Great Help of Magazines

First of all, I must say that this article is for those who have already improved their English reading skill to a certain level. Perhaps this best fits those whose English skill is absolutely better than that required to pass the Second Grade in the Test of Practical English authorized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, that is, the Eiken.

ON READING ENGLISH MAGAZINES

What I recommend is to read English magazines in a certain interval of time. It is best if you can find a weekly magazine that is about a field you have interest in, for instance, history, cars, foreign affairs, music, or whatever you like.

ADVANCES IN READING MAGAZINES

Compared to reading English novels, you will probably find magazines easier to read as they consist of articles that are far shorter than a chapter in a novel. Often I hear of people who decided to read a novel but could not accomplish because it took rather long time for them to realize what the story was about, and because failing to comprehend a paragraph or two, they eventually got completely lost in the story. However, if this happens when reading a magazine, you can just skip on to another article. If you cannot be satisfied without understanding the article you had trouble with, you can go through it another time. In a fresh and different condition, you may well find it easier to understand the next time.

Another advantage in reading English magazines is that you can choose the topic that particularly attracts you, ignoring others that seem to be unworthy of reading. Generally, it is hard to stick to an article that is not interesting to you, even if you know it will be helpful in improving your English skill. Waste no time in reading articles of this sort. Do not force yourself to go through the whole magazine at first also because it takes a lot of time.

CHOOSING THE MAGAZINE

Choose a magazine that can be brought to you right after it is published so that what it says is fresh enough to be attractive. Also choose one that seems to be a little difficult for you to read, difficult enough that you cannot understand without consulting a dictionary considerable times in a page, as reading easy English is of little help in improving your skill. However, do not choose one that is far beyond your reading ability or you will just end up giving up the magazine for good.

I chose a weekly magazine that is popular and prestigious. Though at first I found it very hard to read, I did not give up. I ardently wanted to improve my English skill and so I practiced the methods written above.

DO NOT LOOSE THE CHANCE OF BUILDING VOCABULARY

I listed the words I did not know the meaning of, and tried to memorize them. However, I ignored the words that seemed too unfamiliar, or too technical. Building your vocabulary is really tough work. In the end, I did not succeed in memorizing even half of what I listed. Never mind. Let us take time in our vocabulary building.

After an year of this reading, I came to find it far easier to read and understand the articles, and in a shorter time, too.

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