T.I.P.S – To Improve, Practice Skills

Tired of studying English through basic grammar practice? There are many other creative ways to practice and improve your language skills than just by using a textbook.

Reading is a great way to improve vocabulary and comprehension. One of the most challenging things to read are newspapers, but they can enhance your skills to help you better understand the English language.
Before reading a newspaper article, focus on the headline. Understanding headlines are challenging for a few reasons:

• They are not full sentences and are often missing articles, verbs and other grammar structure.
• Headlines often use vocabulary in unusual ways, and sometimes have a double meaning.

Before reading an article, try to understand the meaning of the headline by making it a complete sentence, and by identifying the meaning (or meanings) of the vocabulary. Through understanding the headline, you will have a basic idea of what the article will refer to, and will assist your overall understanding while reading.

If you would like more information on T.I.P.S for English, please email Doctor English with your questions at drenglish@vec.ca.