Learning a new language is one of the most difficult and rewarding things anyone can do. It requires you to not just memorize words, but understand them enough to craft original sentences and understand how they work. Repetition is one of the best ways to make this process second nature, but it can be hard to do without someone to practice with. That is why the best way to learn English is through reading.
Reading provides the kind of repetition that makes learning a new language easier. Familiar words can be used over and over until they are part of your thinking. You may find yourself reading a sentence in a magazine or book and suddenly realizing that you understand it easily! Reading can also help you learn new words through context and how they are used by the writer. When you are reading something in a new language, the words you already know are reinforced in your mind while new words are learned in an intuitive fashion.
Unlike talking which can be too fast or too hard to understand, reading allows you to go at your own pace. A book always waits for you and never rushes you. It can also let you visualize the words in your mind and familiarize you with their spellings. More importantly, reading is a mental exercise. Sometimes the hardest part of learning a new language is the disconnect between your head and your mouth. Reading allows your head to have a firm grasp on the words so it can tell the mouth what to say. In that way, reading improves not only your understanding of the language, but how you speak it as well.
Whether you have been studying for a long time or are new to the language, reading is one of the best ways to learn English. It allows you to go at your own pace, to have a visual image of a word and practice thinking in it. Whether you choose a long book or something as short as a blog post or magazine article, reading can improve your English language skills and give you more confidence in using what you know.
