Reading comprehension

ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning.

relies on two, interconnected abilities: word reading (being able to decode the
symbols on the page) and language comprehension (being able to understand
the meaning of the words and sentences).
 ultimate goal in learning how to read

 to comprehend is to make sense and understand the material that is being read

 phonetic awareness, fluency, and vocabulary are needed for comprehension

 depends upon grasping word meanings, and grouping words into unitary thought
that helps in constructing appropriate sentences and paragraphs by grasping the
relation between the words in a sentence, between sentences in paragraphs,
and between paragraphs in larger wholes

 helps to understand, remember, and share the acquired information

SKIMMING

 a type of rapid reading

 not necessary to read each and every word
 quick and selective reading of a passage so as to easily look for and mark off
the important ideas
 focus is on some of the units of the information to extract the gist
 useful for reading a number of documents and reports, and sorting them
Examples of Skimming:
 The Newspaper – to quickly get the general news of the day
 Magazines – to quickly discover which articles you would like to
read in more detail
 Business and Travel Brochures – to quickly get informed

How to Skim?

1. Read the title if there is one.

2. Read the introduction or the first paragraph if there is one.
3. Read the first sentence of every other paragraph.
4. Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs.
5. Notice any italicized or boldface words or phrases.
6. Read the summary or last paragraph if there is one.
SCANNING

 type of rapid reading

 used to locate a particular piece of information from a text,
without understanding the other part of a text
 looking for a particular part of a message : a word (in a
dictionary), phrase, sentence, figure, statistics, phone number,
keyword in the index
How to Scan?

• after gaining an overview, identify the section(s) of the text that you
probably need to read
• start scanning the text by allowing your eyes (or finger) to move quickly
over a page.
• as soon as your eye catches an important word or phrase, stop reading.
• when you locate information requiring attention, you then slow down to
read the relevant section more thoroughly.

Examples of Scanning

• a word in a dictionary or index

• a phone number or an address in a directory
• time schedule of a program in an agenda
• price of a specific item in a catalog
Identifying main ideas
1) Identify the Topic

• Read the passage through completely, then try to identify the topic.

• Who or what is the paragraph about?

• This part is just figuring out a topic like "cause of World War I" or "new hearing devices;"

• don't worry yet about deciding what argument the passage is making about this topic.

2) Summarize the Passage

• After reading the passage thoroughly, summarize it in your own words in one sentence.

• Pretend you have just ten to twelve words to tell someone what the passage is about—what
would you say?
3) Look at the First and Last Sentences of the Passage

• Authors often put the main idea in or near either the first or last sentence of the paragraph
or article, so isolate those sentences to see if they make sense as the overarching theme of
the passage.

• Be careful: sometimes the author will use words like but, however, in
contrast, nevertheless, etc. that indicate that the second sentence is actually the main idea.

• If you see one of these words that negate or qualify the first sentence, that is a clue that the
second sentence is the main idea.

4) Look for Repetition of Ideas

• If you read through a paragraph and you have no idea how to summarize it because there is
so much information, start looking for repeated words, phrases, or related ideas.
Example:

A new hearing device uses a magnet to hold the detachable sound-processing portion in
place. Like other aids, it converts sound into vibrations, but it is unique in that it can
transmit the vibrations directly to the magnet and then to the inner ear. This produces a
clearer sound. The new device will not help all hearing-impaired people—only those with a
hearing loss caused by infection or some other problem in the middle ear. It will probably
help no more than 20 percent of all people with hearing problems. Those people who have
persistent ear infections, however, should find relief and restored hearing with the new
device.

What does this paragraph talk about? A new hearing device.

What is it trying to convey? A new hearing device is now available for some, but not all,
hearing-impaired people.
That's the main idea!
Drawing Inferences

As a reading strategy, inferring requires readers to use prior knowledge and the
information stated in a text to draw conclusions.

it is often necessary to understand the full meaning of a text

Making an inference involves using what you know to make a guess about what you
don't know or reading between the lines.

Readers who make inferences use the clues in the text along with their own
experiences to help them figure out what is not directly said, making the text
personal and memorable.
EXAMPLE:

1. "My wife and I tried to pack light but we made sure not to forget our bathing suits and sunblock.
I wasn't sure if I would get seasick again so I made sure to pack some medicine for upset
stomachs.“

Inferences to be drawn:

•The author is married.

•He and his wife are going on a trip.
•They are going to be on a boat.
•They will be around water.
•They will be going swimming.
•They have gone swimming before.
•The author has gotten seasick on a boat in the past.

2. John said, “Whatever you do, don’t go into the basement.”

Reading Problems
•Lack of Purpose

•Lack of knowledge of language and vocabulary

•Lack of concentration

•Lack of interest

•Distractions: Mental and Physical

•Failure to understand a word/sentence

•Failure to relate sentences to each other

•Failure to process information into a meaningful whole

Precis Summary
A small replica or a model of any passage Shortened description of any passage or
or article article

must contain an appropriate heading. Heading is not mandatory

contains the structure and keywords of the a brief paraphrased description of the
original passage. article
order and structure should be maintained. no need for maintaining the order.

Only the absolute essential points are Covers all the important points in the
mentioned briefest form
retains the original idea and voice of the expressed in the readers or listeners’ own
given piece of writing, article or anything words.
It should end with a conclusion. not necessarily important to end it with a
conclusion.
Big cities in the States are the worst choice for living. The funny thing is that you have to pay
dearly for the advantage of living in a city where it can be very difficult to buy your own house.
Large cities are too large to control; they impose their living conditions on the people who
inhabit them. City- dwellers are obliged to adopt an unusual way of life. Furthermore, it seems
impossible to avoid the rush hour; wherever you go roads are blocked with cars and streets are
filled with people. In addition, crimes are more in cities which are full of places you would be
afraid to visit. Can anyone doubt that the country is where a man truly belongs?

Suggested Summary

Big cities are so costly that it is very difficult to buy a house. They are also full of dangerous
places you fear to visit. Add to this, they impose unusual living conditions on people. Moreover,
they are very crowded with people and cars .
Everybody knows what a “good” man means and how he should be. Our definition of a good man is the
one who does not smoke, or drink or avoids the usage of bad language. A good man is ideally expected to
converse in front of men as he would in front of women. He is also expected to attend the Church regularly
and have correct opinions on all subjects. He has a wholesome horror of wrong-doing and realizes that it is
our painful duty to reprimand sin. He is not anticipated to have wrong thinkings and has the authority to
protect the young. His duties are not just restricted to the professional front but also needs to spend quality
time doing good deeds. He must be patriotic and a keen believer of military training, he should promote
industry, must be sober and have virtue among wage earners and their children. He must be a role model
for all and it is expected that he leads a way which the younger generation would willingly follow. Above
all, of course, his “morals” in the narrow sense must be admirable.

Precis Writing:
Title: Attributes of a Good Man
The characteristics of a good man are known and he is expected to be religiously profound, must not
smoke, drink or use bad language. His behaviour must be the same for all genders and he is expected to be
a role model for the young ones. He must know his duties and avoid taking up the path of sin. He must be
good not only in the professional space but also help people in need. He must be someone who can be
admired and is praiseworthy.
Expansion writing
Format for Writing Expansion of Idea

Title – about which you are going to write the expansion.

Introduction part – containing a little information about the title, also builds a
base for your essay.

Principle Matter – briefly describing what is the main idea behind the expansion
and what this expansion wants to convey.

Summarizing – Towards the end of your essay, try to summarize in a few words
what are the ideas which you wanted to convey through your words.

Moral or Lesson – Try to include a moral or a lesson at the end of the essay. This
is not compulsory but can be counted as good practice.
Head or Title
•written in the middle of the page in bold letters.
•Form your ideas around this.
•Rest of the words written should be linked with the Title.
•write a brief introduction about the Title in the first paragraph.

Body or Content at the Core

•This contains expanded ideas about the title.

•Write this section in an elaborate manner.
•This contains innovative ideas about the given title which should be presented in a
demonstrative manner.
•Avoid cluttering in this section. Do not write unnecessary stuff.

Conclusion

•This section is for summarizing what you’ve written throughout your essay.
•You may add some of your own ideas here in a brief manner.
•You can try to conclude on moral grounds.
The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence

This targets a very important issue that is present among us but often
remains unaddressed. We often look at others and assume that they are
better than us or we should have that too what someone else has. People are
not realizing the worth of their own possessions or of themselves.

We often find ourselves comparing us with others. Another person might be

good, but one must understand that “Everyone is Unique”. Once we
understand this, we will start seeing ourselves as a unique creation and will
develop confidence in our own abilities rather than watching what
somebody else thinks.
An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Health is becoming one of the most under looked things in this rapidly
growing world. People are trying all the ways to get rich, acquire
wealth, become happy but in all this they forget the most important
thing, that is health. As it goes that “health is wealth”, if we do not focus
on our health, then any other type of possession we have doesn’t
matter.

Eating healthy food is the first step towards a healthy lifestyle. Our diet
must contain all the nutrients which our body requires in the right
amount so that it has all the fuel that it needs for proper functioning. We
should build strong immunity and should fall less into the traps laid by
junk or unhealthy food.