Are you one of those people who sees reading as a tedious task rather than one of those simple pleasures of life?

You may want to rethink your view of reading as it is one of the best ways to build your vocabulary  and consequently improve your English. Try to:

• Choose reading material that interests you and that is appropriate to your level.

• Skim the text for its gist: simply read through it quickly to find its main idea. What is it talking about? Who is involved?

• Read it again and this time, take your time and underline any words,  you aren’t familiar with. First try to figure out what they mean by using context clues, then later on check whether you’re right or wrong by looking them up in the dictionary.

• It would be ideal to keep a vocabulary notebook where you could write down all the fresh, new words you’ve come across in your reading.

•  You could also write your own version of what you’ve read by rephrasing. For instance, if you’ve read an article, rewrite it in paragraphs. If you’ve read a novel, summarize it in chapters. With this you’ll also be helping your writing skills out.        

Perhaps turning yourself into a bookworm isn’t the easiest thing in the world.  With a bit of interest, a little patience and  hard-work, you’ll be flipping through the pages like the wind.