In the current electronic age where our attention spans are getting shorter day after day, it is very difficult to read a book in our native language let alone in English. Although difficult in nature, there are things you can do to make it easier. It will never be completely easy but maybe more enjoyable & less frustrating.

You might wonder, what is even the point in reading in the 21st century? Currently, there are an endless amount of apps that claim to teach you a language in a short time & relatively cheap but is it possible? Using apps like duolingo or the likes is indeed fun but they also give us the illusion that we are making a big progress where in fact, there are no shortcuts.

Now let’s get into some tips & tricks to make the process less tiring & a bit more fun.

The type of book you read matters

The system I’m about to describe works best for non-fiction books however you can even read novels this way. Usually non-fiction books are written in an easier way to understand. Novels though use many words to describe certain situations that might require even sophisticated & uncommon vocabulary.

If you are a beginner or intermediate, try to stick to easy novels targeted for children or teenagers. If you are an advanced student, you can pick up almost any novels but remember certain works require bigger vocabulary which shouldn’t discourage you.

Non-fiction genres such as self-help, business or in fact any educational books are good for any level of english.

You don’t have to understand everything

Start reading a chapter & don’t worry if you don’t understand every single word you see. The subconscious part of our mind that does the majority of information processing has a way of figuring things out automatically. There may be some words that keep repeating & you might guess it depending on the context. The main goal is to finish the chapter.

If you understand 50% or more, continue to the next chapter otherwise take a break & repeat the chapter at a later time. During your break, you could probably check some of the words that were occurring multiple times so you could get more out of the chapter.

Do not mark the words you don’t understand

You might be tempted to mark some words that are new to you or check the dictionary while you are reading. This is a bad habit because you will be context switching & this activity is very heavy for our brain.

Remember that there is no rush. You can always go back to the chapter & read it again. By not marking words you train your memory to remember context is more important than individual words which is better in the long run for your vocabulary. It also keeps your book clean of unnecessary lines & circles.

Don’t read the words in your head

Almost all of us have a habit of reading the text we see with a voice in our head. This is just a bad habit & is going to slow down your reading & probably make you more tired. Try to look at the words one by one. You could use your finger to move under the words in a constant speed.

Whenever you catch yourself reading the words with a voice in your head, remember to just look at the words instead & continue with a constant speed. This can be challenging in the beginning but with practice you can develop your reading speed.

Finish first then go back later

If you are new to reading books in english you might understand 50-70% of a book after the first reading. It would be very good if you repeat the process. You can always skip parts that you think you understood during the first reading.

It is far more effective to read a book 2 or 3 times than read a paragraph and understand every word of it. You want to get into the habit of finishing a book & re-reading it if needed. It takes less time & it is less demanding because you don’t have to make sure you understand everything.

Conclusion

Whenever you start reading in English, remember that no matter how difficult it may seem, it’ll get better as you do it more & the rewards will be worth it. You can use my method & even modify it to fit into your preferences. I would love to hear from you if it did help you or you come up with your own ideas. I wish you a great time reading!