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Ways to improve reading speed and comprehension: Every day we come across a vast amount of information which we process be it through emails and websites at work, or social media and books at home. We all feel the pressure to get through this information to stay in the loop and make informed decisions. Coming to reading, most people read at an average rate of 250 words per minute (wpm), while some are naturally quick readers some train themselves to become so. Well, if you are also considering to become like them. You have come to the right place which will help you improve your speed and at the same time improve your English vocabulary. Read this blog to find all the tips and tricks to improve your reading speed.
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Must Read: 7 Reasons Why English is the Most Spoken Language
Ways to Improve Reading Speed and Comprehension
Mastering the art of improving one’s reading speed to crack any entrance exam involves a lot of skills. One of them is having the art of speed reading, which not only saves time but also helps one read the entire comprehension in a short time. Take a look below at the following methods which will help you improve your reading speed in comprehension.
Finger Tracking
One of the oldest methods of speed reading, candidates have to follow a text along a page or screen using the index finger of their dominant hand, a piece of paper or a pointer. By doing so, it provides a proxy for the child’s eye movements and attention focus.
Subvocalisation
For all those who don’t know, this method involves one to internally pronounce the words in a given text while doing the silent reading. This happens because some people were taught to read by developing an intellectual connection between reading and speech. One must note that this method is highly effective, as it utilises the natural mental connection between speech and words.
Chunking
Another method of speed reading involves, chinking. This method involves grouping of words in a sentence into short meaningful phrases (usually more than one word). By doing so, students can easily approach challenging texts by breaking down content into manageable pieces.
Also Read: Importance of Reading
What is Speed Reading?
Now that we are aware of some of the methods which can speed read reading comprehension. But do you know what is speed reading and how you can do it? Speed reading is the method of rapidly absorbing phrases or information all at once, rather than going through individual words.
Speed reading is the rate at which a person reads written text (printed or electronic) in a specific amount of time. It is usually calculated in the number of words in a specific amount of time.
Also Read: Importance of Reading for Students
How to Increase Reading Speed?
Now that we know what is speed reading, let’s understand how can you master this art and crack any competitive exam, reading huge emails in less amount of time and several other things. Coming to the point, one must note that all speed reading tricks involve one method: not to ‘pronounce’ or ‘hear’ each word as you read it, this process is called sub-vocalisation. Now let’s look at the other three methods which you can follow to boost your speed reading skill.
Pointer Method
Did you know the 1950s story about a school teacher in Utah named Evelyn Nielsen Wood who was one of the pioneers of speed reading? She claimed that she could read up to a speed of 2,700 wpm moving a finger along the line as she read. Henceforth, this method came to be known as the ‘Pointer method’
In this, one is to physically run their finger or place a card under the lines of text as they go along. This method is a great way for any beginner to start speed reading.
Track and Pacer Method
This is another way of the pointer method where one needs to hold a pen, with its cap still on and underline or track each line as you read. Make sure your eyes are above the tip of the pen. By doing so, it will help to increase the speed at which you read the entire reading comprehension.
Try not to spend more than one second on one line and increase your speed with each subsequent page. After training your brain with this method, you will find out that you will be retaining more information by following it.
Scanning Method
Finally, this method involves moving your eyes quickly down the page from the centre and identifying specific words and phrases as you go down. This can also involve key sentences, numbers, names or even trigger words. Soon, you will realise that you won’t have to read the entire passage but your eyes will land on all the important things.
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FAQs
To improve your reading comprehension and speed try focusing on on headings, first sentences of paragraphs, bold words, dialogue, etc.
To become a faster reader make sure you avoid distractions, cover words that you have already read and keep practicing.
To improve your fluency, make sure you listen to models of fluent reading, like read-aloud, practice sight words and frequently read sentences together.
It means to read 4 minutes and mark the progress, read the same amount of words in 3 minutes, then 2 minutes and finally 1 minute.
This was all about ways to improve reading speed and comprehension. Hope you understand the concept and know how to proceed. You can also follow the Learn English page of Leverage Edu for more exciting and informative blogs related to grammar.
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