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101 Conversations in Intermediate English

The Five-Step Reading Process

Here is my suggested five-step process for making the most of each conversation in this book:

  1. Read the short introduction to the conversation. This is important, as it sets the context for the conversation, helping you understand what you are about to read. Take note of the characters who are speaking and the situation they are in. If you need to refresh your memory of the characters, refer to the character introductions at the front of the book.

  2. Read the conversation all the way through without stopping. Your aim is simply to reach the end of the conversation, so do not stop to look up words and do not worry if there are things you do not understand. Simply try to follow the gist of the conversation.

  3. Go back and read the same conversation a second time. If you like, you can read in more detail than before, but otherwise simply read it through one more time.

  4. By this point, you should be able to follow the gist of the conversation. You might like to continue to read the same conversation a few more times until you feel confident. This is time well-spent and, with each repetition, you will gradually build your understanding of the content.

  5. Move on! There is no need to understand every word in the conversation, and the greatest value to be derived from the book comes from reading it through to completion! Move on to the next conversation and do your best to enjoy the story at your own pace, just as you would any other book.

At every stage of the process, there will inevitably be words and phrases you do not understand or passages you find confusing. Instead of worrying about the things you don’t understand, try to focus instead on everything that you do understand, and congratulate yourself for the hard work you are putting into improving your English.