English is the most widely spoken language in the world. He is also one of the five easiest to learn. In addition to simple grammar, he is also distinguished by the incredible beauty of sound. How to quickly learn to read English on your own, we will discuss today. However, be prepared for the fact that without the supervision of a teacher, you will not be able to develop the right emphasis.
Learning to speak English is easy. But the first thing you need to do is start with the basics. That is, get acquainted with the English alphabet. It, like most Romano-Germanic languages, consists of 26 letters.
The English alphabet is based on Latin. It includes 6 vowels, 20 consonants and 44 sounds. It is easiest to learn it for those who studied English at school, since they already have basic skills. But if you are not even familiar with this language, feel free to study it.
Learning the English alphabet
How to learn to read in English? You can master the alphabet using the following method:
- Cut 26 squares of paper, each signing one of the letters of the English alphabet. Move the squares, forming the simplest words out of them.
- Pay attention to each letter. Pick up some simple words that begin with her. For example, when studying the letter “A”, you will be able to learn its words such as bag (bag), lamp (lamp), bad (bad).
- How to learn to read English from scratch? Do not neglect transcription. Write down the transcription next to the studied letter and learn them in tandem. After all, it is transcription that allows you to correctly read the word. You can find examples of transcription on any site dedicated to the topic of how to learn to read in English.
So, somewhat frighteningly, the transcription of some letter combinations looks like. However, actually learning it is quite simple. You don’t even have to memorize each character - just understanding how they sound is enough.
- Work on pronunciation. Many sites offer not only translation of words from English into Russian, but also a record of its pronunciation. While learning the alphabet, voicing the simplest words will help you pronounce them correctly.
It is written and pronounced in different ways.
But just knowing the alphabet will not help you learn to read English from scratch on your own perfectly. That's because his spelling system is built on a historical principle. That is, the spelling of the word corresponds to historical traditions and it is pronounced quite differently from the way it is spelled.
For example, 500 years ago, the word "knight" (nait) was once pronounced in the same way as it was written. That is, the deaf letters "k" and "gt", which we now ignore, were previously pronounced. However, over time, the sound side of English has changed significantly, while the spelling has remained the same.
However, knowing the rules for reading English words, you can learn to read correctly.
English difficulties
There are many letter combinations in English. Vowels, depending on location, transmit a variety of sounds. They form diphthongs (there are 8 of them) and even trifthongs (there are only 2 of them). Consonants also form letter combinations.
Consider an example:
- "Th" gives the sound [s] or [s]. They are pronounced as if you are slightly lisping. To do this, stick out the tip of the tongue, holding it between the teeth, and make a sound.
- "Sh" - [w] (ship - ship).
- "Ch" - [h] (cheap - cheap).
- "Ea" - [and long] (beat - beat).
- "All" - [ol] (wall - wall).
- "Ck" - [k] (sock - sock).
Of course, this is not all letter combinations of the English language. But you will memorize them much faster if you learn the words in which they occur.
In order to remember these words, you can apply the following method. Write them on pieces of paper (on the one hand the word is in a foreign language, on the other - its translation). Throw them in a box and repeat what you have learned daily in the morning. Gradually, more and more new words will accumulate in your knowledge box that you will quickly remember.
You will not be able to read in English, just remembering the alphabet and the basic rules of reading. A single diphthong can have many sounds, depending on location. Therefore, to begin with, experts recommend learning the types of syllables in English. They will help you learn to read from scratch in English.
Types of English Syllables
The grammar of a language divides words into 4 types.
- I type. An open syllable ending in a vowel that cannot be read: make (meik), date (deit).
- II type. Private syllable ending in consonant: will, land.
- III type. The syllable with the r consonant following the stressed vowel. For example: girl, turn.
- IV type. "re" follows the stressed vowel - fire, care.
In English, only one letter “A” can read like “ei” (name, rain), “e” (animal, family), “o” (saw, law), “ea” (air), “a” (ask ) However, only vowels differ in this variety.
Passive reading
There is a method of so-called passive learning. It consists in reading the text in the language being studied for half an hour. You need to read aloud. This is a technique of visual and auditory perception.
Do not worry that most of the words you will pronounce incorrectly. This is not the most important thing. This method will allow you to quickly learn the alphabet and the necessary letter combinations. Also, with its help, you can prepare for a more in-depth study of the language. Over time, learning new words will be much easier.
The following tutorials may come in handy:
- V. Plothotnik and T. Polonskaya "English" (1st grade).
- A. Narrow "Rules for reading English words."
You can also download or purchase literature for children with the simplest text possible. There are no complex grammatical structures, everything is simple and easy. Over time, you will be able to read more complex literature. But in this case, you will need to study the grammar of the English language.
How to effectively learn words and their pronunciation?
Listen to songs in English. This will allow you to quickly learn soft English pronunciation. It is better to choose light songs with the simplest lyrics possible. You will quickly learn the pronunciation of words and their translation. However, it is important that you like the song. Otherwise, it will be poorly remembered.
What songs do experts recommend listening to students? Many recommend listening and memorizing along with the translation of the song by Frank Sinatra, Scorpions, John Lennon.
In addition, you can listen to songs by artists such as Avril Lavigne, Evanescence, Lara Fabian. Their songs will help to learn the words and correctly pronounce them.
However, remember that many singers often swallow letters and stress the wrong place. Be sure to check the pronunciation of the word under study with an online translator. Also, for many popular songs, they create clips with text, and sometimes with translation.
Learn English with Video and Audio
They will allow you to quickly master English pronunciation and even learn to speak basic phrases. But since learning to read English is your basic goal, you must first find a video with a description and scoring of each letter of the alphabet. Records for children with illustrations and easy words for study are especially well remembered. Many students claim that information submitted as a game is better remembered.
Today on the Internet you can find a series called "Extra English", created specifically for training beginners. He will help you learn how to read and understand English. Actors pronounce the words as clearly as possible, which allows them to hear their phrases. Also, their conversation is completely transmitted in writing using subtitles. Write out unfamiliar words to learn later. With this video you can develop reading and comprehension skills. But understanding the language is 45% success in learning it.
Educational audio books are a great way for those who want to learn how to read and speak English from scratch. Listen to the speaker’s perfect, correctly delivered speech. Repeat after him. Gradually, the words that you repeat will be remembered by your brain. Ideally, the announcer should voice the translation of words.
How to learn to speak English yourself?
Mastering the basic grammatical structure of the language is very simple. To do this, you will need knowledge of 500-600 words, which are most often used in everyday speech.
You will also need to learn the basics of English grammar. To get started, learn just 3 times. For basic skills this will be enough. The polyglot Dmitry Petrov will help to master this concept. His course "English in 16 hours" will allow you to effectively learn 3 basic times - Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple.
And remember: in order to successfully learn a language, you need to love it.