- 1). Study phonetics: the sound that letters create. Learning the basics of phonetics makes it possible to sound out words with which you are unfamiliar. Begin your reading study by exploring which letters create which sounds. To do this, explore common words that you know begin with each letter, such as "bee" which begins with a B. Use these words to determine what sounds each letter creates.
- 2). Learn common blends. Some letters pair with others to create a sound that is completely dissimilar from the sound it creates when it stands alone, such as ph- which creates an F sound. Explore these common blend patterns so you can better deal with uncommon sound structures.
- 3). Master sight words: words that you should be able to recognize upon sight, without sounding out. Review sight words, starting with the most basic, kindergarten-level words, and moving to more complex upper-elementary terms. Commit these basic words to memory to increase your vocabulary and improve your reading skills.
- 4). Study sentence structure. Explore the ways in which words combine to create sentences. Learn important rules, such as "sentences must consist of a subject and a predicate at the very least". After learning the basics of simple sentence structure, explore ways in which sentences can be combined to form compound sentences.
- 5). Practice proper spelling. Study words that you struggle to spell, and commit the spellings of each of these terms to memory. Quiz yourself regularly to improve your spelling abilities.
- 6). Learn how to derive meaning through context clues. Practice identifying context clues within a written passage and using these clues to determine the meanings of unknown words. As you become more adept at reading, you will likely encounter words with which you are not familiar. By using context clues, you can determine what these words mean without always running to the dictionary.
- 7). Read regularly. The best way to learn to read and bolster your reading skills is to read regularly. Surround yourself with reading material such as newspapers, books and magazines, and turn to them whenever you have a few moments to spare.