The English language is one of the most difficult languages to learn. Words are often spelled differently from the way they sound, and the language is full of idioms, phrases that are peculiar and cannot be understood from the individual meanings of the words. If you are learning English and are having trouble reading your texts, don’t give up. Reading slowly and reading more than once can help you improve your comprehension. Make sure that you have two good dictionaries—one in English and one that links English with your primary language—and look up every word that you don’t know. Be sure to practice thinking, writing, and speaking in English; also take advantage of your college’s helping services. Your campus might have ESL (English as a Second Language) tutoring and workshops. Ask your adviser or your first-year seminar instructor to help you locate those services.

Listening, note taking, and reading are the essentials for success in each of your classes. Rather than perform these skills without a plan, practice some of the ideas presented in this chapter. If your skills in these areas are already strong, perhaps you picked up some ideas to strengthen them further.