READING SKILL

READING

“Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact man” – Sir Francis Bacon.

        Reading is the third skill in the hierarchy of Communication Skills and it is considered to be the most rewarding skill.

Types of Reading

There are different types of reading. Some are

1.   Intensive Reading

2.   Extensive Reading

3.   Selective Reading

4.   Loud Reading

5.   Silent Reading

In Extensive Reading which contains longer texts, we do not read sentence by sentence. We always aim at getting the overall meaning of the text. For example, we follow Extensive Reading when we read Novels, Newspapers or Magazines.

Intensive Reading is a detailed kind of reading. Here we try to read and understand line by line, even word by word so that we are able to understand everything in detail. We follow Extensive Reading when we read Text Books, Important News Item, Cloze Tests and Comprehension Passages.

Selective Reading is done when we read news items which interest us. In selective Reading, we select the Topic, Material or Text that interests us and read them. Reading Sports or the Business Page as soon as one takes the newspaper in hand is Selective Reading.

Silent and Loud Reading are the two modes of reading. We use Loud Reading when we read text books or prepare for an exam. Silent Reading is normally preferred for reading Newspapers, Journals and Magazines.

SKIMMING AND SCANNING

Skimming and scanning are two reading strategies that are very helpful to the reader in the different styles of reading. These techniques enable you to cover a vast amount of material very rapidly.

In Skimming, the reader aims at getting the gist or the overall meaning of the text. Here the reader moves his eyes rapidly over the text trying to get a quick grasp of the subject matter. Skimming can be done at 1000 or more words per minute.

For example, when we read Newspapers or magazines Skimming is more helpful.

In Scanning, we search for an important idea or keyword (Name, Year etc.) in a text. Scanning is very useful for finding specific name, date, statistic or fact without reading the entire text. Scanning can be done at 1500 or more words per minute.

Note-Making

In Note-making, one has to make hints from the given passage or test, then he has to develop the hints in the form of a paragraph or passage by means of summarizing.