What have you been reading lately? In a gathering, you can soon tell who the wide readers are, since frequent readers often think and speak well too. They win the admiration, respect, and fellowship of others. After all, reading expands the mind and many people consider it one of the most satisfying pleasures known to mankind, combining, as it does, mental agility and physical relaxation way above the scale offered by television.
The act of reading is mostly a mental activity, as you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the storyline of the action thriller you are reading. You use your mind to imagine the pleasure that the characters in the story are experiencing as the plot unfolds; or you contemplate the various arguments and ideas theorized by the author of that self-help book you are reading.
Reading effectively helps you to develop an extensive range of vocabulary through reading different styles 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 good idea of what the sentence is trying to say.
The act of reading makes you more aware and more curious about hitherto unknown words. Some readers even like to employ ‘the dictionary habit’, which means that whenever they find a new word, they attempt to figure out what it means by the context. If they cannot do this, they refer to the dictionary.
Similarly, reading develops intellectual curiosity by exposing the reader to different subjects. He/she learns to read by reading books of increasing difficulty and variety. Just as in other kinds of education, he/she is learning by actually doing and while he/she is reading he/she is automatically learning about the subject matter of the book too – a free by-product!
Basically, reading trains you to have an active and open mind. Only understanding the writers point of view is not really good enough, you must have a response to what you have read. Be an active, not a passive, reader. Try to 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 consider the ideas that you have read. A practical part of active reading is the development of one’s own conclusions.
Now let me introduce you to the idea known as speed reading. All of the above applies three, four, eight, nine, even ten times over, because speed readers can read that much faster than the average reader! Imagine that … being able to read, comprehend and remember all those books. You would certainly become well-read in your subject far more quickly than others. Just imagine how that could help you at work or in school or college …
Allow me to share four basic 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, ie look for the subject and predicate – the main ideas 3) Learn to read with focus and concentration. Think of what you are reading. 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 book that you are reading.
Reading is a fantastically stimulating mental activity. It expands your understanding and ability. You really have so much to gain by learning the joy of reading. So, go ahead and take down a book right today.
Are you interested in speed reading for yourself or a dear one? If so, please hurry over to our web site called Speed Reading.
