Reading and Writing

WHAT IS READING?

 Reading is making meaning from written and printed materials.

 Reading starts with the identification of the words on the written and printed materials – a
process called word recognition.
 Reading requires understanding of the content of the written and printed materials – a process
called comprehension.
 Reading is the active process of understanding written, printed and graphic texts.
 Reading is the ability to understand and use complex informational and graphical texts as the key
to a student’s success in learning.

Reading is an important way to gain information and will underpin much of your academic study
including researching and writing assignments, reviewing for exams and following up on information
taught in lectures. Most academic reading is motivated by the need to find and understand information
and develop ideas and arguments.

Reading for academic study can be different from reading for leisure. When reading a novel you
would read the book from cover to cover but academic reading can be more of a selective process. You
will often only read the chapters or pages that are relevant to the subject you are researching. By
reading effectively, you will learn to question and survey the text you are reading to gain a better
understanding of your subject. By improving your reading skills, you can reduce unnecessary reading
time and this will enable you to read in a more focused manner.

Effective readers use the given strategies to better understand what they read before, during and
after reading.

Before Reading

 Use prior knowledge about the title or topic of the text

 Make predictions about the probable meaning or content of the text
 Preview the text by skimming and scanning to get an overall meaning of the text

During Reading

 Monitor understanding by questioning, thinking about and reflecting on the ideas and
information in the text

After Reading

 Reflect upon the ideas and information in the text

 Relate ideas and information to own experiences and knowledge
 Clarify understanding of the text
 Extend understanding in critical and creative ways

WHAT IS A TEXT?

 According to De Beaugrande and Dressler, a text is defined as a communicative occurrence which

meets the standards of textuality.
 A text is a sequence of paragraphs that represents an extended unit of speech.
 A text is a body of writing which meets the standards of textuality.
 Textuality is the qualities or features of a written work that make it suitable material for study.

Standards of Textuality

1. Cohesion
 It concerns the way in which the components of the surface text, i.e. the actual words we
hear or see, are mutually connected within a sequence.
 It also rests upon grammatical conventions and vocabulary.

2. Coherence
 It concerns the ways in which the meanings within a text are established and developed.
