2nd Question: Reading

I hope everyone's enjoying the weekend so far!

We have our next letter. Let's hear what our reader had to ask..

Question: Sarah先生 Only a few successful learners of English in Japan say that the best way to master English is to read aloud English texts until we memorize them. Being skeptical and lazy, I did not apply this method . I volunteer myself to read aloud in front of my English tutors. What is your view on reading books aloud?

Answer: Thanks for asking! There is no one surefire way of mastering English. To be proficient in all areas like speaking, reading comprehension, listening skills and writing, English learners should pay attention to different approaches in studying English.

For sure, reading English texts aloud is helpful, particularly for improving pronunciation and speaking. When you read texts aloud, you will know what your weaknesses are when it comes to pronunciation and intonation. But for you to determine the correct pronunciation in the first place, you must listen to and be familiar with (proper) spoken English. Because if your native language is not English, you don't automatically know the correct pronunciation.

It is not advisable to memorize texts because mere memorization would not be helpful if the student doesn't understand the logic behind the sentence. What is more important is to understand the pattern and the words that make up the sentences. It would be more helpful to read different texts because in so doing, you'll pick up a lot of patterns and learn different expressions. In fact, you can also learn how to express one idea in different ways. As they say, if you want to write well, you have to read a lot of well-written texts.

Reading silently also has its own advantages. Some students have mentioned that they couldn't understand the text when reading aloud because they tend to concentrate on pronunciation. It's true that in some ways reading aloud can minimize your concentration. I think English learners should both learn to read silently and read aloud. In comparison, I think students should allot more time in reading silently than in reading aloud, unless they're in a hurry to improve their speaking skills.

Reading silently gives the brain time to digest what is being read. It gives the brain freedom to imagine and to associate meanings with certain words and expressions. This is good for developing logic and reasoning. While this maybe hard work, it pays well in the long run because students will have a deeper learning of English. This is the more scholarly and intellectual way of learning.

See you next time!