ReadOasis Step 1

To learn English, we need words. Most English native speakers know between 12,000 and 20,000 words. Shakespeare used 31,534 words. And he probably knew more. How many words do you know?

Naomi knows 95% of the words in Alice in Wonderland. She understands it without a dictionary. If you know 95% of the words in a story, you can understand it. The key is 95%. Knowing 95% of the words means this: the story is not too easy and not too hard. It is just right.

If you know 95% of the words in a story, this is good for learning. The Penguin Publishing Company makes books called “graded readers.” These books come in many levels, so you can choose books that are just right for you. You can read one of these books per week, and this is a good way to learn English.

Serious students need the top 5,000 English words. The top 1,000 words cover 70% of texts and conversations. And the top 2,000 cover 80%. But the top 5,000 words cover 95%. That is, you can understand almost everything in English with the top 5,000 words.

5,000 words is a lot! But with the top 5,000 words, you can start college in America. Not everybody needs to do that. But you can still grow your word power every day. One of my students learned 825 words in 10 weeks. She studied 8 minutes per day with Word Engine. It is one good way to learn the top words and improve your English.

Here is a simple recipe for learning English. Read one graded reader per week (as well as one ReadOasis story every day). The books are small. Carry them with you. Enjoy them. Then use Word Engine for 5 minutes every day. In 10 weeks, you can learn many new words and enjoy many stories. In one year, you may even learn thousands of words. And that is a lot of English!