You want to read in English but aren’t sure it counts as study. Here is how to learn English by reading: pick books you mostly understand, read plenty, and follow your interests.
If you want the wider context, read about how do people learn a second language before you settle on your own method.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Learners in the Webb and Chang study | 61 participants |
| Graded readers read in the study | 10 graded readers |
| Target words tracked | 100 target words |
| Relative vocabulary gain after reading | 44.06% |
| Relative gain three months later | 36.66% |
| Text coverage Laufer suggested for comprehension | at least 95% of running words |
These figures come from a 2015 study of extensive reading with graded readers and a review of the language learning benefits of extensive reading. Figures can change as research is updated, so check the source before you rely on them.
Why reading helps you learn English
Reading puts a large amount of English in front of you at a pace you control. The JALT review gives three reasons the idea of extensive reading is attractive:
- Reading is an individual activity, so you can learn at your own level without being locked into an inflexible class program.
- You can follow your interests in choosing what to read, which can increase your motivation.
- Learning can happen outside the classroom.
The same review adds a fair warning. Before investing time and money, it says, you should be sure the learning is not limited to better reading fluency, although that is a useful goal in itself.
What research says about vocabulary from reading
A 2015 study by Webb and Chang looked at graded readers with audio support. It involved 61 Taiwanese participants who studied English as a foreign language, and it tracked 100 target words across 10 graded readers. Some learners followed an extensive reading program, while others used a more traditional approach built around a global English course book.
The researchers gave a pretest, a posttest and a delayed posttest. According to the study abstract, vocabulary gains through reading and listening to multiple texts were high. Relative gains were 44.06% after reading the 10 graded readers and 36.66% three months later.
The gain was lower after three months, but it was still substantial. That is a useful picture of how learning sticks: some of it fades, and a large part stays.
The study also tested whether it matters how often a word appears. The abstract reports that the relationships between vocabulary learning and frequency and distribution of occurrence were non-significant, so frequency was perhaps one of many factors that affected learning. In other words, you do not need to count how many times you meet a word.
How easy should your book be?
The JALT review cites Laufer’s 1989 research, which suggests learners need to be familiar with at least 95% of the running words in a text to comprehend, and so perhaps learn from, it. That means most of the words on the page should already be known to you.
You can test a book in a few quick steps:
- Open the book in the middle, not at the polished first page.
- Read a full page for meaning without stopping.
- If nearly every sentence holds a word you do not know, put the book back and choose an easier one.
- If you follow the story and meet only a few new words, keep reading.
Graded readers or books for native speakers?
Graded readers are written to fit a set vocabulary level. In the JALT review’s comparison, the graded reader Indonesian Love Story had 99% of its words drawn from the most frequent 2,000 words of English plus names.
Books written for young native speakers can also work. In the same review, The Three Little Pigs had just one word in every 30 outside the high-frequency lists, and another children’s book had one word in every 22. Several of those unfamiliar words, such as huff and puff, were repeated, which helps a reader pick them up.
Texts aimed at teenage native speakers are a different story. A study the JALT review cites (Hirsh and Nation, 1992) showed that such texts are not as accessible for non-native speakers as graded readers. If you are at an early level, start with graded readers or simple picture books.
Lessons from the book flood studies
The “book flood” studies reviewed by Elley (1991) lasted 12-36 months, and the children in them were aged from 6 to 12. They spent much of their class time reading books that interested them, according to the JALT review. The review calls the evidence of improved second language acquisition compelling.
Elley attributed the success to five factors, listed in the same review:
- Extensive input of meaningful print
- Incidental learning
- The integration of oral and written activity
- Focus on meaning rather than form
- High intrinsic motivation
If a child is learning alongside you, the guide on english learning for kids at home shows how reading can fit into family life.
Build a reading routine you will keep
Because motivation is one of the listed factors, start with a topic you actually care about. A story you want to finish does more than a book you feel you ought to read. Then use a simple loop:
- Choose a book at a level where you understand most of the words.
- Read for meaning first, and avoid stopping at every unknown word.
- Note down a handful of words that seem useful or keep coming back.
- Review those words later, then return to your book.
For step four, spaced repetition for vocabulary is one way to schedule your reviews.
You can also add audio. The Webb and Chang study combined reading with listening, so pairing a graded reader with its recording is a reasonable way to follow the same approach (source).
Frequently asked questions
Can I really learn English just by reading?
Show answer
Reading can produce large vocabulary gains, as the Webb and Chang study found with graded readers. It is still only one skill, so add listening and speaking if you want to use English in conversation.
Should I look up every word I don’t know?
Show answer
Not necessarily. The book flood studies credited a focus on meaning rather than form as one of five success factors, according to the JALT review. Read for the story, and look up only the words that block your understanding.
Are graded readers better than novels for native speakers?
Show answer
For learners at an early level, often yes. The JALT review cites a 1992 study showing that texts for teenage native speakers are less accessible to non-native speakers than graded readers.
How many times do I need to meet a word to learn it?
Show answer
The research here does not give a number. The Webb and Chang abstract reports that frequency of occurrence was non-significant in their results, so it was perhaps one of many factors.
