Improve Your English Reading Skills Through Easy / Graded Readers
Are you a bookworm? Do you love to read books in your own language? If you're an avid reader, you could use reading to improve your English language skills!
But what should I read, you might ask, if my English isn't fluent? If you are just starting out, then easy / graded readers are the best option for you :-)
Easy or graded readers are either simplified versions of classics or contemporary books like for example 'Jane Eyre' or 'Lord of the Flies' or original fiction tailored to language learner's needs. [caption id="attachment_313" align="alignright" width="414"] Which level is best for me? Language level guidance on the back of an easy reader.[/caption] The advantage is, that you can select a book according to your language level, as most publishers will tell you about the different language levels on the back of the graded reader. One disadvantage is, that in order to be simplified, the stories are almost always abridged, especially if it's a retelling of a classic! But you could always read the easy version first, and the original afterwards. That way you can kill two birds with one stone! ;-) If you would like to try this, have a look at the links below: Cambridge: Cambridge English Macmillan Readers: www.macmillanreaders.com (go to the 'title resources' tab and choose your level) Oxford Bookworms: OUP Graded Readers Penguin Readers: Penguin Graded Readers
Vocabulary (in order of appearance):
- Avid reader: a person who reads a lot
- Language skills: your ability to listen, write, speak and read in a (foreign) language
- Fluent: (here) to have really good language skills (see above)
- Native language: the language you grew up with
- Every so often: occasionally, from time to time
- Fiction: (here) a book telling a story
- Tailored to language learner's needs: (here) specifically written for a group of language learners; beginners, intermediate etc.
- To select: to choose
- Publisher: most authors work for a publisher, a company which will sell and market their books
- Abridged: (here) made shorter by leaving out unimportant parts
- To kill two birds with one stone: (idiom) to solve two problems at once