Reading skill
Definition: Reading skill refers to “the ability to understand and construct meaning from the written text”. It is understanding of words
and the association between them.
Importance: Reading is a receptive skill like listening because we receive some information from book, page etc. during the reading
process. It is the base of all learning like listening because we get new vocabulary and information during this process. It is a complex
skill and requires good mental health. It is activated by print. Dr. West says that no language can be learnt properly without reading
practice. Reading is must for learning anything especially a foreign language. Educational researches show that there is a strong relation
between reading and academic success. It helps in mental development, increases new vocabulary as well as historical, current and
general knowledge. It also helps readers to stay in touch with writers, scientists, programmers, theorists and poets etc. Mostly people
spend about 09% of their daily time in reading.
Purposes of Reading: We read for different purposes in different situations. Reading technique that we choose depends on our purpose
of reading. Mostly we read for two main purpose:
1. Reading for Enjoyment: Such as novels, magazines, stories, web pages etc.
2. Reading for Information: Such as text books, reference books, newspapers, journals and web pages etc.
Types/kinds of Reading: There are six types of reading.
1. Skimming: it is a quick reading technique which helps reader understand the overall theme or general meaning of the
text/paragraph. Skimming means moving the eyes quickly across the paragraph and ignoring minor details. In skimming, reader is
not interested in all the details. Getting the gist is enough. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited
time or when they have to decide whether it deserves a careful reading or not. For example, when we read newspaper, we do not
read it word for word. We only read the important news or captions that we are interested in. This is actually skimming. Several
strategies can be used for skimming. Some people read only first and last para and get the whole idea. Some read title, subtitles,
heading and sub-headings. Some read first sentence of each para and some even get the idea from graphs, charts and tables etc.
2. Scanning: It means looking a text/paragraph/story quickly for finding a specific piece of information. This specific information can
be key ideas, some words, dates, names or times etc. A reader might scan a report with a purpose of getting important facts and
figures. In our daily life, we often use scanning technique for different reasons. For example, we use this technique to discover a
particular word in a dictionary, a particular phone number in a telephone directory, the time of arrival or departure of train or
aeroplane on the timetable or a particular date in a history book. To do this, we don’t have to read carefully (word for word) the whole
dictionary, telephone directory, timetable & history book. We scan the page(s) until our eyes discover the required information.
3. Intensive/Study Reading: It is that kind of reading which requires complete attention of the reader. The reader pays full attention
and focuses on each and every word. The basic purpose of intensive reading is to understand and reproduce the main idea whenever
is needed. The reader has to be absorbed in the material, only then he will be able to understand and reproduce it.
4. Extensive/Light Reading: It is that kind of reading that does not require complete attention of reader. Only small amount of
information is gained from wide and extensive reading. It is a form of pleasure reading. There is no serious purpose of this reading.
It occurs mostly in leisure time.
5. Silent Reading: It means reading completely silently, without producing any sound or moving lips.
6. Loud Reading: It means reading loudly with producing sound and moving lips.
Reading Process: The process of reading involves following stages:
1. Reading the material: Firstly, reader must determine his purpose of reading. His purpose may be skimming or scanning etc. On the
basis of his purpose, he should read. Proper attention should be given to heading and captions.
2. Thinking while reading: The presence of mind is necessary for effective reading. Reader must keep in mind the problem that he is
going to solve through his reading. Focus and attention is also required.
3. Studying pictures: Reader should study graphs, charts and examples because they make the task of reader easy.
4. Taking brief notes: He should record main idea or important points in a notebook for his help.
5. Reviewing: Sometimes, material is difficult to understand for the first time. So he should review it for understanding.
Problems/Barriers in Reading: Following things can produce problems in reading.
1. Inattentive behavior 4. Physical disease/weak eyesight 7. Noise and
2. No practice 5. Vague or understandable writing 8. Distraction
3. Irrelevant language 6. Mood
Techniques to Improve Reading Skill: Through following tips, reading skill can be improved.
1. Identifying the aim of reading. 5. Noting down the important points.
2. Knowing the background information. 6. Understanding the writer.
3. Selecting and using the reading strategy. 7. Concentration and attention.
4. Selecting the relevant text. 8. Remove distraction.
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Composed by M. Khalid (Lecturer in English) Govt. Postgraduate College, Haripur
