Comprehension skills
Reading
Strategies for reading English more efficiently and understanding it more accurately — from skimming a news article to answering exam comprehension questions.
Reading well in a second language is a specific skill, separate from vocabulary size. These notes focus on strategy: how to approach a text, what to look for, and how to handle unfamiliar words without losing the overall meaning.
Useful if you're: preparing for the reading section of an exam, working through English articles or books, or building faster, more confident comprehension for study or work.
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Frequently asked
Questions about reading
Should I look up every word I don't know while reading?
Not usually. Stopping for every unfamiliar word breaks comprehension and momentum. Try to guess meaning from context first, and only look up words that block your understanding of the sentence, or ones that repeat often.
What's the difference between skimming and scanning?
Skimming means reading quickly to get the general idea of a text (what it's about, its structure). Scanning means searching quickly for a specific piece of information, like a date or a name, without reading everything in between.
How can I read faster without losing comprehension?
Speed comes from recognising common words and phrases instantly, rather than reading letter-by-letter. Wide reading practice — even easy texts — builds this recognition faster than trying to force speed on difficult material.
More reading notes are added every week.
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