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Improving Your Reading Comprehension

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The only problem with speed reading is that when readers try to read more quickly, they may lose comprehension of the material. To make sure you are really reading more quickly, rather than just skimming, work on your reading comprehension at the same time that you work on your speed.

To increase your ability to pay attention as you read, sit down in a quiet room with no distractions or movement. Sitting up straight or otherwise keeping yourself from being totally comfortable can also help you to stay alert.

Read more actively by asking yourself questions as you read. What is the author trying to convey? What is his or her opinion about the subject of this text? Does this argument, description, or plot resonate with your own experience? What do you think will happen next in the book?

Highlighting and underlining also help some people to read more actively and thus to increase their reading comprehension.

Set a goal for yourself as you begin to read. Why are you reading this text? What do you hope to learn? Keeping this goal in mind can increase your understanding of the text, help you to stay alert, and even increase your speed as you move forward to meet your goal.

Resources:

Brockenbrough, Martha. "Does Speed-Reading Really Work?" MSN Encarta.

http://www.psychwww.com/mtsite/rdstratg.html

http://www.psychwww.com/mtsite/speedrd.html

http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/speed1.html

Quote from Augustine's Confessions: www.stanford.edu/class/history34q/readings/Manguel/Silent_Readers.html

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