- Read comprehensible input. This means language consisting of words and constructions you are familiar with.
- Small phrases help your mind learn patterns of how the language is organized. By reading lots of these, you get a feel for what types of words "go together". Then when you read larger phrases and sentences, you more automatically know where to look for pieces that go together. This helps you find natural places to pause in the text, and how to find chunks that should be read together as a unit.
- Complete sentences allow you to see how the language puts a complete thought together. Reading lots of these gives you familiarity with common construction patterns. Over time, you'll recognize that less common patterns are often used to convey additional information to the reader (e.g. when the author wants to emphasize something).
- Paragraphs and longer texts allow you to follow an author's train of thought, and understand the overall meaning they are trying to convey. Lots of reading at this level produces a better feel for the author and his language and culture as a whole. The more background reading you've been exposed to, the more confident you then can be when interpreting a specific passage in its context.
During the early stages of language learning, we simply don't know enough of the language to be able to read longer texts, even though that is our ultimate goal. Practice with the smaller phrases and sentences are building blocks that develop skills towards that goal. Just as a musician practices with scales and technical exercises so she can play similar passages which occur in composed music, so too with language learning: practicing reading fundamentals will pay dividends when reading 'composed' text.
Where can you find resources for reading practice? Stay tuned to this space for upcoming info.
