Resource 3: Develop your own English

Here are some tips and links for developing your own reading skills:

• The best way to develop your skills in reading English is to read as much as you can, including English newspapers and magazines, etc. Exchange English texts with colleagues and friends. Use a library if this is possible.
• Read regularly. Find a time to read each week, and if possible, find a quiet comfortable place where you will not be disturbed.
• Use the techniques that you have read about in this unit. Ask questions about what are reading; use your knowledge of English and the world to guess what the text means; practise taking notes and using them to remember or reconstruct a text.
• Don’t try to understand every word. Try to understand the overall message or idea. Don’t look up every word in a dictionary – try to guess meanings of words if you can, and just look up key words. Remember that you can read texts as many times as you like.
• Finally, read the things you enjoy. Read stories if you enjoy them; or read cricket news if that’s how you like to spend your time.

Here are some additional resources for developing your English:

• Stories and poems for learners of English (with activities): http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/ en/ stories-poems [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
• Articles about many different topics for learners of English (with audio and activities): http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/ en/ magazine
• BBC news for Asia: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ news/ world/ asia/
• The Times of India: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/