What have you been reading lately? At a meeting, you can soon see who the frequent readers are, since wide readers are often quick thinkers and good public speakers too. They quickly win the adulation, respect, and fellowship of others. After all, reading expands the mind and many people see it as one of the most satisfying pleasures known to mankind, being a combination, as it is, of mental agility and physical relaxation well above the level offered by television or the cinema.
Reading is mostly a mental activity, since you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the setting of the action thriller you are reading. You use your mind to imagine the pain that the main characters in the story are experiencing as the plot unfolds; or you contemplate the various arguments and ideas introduced by the author of that self-help book you are reading.
Learning how to read properly helps you to develop an extensive knowledge of words by reading different types of books. A skillful reader recognizes a wide range of vocabulary. The reader may not understand exactly what every word means, but he/she will have a general idea of what the sentence is trying to convey.
The act of reading makes you more alert and more interested in new words. Some readers even develop ‘the dictionary habit’, which means that whenever they come across a new word, they try to work out what it possibly means in the context. If they are stumped, they refer to a dictionary.
Likewise, reading develops intellectual curiosity by exposing you to a variety of subjects. You learn to read by reading books of increasing difficulty and variety. As in other forms of education, you learn by actually doing and as you are reading you automatically learn about the subject matter of the book too!
Reading teaches you to have an active and open mind. Merely understanding the writers idea is not enough, you must make a positive response to what you read. Be an active, not a passive, reader. Develop the habit of drawing your own conclusions, the habit of active thinking, of agreeing or disagreeing with the author. Always keep your mind open; understand and weigh the ideas that you read. A practical part of active reading is the drawing of conclusions.
Now let me mention the phenomenon called speed reading. All of the above applies between three and ten times over, because speed readers can read that much faster than the average reader! Imagine that! – Being able to read, understand and remember all those books and articles. You would surely become well-read in your subject much more rapidly than others. Just think how that would help you at work, in school or in college …
Let me share four primary rules for effective reading and better comprehension:
1) Try to read more and more every month. Remember the saying that practice makes perfect. 2) Develop the habit of reading for main ideas. Look for the subject and predicate. Do not waste time on details or little words. 3) Learn to read with focus and concentration. Think of what you are reading. Do not let your attention wander somewhere else. Good readers read with understanding. 4) Learn to budget your time. Experiment with your reading time. Try purposely to read faster. Give yourself a time limit on a specific text that you are reading.
Reading is a wonderfully stimulating mental activity. It expands your understanding and ability. You have so much to gain by discovering the joy of reading. So, go ahead and get down a book right this minute.
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