How do I need to read?

How you decide to read depends on your purpose. It also depends on the type of material you are reading. Fictional literature, made-up stories, is written differently than non-fictional, true, material. For example, you would need to read a bank statement differently than a short story.

The bank statement requires you to read slowly and carefully. You may need to read each word carefully and think about its meaning. It is also a combination of words, numbers, and graphs. For the short story, you may be able to read faster buy skipping some words or parts, especially if your goal is simply to get the main idea of the story. On the other hand, if your purpose for reading the short story is to critique the author’s style, then you will need to read more slowly. For either type of material you may need to reread.

How many times you need to reread the material depends on your reading ability, your vocabulary, your familiarity with the information, and your familiarity with the type and style of the material. If you are a less experienced reader, you may need to read slower because you will need to focus on each word. If you are a more experienced reader, you may only need to quickly skim the reading material.

Likewise, if you are reading material which has many new words, you may need to read slower and more carefully. For example, if you have never read poetry, you may need to read more slowly and carefully to be able to understand and to remember the ideas.

Although you may have a large vocabulary, and you may be familiar with the type of material, a writer’s style may be new to you. For instance, a writer writing about a topic two hundred years ago might have a different style than a modem day writer. To adjust for this difference you may need to read more carefully.

Regardless of your purpose, type of material, or familiarity with the material, you should preview the material before you begin the reading process. This means quickly reading the table of contents, notes about the author, or similar material. This will get you focused on the reading process and it will help you answer the questions: “Why am I reading?” and “How do I need to read”? Once you have prepared physically and mentally to read, you are ready to begin the reading process.