Advanced Reading For English Language Learners

In my previous post, I promised that I would dedicate a separate post for those who wish to take their reading skills to a higher level. Some of you may need to do it for educational purposes while others may want to do so for their own personal satisfaction or desire. I fall into the second category. I have grown to love reading to the point that I wanted to read as many books as I could; this is what gave me the determination to pursue my degree in English literature and improve my reading skills. 

I am sure that all of you have different reasons and motivations to bring your English proficiency to a higher level. Whatever your motivations may be, I am going to share some tips on how to take your reading to an advanced level. 

As usual, I’m going to acknowledge the fact that these tips may not work for everyone and that any advice provided in this post is purely based on my own experiences and preferences. If you need any personalized strategies and advice for improving language, please contact us at levelupproficiency@gmail.com.

Without further ado, here is my advice for taking your language skills to a higher level!

I. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

When you want to achieve a new level of proficiency in a language, it is up to you to take the plunge to get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. For example, if you typically read young adult fiction and feel you have a strong grasp of the language in those particular stories, perhaps try reading a more adult oriented novel like those by Stephen King. By doing this, you will give yourself the chance to expose yourself to new words and uses of language that you might not have otherwise heard of. 

In addition, it challenges you and keeps your interest in the language alive! Learning a new language requires a large amount of dedication, which requires you to maintain your interest in the language. Therefore, challenging yourself is not a bad next step in terms of making sure that you are keeping up with your goals. 

II.Think of the Bigger Picture

 This is an important one. In this point, I mean that you need to look at reading as something more than just words on the page. When you read, why not try to think of the bigger picture of the text? Try to pinpoint cultural references, historical frameworks and more. In fact, why not try to learn more of the author of the text and where they come from? Doing this not only improves your reading and language skills, it helps you understand the larger context of the text; this leads to you understand the cultural and historical aspects of the language and the origin source of the text itself. 

Taking the time to do this allows you to read texts that go further from your comfort zone by encouraging you to read even more advanced texts. In a way, it becomes a never ending journey for knowledge and language proficiency. In my experience, I have always found myself to be more motivated when I am learning more about the cultural and historical references of the text. Take Shakespeare as an example; my first experience with his plays were absolutely miserable. I first read one of his plays at a point when I was obsessing about language proficiency, and I realized that this kind of narrow perspective is not going to help me read and understand his plays one bit.

When I approached his plays a few years later, I approached it with a different mindset. I read his plays willing to go beyond his language and understand the context that lies behind his plays. Trust me, it did wonders. Not only did it make his plays more interesting to read, it helped me gain the confidence to read texts that were further away from my one comfort zone. It also helped me more a knowledgeable person as well! In addition, you get to learn more about the world that you are living in! Essentially, you will be hitting two birds with one stone! In my humble opinion, there is nothing better than that.

To conclude this rather short post, I would like to say that I recommend readers on all levels to try to implement the tips stated above. It can truly help enrich your own reading experience and make your journey to gaining English proficiency an interesting, and ultimately more successful, one! 

As usual, remember that we are always happy to help you with whatever your needs might be! Whether you need clarification on what I am trying to say in this post or whether you want to figure out your own strategy, we are always here to help! So, please, do not hesitate to contact us if you need any help.

R.M, 2nd Year English MA Student