When I was a Class IX student, a Catholic priest asked me whether I was interested in reading stories. As
my reply to his question was in the affirmative, he presented me with a book that contained many mini-
stories written in English. He said, “Read just one story a day. If you don’t understand the story read it
for the second time and if you still struggle to understand the story read it again. Try to guess the
meanings of words that you are not familiar with based on the context clues. Don’t ask anyone to
narrate the story to you in your mother tongue.” This piece of advice was given by the priest about four
decades ago when I approached him to get his advice on how I can develop my English language skills.
The conversation between me and the priest was in Tamil as I was not able to express myself fluently in
English in the early 1980’s.
Though I did not understand the rationale behind the piece of advice, I followed it reverently. The priest
used to send me back issues of some magazines through my father and asked me to go through any
interesting titbits and anecdotes. This regular practice helped me read newspapers and magazines in
English. He played a vital role in developing my hobby of reading.
The above was my reply to a student of mine who asked me how I nurtured my hobby of reading. The
same would be my reply if someone asked me how I developed my English language skills.
In my last week’s column, I discussed why communicative competence is more important than mere
grammatical competence and how one can develop their communicative competence. After reading
the column, a reader of the column wrote to me with a request to suggest ways to acquire English.
Numerous studies on the benefits of reading prove that reading helps readers develop their language
skills. They do not just learn the language but acquire it. When we read what we like we acquire the
language. In the words of American linguist Stephen Krashen, known for second language acquisition
theories, the input should not only be interesting but it should also be compelling. He states “It is by
now well-established that input must be comprehensible to have an effect on language acquisition and
literacy development. To make sure that language acquirers pay attention to the input, it should be
interesting. But interest may be not enough for optimal language acquisition. It may be the case that
input needs to be not just interesting but compelling. Compelling means that the input is so interesting
you forget that it is in another language.”
A good reader has the ability to read, comprehend and interpret written texts effectively. Here are
some tips for learners of English to become good readers.
1. Read every day. Make reading your hobby.
2. Read what you like and what you are passionate about. For example, if you are interested in
sports, read about your favourite sportspersons and news reports related to sports. When you
enjoy reading articles, stories and books that you like, you are exposed to the language and you
start acquiring the language.
3. Try to guess the meanings of words that are unfamiliar to you based on context clues. It may be
difficult initially but you will find it easy as you read more and more.
4. Recall what you have read and talk about it. By narrating a story to or discussing an interesting
news event with someone, you can develop your speaking skills. If possible, write a summary of
what you have read. This helps you develop your writing skills too.
