World News for Students of English

03-02-2024 08:00

Reading in English is one of the best ways to improve your English. What should you read? Reading social media posts is fun but it’s not very helpful. People use many slang words on Facebook and Instagram. Often, the grammar is not correct.

Reading magazines is a good idea. However, magazines use different types of English, depending on who the audience is. A fashion magazine will use more common language than a magazine about photography, for example. You might find a lot of technical words in magazines, too. Those might not help you build English fluency.

Do you like to read books? This English reading material will help you build your vocabulary. Books can show you how native English speakers use words to create pictures in readers’ minds. Books usually use proper grammar and common vocabulary. But they contain one style of English: the author’s.

Reading the news in English offers you many advantages. News articles use standard English words and phrases to communicate ideas. Every news article is written using proper grammar and punctuation. News stories don’t reflect one person’s ideas or beliefs. They represent facts, written in a neutral tone.

As you think about what to read, you must also think about the purpose of reading. Learning new words and studying advanced English writing serve a purpose. However, the main reason for reading is to gain understanding.

To understand novels, magazines and even social media written in English, you must know about the culture in English-speaking countries. However, to understand news stories written in English, you only need to understand the words you read.

As you read news stories, you should keep your keep your dictionary close. That way, you can look up words you don’t know. Once you discover what each new word means, search for all of its related words. Many words in English have different forms: nouns, adjectives or adverbs, verbs, comparatives and superlatives.

The best way to learn all these new words is to use them right away. As you read a news story, keep a notebook and pencil nearby. When you meet a new word and its ‘family’ of related words, write a sentence using each one. This method helps you understand the word and how to use it.

As your understanding of English words grows, you can begin to analyze the news stories you read. Is the news good or bad? Often, news stories deliver information that’s simply good to know. Sometimes, the news reports on matters that can affect your daily life.

You can read news stories in different categories: business, fashion and style, sports and current events, for example. The best type of news to build English fluency is current events. Your ESL tutor in London might recommend these news stories to grow your vocabulary. They may even give you a news story to read and analyze as a homework assignment.