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spooky
07-29-2008, 06:59 AM
Hi everyone, i just registered and it's my first post here..
English is not my first language and i like reading books' original versions rather than translations, now i have two questions:

1-I read some of Stephen King's works and Bram Stoker's Dracula without any difficulty, almost like reading in my own language, there are some books i want to read and i want to know if they're on the same level with those i mentioned so i can read them easily..like lord of the flies or 1984 ?? and if not so can you recommend some authors/books that i can read without difficulty??

2-I want to read works of Charles Dickens but as you can guess his works are rather hard to read for me, i tried reading David Copperfield here, some parts were surprisingly easy to understand but in some parts i found myself simply lost without understanding anything..Now i won't go for works of Dickens or anyone from his era yet but do you think it will be any help if i study his vocabulary while reading rather easy writers that i mentioned in my first question ??
so i need some advice :) thanks...

PeterL
07-29-2008, 09:21 AM
Try reading with a dictionary beside you. It slows that reading to look up words, but it would allow you to read and show the words in context.

togre
07-29-2008, 09:41 AM
spooky,

The problems with Dickens might be more than just vocabulary. The society in which his stories are based are at times difficult for me (an English-speaker from birth) to comprehend.

Peter has a decent idea. If you look for editions of novels meant for use in school or by younger people, you can sometimes find editions that have great notes in the margins. This can help with both vocabulary and with culture gaps.

Book suggestion: Umm...This is difficult, because I don't really know what content you'd enjoy, but for not too difficult English...Maybe Little Women, Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson. Most books by Mark Twain aren't overly difficult in the language.

Also, since you mentioned Stephen King, most things that were written within the last 30-50 years and are popular should be at a roughly similar level.

I really hope this is helpful. Best of wishes in your reading!

blazeofglory
07-29-2008, 10:14 PM
Read more and more I am sure you can easily start comprehending in the course of reading, and if you run after words it will be always difficult for you