How to be a better
reader
The importance of reading
Reading is an extremely important skill. It is by reading
that you learn much of what you need
to know for your different school subjects. Reading
is also an excellent way to improve
your general
English. You can only learn from reading, however, if what you read is not too
difficult. For this reason, it is important to know what makes texts difficult
and how you can improve your chances of understanding
them.
What makes texts difficult to understand
Most of your reading difficulties will be caused by a
problem on the list below. Of course, when two or more of these problems happen
together, your chances of understanding will be even smaller.
the text has many unknown words
the text has long, complicated sentences
the text is about a topic you know nothing about
the text is about a topic you find boring
the text has small print, long paragraphs, no pictures
the text has been badly written
you are feeling tired
you are distracted
you don't know the important cohesion
markers
you don't know why you have been asked to read the text
How to understand more of what you read
You can do nothing about some of the reading difficulties:
for example, you can’t change the print
in a book or make poor writing better. But there are many
things you can do that will give you
a better chance of understanding what you read. Here are
some suggestions:
1. Know your
reading purpose - The way you read a book or a text depends
very much on your reasons for reading it. This is why it is so
important to know your reading purpose.
You should read a question in your math exam differently
from an entry in an encyclopaedia
which you are looking at quickly to find out the date of
an event. The kind of reading you do in class or for your homework is different
from how you read a novel for pleasure in the summer vacation.
If you know your reading purpose - perhaps by looking
first at the questions you must answer
after reading - you can choose the best reading method.
If your teacher gives you something to read and doesn't
tell you what you need to find out
from the text or what you will do after the reading, ask
her (or him)!
2. Choose the
appropriate reading speed - ESL students often take a long time to do
their work because they read everything slowly and carefully.
Often, however, one of the following speed reading
methods will be the best choice:
Skimming -
this is reading a text quickly to find out what information it contains.
You should skim when, for example, you want to check if a
text has the information you need
to answer some questions or write a project.
It is often enough to look at the first (and last)
sentences in each paragraph.
Scanning -
this is reading quickly to find a specific piece of information. You should
scan when,
for example, you are looking for the answer to a question
which you know is in the text.
In general, students should be trying to increase their
reading speed.
(Click to do some speed reading practice.)
3. Get background
information - Find something out about the topic you have to read.
The more background information you have, the easier it
will be to understand the text.
You can get this background information background in
your own language.
For example, if you are studying the Italian Renaissance,
you could read an encyclopaedia or textbook in your own language to find out
the most important details about this historical period.
Your parents may also
be able to give you useful background information.
Talk to them in your language.
You can sometimes get background information from the
text itself. Many writers include
a conclusion or summary; if you read this first, it may
give you a good start.
4. Use all the
information in the book - Good textbooks are well-organised, with
titles, sub-titles, introductions, summaries or conclusions. Many books also
have pictures with captions.
Look at all these first before starting to read.
Another aspect of good writing is that each paragraph has
a topic sentence. A topic sentence is
a sentence, usually the first one in a
paragraph, that contains the main idea of the paragraph.
If you concentrate on understanding the topic sentence,
this may help you to understand what comes next.
5. Increase your vocabulary - Of course, reading
itself is an excellent way to improve your vocabulary, but there are many other
things you can do. (More
advice on learning vocabulary.)
The better your vocabulary, the easier you
will find your reading.
6. Use your dictionary sensibly - A common mistake
of ESL students is to look up each unknown word in the texts they are given to
read. Occasionally this is necessary - for example, when reading examination
questions. But it takes a long time and can be very boring. It can even make
understanding more difficult because by the time you reach the end of the
paragraph you have forgotten what you read at the beginning! (Advice on how and when to use
your dictionary.)
7. Learn the important words that organise text -
When you read texts in your science or history books, you will find that most
good writers organise their writing with cohesion markers (also
called transition words). These are words that connect different parts of
the writing and help writers structure their thoughts. If you learn the
important cohesion markers, you will find it easier to understand the text.
Here are some important cohesion
markers: also, therefore, except, unless,however, instead, (al)though, furthermore, moreover, nevertheless, on
the other hand, as a result, despite, in conclusion.
8. Choose the right place to read - You can’t really
expect to understand a difficult book if you are trying to read in the same
room with the television on and your little brother distracting you. The same
goes for reading in the bus on the way to school. You also can’t expect to read
a textbook and listen to music at the same time. Try to find a quiet and
comfortable place with good light, and your dictionaries and other materials
nearby.
9. Choose the right time to read - If you have a
difficult text to read for homework, it’s probably best to do this first. If
you leave it until last when you are tired, you will find it even more
difficult.
Important: If you have tried the advice above and you
still cannot understand a text, then it is simply too hard for you. Stop
reading and ask someone to help you (your ESL teacher, for example!). Nobody
likes to give up, but you will just be wasting your time if you continue to
work at a text that is beyond you.
What to read
Most of the time you have to read what your teachers tell
you to read. But as you know, reading is an excellent way to improve your
English, and so you should try to do some extra reading each week. Here is some
advice on how to choose what to read:
Try not to read something too difficult - There
should be no more than about 6-10 new words per page; reading for pleasure
should not be hard work!
Reading easy books is good for you -You will improve
your reading skills even if you read simple books, as long as you
read lots of them. (But you may find you don't really enjoy stories
written in English that has been over-simplified.)
Try to read some non-fiction - Reading non-fiction
books or magazines will help you learn some of the words you need to do well in
your subject classes. There are millions of pages of non-fiction on the world
wide web!
Choose something that is interesting to you - This
is clear. In fact, if you are really interested in a topic, you will probably
be able to understand texts that would normally be too difficult for you.
Surf the internet - You can learn a lot of English
just by surfing around on the websites that interest you. This is particularly
true if the webpages contain pictures that help you understand the writing.
http://esl.fis.edu/learners/advice/read.htm
Turbo Charged Reading: Read fast>>>Remember
all>>>Years later
Contact
M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com
You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that
are spontaneously accessed.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20
times faster and remember what I’ve read.
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
How
to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?
Perhaps
you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com
gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com which takes advantage of the experience
and expertise of others.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com just for fun.
To
quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will
know.
The
more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”
