); both sites include articles with various grade levels and across multiple disciplines. Classroom libraries built from donations, garage sales, and thrift shops encourage students to take books for personal reading. Ask students about their interests and make recommendations. Reading for pleasure builds transferable skills for content reading and should be encouraged, including in class.

Assess Content and Skill

Students should be able to demonstrate their skills in assessment, whether it’s formal or informal, formative or summative. Recall and comprehension questions are a good way to check for basic understanding, but teachers should then move to the harder how and why questions. Choose activities that require students to dig deep into a text, such as:

• Facilitate a socratic discussion.
• Create a playlist for a character.
• Write a formal essay.
• Make a meme for a character.
• Present a mini-TED talk on research inspired by a text.
• Create a mind map, literary 3x3, or infographic.

Most teachers already incorporate skill building in their classes to some degree; however, taking time to discuss and actively engage students in the process will keep skill development at the forefront of learning. The result will be students who not only make gains in reading but also have an understanding of how to become better readers.

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📖Essay on Importance of Reading: Samples in 100, 150, and 250 Words

• Updated on  
• Apr 26, 2024

Language learning requires four skills i.e. Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. It is an important part that eventually builds up the communication skills of a person. Reading will help in attaining knowledge of variable fields. It enhances the intellect of a person. Reading helps students to enhance their language fluency. Students must adopt the habit of reading good books. Reading books can also improve the writing skills. If you are a school student and searching for a good sample essay on the importance of reading then, you landed at the right place. Here in this blog, we have covered some sample essays on the importance of reading!

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on the Importance of Reading in 100 Words
• 2 Essay on Importance of Reading 150 Words
• 3 Essay on Importance of Reading 250 Words
• 4 Short Essay on Importance of Reading

Essay on the Importance of Reading in 100 Words

The English language is considered the global language because it is the most widely spoken language worldwide. Reading is one of the important parts of acquiring complete knowledge of any language. Reading helps in maintaining a good vocabulary that is helpful for every field, whether in school, interviews , competitive exams , or jobs. 

Students must inculcate the habit of reading from a young age. Making a habit of reading good books will eventually convert into an addiction over time and you will surely explore a whole new world of information.

Being exposed to different topics through reading can help you look at the wider perspective of life. You will eventually discover a creative side of yours while developing the habit of reading.

Also Read: Essay on Gaganyaan

Essay on Importance of Reading 150 Words

Reading is considered an important aspect that contributes to the development of the overall personality of any person. If a person wants to do good at a professional level then he/she must practice reading.

There are various advantages of reading. It is not only a source of entertainment but also opens up the creative ability of any person. Reading helps in self-improvement, enhances communication skills, and reduces stress. It is one of the sources of pleasure and also enhances the analytical skills. 

Here are some of the best books to study that may help you enhance your reading skills:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling .
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee .
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri .
• Pride and Prejudice
• The Great Gatsby

A person with good reading skills would be able to communicate with more confidence and shine brighter at the professional level. Reading is a mental exercise, as it can provide you with the best experience because while reading fiction, or non-fiction you use your imagination without any restrictions thereby exploring a whole new world on your own. So, Just Enjoy Reading!

Also Read: How to Prepare for UPSC in 6 Months?

Also Read: Communication Skills to Succeed at Work

Essay on Importance of Reading 250 Words

Reading is a language skill necessary to present yourself in front of others because without being a good reader, it’s difficult to be a good communicator. Reading books should be practised regularly. Books are considered a human’s best friend.

It is right to say that knowledge can’t be stolen. Reading enhances the knowledge of a person. There are numerous benefits of reading.

I love reading books and one of my all-time favorite authors is William Shakespeare. His work “As You Like It” is my favourite book. By reading that book I came across many new words. It enabled me to add many words to my vocabulary that I can use in my life.

Apart from this, there are many other benefits of reading books such as reading can help you write in a certain way that can impress the reader. It also enhances communication skills and serves as a source of entertainment . 

Schools conduct various competitions which directly or indirectly involve reading. Some such competitions include debate, essay writing competitions, elocution, new reading in assembly, etc. All such activities require active reading because without reading a person might not be able to speak on a specific topic.

All such activities are conducted to polish the language skills of students from the very beginning so that they can do good at a professional level.

In conclusion, in a world of technological advancement, you are more likely to get easy access to online reading material available on the internet. So, you must not miss this opportunity and devote some time to reading different kinds of books. 

Also Read: SAT Reading Tips

Short Essay on Importance of Reading

Find a sample of a short essay on importance of reading below:

Also Read: Essay on Social Issues

Reading is a good habit; It helps to improve communication skills; Good books whether fiction or non-fiction widen your imagination skills; You can experience a whole new world while reading; It helps you establish your professional personality; Reading skills help you interact with other people at a personal and professional level; Improves vocabulary; Reading novels is considered a great source of entertainment; It helps you acquire excessive knowledge of different fields; Reading is motivational and a great mental exercise.

Reading is important to build the overall personality of a person. It establishes a sense of professionalism and improves the vocabulary. Adapting a habit of reading books will help in expanding your knowledge and creativity.

Here are some of the best books for students to read: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; The Alchemist, The 5 AM Club, Rich Dad Poor Dad, etc.

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For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu.

Kajal Thareja

Hi, I am Kajal, a pharmacy graduate, currently pursuing management and is an experienced content writer. I have 2-years of writing experience in Ed-tech (digital marketing) company. I am passionate towards writing blogs and am on the path of discovering true potential professionally in the field of content marketing. I am engaged in writing creative content for students which is simple yet creative and engaging and leaves an impact on the reader's mind.

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Why Reading is Essential for Improving Essay Writing Skills

why reading is essential for improving essay writing skills? There are several ways we can draw a connection between reading and writing skills where some ways both skills benefit each other.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

When we think about improving students’ writing skills we tend to think of spelling, grammar, phonemic awareness and phonics. Recently, studies have shown that working with students to improve their reading skills can have an impact on their essay writing.

Because most students don’t like to read, the vast majority of them find writing essays to be even more of a daunting task. According to BetterWrititngServices.com , essay writing services are extremely popular among college students, and the number of websites that sell academic papers to students grows rapidly. For this reason, it is important to help students improve their writing skills.

In this article, we will cover why reading is essential for improving essay writing skills. There are several ways we can draw a connection between reading and writing skills where some ways both skills benefit each other.

Mechanics of writing

We often teach reading and writing as two separate subjects, but students cannot complete a writing task if they cannot read and understand the instructions. These two skills are intertwined and both equally important to students’ success.

Reading serves not only to expose the student to different styles of writing but also supports them in their emerging skills.

The most well-known benefit reading has on writing skills is the increased exposure to different words. The more students read, the more it exposes them to alternative ways to use words they are both familiar and not familiar with.

The more students read, the bigger chance that they will learn new ways to structure their sentences and express their ideas. Reading allows them to learn new patterns they can use in their own writing.

The more well-read the writer is, the better grasp they have on understanding poor writing versus quality writing. This will allow students to make this identification more clear in their own written work.

Power of words

Essays are a tool used to get an idea across, make a point, prove something, or tell a story. The more students read, the more access they have to literature that seeks to make the same things happen.

It gives more weight to the words themselves and by extension more weight to what the students write.

Reading is also a proven way to support the development of imagination. While reading, we tend to picture the events in our mind’s eyes based on what we are reading. This has been shown to support your ability to understand situations and the solutions from the text.

Developing their voice

Without reading a variety of different authors and texts, it is hard for students to understand the idea of the voice of the author. The more students are exposed to different authors, the more courage and sense of self they develop for their own writing.

The more we expose students to different writing styles (classics, modern-day fiction and nonfiction), the more we support them in crafting their own voice for essay writing.

The development of a unique voice is an important skill needed to write essays, and it will aid in setting them apart from their peers.

Keeping up with the times

Language is something that is ever-changing, even in the world of essays. The words and phrases used by a student can change from year to year. Reading is essential for students who want to stay informed about modern language and style changes.

APA and MLA are always evolving in order for students to understand these changes. They need to see how they are implemented in various forms of writing.

Outside of the evaluation of different citation reading keeps students involved in learning the ways modern writing is changing.

Entwining reading and writing in the classroom

For those in education looking to improve their students’ essay writing skills, there are a few ways reading and writing can be taught together for the most benefit to the student.

Note-taking is the easiest way to aid students in their reading and writing skills. Having your students take notes on what they have read not only increases their deep reading skills, but benefits their writing as well.

Students do not just write one form of essay, they write personal essays, persuasive essays, they compare and contrast, so why are they only reading one thing? In order for students to understand the different tones and syntax required for these different forms of essays, they need to read them.

Exposing your students to different forms of literature broadens their ideas on what their next essay could be.

Genre Study

By selecting one genre for students to narrow their field of study it allowed them to learn the specific genre before they experiment with writing within that genre.

Letting students take the lead fosters their interest and independence in their language skills.

For teachers who find themselves struggling with ways to improve their student’s essay writing this may be the perfect solution. We know that we are more likely to complete certain tasks when we are motivated.

Thus it would make sense that if we allow students to pick the genre they both read and write about, they will be more motivated as well. Allow students to pick their own reading materials, then craft the writing work around their chosen piece.

In conclusion

The ways of teaching reading and writing separately are changing as more of us in education understand that reading is vital to essay writing skills.

As a basic level skill, students need to understand the written instruction before they can write the essay. In addition, the more well read students are the more vocabulary and grammar they are absorbing that is then transferred to their own writing.

The more students reading is spread out of topics and genres the deeper understanding they develop on the topics they are then to write essays about.

The absorption of knowledge that happens through the process of reading is integral to students improving their essay writing skills.

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