9 great novels to help

improve your English

Reading is one of the most fun and
effective ways to help improve your
English language skills. It can help
to expand your vocabulary and
expose you to different sentence
structures, all while you enjoy some
wonderful stories. E-readers and
tablets make learning English
even...
By Steffanie Zazulak • September 3, 2015

Reading is one of the most fun and

effective ways to help improve your
English language skills. It can help to
expand your vocabulary and expose you to
different sentence structures, all while you
enjoy some wonderful stories.

E-readers and tablets make learning

English even easier because if you don’t
know a word, you can simply click on it to
read its definition. On the Kindle you can
even add new words you’ve learnt to its
Vocabulary Builder feature, which is
stored on the device. Others recommend
listening to and reading text at the same
time as an excellent way to enhance the
learning process. Kindle’s Whispersync
for Voice is designed for just this purpose
and includes audio with selected books,
so you can listen and follow the text as
you read.

9 great novels to help

improve your English
Below, we reveal nine novels including
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and
George Orwell’s Animal Farm to help
improve your English…

1. The Wind in the Willows –

Kenneth Grahame
This classic tale takes place in the English
countryside and shares the adventures of
the animals that live by the river.
Grahame’s simple use of language with
imaginative stories makes this a
pleasurable read for both adults and
children.

2. Lord of the Flies – William

Golding
This book is a modern classic and a
popular study text for schools all over the
world. When a group of boys are isolated
on a desert island, the society they create
descends into ruthless behaviour. Golding
uses dramatic and descriptive language,
almost like poetry, that makes you feel as
though you’re in the scenes yourself.

3. The Old Man and the Sea –

Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway is well-known for his
clear, straightforward writing style and
short sentence structure, which is great
for English language learners and many
people have read it in school. It’s the
courageous tale of a Cuban fisherman and
his battle to land a giant marlin and it’s a
perfect introduction to Hemingway as an
author.

4. Animal Farm – George

Orwell
This short, allegorical novel tells the story
of animals rebelling against their human
masters, and is a satire of Stalin era in the
Soviet Union. Orwell uses simple English
to appeal to all reading levels with a ‘less
is more’ approach, and the animals speak
in short, clear sentences.

5. Tuesdays with Morrie –

Mitch Albom
When Mitch Albom reconnects with
Morrie Schwartz, his former college
professor, he learns valuable life lessons
and shares with readers all the funny,
insightful wisdom that Morrie reveals in
the last months of his life. It’s a great book
to pick up a more conversational style of
reading and writing. It’s also a great book
to be read aloud.

6. High Fidelity – Nick Hornby

A must-read for any music lover, this
modern story uses a casual style of
language and is written from the point of
view of the main character, Rob, a
heartbroken vinyl record storeowner
living in north London. It has a quick-pace
feel with short, funny conversations
between characters that really keep the
story moving.

7. The Giver – Lois Lowry

Lowry uses short sentences and simple
grammar to create a story that’s attention-
grabbing right from the start. It’s about a
boy called Jonas and the community he is
part of – where freedom, individuality and
choice don’t exist.

8. Fantastic Mr Fox – Roald

Dahl
Roald Dahl is one of the greatest
children’s authors and very popular with
adults too. Beginning with a children’s
book is a good way to begin reading
English novels, as they often have exciting
plots and fun dialogue.

9. The Curious Incident of the

Dog in the Night-Time – Mark
Haddon
This is the story about the adventures of a
young boy with autism, Christopher.
When he discovers the murder of his
neighbour’s dog, he decides to investigate
it. As it’s told from Christopher’s point of
view, his matter-of-fact explanations for
everything he sees are clear and easy to
understand and take you on an intriguing
journey.

Which novels have helped with your English

language learning? Tell us via Facebook and
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