How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

A tourist stops a man on the street in New York City and asks, "Excuse me, sir. How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The man's reply: "Practice, practice, practice."

This is a classic joke. Carnegie Hall is among the world's most famous concert venues; only the best musicians perform there.

The joke, of course, is that the tourist is merely asking for directions, while the man being asked the question interprets it differently. To him, the question "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" means "How do I get good enough to be able to perform at Carnegie Hall?" or "How do I develop the necessary skills?" The punchline (that is, the part of the joke that makes it funny) is "practice, practice, practice" rather than "go two blocks south, turn right on 53rd St., walk two more blocks, and you're there."

So how do you "get to," or arrive at, becoming a better reader in English? By practicing. Read in English for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. It doesn't matter what: a newspaper, a magazine, a book, an Internet Website, or the back of a breakfast cereal box. Get into the habit of reading in English, and don't worry if you don't understand what you're reading -- do it anyway. Your comprehension will gradually improve as your vocabulary expands.

Reading is a skill. As with any learned skill, performance improves with time, practice, and repetition. The more you read, the better you'll read. So tell me: how do you get to Carnegie Hall again?