Meaning & use
reading list
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Meanings
nouncountable
a list of books, articles, or other texts that someone is expected or advised to read, especially for a course of study.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a reading list' or 'reading lists'. It is often used with 'on': 'on the reading list'.
Patterns
- a reading list for something
- on the reading list
- put something on a reading list
The teacher gave us a reading list for the summer.
Her novel is now on the reading list for first-year students.
I checked the reading list to see which articles I still needed.
nouncountable
a personal list of books or texts that someone plans to read or recommends to others.
Grammar: Countable and often used with 'my', 'your', etc.: 'my reading list'.
Patterns
- my reading list
- add something to your reading list
- a reading list of something
I keep a reading list of novels I want to get through.
She added three new books to her reading list.
His blog includes a reading list of useful science writing.
Word forms
| plural | reading lists |
|---|
Common combinations
- on the reading list
- The article is on the reading list for next week's class.
- a recommended reading list
- The website offers a recommended reading list for beginners.
- put something on a reading list
- The professor put the novel on the reading list.
- a summer reading list
- The library published a summer reading list for children.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bibliography
- A bibliography is a formal list of sources used in a piece of writing, while a reading list is usually a set of texts to read for a course or for pleasure.
- syllabus
- A syllabus is the whole plan of a course, including topics and assignments; a reading list is only the texts to read.
Word family
Commonly confused: reading list or reading?
reading list vs reading
Do not confuse 'a reading list' with 'reading' alone. 'Reading' is the activity; a reading list is the actual list of texts.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'reading list' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'on my reading list' — the noun phrase 'reading list' comes before the possessive and is singular here. Option 1 uses 'reading' alone, which does not mean a list. Option 2 has the wrong word order. Option 3 uses a plural where only one list is meant.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reading list”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.