Learning The Rewards Of Reading
What have you been reading lately?
When was the last time you read a book?
Are you a wide reader?
In a gathering, you can tell who the wide readers are. Wide readers
think and speak well. They win the admiration, respect, and good opinion of
others.
Reading expands the mind. In fact, many people consider it as one of
the satisfying pleasures of humans, for it involves physical as well as mental
activities.
Reading is primarily a mental activity. After
all, you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the setting of
the detective thriller you are reading. You use you mind to imagine the pain
that the main character experiences as the story unfolds. You bring into play
the different arguments and ideas brought up by the author in that self-help
book you are holding.
To read effectively, reading helps you develop a wide vocabulary
through extensive reading. A skillful reader has a wide recognition
vocabulary. He may not know exactly what every word means, but he will have a
good general idea of the meaning of the sentence.
Reading makes you alert and curious about new words. Other
readers develop the dictionary habit. Every time they come across a strange
word, they try to figure out what it can possibly mean by the context. If they
cannot do this, they refer to the dictionary.
Likewise, reading develops intellectual curiosity by exposing
you to a variety of materials. You learn to read by reading books of increasing
difficulty and variety. As in other forms of activity, you learn by actually
doing.
Reading trains you to have an active and open mind. Merely
grasping the writer’s 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. Keep your mind open; understand and weigh the
ideas that you read. A practical part of active reading is the drawing of
conclusions.
Allow me to share four basic rules for effective reading and better
comprehension:
1)
Try to read more and more.
Remember the saying that practice makes perfect. Practicing in the correct way
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 specific material that you read.
Reading is a stimulating mental activity. It expands your reality and
capability. You have so much to gain in discovering the joys of reading. Go
ahead; grab a book right now!