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The thought that you either read to learn or for pleasure or is somehow misleading because it is reasonable to do both, of course. Still, the approach that you use for academic reading should not be the same when you read a book with a different genre. To read and understand an article or book, you have to be more deliberate and strategic.
Reading is essential in our society. Many adults cannot comprehend well enough to follow the directions on a medication bottle, and that is an alarming thought, particularly for the kids.
So, to know more about improving a person’s reading skills, here are some practical tips you should apply.
Understand and Determine Your Limitations
Before you can develop your skills in reading, you need first to understand how you are currently reading, as well as what your shortcomings are.
Begin by choosing passages from different topics that are unfamiliar to you, be it news reports, essays, novels, textbooks, or any text you believe you specifically struggle to comprehend—and try to read them as you usually would.
If your concentration or understanding tends to falter after a while, start building up your stamina slowly. For example, if you steadily lose focus at the 10-minute mark whenever you read, recognize this, and urge yourself to increase that time gradually. Applying this method is better than trying to rest and focus on reading for a couple of hours at a stretch.
Enhance Your Vocabulary
Reading, along with comprehension, relies on a mixture of context, vocabulary, and word interactions. So, you need to understand the meaning of every word before you can entirely understand the text.
If you are having difficulty understanding specific vocabulary, it is sometimes attainable to get the meaning by taking advantage of context clues (like how the words play in the sentence or passage).
However, it is still an excellent idea to know the exact definitions of words that are not familiar to you because you can use it to improve your writing and speaking skills too.
When you read, assure that you list the words that you do not recognize and search for the meaning of those words immediately to help you understand the passage better.
Mark Essential Words and Ideas
Highlight the essential information as you read and pay close attention to significant definitions, facts, grammarly word count, phrases, and terms.
However, do not get out of control with highlighting, and only use the highlighter on the concepts that matter. In situations where you do not have a highlighter or prefer not to use one, try commenting on the text. This method involves writing side notes in the spaces available and underlining crucial phrases.
Read for Amusement
The most effective way to develop your reading comprehension skills is through practice, and you can achieve that by having fun while doing the activity.
Embrace reading and make it a fun activity, at least occasionally, rather than a routine. This habit will help in motivating you to connect with the passage and welcome the endeavor as part of your life (instead of reading for work or study).
As you train and genuinely engage yourself with the reading material, you will particularly develop your skills without you noticing it.
To Conclude
Our minds are like a muscle, which needs exercise to function at their highest levels. As such, you can consider reading as both a fundamental and essential skill because it helps in developing them. And one way to assist the mind in improving its capacity is by reading and understanding written words.
Moreover, reading is not all about understanding a certain passage because it also helps people to listen more, and when people have excellent listening skills, then there is a reduced chance of misunderstandings to happen.
