Improve Reading 

Skills
 Skimming - reading rapidly for the main points
 Scanning - reading rapidly to find a specific piece of information
 Extensive - reading a longer text, often for pleasure with emphasis on overall
meaning
 Intensive reading - reading a short text for detailed information

Reading is an important part of learning English. This guide to how to improve your
reading skills will help you improve reading by using skills you use in your own
language. In other words, one of the best tips on improving reading is to think about how
you read in your own language. Start by thinking about how you read different
documents. How do you read the newspaper? How do you read novels? How do you read
train schedules? and so on. Taking time to think about this will help give you clues on
how to read in English - even if you don't understand every single word.

Ask yourself this question: Do I read every word in your own language when I am
reading a schedule, summary, or other outlining document?

The answer is most definitely: No! Reading in English is like reading in your native
language. This means that it is not always necessary to read and understand each and
every word in English. Remember that reading skills in your native language and English
are basically the same.

Here is a quick overview of the four types of reading skills used in every language:

Skimming - used to understand the "gist" or main idea Scanning - used to find a
particular piece of information Extensive reading - used for pleasure and general
understanding Intensive reading - accurate reading for detailed understanding

You can use these reading skills in a number of ways to improve other areas of English
learning such as pronunciation, grammar and increasing vocabulary.

Skimming

Skimming is used to quickly gather the most important information, or 'gist'. Run your
eyes over the text, noting important information. Use skimming to quickly get up to
speed on a current business situation. It's not essential to understand each word when
skimming.

Examples of Skimming:

 The Newspaper (quickly to get the general news of the day)

 Magazines (quickly to discover which articles you would like to read in more
detail)
  Business and Travel Brochures (quickly to get informed)

Scanning

Scanning is used to find a particular piece of information. Run your eyes over the text
looking for the specific piece of information you need. Use scanning on schedules,
meeting plans, etc. in order to find the specific details you require. If you see words or
phrases that you don't understand, don't worry when scanning.

Examples of Scanning

 The "What's on TV" section of your newspaper.

 A train / airplane schedule
 A conference guide

What's On?

First read the following questions and then use the TV Schedule to find the answers.
1. Jack has a video - can he watch both documentaries without having to make a
video?
2. Is there a show about making good investments?
3. You are thinking about traveling to the USA for a vacation. Which show should
you watch?
4. Your friend doesn't have a TV, but would like to watch a film starring Tom
Cruise. Which film should you record on your video?
5. Peter is interested in wild animals which show should he watch?
6. Which sport can you watch that takes place outside?
7. Which sport can you watch that takes place inside?
8. You like modern art. Which documentary should you watch?
9. How often can you watch the news?
10. Is there a horror film on this evening?

TV Schedule
CBC FNB ABN

6.00 p.m.: National 6.00 p.m.: In-Depth News - In-depth 6.00 p.m.: Travel
News - join Jack coverage of the most important national Abroad - This week
Parsons for your daily and international news stories. we travel to sunny
news roundup. 7.00: Nature Revealed- Interesting California!
6.30: The Tiddles- Peter documentary taking a look at the 6.30: The Flintstones-
joins Mary for a wild microscopic universe in your average Fred and Barney are at
adventure in the park. speck of dust. 7.30: Ping - Pong it again.
7.00: Golf Review- Masters- Live coverage from Peking. 7.00: Pretty Boy- Tom
Watch highlights from 9.30: It's Your Money- That's right and Cruise, the prettiest
today's final round of the this favorite game show could make or boy of them all, in an
Grand Master's. break you depending on how you place action packed thriller
 about Internet
espionage.
9.00: Tracking the
Beast- The little
8.30: Shock from the
understood wildebeest
Past- This entertaining
filmed in its natural
film by Arthur Schmidt
surroundings with
takes a poke at the wild
commentary by Dick
side of gambling.
Signit.
10.30: Nightly News- A
10.00: Pump Those
review of the day's most your bets. 10.30: Green Park- Stephen
Weights- A guide to
important events. King's latest monster madness. 0.30:
successfully using
11.00: MOMA: Art for Late Night News- Get the news you
weights to develop
Everyone- A fascinating need to get a hard start on the upcoming
your physique while
documentary that helps day.
getting fit.
you enjoy the difference
11.30: The Three
between pointilism and
Idiots- A fun farce
video installations.
based on those three
12:00: Hard Day's
tenors who don't know
Night- Reflections after
when to call it quits.
a long, hard day.
1.00: National
Anthem- Close the day
with this salute to our
country.

Extensive reading

Extensive reading is used to obtain a general understanding of a subject and includes

reading longer texts for pleasure, as well as business books. Use extensive reading skills
to improve your general knowledge of business procedures. Do not worry if you
understand each word.

Examples of Extensive Reading

 The latest marketing strategy book

 A novel you read before going to bed
 Magazine articles that interest you

This lesson focusing on improving vocabulary through extensive reading can be of help
putting these skills into practice.

Intensive reading

Intensive reading is used on shorter texts in order to extract specific information. It

includes very close accurate reading for detail. Use intensive reading skills to grasp the
details of a specific situation. In this case, it is important that you understand each word,
number or fact.

Examples of Intensive Reading

 A bookkeeping report
 An insurance claim
 A contract

Now that you've reviewed the four reading skills, take this reading skills quiz to help you
improve reading skills through understanding of these basic reading types.

Doctor Knowall

by Brothers Grimm
from Grimm's Fairy Tales

This reading comprehension includes difficult vocabulary (in bold) defined at the end, as
well as a reading comprehension quiz to check your understanding.

There was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with two oxen a
load of wood to the town, and sold it to a doctor for two talers. When the money was
being counted out to him, it so happened that the doctor was sitting at table, and when the
peasant saw how well he ate and drank, his heart desired what he saw, and would
willingly have been a doctor too. So he remained standing a while, and at length
inquired if he too could not be a doctor. 'Oh, yes,' said the doctor, 'that is soon
managed.' 'What must I do?' asked the peasant. 'In the first place buy yourself an A B C
book of the kind which has a cock on the frontispiece; in the second, turn your cart and
your two oxen into money, and get yourself some clothes, and whatsoever else pertains
to medicine; thirdly, have a sign painted for yourself with the words: "I am Doctor
Knowall," and have that nailed up above your house-door.' The peasant did everything
that he had been told to do. When he had doctored people awhile, but not long, a rich and
great lord had some money stolen. Then he was told about Doctor Knowall who lived in
such and such a village, and must know what had become of the money. So the lord had
the horses harnessed to his carriage, drove out to the village, and asked Crabb if he
were Doctor Knowall. Yes, he was, he said. Then he was to go with him and bring back
the stolen money. 'Oh, yes, but Grete, my wife, must go too.' The lord was willing, and
let both of them have a seat in the carriage, and they all drove away together. When they
came to the nobleman's castle, the table was spread, and Crabb was told to sit down and
eat. 'Yes, but my wife, Grete, too,' said he, and he seated himself with her at the table.
And when the first servant came with a dish of delicate fare, the peasant nudged his wife,
and said: 'Grete, that was the first,' meaning that was the servant who brought the first
dish. The servant, however, thought he intended by that to say: 'That is the first thief,' and
as he actually was so, he was terrified, and said to his comrade outside: 'The doctor
knows all: we shall fare ill, he said I was the first.' The second did not want to go in at
all, but was forced. So when he went in with his dish, the peasant nudged his wife, and
said: 'Grete, that is the second.' This servant was equally alarmed, and he got out as fast
as he could. The third fared no better, for the peasant again said: 'Grete, that is the third.'
The fourth had to carry in a dish that was covered, and the lord told the doctor that he was
to show his skill, and guess what was beneath the cover. Actually, there were crabs. The
doctor looked at the dish, had no idea what to say, and cried: 'Ah, poor Crabb.' When the
lord heard that, he cried: 'There! he knows it; he must also know who has the money!'

On this the servants looked terribly uneasy, and made a sign to the doctor that they
wished him to step outside for a moment. When therefore he went out, all four of them
confessed to him that they had stolen the money, and said that they would willingly
restore it and give him a heavy sum into the bargain, if he would not denounce them, for
if he did they would be hanged. They led him to the spot where the money was
concealed. With this the doctor was satisfied, and returned to the hall, sat down to the
table, and said: 'My lord, now will I search in my book where the gold is hidden.' The
fifth servant, however, crept into the stove to hear if the doctor knew still more. But the
doctor sat still and opened his A B C book, turned the pages backwards and forwards, and
looked for the cock. As he could not find it immediately he said: 'I know you are there, so
you had better come out!' Then the fellow in the stove thought that the doctor meant him,
and full of terror, sprang out, crying: 'That man knows everything!' Then Doctor
Knowall showed the lord where the money was, but did not say who had stolen it, and
received from both sides much money in reward, and became a renowned man.

Vocabulary peasant - farmer, worker, any non-royal who works the land
oxen - strong animals similar to cows that were used to pull carts
talers - old form of German money
to desire - to want
willingly - to do because you want to do
to inquire - to ask about
to manage - to be possible
cock on the frontispiece - picture of a male chicken (rooster) on the cover of the book
cart - wagon used to carry things and people
whatsoever - anything at all
to pertain - to be related to, to do with something
harnessed to his carriage - attached to his carriage
nobleman - royalty (i.e. king, queen, knight, duke, etc.)
fare - (first sense) food item
fare - (second sense) to do (How did you do = How did you fare?)
to nudge - to push lightly in order to indicate something
therefore - for that reason
a heavy sum - a large amount of money
to denounce - to name a person who did something
to hang a person - to kill someone using a rope put around the neck
to conceal - to hide
to creep - to move slowly and carefully
to spring out - to jump out
renowned - famous