Season's Greetings
return to homepage

Online English Reading Techniques

Seven Ideas to Improve Your Study

jump to story buttonjump to quiz button

Online English reading practice is usually a random  chance.  What will the vocabulary be?  How difficult is it?   In this study tip I will explain some easy study ideas, and near the end I will also tell you a study secret for reading practice.  

Before you practice reading anything, if you have a list of the important vocabulary ahead of time, it can save you lots of time.  You can preview the vocabulary and check the meanings.  

Read the title; does it give any hints about the content?  Of course, it should, and after you read the title, write down any questions you can think of.   Writing down questions makes you think more about the text, and helps you read more carefully. 

Sometimes, online English reading text is recorded somewhere.  It may help your reading skills to listen to the text while you read it; this may help you to read faster. 

After you read the text, you may summarize it in your own words.  This makes you think about what you read.  You may realize that you have more questions, or that you forgot something, or didn't understand it.  

Another learning technique is to draw a cartoon of what you read.  This also helps you become aware of what you understood and didn't understand in a different way.  You can find it helpful to re-read the text while you do this activity.  Try this technique with a story full of idioms

After the above steps, if you have time, try to use the new vocabulary by making your own sentences and writing them down.  Once again, you can go back to the original text for reference and model off the usages in the text.

Practice your English listening with this online English reading of a with phrasal verbs in it.  It only takes a few minutes.  

While you are listening, you may try to draw a picture or cartoon strip to illustrate the story.  This helps you to understand the story.  You also learn what areas you do not understand, so you can study them more. 

Phrasal verbs are a bit more difficult to understand, but if you draw them as pictures, they become much easier.  This also lets you use your right brain.  You learn deeper and more completely.    The pictures you draw are easier to remember than words, so it takes less work to study.  

Finally, I promised to tell you a study secret for reading.  Like all secrets, it is simple: read fast.  
I know, you want to practice.  You cannot read fast.  That's what all my students tell me.  Don't talk about it, don't complain.  Just do it.  
You can use this page to help you read faster.  It will scroll the reading material for you.  Just cut and paste it in their page.  Then click the button 'start prompter' at teh bottom of the page.  You can adjust the speed.  
Good luck!

Dangerous Woman

Verb list

1. Put up with: tolerate somebody or accept somebody calmly

2. Make fun of: if you make fun of somebody or somethin, youlaugh at them tease them or make jokes about them in a way that causes them to seem ridiculous

3. Break down: to become upset emotionally or cause somebody to become upset emotionally. 

4. Blow up: destroy somethin or kill somebody by causing an explosion, or be destryed in this way. 

5. Burn down: to catch fire and burn until almost nothing remains, or burn something such as a building in order to destroy it.

This text will be replaced




Alice is a dangerous woman. In high school, people used to make fun of her because she had unusual spiritual ideas. They had never heard of such nonsense. After putting up with their jokes for years, she finally broke down. She threatened to blow up the city hall and burn down the school. Now she is just drifting from town to town looking for someone who shares her unusual ideas. She is often lonely.

You can get your own copy of this recording in mp3 format here - (at no charge).

Just right click here. 

jump to quiz button jump to quiz buttonjump to next story button

Have A Great Story About This Topic?

Free!!


Get your English checked here!
Do you have a great story about this? Share it!


I will check it, record it, and publish it for you to study from.


You can use some (or all) of the phrasal verbs Put up with, make fun of, break down, blow up, and burn down.

Enter Your Title

Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ]

Upload A Picture (optional) [ ? ]

Add Picture Caption (optional) 

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name

(first or full name)

Your Location

(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.


(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

unforgotten maid  starstarstarstarstar
Actually he loved Maria but he couldn't express her idea fearing people made him fun. Maria was his family's maid .
Eventually he tell her mother what ...

2009 year  Not rated yet
the most sad year of my life was 2009 year full of problem full of sadness but i put up with this condation from a year now i blow up and i can put up ...


 Return from online English reading to Phrasal Verbs main page.

footer for English Listening Practice page


sbi


E-ZINE Sign-up form
Email

Name

Then

Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you Common English.







Enjoy This Site?
Then why not use the button below, to add us to your favorite bookmarking service?