by Sharon Hooper
Reading books can be a great way to pick up new vocabulary, to see grammar in action and to develop your understanding of a language. That’s particularly true when it comes to English because it has such a long heritage when it comes to classical literature.
Learning a language and even growing as a person all comes down to looking to constantly improve your skills, your logical thinking and your knowledge. The good news is that improving your language skills can be easy, especially if you do it by reading books.
And so with that in mind, we’ve pulled together this article with our top tips for getting an English accent by reading books. Let’s get started.
Learning words about books can be a great way to get started because you already know it’s a subject that you’re interested in. Get started with words like “library” and move on to more complicated words like “grimoire” and “lexicologist”.
Reading books aloud can push you to try unfamiliar pronunciations and to wrap your head around words that you’ve never come across before. If you’re not sure how to pronounce a word, look it up – but make sure it’s being pronounced by a native English speaker.
There are so many native British writers out there that you could read only British authors without ever running out. We’re not saying you should go that far, but picking up books by British authors can give you a feel for the way that they write and use different words, especially across different regions.
Classics can also be a great way to get to know the English language a little more, especially because they’re usually available for free. Don’t push it too far, though, because many of them use archaic language that’s no longer in common usage.
Whenever you’re unsure of a pronunciation, you should take the time to look it up. Make sure that you use a recent edition of the Oxford English Dictionary to do this so that it includes the latest pronunciation notes in British English.
Audio books are a great resource when you’re learning to read because you can listen to the words being pronounced by people who speak English professionally. Just note that they still don’t always get it right, especially in lower budget productions.
Reading essays on books can help you to understand the deeper meanings behind the books that you read and ultimately to get more from them. The more you understand the books that you’re reading, the more your vocabulary can improve as a result of them.
In the same way that you can learn by reading essays on books, Assignment Holic UK recommends joining a book club. Doing this can help if you’re working on an essay, but it can also help if you’re just improving your use of language in general.
You’ll never learn anything if you never push yourself to go outside your comfort zone. You need to put yourself in situations you might not otherwise have been in by picking up books that you’d usually skip over.
ConclusionReading is a great way to build your vocabulary and range when learning English, and the best part is that it’s a gift that keeps on giving. In other words, the more you read, the more you’ll continue to learn, especially if you go out of your way to experiment with different genres.
So go ahead and pick up a book if you’re not reading one already. If you learn to love reading for the sake of reading, you’ll be able to stay motivated to keep learning for life. All it takes is a good book. Good luck.
Sharon is marketing specialist and blogger from Manchester, UK. When she has a minute, she loves to share a few of her thoughts about marketing, writing and blogging with you. Currently, she is working as a marketer at essay shark. You could follow Sharon on Facebook.
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