Styles | ReadOasis — Read Big!

Is Extensive Reading Good for You?

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Here is a short interview with Dr. Richard Day. Dr. Day is a Professor at the University of Hawaii in the Department of Second Language Studies. He is a well-known and highly regarded linguist. In this interview on ReadOasis TV, Professor Day answers this question. Is extensive reading good... Read more

21 Tips for a Lifestyle of Reading

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Even if we (or our students) know the benefits of reading, we may still have trouble developing a lifestyle of reading. One way we can solve this problem is to see how avid readers keep a lifestyle of reading. With this in mind, here are 21 Tips for a Lifestyle of Reading for teachers and students.

Reading Can Beat Study Abroad (TV)

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In this ReadOasis video, Dr. Hitoshi Nishizawa explains his research. He compared TOEIC scores for two kinds of students. Some studied for one year in English speaking countries. Others did extensive graded reading in Japan. Some of these students read more than 3 million words. And they got about... Read more

Reading Makes Words Stick in Your Brain

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ReadOasis: So here we are with Dr. Paul Nation, Professor Emeritus at the University of Wellington, Victoria (New Zealand). And of course one of the most well-known linguists in the world. It’s an honor to have him. Just one quick question for our learners: How can extensive graded reading help... Read more

Improve Your Word Power

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ReadOasis Step 1 So you want to improve your word power. But what words should you learn first? You can waste time learning uncommon words first. But it’s smart to learn the most common words at the beginning. The top 2,000 words of English make up 80% of all... Read more

Extensive Reading, Because it Works!

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This is Professor Thomas Robb from Kyoto Sangyo University, and he is one of the world’s renowned experts on extensive graded reading. Q: Tell us. Why should students do extensive reading? Dr. Robb: Why? Because it works. I’ve done it for Japanese as well. Really? Yeah. So I chose a mystery... Read more

5 More Amazing Facts About Reading

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ReadOasis Step 2 Imagine that you know a secret. Your secret is a powerful idea for change. It can change communities, cities, and countries. It can powerfully affect the future. It can change you. What is this secret, and what does it do? It is the power of reading.... Read more

Pleasure, Success, and Reading

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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Mary lay down on the sofa with her book, and she opened it again. She couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. She loved science fiction, and this book was one of the most famous sci-fi books of all time: 2001: A... Read more

Simple Steps for Learning English

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By Ashley J. Hastings, PhD President, Global Language Education Service, Inc. Many people around the world are studying English. They need English to succeed in work, school, or relationships. Common sense tells us that we can learn to read a language more quickly if we can already understand it well.... Read more

Martin’s Last Day

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The Place Martin opened the green door of his second floor room, room 306. He stepped outside and closed the door. He felt the air on his face, and he heard the voices of his friends. He looked down at them. They stood talking in the parking lot below.... Read more

The Boy who Became Buddha

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ReadOasis Step 2 He was born in 1935 -- in a poor farmer's home in northeast Tibet. At age 2, he was recognized as the 14th Buddha of Compassion. Buddha's soul had again appeared in a child. And this boy was the Buddha. He was taken to a palace... Read more

Verbal, Visual, & Vocal Communication

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ReadOasis Step 2 What is good communication? Psychologist Albert Mehrabian researches three elements of communication: words, tone of voice, and body language. More interestingly, Mehrabian studied how people communicate feelings and attitudes. If your body language and tone of voice disagree with your words, listeners tend to believe your body... Read more

Reading is Smart (Step 2)

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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Dan Hurley is a writer. He writes best-selling books about science, and he writes popular stories for the world’s best newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Wired Magazine. In a word, he is a big success. But when... Read more

Six Culture Conflicts (Part 1)

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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Joel held the warm, brown cup in both his hands. With his eyes, he smiled at Matt and drank his hot chocolate. "Ready to go?" asked Matt. "Yeah," said Joel. "Let’s go home." They stood up at the same time, put on their coats,... Read more

Dating Advice from the Rabbi (Step 1)

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ReadOasis Step 1 It’s Friday night, and the building is filling up with people. They have come for a prayer meeting. They have come to hear the teacher give a message. The teacher is called rabbi. As the meeting starts, the rabbi is standing in front. He looks at... Read more

Curious For Cultures

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ReadOasis Step 2 Lena looked back. She felt fear, sadness, and excitement all at once. She waved to her friends and parents. And they all waved back, smiling and blowing kisses. Lena turned around and started walking. She took a deep breath and said to herself, “Don’t be afraid.... Read more

Word Magic!

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ReadOasis Step 2 Words are magic. Say a few words at a restaurant, and you get dinner! Say a few strong words like, “Hey stupid!” and you might get in a fight. Say the words, “I’m sorry,” and you might escape a fight. Say the words, “I love you,”... Read more

The Artful Geisha (Step 3)

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ReadOasis Step 3 Geisha are traditional female entertainers from Japan. They are skilled at various Japanese arts, such as classical music, dancing, and poetry. The word "geisha" comes from (GEI) meaning "art" and (SHA) meaning "person." Thus, in a literal sense, a geisha is an artist. In the modern... Read more

1,000 English Learners Read 300,000,000 Words

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ReadOasis Step 2 In the past few years, 1,000 English learners have read over 300,000,000 words at ReadOasis.com. That's a big number -- maybe 40,000 hours -- or 4 years of reading! We asked these learners about their experiences with big reading, and below we share the responses we... Read more

Big Reading — The Clearest Explanation

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By Joseph Poulshock, PhDEditor, ReadOasis.com "What?" said my friend. "Extensive reading? That's too hard and boring. Students want to speak English -- not read. Students don't read, and they don't like it. Reading is over and cancelled!" Have you heard words like these? I have! But these strong words... Read more