By Temp Temp

Presentation: How to improve English

Have you tried to run a marathon with no practice?

I hope not. You might pull a muscle.

You need to start small in order to achieve something big like that.

When it comes to learning English, what if I told you that you can understand big ideas with just
a little bit of text?

You do not need to wait several years to deal with complex concepts.

Just because you are learning a language does not mean you need to limit your thinking.

Stories are all about going beyond reality. It is no wonder that they let you understand big
concepts with only a little bit of reading practice.

But this works better when you’re reading better stories.

I am talking about award-winning short stories, told using language easily understood by
beginners. These will not only improve your English reading comprehension but also open your
mind to different worlds.
 

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take
anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Why Short Stories Are Best for English Learning

 You get more time to focus on individual words. When a text is short, you can devote
more time to learning how every single word is used and what importance it has in the
piece.
 You can read a whole story in one sitting. Attention spans are very important for
learning, and the ability to finish a story gives you more time to digest it. Short stories are
designed to give you maximum information with minimal effort.
  It is best for consistency. It is far easier to read one story every day than trying to read a
big novel that never seems to end.
 You can share them easily in a group. Since short stories can be read in a single setting,
they are ideal for book clubs and learning circles. Most of the time these groups do not
work because members have no time to read. Short stories are the perfect solution.
 You can focus more on ideas and concepts. Language is less about words and more
about the meaning behind them. If you spend all your time learning vocabulary and
grammar, you will never be able to fluently speak a language because you will have little
to talk about. These short stories give you the opportunity to understand big ideas in
context.

Short stories are also a great resource for English learners because they allow you to work on
reading, speaking and listening at the same time. Yes, it’s true! In our fantastic digital age, it’s
possible to find wonderful short stories online in video form. If you find a video that includes
English-language subtitles, you can follow along reading while also listening to how a native
speaker pronounces words.

If you’re looking for short stories in video form, why not check out FluentU? FluentU is an
innovative language-learning platform that turns real-world videos into language-learning
experiences. It features thousands of videos featuring native English speakers, including music
videos, movie trailers, commercials, inspirational talks and—yes—some great short stories!

Each video contains interactive subtitles so you can read along as you listen. If you don’t know a
word, simply click on it to see a definition and example sentences from other videos. Even
better, each FluentU video comes with a vocabulary list, a transcription and a comprehension
quiz. This means that each video is also a powerful language-learning tool in and of itself.

Some of the short stories highlighted below are available in video format on FluentU. Be sure to
check them out if you want to work your listening comprehension and pronunciation alongside
your reading skills.