There are several mistakes that can cost you marks in your English exams. Thankfully, there are many ways to improve your grades in this subject. Aside from enrolling in English home tuition in Singapore, we’ll let you in on a little secret to help you effectively improve your academic performance in the subject – reading.
Reading allows you to use your brain actively. When you read, you imagine different scenes and scenarios in your head. You also use your brain to understand all the texts written in a book or other reading materials. Nevertheless, reading is a low-effort activity
that should be done not just as a hobby but, more importantly, as an effective tool that can improve your grades in English.
Here’s how making reading a habit helps you improve your performance in school.
It improves grammar and punctuation.
English grammar has many elements, including word order, punctuation, tense, connectors, and determiners. There are also different rules to follow to make a sentence grammatically correct. For a beginner, this can be pretty daunting. But you’ll soon learn all these elements and rules if you constantly read. You’ll learn which prepositions, tenses, determiners, and pronouns to use and where they fit in.
Reading supplements the learning process. Reading books and other sources gives you an excellent visual of how the different elements of English grammar are correctly used in a sentence. As a result, you will be able to master grammar so you can perform better during exams.
It improves your vocabulary.
Mastering the English language means you can speak and write fluently without difficulty in finding the appropriate words to use. Being able to carry out conversations in English without any pause means your vocabulary is good enough. But if you want to expand your glossary, you must keep reading.
Aside from reading grammar books and textbooks, it would be best if you also read all kinds of genres, including fantasy, history, fiction, classic, action, adventure, humour, and satire, among others. Books contain lots of dialogues. When reading, mark the words you aren’t sure of the meaning or usage. Then, refer to a dictionary to learn their meaning or use them to expand your vocabulary. You could even keep a little journal of all the new words and phrases you’ve learnt whilst reading and apply them in your essay writing!
It improves your writing skills.
Making reading a habit does not only help improve your grammar and vocabulary. When you constantly read, you learn famous authors’ writing styles – how they construct sentences and make a story more engaging. In short, it helps improve your writing skills.
If your dream is to become a best-selling writer in the future, then reading is one of the habits you need to have to fulfil that goal. You’ll learn different writing styles and be able to develop your own. This means that reading will not only help you improve your grades but will also ensure a better future for you.
It increases brain power.
Numerous research materials show that reading changes the mind. Researchers found out that when a person reads, they use a complex network of signals and circuits in the brain. In a study conducted in 2013, researchers used MRI scans to measure the effect that reading has on the brain. They found out that the more the participants got engrossed in reading a book, the more areas of the brain were involved in the activity, especially in the somatosensory cortex, which is the part of the brain that responds to movement, pain, and other physical sensations. This proves that reading is like an exercise for your brain! As a result of this mental work-out, your brain will become stronger as you continue to read more and more.
Conclusion
Listening attentively to your teacher in class and reading can all help you improve your performance in the English subject. But it would also be great if you enrol in English home tuition so you can be guided in studying for your exams.
Premium Tutors is a leading tuition agency in Singapore. We have a comprehensive pool of qualified tutors who would be able to provide you with personalised 1-to-1 private coaching in the comfort of your own home. Lessons can be fully customised to focus exactly on what you need the most assistance in – whether it is writing, comprehension or even oral communication. Besides academic subjects, we are also committed to the holistic development of students, which is why we have fun enrichment lessons such as sports, art, coding, home piano lessons and more.
Contact us today for more information.
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