English Language ideas for a successful reading

1. CEPA “Antonio Machado” (Puertollano)
English Language
Reading Strategies

2. Before reading
Predicting the content of the text.
Unfamiliar words. Guessing the meaning from the
context. Use the following analysis.
Taking advantage of what you already know. It
will help you to understand the text better.
Distinguishing facts from opinions. Believe, think
or consider (opinion). Adjectives as: horrible,
fantastic, boring or interesting, express an opinion
too.

3. While reading
Skimming.You can often find the main ideas by
reading the first and the last sentences of each
paragraph.
Key words. Get the general idea from repeated
words.
Cognates. They can help you to understand the
main idea of the text. Beware of false friends!

4. While reading
Key sentences. You can get the general idea of a
text by reading the topic sentence of each
paragraph.
A topic sentence contains the main ideas.
It is often the first or last sentence of a paragraph.
Normally you can locate it by looking for
sentences which predict someting or state an
opinion.

5. While reading
Short easy phrases or sentences.
Don't panic if the text looks too difficult.
Look for short, easy pieces of information to get
the general idea of the text.
Try to cut down long, difficult sentences into
shorter, easier components.
Scanning. Although the text seems difficult, it is
sometimes enough to look for specific information.

6. After reading
Reference words are usually pronouns
It is important to know what the pronouns refer
to. Example:
Tom loved chats and was addicted to his computer
Parents should talk to teenagers about the problem
of addiction to technology and find a solution for it.
T
#Página 13

7. After reading
Answering 'true or false' questions.
Read the sentences in the exercise first.
Read the text carefully and locate the relevant
information.
Compare the sentences given with the information
in the text. Decide if they are True or False.
Rewrite the evidence from the text using your own
words: The text says..., the author writes...,
according to the text...

8. After reading
Using your own wordsNOT repeat questions.
Remember: Do to answer the
text
1. Read the questions carefully and find the
answers in the text.attention to the verb
and pay close
tense
2. Think of other ways of answering using the
In the question
new structures and different words.
3. You may use introductory expressions:
according to the text/author,...
4. You can also use the question to begin your
answer.

9. After reading
Finding synonyms in a text.
Consider the part of the speech (noun, verb,
adjective or adverb?).
Look for words which belong to the same family of
words.
Replace the selected words from the text with your
options in the exercise.
Then check what you've written and decide if the
words make sense in the sentence.

10. After reading
Reference words are usually pronouns which refer to
a previously stated headword.
1. Look for the reference word in the text.
2. Identify what kind of pronoun is: subject, object,
possessive...
3. Look at the previous information in the text and
identify the word/s it refers to.
4. Substitute the reference word with the headword.
5. Make sure the sentence makes sense.

11. After reading
Matching paragraphs and headings.
Read the whole paragraph.
Get the general idea from the first and last
sentences, keywords and cognates.
Look for synonyms in the headings.
Match them with the most suitable paragraph.

12. Unfamiliar words
Is it a noun, an adjective or an adverb?
Is there a preffix or a suffix?
Is it a compound word? Can you recognise one of
the words?
Think of possible synonyms. Which would make
sense in the sentence?
If you still can't guess, try translating the sentence
without that word. Try to determinate the meaning in
your language.
Back

13. Reference words
Look for the reference word in the text.
Identify what kind of pronoun it is (subjetc, object,
possessive)
Look at the previous information in the text and
identify the word or words it refers to.
Substitute the reference word with the headword.
Make sure the sentence makes sense.
Back

14. Reading_comprehension_tips.odp se encuentra bajo una Licencia Creative
Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 3.0 Unported.
Sources:
Tips and ideas were taken from the textbook
Bachillerato Made Easy 2, Richmond Publishing, 2001
First slide image (thinking man) has been taken from
http://jeffshore.com/2011/11/future-geniuses/thinking-man/
Slide 6 image (light-bulb-bust) has been taken from
http://www.profitandlaws.com/
José Luis Chamero García