Reading

Purpose of Reading
● Reading is one of the most important academic tasks faced by students; it is equally
important in the commercial working world.

● Reading consists of two processes: word recognition and comprehension.

● The purpose of reading is to make sense out of what you read. Beside reading
academic texts and professional documents, we require to read several other kinds
of texts for the various purpose mentioned here:

★ Enhancing reading ability

★ Knowing about what is happening around

★ Enhancing general awareness on the developments in science, technology,

education, business, sports, entertainment, etc.

★ Expanding vocabulary

★ Developing writing skills

★ Deriving pleasure

★ Developing overall personality

★ Understanding and appreciating various styles of writing

● Reading is not a passive activity. It is interactive in which the reader brings his
background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with the
text and other strategies to the text in front of him.

Types of reading:

1. Skimming
Definition: Skimming is a reading technique in which a reader reads through the text quickly
to see what it is about.

Skimming means reading something quickly without going into great detail in order to get a
sense of what the work is all about. For example, a reader may use the skimming technique
to quickly preview a book or scan an article for the main points to determine whether it is
worth reading.
The reader carefully reads the first few paragraphs in detail to grasp the overall message.
Then he/she reads the first line of each paragraph, and after that, they directly go through
the concluding section in detail to gain a broad understanding of the subject. Hence, by
using the skimming technique, a reader can read more text in less time.

To summarize, “The skimming technique is ideal for reading quickly and discovering specific
information in a section. It takes less time because not all of the words in paragraphs or
sections are read, but it still provides a broad sense and knowledge of the content.”

Example: When one reads the text only in order to understand the thesis statement, in one
or two lines.

● Skimming is achieved by reading that text only which is considered to be

relevant.

● Skimming requires a lower understanding of word recognition than compared

to scanning.

Procedure: Read the introductory paragraph and the conclusion paragraph very carefully.
You should search for headings and subheadings to get a good grasp of the idea.

2. Scanning
Definition: Scanning is a reading technique in which a reader scans the page with their eyes
in order to find specific information.

To scan implies to search for something. Scanning is a selective reading approach performed
by the reader when he or she is looking for certain information or text contained in the
section without entirely reading the text. As a result, when you scan some material, you
already know what you’re searching for; all you have to do is spot and swoop it down.

Here’s an illustration of a scanning technique: When looking for a phone number in a

directory, a person scans the page for the name of the exact person they are looking for. To
effectively scan, the reader must first comprehend how the content is organized and
decipher what is read in order to easily discover the required information.

Example: Now it may be applied to the real-life example of a dictionary, wherein one looks
for a specific word meaning or a directory wherein one searches for the phone number of
someone.

● Scanning requires one to have a look at the whole document quickly at least
once.

● Scanning requires a higher understanding of word recognition compared to

skimming.

Procedure: You should search for headings and subheadings to get a good grasp of the idea,
as to where your required detail will be found.
Skimming and scanning, therefore, are two very different strategies for speed reading. They
are used for different purposes, and they require different reading skills, but they are very
significant to go about reading comprehension.

3. Intensive reading
The meaning of intensive learning is to read and learn with full concentration and focus. It is
a reading method wherein learners are supposed to read the short text carefully and deeply
so as to gain maximum understanding. Understanding the literal meaning of what’s being
read is vital.

Reading intensively often includes note-taking and attention to details. Intensive learning is
one of the most critical skills you can develop to gain a better understanding of knowledge.

In intensive reading, there’s an emphasis on deconstructing sentences to understand

grammar and syntax rules as well as to extricate the details of the topic. It can also involve
reading comprehension testing, such as finding answers to specific questions.

Some possible examples of intensive reading material are reports, contracts, news articles,
blog posts and short pieces of text such as short stories.

4. Extensive reading
The meaning of extensive reading is reading widely but not necessarily focusing on only one
text. You can read from different sources to develop your reading skills. It’s not about finding
layers of meaning, grammar rules or other critical aspects of a text.

Extensive reading is a type of reading where you engage yourself with different types of
reading material. It can be fiction, non-fiction, work-related documents, newspaper articles
or even statistical data.

Fluency and total comprehension aren’t necessary for extensive reading. It’s great to read at
or, even better, below a comfortable level of understanding. Most of the time, an unfamiliar
word can be deciphered by the surrounding text and if not, that’s fine, too. It’s not vital to
understand every single word in order to get the general idea of a particular passage.

Extensive reading has been used for beginner-level language learners. It helps to familiarize
them with reading material and build the cognitive ability to understand new words, frame
sentences and make sense of the text as a complete unit. You’ll get a general understanding
of the text and improve your language skills.

Whether you’re a beginner or a proficient reader, extensive reading will help you polish your
reading ability. You can try to read as much and as widely as possible. It’s better not to
restrict yourself to the same type of sources.

Few examples of extensive reading are newspapers, blogs and e-magazines.

5. Loud reading
Loud reading refers to the process that allows the reader to produce sounds using his or her
vocal cords and lip or tongue movement. Loud reading helps to boost the reading skills of a
person. It makes the reader more focused on the reading material and helps him to
memorize facts. This happens because the process of loud reading involves the functioning
of more sensory organs such as the eyes and ears. Loud reading also helps readers to
develop their speaking and pronunciation skills.

Mainly children practice Loud reading, and when they grow older, little by little, they begin
to read silently for pleasure. When educators make students read aloud, they mainly
continue to expand their imagination and help them acquire language and vocabulary.

6. Silent reading
In contrast to loud reading, silent reading is the process of reading done only internally with
the mind, without producing any sound. Therefore, in silent reading, you cannot notice any
lip or tongue movement and the functioning of the vocal cords. Silent reading most
significantly helps the reader enjoy what he or she reads. This is why silent reading can also
be called reading for pleasure.

As adults, we often read silently, be it printed material or reading material on a screen. We

develop this habit of silent reading mainly to avoid the disturbance the loud reading can
cause, especially if we are using a public space like a bench on a park or bus. Although loud
reading has benefits of its own, if you are a person who reads for pleasure, silent reading is
the best option for you. This is because when you are reading silently, your mind is more
peaceful, and it helps you to imagine more and visualize the text.