How to learn English by reading: Strategies for improved comprehension

Reading is an essential part of learning English or any other language. As you read, you discover new vocabulary and grammatical structures and your knowledge of the English language becomes more complete.

Here we will share some ways to learn English by reading for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners, as well as some general tips that can help anyone improve their reading skills and enjoy the benefits of this activity.

Reading to learn English: Quick tips

These quick tips can apply to anyone who wants to read English more and use it to improve their English skills in general:

1. Start at the right level

Pick reading materials at the right level to challenge you, but not overwhelm you. Ideally, no more than 10% of the text should be unknown words – and around 5% is about right for most learners.

You can take British Council’s free online English level test to establish your reading level, then browse their helpful reading lessons.

Keep reading to learn about more reading resources suitable for each level.

2. Set time aside to practice daily

Try to read English daily to make it a regular habit. Set aside 10, 20, or 30 minutes per day at a designated time when you’ll be able to focus and take notes.

3. Use online resources to help

Reading English doesn’t have to involve a pile of bulky English books; there are tons of great English learning websites, as well as e-books that you can download and read from your phone or tablet.

You may also benefit from an English learning app that combines reading exercises with other key skills like writing, listening, and grammar lessons.

4. Explore diverse materials in different genres

To get the most out of reading to learn English, don’t confine yourself to a single genre or type of text. Explore both fiction and nonfiction, and seek out authors from different cultures and backgrounds.

Nonfiction texts that you can read to learn English include:

• Magazines
• Blogs
• News articles
• Recipes
• Social media posts
• Forum discussions
• Travel guides
• Instruction manuals
• Autobiographies
• Job descriptions
• Movie reviews

Even things like food packets and billboards contain important words for you to recognize. The more you surround yourself with a new language and read it wherever you can in your everyday life, the closer you get to immersion learning.

When it comes to fiction, you can read novels or short stories (depending on your level of English proficiency) from different genres including:

• Mystery
• Fantasy
• Historical fiction
• Science fiction
• Romance

By doing this, you will be exposed to a rich vocabulary and different plot structures, character dynamics, and narrative techniques.

5. Practice reading and listening with audiobooks

A great way to supplement your reading practice is with audiobooks. These shouldn’t replace reading alone, but they can help you understand a text better, read faster, and practice your pronunciation at the same time.

Most audio players have a setting that allows you to slow down the audio speed. Make use of this if needed, so you can still read at your own pace rather than relying on listening. Also take the time to repeat sections of text if you had trouble understanding them the first time.

Audible is a good place to access audiobook versions of whichever books you are reading – and you can get 30 days free to see if this technique helps your reading comprehension.

6. Make a vocabulary list or keep a language journal

If you want to build your English vocabulary, a simple way to do this is by keeping a list of new English words you encounter.

Jot down and unknown words in a notebook or on your phone, and later when you have time, look up the meaning in a dictionary (check out some of the best English learner’s dictionaries here).

To take this a step further, keep a language journal. This can include the context where you saw the new word, the definition, some example sentences you have written yourself, and even drawings or diagrams to help you visualize how to use the word.

Flashcards are a good tool to help you learn and remember vocabulary words. You can create your own physical flashcards or create a digital pack using a tool like Memrise. Be sure to review them regularly to keep those new words fresh in your memory.

7. Play English word games

Inject some fun into learning English reading by playing some word games. These can help stretch your vocabulary and encourage you to recall words you have already learned.

Try online games like Alphabet Soup and Knoword, or share the fun with friends and family with board games like Boggle and Bananagrams.

Find more of our recommended games for learning English here.

8. Practice different reading techniques

When you are reading to learn English, there are different ways you can approach a piece of text or literature. Each of these can improve your reading skills in different ways:

• Intensive reading: This method involves reading slowly through a short text and focusing on understanding every word and the full meaning behind what is written.
• Extensive reading: This method focuses on broader exposure to different texts. As long as you can get a general idea of the meaning you don’t need to scrutinize every new word.
• Re-reading: Another way to study short texts is to read them several times: First to get a basic understanding of the words, second to grasp the meaning behind them, and third to consider, on a deeper level, what the author is trying to convey or what it means for you and the world around you.

Learning to read English for beginners

Next, let’s look at some specific tools and techniques to help beginners learn to read English.

First of all, it’s important to choose beginner-level reading text that introduces new words at an appropriate level and is simple enough to understand without too much difficulty.

Beginner reading should focus on:

• Understanding main ideas
• Discovering new vocabulary
• Recognizing tenses and other basic grammar
• Identifying sequences of events

For kids learning English, the Penguin Young Readers and Step Into Reading collections have graded books for different levels. The stories are fun and engaging for young readers, and there are comprehension questions to help develop their understanding of the text.

For adults learning to read English, Penguin Readers are graded versions of classic works, simplified to suit each reading level. English Short Stories for Beginners has a collection of short stories written for people learning English as a second language.

At this level, English learners may get through short stories quite quickly. Therefore, rather than purchasing multiple books, it may be more economical to get a Kindle Unlimited subscription. This gives access to unlimited e-books, including hundreds of graded readers.

Of course, if you have access to a local library, you should be able to find books like these for free.

There are also plenty of websites offering English learning for beginners, including:

• BBC Learning English
• News In Levels
• Agenda Web
• ESL Lounge

These are good for self-study, and an app like Mondly can help with more guided learning.

Learn English reading at intermediate level

As your reading comprehension improves, you can continue with graded readers at more difficult levels, but you can also start reading English articles and other simple texts written for native speakers.

For example, choose a simple blog post or news article on a topic that interests you. As you read it, try to:

• Understand the meaning of each sentence
• Use context clues to guess the meaning of unknown words
• Identify examples of cause and effect
• Spot any English idioms and learn what they mean
• Question the contents of the writing
• Look for the opinion or intent of the author
• Decide whether you agree with what is written
• Write a short summary of the key points

This book of short stories for intermediate learners has eight stories in different genres – an enjoyable way to improve your English reading.

Developing English reading skills for advanced learners

Advanced learners should feel comfortable applying their reading skills to texts written for native English speakers. This could include popular novels, classic English literature, and a broad range of online materials.

As you read, think about:

• Examining sentences for unfamiliar grammatical structures
• Understanding cultural context and how it affects the text
• Asking questions for deeper reflection on the subject
• Discussing the text with others and forming an opinion about it

An app like Gymglish can be very helpful for advanced learners wanting a fun way to practice regularly. It includes plenty of reading and listening exercises suited to your level, while also ensuring that your grammar and vocabulary knowledge are progressing at the correct level. You can try Gymglish for 1 month free to see if it suits you.

Combining reading with writing, speaking, and listening skills

As you improve your reading skills, you can use your reading time to develop other skills and build your fluency in English.

Reading and writing skills

Reading varied materials by different authors will expose you to different writing styles and influence the way you write.

Some ways to combine reading and writing practice include:

• Reading a short text and then re-writing it in your own words
• Writing a short summary of what you have read each day
• Writing a review of a book you’ve read
• Leaving a comment in a blog post or online article
• Intentionally using your new vocabulary as you write

Discover some more ways to improve your English writing skills.

Reading and speaking skills

Hopefully, as you learn to read English, you will discover some books and topics that are worth sharing with others. This is where you can practice your speaking skills as well.

Talking with a fluent English speaker gives you an opportunity to check your understanding of the text and ask any questions you might have.

If you don’t have any English-speaking friends, you could join an online book club or find a language exchange partner with similar interests to you.

You might also benefit from classes with a private tutor (Preply is a good place to find affordable online tutors). Tell your tutor that you want to improve your English reading skills, and they can choose appropriate texts for you to study and discuss in a guided environment.

You can even benefit from conversations in your own language about things you have read in English, if you don’t have many opportunities to speak English with people.

Reading and listening skills

Finally, here are some ways you can learn English by reading and listening together:

• While reading a book, listen along with an audio recording. Try to switch your mind between relying on listening and relying on reading for comprehension. Adjust the audio speed to help with this.
• When you watch a movie in English, read the subtitles as you listen to the dialogue
• Join a book group to participate in active discussion and hear what others have to say
• Listen to podcasts that have a transcript available so you can read as you listen (many of these English learning podcasts have transcripts)

We have more resources for learning English listening here.

Setting goals and tracking progress as you learn English by reading

Setting goals and monitoring your progress will help you stay focused and motivated as you learn to read more.

We have a full guide to setting goals for learning English to help with this, but here are some ideas for goals that relate to English reading:

• Learning a certain number of new words each week
• Finishing a book or text within a specific timeframe
• Meeting with a book group regularly and being able to participate in discussions
• Reading an article every day

To track your progress, you could use a flashcard app that keeps a record of the words you have mastered. You can also keep a reading list – include books or articles you want to read and check them off as you complete them, retaining a record of everything you have accomplished.

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