Online English reading practice is usually a random chance. What will the vocabulary be? How difficult is it? I want to point out a few reading tactics to help you read better and understand more. They can be summarized in a few points:

1.vocabulary
2.make questions
3.can you listen?
4.summarize
5.draw a cartoon
6.use the new vocabulary

Before you practice reading anything, if you have a list of the important vocabulary ahead of time, it can save you lots of time. Many articles for English as a Second Language students have a vocabulary list with the article; use it. You can preview the vocabulary and check the meanings.

Take a look at the title; does it give any hints about the content? Of course, it should, and after you read the title, write down any questions you can think of. Writing down questions makes you think more about the text, and helps you read more carefully.

Sometimes, online text is recorded somewhere. It may help your reading skills to listen to the text while you read it; this may help you to read faster.

After you read the text, you may summarize it in your own words. This makes you think about what you read. You may realize that you have more questions, or that you forgot something, or didn't understand it.

Another learning technique is to draw a cartoon of what you read. This also helps you become aware of what you understood and didn't understand in a different way. You can find it helpful to re-read the text while you do this activity.

After the above steps, if you have time, try to use the new vocabulary by making your own sentences and writing them down. Once again, you can go back to the original text for reference and model off the usages in the text.

If you follow all six steps, you will find your online English reading skills improving at a steady pace. Hang in there!

Les Perras, owner of English Language Franchise in Ikoma, Japan, and author of the website English Listening World at http://www.english-listening-world.com.