"I want to learn to read English, but I don’t know how!"
Actually, you are at the address, dear (th)! Many adults, we emphasize, use this phrase, because it is visible consciousness. Children, of course, for the most part begin to learn English especially at school and exclusively "from under the lash." Those who are imbued with the love of the English language themselves are in the minority, but they exist.
In general, the process of learning to read depends on a) on age and b) on the level of available knowledge. Although what level is there ?! We just want to learn to read? It turns out that you need to start from the "zero mark". Someone once proved that the older a person is, the less abilities he has to learn new knowledge. But experience in communicating in their native language in adults more. It is useful in order to compare the features of the pronunciation of letters in Russian and in English.
More "experienced" citizens have the opportunity to study according to the self-help manual, but it is still recommended to hire a teacher who will monitor the development of your reading and pronunciation skills. And as for the children, the mentor in this process is simply shown.
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Simple and understandable
If the whole theory of learning to read in English is curtailed into an elementary procedure, there will be only 5 main points.
- We meet our native language in early childhood. We begin immediately with words, the meanings of which we understand from the connection with objects called by these words. Then we put them in sentences. But remember, how did your conscious development of the Russian language begin? - From the alphabet, right, well done! So in English, first you need to put together a graphic image of letters and their pronunciation.
- Learn to record the sounds of the English language using transcription. This method, though "grandfather", but effective. Many modern language schools have already moved away from him, arguing that they are learning to listen to sounds and match them with letters. We insist that a person should “see” the sound, and not just hear it. To master a transcription is to be able to read a word, no matter what features it possesses. After all, in addition to the rules, there are often exceptions. So if you have doubts about how to read a word, you can always check its transcription in the dictionary.
- Do not betray the English words "Russian spelling." There is an opinion that “it is easier to remember this way” if we write down a word from the English language with symbols that we understand (a cat is e kat). Remember, of course, easier. But, firstly, it hurts the eyes and ears, and, secondly, our goal is not just to memorize, but to understand how to learn to read in English (“in English” is the key word).
The English have a saying about what they say “Liverpool”, and you should write “Manchester”. This means that English contains a lot of sounds that are not found in Russian. Therefore, if we replace difficult for a Russian person sound units more simple, we risk memorizing the word incorrectly and, it turns out, not to fulfill the main goal of the process of learning to read. So train difficult sounds. Master them - it will be easier further. - Remember the basic rules of reading. Scare you, or what? - In English only 6 vowels. Not scary? But each of them has 4 options for reading, plus some "special cases". This is not to mention diphthongs and even trifthongs !!! - Not scared? And rightly so. This “feature” we “painted on”, in fact, difficulties can be avoided by grouping words with the same combinations of letters and, as a result, sounds. This will help to work out the reading rule at once on a whole series of words that will go to your initial vocabulary.
Tongues can also be in your favor. Most of them are built on the principle of using the same sound combination in a few words. Moreover, the effect of "rhyme" is often created, which further simplifies the assimilation of these words. And the fact that they are SKOROVORKI - so it does not matter. At the stage of practicing sounds and reading rules, just need to pronounce them slowly, with understanding and attention to articulation. Increase the pace you always have time. - Try to back up the text with sound. This is another secret of how to learn to read English from scratch. Children at school often perform assignments for "reading to assess." They look at a textbook where words are written that work out a specific reading rule. The teacher says these words, and the children repeat. So learners draw an analogy between how a word is written and how it is pronounced. Adults can resort to using, say, audiobooks that are exactly the same as the text version. You can even begin with children's works, where the simplest words are used, and the reader’s speech rate is not high. Over time, it will be possible to take more serious texts belonging to the "golden fund" of English literature.
And now, following this uncomplicated strategy, you will know exactly how to learn to read English from scratch. It will suit, as you understand, both children and adults.
You ask, "How can we master all this?" But what about the teacher who deals with you? However, if you did not attract him, you can do on their own. It is enough to buy an audio course for beginners or find it on the Internet. The convenience of the latter method is that the lessons can be downloaded to your mobile phone, tablet or simply to the player and listen on the way from one point to another. But it is better, we repeat, to work with an experienced teacher, who will be able to tell where and what is wrong with you, and even correct these flaws.
Too good too bad
Each of us, of course, seeks to show himself from the best side. We think that we will go to London or New York, Washington, or another place where they speak native English, and will admire us there. But the trouble is that such a thing as "original" does not apply to English for a long time. Everywhere, where possible, native speakers have come up with their own pronunciation standards. The speech that you heard on some disc or audiobook may be much different about the one that will pour from the mouth of a foreigner that you find on the street, and you will have to get used to it for a while.
In general, mastering the basics of reading and pronunciation, try not to overdo it. As the lines from the well-known work of Bernard Shaw "Pygmalion" say, you do not need to achieve perfection, because if you achieve it, there is a risk of being misunderstood by the British themselves or the Americans. People in different parts of these countries speak differently. Therefore, you should not try to reach the ideal, but you just need to know how to read English correctly so that your pronunciation is “good”.
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