There are many different techniques for mastering a foreign language. But regular reading is the most reliable of them. At the initial stage, of course, you should not get carried away with Shakespeare's works. To study the language, more modern books are suitable.
What to read in English for a person who wants to enrich his vocabulary? What works of art can serve as material for the study of vocabulary and grammar? Any stories, novels and novels. The main condition is to read what you are interested in.
Children are often recommended to read fairy tales. Adults are detectives. In English today it is not difficult to find works of classics. However, many adults read fairy tales with pleasure.
Where to begin
To the question of what to read in English to an adult who is just starting to learn the basics of grammar, they answer in different ways. Some recommend magazines, others - romance novels and detective stories. However, it is best to start with quality fiction in English.
But reading in a foreign language is not always fun. You have to constantly look in the dictionary, write out unfamiliar expressions. It is tiring, distracting from the storyline.
If your vocabulary does not allow you to freely read books by English and American authors in the original, start with the works that you have already read in Russian.
Tales in English
This option is suitable for children and adults who have just started learning a foreign language. “Sleeping Beauty”, “Goldilocks and Three Bears”, “Ugly Duckling” - reading these and other famous fairy tales in English will allow you to get basic knowledge of vocabulary.
"Alice in Wonderland"
Lewis Carroll's adventure work is loved by many children. It is popular among adults. What to read in English? Of course, a fantastic story about a girl Alice. Find a book with parallel translation. It’s easy to do today. Read the English text first, then the translation.
Writes out unknown words, periodically repeat them. Re-read individual passages regularly. It is difficult only at the beginning. The wider your vocabulary, the more fun reading is.
What to do for those who are not interested in fantasy? What to read in English lovers of action-packed prose? Of course, the works of the Queen of the Detective.
Agatha Christie
You can read detective novels by an English writer on the same principle: find books with parallel translation, write out not only words, but also phrases.
It is worth saying that this is a very effective method of learning foreign languages. It is recommended by teachers, linguists, polyglots. One of the followers of parallel reading as the best way to learn a foreign language was Heinrich Schliemann. However, he acted a little differently: first he read the book in his native language, then he read it in a foreign language.
Books of English writers are available on the web. Find one of Christie’s works familiar to you, read it by looking into the Russian translation. So you will not only enrich your vocabulary, but also develops a sense of language. You will also learn to understand the structure of English phrases, the principle of their construction. Reading the original Agatha Christie novels, you are immersed in the language of the Queen of the detective.
Fans of the work of the English writer are well aware of the plot of the terrible story "Ten Little Indians". Reading this work, they will guess the translation of phrases, even if new, unknown words are present in them. In addition, at a subconscious level, the development of grammar norms takes place. This method is much nicer and more useful than boring memorizing rules.
Mark Twain
Today in the online store you can order any interesting book for teenagers in English. True, the work of a modern author, especially if it is a bestseller, costs a lot - about 700 rubles. Of course, you should not save on books. But if you do not have clear literary preferences, search the web for a free option. For example, one of the works of Mark Twain.
This prose writer is a classic of English literature. Popular books by Mark Twain - "The Prince and the Pauper", "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn." Perhaps these books were read by everyone in childhood. There are no complex philosophical digressions in them, but there is excellent English.
Charles Dickens
A classic of English literature has written many wonderful works. According to the books of Dickens, real movie masterpieces were filmed. If you plan to seriously study the language, you need to read not only books by modern authors, but also classics.
You can begin to get acquainted with the work of Charles Dickens not from famous novels, such as Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, but from stories, fairy tales. One of the great works of the writer is "Christmas Carol in Prose." Unfortunately, few people know that Scrooge hunks are characters created long before the advent of the Disney movie. This is the hero from the story of Dickens.
Read the good tale of A Christmas Carol, which tells about the mean and lonely old man with whom on the eve of Christmas an unusual metamorphosis occurs. The plot of Dickens has long been a classic. This work has been filmed more than once.
Ernest Hemingway
This author has a specific style - in his books there are no long sentences, phrases are short, concise. Reading the works of Hemingway will be interesting to those who cannot boast of a rich vocabulary. Start with the stories of the American classic, with such works as "Banal History", "A Simple Question", "In a Foreign Country", "Waiting". Later, you can move on to more complex prose, for example, the famous anti-militarist novel "Farewell to Arms!"
Charlotte Bronte
The novel, filmed many times, is loved by readers around the world. If you are fluent in English, you can read the original Jane Eyre. But if you are just starting to learn a language, it will probably take more than a month. Still, reading a few chapters will do good.
So, it is worth making a choice in favor of books with a well-known plot. In this case, you do not need to constantly look into the dictionary - such a reading will turn into a tedious process. When you read a book in a foreign language that you previously read in Russian, the meaning of many words, oddly enough, is understood at an intuitive level. Below are a few more popular books worth reading in the original.
1984, John Orwell
The famous dystopia must be read by every educated person. Preferably in the original. Orwell’s work has no complex descriptions. True, the plot is based on a complex philosophical idea. If you have not read John Orwell’s book in Russian, and your knowledge of English is poor, check out the translation first.
"Martin Eden," Jack London
The plot in this work is developing dynamically. Even someone who is not familiar with the work of Jack London and is just starting to learn the language will be able to read this book. Complexity can only arise with phrases spoken by the main character.
Martin Eden is a simple sailor who is once fascinated by the wonderful world of literature. He is intensely engaged in self-education, and after reading several dozen books he himself begins to write. However, in the first chapters, the sailor speaks incorrect English.
The Great Gatsby, Francis Scott Fitzgerald
The book about the tragic fate of a former military man who became a millionaire for the sake of his beloved girl, bought a luxurious house, where he regularly held chic parties. Fitzgerald's work attracted the attention of modern readers after the release of the film adaptation, in which the main role was played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
This book is worth reading in the original. It will not be superfluous to watch a movie in English.
"About Mice and People," John Steinbeck
The list of books required to be read in English often includes another work by an American writer, namely, "The Bunches of Wrath." But those who begin to learn the language should pay attention to the story "About Mice and People." This small work consists mainly of dialogues. In 1991, a film was made based on Steinbeck’s book, which is also worth a look.
Russian fiction in English
If you read the works of Russian authors and at the same time dream of learning English, look for books by your favorite authors in translation. Tolstoy’s novels in a foreign language are perceived hard. Even those who are fluent in the language. Another thing is the work of writers of the 20th century. The most popular among them is Mikhail Bulgakov.
Reading the famous works "Dog Heart", "Master and Margarita" in English will bring a lot of pleasure. It is so interesting to learn how the famous phrases of Bulgakov characters sound in the language of Shakespeare!