I want to improve my reading ability. What would you recommend (books, sites, etc)?
116664
Stop.\nReading rate is not nearly as important as comprehension.  I read nearly 300 words a minute, but often have to back up and read the same passage over.\nOdds are that you are remembering everything you saw; far more important.\nYour writing is very good- a good indicator of your ability thus far.\nTell ya what... find a large print book.  Uncover one line for just a glimpse and cover it back up.  Recall the line.  Then uncover the next line like the first and so on.\nYou will be reading by phrases instead of by words.  Far faster.\nThere are speed reading courses, but they require you to see just highlights.\nI always recommend Reader's Digest for those wishing to improve.  It has a wide variety of info from a reasonable array of styles.  All condensed down to the absolute essentials.  It also contains improvement features.
805996
Read as much as possible.  read the newspaper or news on the INternet as much as possible.  Soon it will become second nature because you see it so much when reading.
1099635
Read.  You can pick up a lot of vocabulary from literature and poems.
263040
You have a good start already. From the way you worded your question, you show that you have a good start. You should be aware that most online forums and sites such as Yahoo Answers are not generally great places to learn proper English. Spelling, usage, and grammar errors are more the rule than the exception at these sites. Most informational webpages are OK. \n\nHere are some suggestions for free activities to pursue. \n\nGo to the free audiobooks at Project Gutenberg. Here is the link: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/categories/1\n\nLocate an audio book that you would be interested in and download it (avoid any Shakespeare titles for now because the English style is archaic). Now locate that same book in text form from their website. Begin first by listening and reading along at the same time to a short section of it. The text version is electronic, so you will have the means to mark any words that you wouldn't have already known. Study any that you marked.\n\nNow, try your hand at listening to the audio book and writing the text part yourself. Most electronic playback software will have controls that will allow you to pause, rewind, and play sections over and over again, so don't worry if you cannot translate as fast as the reader reads. Compare your spelling and mechanics to the official text version. Wherever they do not match, try to understand what you did incorrectly.\n\nHere are the advantages to this technique:\n - While you are learning the oral and written forms you are also getting exposure to classic literature of the English language. The stories are often quite good too, so you get the bonus of enjoying the story.\n - You will gain a better English vocabulary using classic literature than you will from studying 'common-speak'. The English skills that you will come away with will be closer to that spoken by a college student in and English speaking country.\n - You can do this free. There are no textbooks that you need to buy.\n - As you progress, you can begin to delve into classics with dialect. From these you will gain skills at perceiving and reproducing the sublties of regional dialect. Try some of the Mark Twain stories written with characters from the deep American South such as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn to learn how the Southern dialect of American English is spoken. Select a modern story set in the Bronx to get a feel for the very distinct dialect spoken there. In nearly 100 percent of these stories the narrator portions will be formal English. Only the character dialogue will have the dialect.\n\nOther than what is listed above, my only other suggestion is to communicate as often as possible with other people whose native language is English (and who can use it well) who are willing to give you feedback on how you are doing. Instant messengers (IM's) can give you a means to work on both your oral and wriiten forms. Go ahead and post your IM identity here as an added detail or post a new question specifically asking for English teachers and college students who would be willing to IM you on a regular basis. These two groups are quite likely to have sufficient language skills themselves to be of some help.
1021515
Take a speed reading course!  There are now computer programs you can purchase that will help you read faster.\n\nBy learning to read faster it increases your comprehension levels.  Then the more you read the more you learn.  Thus increasing your ability to  adapt your learning levels.  IQ  is actually a way to test your comprehension level.  If you learn faster and can retain that knowledge you increase your IQ!  But if you don't do the work to increase your IQ, by taking a speed reading course for example, you aren't going to go anywhere.  This is the only way to really make a difference.  You are born with a certain  IQ level.  Only by doing the hard work to learn and expand your knowledge can you do anything to change it!\n\nI took a speed reading class in school and it changed my life!
693181
Read! Read! Read!\n\nNovels, Short stories, Kids books.\n\nRetell some stories in your own words.\n\nImprovise on the stories you have read.\n\nThis is the start.
494053
I'd say pick up a novel. Reading is always great when your boared.. i'd say do it outside or w/e..
34838
heres a good list of sites that i ve found useful.\n\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/catalog\n\nhttp://manybooks.net/titles.php\n\nhttp://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/\n\nhttp://www.easymediabroadcast.com/IndexT.htm\n\n\n\nhave fun reading :)
1062566
I would use an informal reading inventory (IRI). Many of them are available. I use the Jennings IRI, here is a link so that you can download it. http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_jennings_readprobs_5\n\nIRI's are great because it assess comprehension as well as speed. If you see that a student is taking a long time reading you can guess that they are not decoding well. This IRI will help you find an approximate level for the student's reading ability and show you where to focus your instruction.
775426
READ!!! The higher the level, the more words you will learn. If you love reading, then the vocab you read from the book will slowly being to creep into your daily vocab use. \nLearning another language also helps you understand larger words in English, plus it's a great benefit to you in general. \nUse flashcards, or go online and search difficult words online. : )
857635
I don't know what you mean by efficiently, but if you mean as many books as possible in a short amount of time, try children's books. You would be surprised at the vocabulary in them. Also try 6th grade reading level books that are about 80 pgs long.
276591
Start reading the classics, also read general knowledge magazines. I know, but a little trivia keeps you from being too boring.
585482
you should read lots and lots of books.\n\nhere's a start:\n\nwww.amazon.com
369453
I agree 100%!!!! Reading builds vocabulary, widens and deepens comprehension, makes the reader get used to proper syntax and grammar and widens our knowledge base. With so much media available nowadays, the importance of reading is grossly underrated.  I hope more people go back to books.
31751
There is a product called EYE-Q which improves speed reading. Do a Google search on it. There's a free trial of it too.
642713
Read up on it, self learn through reading books from the library or bookstores
217451
Netlibrary has some good books. also try e-books.com