Adrian Tennant, in his article “Reading Matters: What is Reading?

” defines

reading as the recognition of words. From simple recognition of the individual letters and

how these letters form a particular word to what each word means not just on an

individual level, but as part of a text. In English, as in many other languages, different

combinations of the same letters can be used to form different words with completely

different meanings. So, the letters t c a, can make cat (an animal that goes miaow), and

act (which has a number of meanings from do something to behave in certain ways, to

perform in a play or film). Recognition of the actual word is not enough on its own to

constitute reading (Paul Saint, 1990). Understanding what we are reading is crucial but

it is the main point of teaching reading in a class. It’s not much good if our students

simply look at a text and say ‘Well, I don’t understand it, but it looks wonderful reading

the text!’ Understanding a text is an intricate issue that we try to examine the rest of the

text we read.

Reading is a process that connects man to reservoir of all forms of information on

any subject anywhere. It is a bridge of wisdom that facilitates understanding and

learning in all areas of knowledge. Therefore, one who does not know how to read

eventually becomes a victim of ignorance and a prisoner of fate. Furthermore, reading

covers both the readers’ act of reciting something written and of interpreting the

meanings of words, phrases, clauses or sentences read. It is the art of knowing and of

understanding the meaning of printed words or written symbols. Hence, reading is a

plain comprehension of what one reads (Amand, 1990).