Reading English language newspapers, magazine articles, and books is a great way to improve, and reinforce your English language skills.  As an ESL student to the US you did the hard work of laying a foundation in English language learning.  Now, keep building on it!

Reading is an amazing way to improve your spoken English.  Make it a habit to read an English language newspaper everyday.  You’ll stay up on current events, and will be exposed to lots of different writing styles.  Humor and satire are completely different from reportage and critique.  Your understanding of the English language will become more nuanced the more you read.

Reading books will expose you to new vocabulary words and grammatical structures, and show you how they can be used to powerful effect.

Choose The Appropriate Material For English Language Learning

Choose the right books for yourself.  Select material that appeals to you, and is at a level that you can comprehend.  If you choose something too complex you’ll become frustrated, and are less likely to make reading a habit.

Pick something out, and read the first few pages to see if it’s…

Too easy—you know all the words and phrases, and have picked up on the who, what, where, and why of the story right away.

Too hard—you know just a few words and phrases, and are utterly lost as to the story line.

Or just right—you know a lot of the words and phrases but certainly not all, and you have a good idea what the story line is but aren’t 100% sure.

Choosing something just right will reinforce the vocabulary words you already know, and will expose you to new vocabulary in context.  You’ll be learning new words at a pace that won’t discourage you.

Get an English language magazine subscription on a subject you’re interested in.  There are magazines for hobbies and passions of all types art, video gaming, fishing you name it.  You can grow your English language vocabulary, and even learn the vernacular particular to your hobby.

Reading comprehension is an important part of your study of the English language. After ESL study in the US you can continue improving your vocabulary, and skill set at home by reading as much English language material as you can get your hands on.