Do you break out into a sweat when you have to read in English? Staring at a page full of unfamiliar words can be overwhelming, even for the most confident of readers. Here are five useful tips that can help make reading a rewarding experience rather than a dreaded chore.
 
Be prepared

Never rush straight into reading. Before you begin, look at the title and any pictures. This will give you a good idea of the topic. Think about what you already know. Next, predict what the reading will be about. Think about what you want to learn and write down any questions you may have. Preparing yourself for the reading in this way will get you started before the first page is even turned.

At first sight

Now that you've got a general idea of the topic, you can begin. Read the entire text over once without stopping. Don't worry about the details just yet. In the beginning, all you should be trying to do is get a feeling for the main idea. This is called skimming. When you're done, think about how much you've understood and remembered.

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It's all in the details

Remember those questions you wrote down before? Now it's time to find the answers. Read the text again, but this time, read it slowly and carefully. Look for any words or phrases that relate to your questions. This is called scanning. If you come across anything else that's interesting and important, underline that too. Once you're finished, you should have a fuller understanding of the text.

Words, words, words!

You don't have to understand every single word to understand the text. Pick out key words or phrases you don't know and write them down. But don't reach for the dictionary just yet! Try to guess the word's meaning from context - the words or phrases around it. After you've taken a guess, go ahead and use the dictionary to see how close you were. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Final reading

By this time, you should be familiar with the text. Read it one more time. You can now focus on any unusual grammar structures or sentence styles. When you've finished, sit back and think about everything you've just learned. That wasn't so difficult, was it?