why you must read beginner level why do I need to read in English my students often ask me this they think I go to classes I do my homework I watch films in English why should I read books actually reading is the best way to improve your English I will tell you why first reading is very important now in 2006 only one in a 100 people went to University now 7 in 100 people go to university all jobs need more reading and writing than 100 years ago this is true for everyone it doesn't matter if
you're an office worker or a mechanic second reading will improve your speaking writing vocabulary and grammar are better than any other way it won't improve your listening but it will improve your vocabulary and when you have a better vocabulary you can listen more easily and improve your listening that way in school you probably read lots of English you probably read boring textbooks and stories with exercises at the end but I'm not talking about that I'm talking about reading for pleasure meure that means reading a book you enjoy because you enjoy it you are not reading
because your teacher said read this book you are not reading because you think I should read this book you are reading because you want to in 1965 they did an experiment in schools in America these schools were for boys who had done crimes for example some of them stole things they gave some of the boys free books they were fun books like James Bond they said you can do what you want you don't have to read the books but the boys did read the books they read a lot of books some boys read a book
every two days after 2 years they gave the students a test the students who got the books got better at reading and writing and they liked School more the students who did not get the books did not get better at reading and writing actually some of them got worse this isn't just true for native speakers they also did an experiment on students learning English in the Fiji islands they used three ways to teach the first way was normal English teaching they did grammar classes exercises and so on the second way was reading in Silence the
students read books in class the third way was reading together the teacher read books to the students after one year the two ways with reading were the best they were much better than the students who did normal English classes they did the experiment again in Singapore there the students who read in silence did very well they did the best in grammar tests other students did grammar classes but they did worse in grammar tests in normal classes we try to remember grammar and vocabulary when we read we learn them naturally maybe you're thinking when I read
in English it's too hard I have to use the dictionary all the time it's boring I can't do it I understand so I wrote this book I think this book will make you like reading because the stories are easy and fun the early stories are short and easy and the later stories are longer and harder when you finish the book you will think wow I did it I make a podcast called english-spoken stories nine of the stories in this book I wrote for english-spoken stories one of the stories I wrote for this book but when
I made this book I made the stories better now you can read the stories at beginner pre-intermediate intermediate or Advanced levels the stories are all fairy tales some are very popular fairy tales but some are not so popular one of them I wrote myself maybe you're thinking fairy tales fairy tales are for children I need useful vocabulary I need to learn about business and science that can't be fun actually the vocabulary in these stories will be useful mcon did an experiment where he looked at vocabulary in 22 novels 85% of the words were on academic
word lists these are lists of words that you need to know to study at University roles and Rogers also did an experiment they said if students read a million words of Science Fiction will they learn important science words for studying at University the answer was yes so yes fairy tales are useful for you too but but I understand if you still don't believe me when I learned about all this I found it hard to believe too but I like to try new things and I love learning languages so in 2017 I decided to do an
experiment I had wanted to learn Spanish for a long time but I didn't learn much in normal classes I said I will read a million words in Spanish afterwards I will see what my level is a million words is about 20 novels so it was a lot of work I started with very easy reading like this book then I started reading translations of books that I knew in English for example I have read Harry Potter and Game of Thrones in English so I read them in Spanish too finally I read new books in Spanish I
read Latin American authors that means writers such as Isabel alende Luis Jorge bores and Manuel puik I love them I also listen to podcasts but I always read the transcripts and added the words to my goal after I finished reading a million words I wrote and talked to native speakers I was at an intermediate level I could understand almost everything I read read I could understand people when they spoke clearly and I could have conversations and I had spent most my time reading not speaking in one year I learned more than most students learn in
5 years I didn't try to remember grammar and vocabulary I learned them naturally maybe you're thinking I don't believe this or maybe you're thinking wow I'm going to read for hours every day but I have to say something very important you must read books that are easy you must read books that are fun if a book is too difficult or too boring put it down and find another one Steven crashion an expert in language teaching says only read things in English that are fun and interesting read things that are really easy that you wouldn't read
in your native language because they are too easy so you can read Comics magazines detective stories romance stories and so on don't feel bad about reading translations if you read very easy books when you see a word you don't know you will understand the meaning easily you won't have to use a dictionary so what is easy experiments show that you should understand at least 98% of the words in a text 98% that's so high I know but let me show you an example here is a text where 10% of the words are not real words
so you should understand 90% of the words Jerry FLIR Ed out of bed and opened the curtains he bmed to himself as he made breakfast he made coffee and put butter on his puffer someone called his phone and he picked it up he was very surprised by who was tongling so his vinky fell on the floor is that easy to understand could you read a whole book of that here is the same text but only 2% of the words are not real so you should understand 98% of the words Jerry jumped out of bed and
opened the curtains he sang to himself as he made breakfast he made coffee and put butter on his toast someone called his phone and he picked it up he was very surprised by who was calling so his vinky fell on the floor how was that you you probably didn't understand everything but it was more fun to read than the first text that's why reading for pleasure is so great maybe you don't understand everything but you understand enough to follow the story and you don't have to pick up a dictionary so if you find that this
book is too hard read something easier if you find it boring read something more fun I know that not Everyone likes my writing and that's okay find a book that is good for you when we have fun we learn much more because I want this book to be fun it has no exercises in it I thought about adding them after each story but I don't think it's a good way to spend your time instead you should read more read for pleasure if you finish this book you can try the level above because you already read
the stories you will know them well and it will be easier to understand but maybe when you finish this book you will love stories I hope so if you do want to read more you can listen to my podcast english-spoken stories I write a new story every week with audio and text and there are over a hundred episodes for you to listen to Happy reading and happy learning why you must read intermediate level why do I need to read in English I get this question a lot from students they argue that as long as they're
going to classes doing their homework and watching films in English there's no need to sit down with something as boring and old-fashioned as a book well to put it simply they're wrong in fact reading is the best thing you can do to learn English and I'm here to tell you why firstly reading skills are more important than ever whether that be in English or your native language in 2006 only one in a 100 people went to University now it's 7 in a 100 all jobs from office workers to mechanics require far more reading and writing
than a century ago the competition is higher and readers win secondly reading is the best way to improve Proficiency in English overall Yes you heard me right reading will improve your speaking writing vocabulary and grammar far more efficiently than any other method it won't improve your listening skills but it will give you the vocabulary necessary to train your ear quickly but it's not just any reading we're talking about in school you probably read Lots in English boring textbooks and stories with exercises at the end no we're not talking about that we're talking about reading for
pleasure that means reading a book because you enjoy it not because your teacher told you to not because it's what you're supposed to read to improve your English no questions no book reports just pure pleasure yeah right you're probably thinking that's too good to be true let me show you in 19 1965 an experiment was carried out in juvenile delinquent reform centers in America one group of the students were given free books they made sure they were exciting books that would appeal to young boys such as James Bond but unlike most reading programs they were
not required to read the books they were simply given them they could throw the books away give them back or Draw on the pages and nobody would punish them for it but the boys did read them they read a lot of them some of them read a book every two days at the end of two years they tested the students not only did their reading and writing greatly improvie so did their attitude toward school but the students who were not on this program stayed the same in fact some of them got worse over the two
years this isn't just for native speakers either a study of English as a second language ESL students in the Fiji islands looked at three methods traditional English teaching sustained silent reading which means reading in silence for a long time and a more conventional reading program where the teachers read aloud to the students by the end of the first year students taught with the two reading methods had a 15-month advantage in English ability compared to the 6.5 months of the traditional method when the study was replicated in Singapore the students who did only sustained silent reading
did better on grammar tests than the students who had taken only grammar classes when we do grammar exercises we try to memorize the rules of the language when we read we absorb them but I know what you're thinking that's all well and good but when I pick up a book in English it's too hard for me I get bored of looking up words and I give up after a few minutes that's why I wrote this book it is designed to make you fall in love with reading by providing fun familiar stories that are easy to
understand the stories gradually increase in difficulty and length so that you can feel a sense of progression and success at the end most of them were originally released on my podcast english-spoken stories but they have been Rewritten and improved for this book as well as having a version for each language level they are a mix of classic and less popular fairy tales as well as one that I wrote myself again I know what you're thinking fairy tales but those are for kids I need useful vocabulary about business and Science and Technology there's no way to
make that fun the thing with language is there isn't such a big difference between important language and fun language we use a wide range of words when talking about technical topics as as well as chatting with our friends a study by mcquillin examined vocabulary in 22 novels and found that they included 85% of words on academic word lists rolls and Rogers found that if a student read a million words of Science Fiction they would acquire many of the technical words required for a science degree so yes reading fairy tales will help your English in all
areas even for academic purposes as an English teacher I've seen many times that the students who do the best are those who read the most for a for University for business or just for travel reading is the factor that predicts success but I understand if you're still unsure when I learned about all this I was too but I like to experiment and I have a passion for learning languages so in 2017 I had wanted to learn Spanish for a long time but aside from struggling with dualingo and not really learning anything I hadn't made a
serious attempt I set myself a goal I would read a million words in Spanish and see what my level was afterwards a million words words is roughly 20 standard length novels so it was a huge task I started with very easy resources like transcripts of podcasts for learners but I avoided anything that felt too much like work once I'd learned the basics I started reading translations of books that I knew in English such as Harry Potter And A Song of Ice and Fire you might know it as game of Thrones finally I was ready to
move on to completely new books and I fell in love with Latin American Authors such as Isabel alende Luis Jorge bores and Manuel pu with the reading I also listened to podcasts but I always read the transcripts and counted the words as part of my reading after I achieved my goal I tested Myself by writing and talking to native speakers and found I was at a decent intermediate level I could understand almost everything I read understand clear speech and have conversations at a comfortable level even though I had barely spoken the language since I started
learning I had been learning for about a year and I had made more progress than most students make in 5 years I didn't memorize the vocabulary and grammar rules I absorbed them by this point you're either thinking this is all complete nonsense or you're super excited ready to start reading for hours a day but the next thing I'm going to say is extremely important you must read books that are easy you must read books that are fun if a book is too difficult or too boring put it down and find another one Steven crashion an
expert in the field of second language acquisition says read only material in the second language that is genuinely fun and interesting material that is so easy that you probably feel guilty reading it in your primary language this is your excuse to read Comics magazines detective stories romances Etc there is no shame in Reading translations idil you want to be reading a book so easy that when you see a word you don't know you can understand the meaning from Context research has shown that in order for this to happen the text needs to be at least
98% known words 98% that's so high I know dear reader but let me show you an example here's a text where I've replaced 10% of the words with nonsense words that is it's 90% comprehensible Jerry flurg out of bed and threw open the curtains it was a beautiful day he bmed to himself as he did his daily routine pouring coffee and buttering puffer but then his phone rang and the person tling was so unexpected that he dropped his vinky on the floor is that easy to understand could you read a whole book of that here's
the same text but 98% comprehensible Jerry jumped out of bed and threw open the curtains it was a beautiful day he sang to himself as he did his daily r routine pouring coffee and buttering toast but then his phone rang and the person calling was so unexpected that he dropped his vinky on the floor how was that even if you couldn't understand everything I bet it was far more enjoyable to read than the first text and that's the magic of reading for pleasure even if you didn't understand everything you got enough enough to follow the
story and keep going without having to pick up a dictionary so if you find that this book is too hard put it down and read the level below if you find it boring go read something else yes I'm giving you permission to stop reading my book I know not Everyone likes my writing style and that's okay find what works for you as you read focus on the meaning of the stories and don't sweat it if you don't understand every single word just relax and try to get lost in the pages believe it or not when
we have fun we learn far better the levels of these volumes are based on the common European framework of reference a system for defining language levels you'll know them as A1 1 A2 B1 B2 C1 and C2 although these books only cover A2 C1 if you're A1 level you probably need more guided teaching before you start reading and if you're C2 level then you can start reading books for native speakers a great strategy if you don't feel so confident about your reading ability is to start with the beginner level of the book and reread it
level by level going all the way up to Advanced this will allow you to really absorb the new language and gradually increase the difficulty there is not a huge difference between the intermediate level stories and the advanced level stories but even rereading the same story twice can be very effective we need to repeatedly encounter new words and phrases before our brain can really understand understand them finally this book has no exercises in it I considered adding them after each story but it would contradict everything I just told you the most effective way to spend your
time is reading for pleasure and exercises distract from that if however you finish this book and find yourself wanting more stories do go and listen to my podcast english-spoken stories I publish a new story every week with audio and text and there are over a 100 episodes for you to listen through happy reading and happy learning
