READING AND LISTENING

COMPREHENSION
BUSINESS ENGLISH IIS
• Reading comprehension is the ability to process written text, 
understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already
knows.
•  Comprehension specifically is a "creative, multifaceted process"
dependent upon four language skills: phonology, syntax, semantics,
and pragmatics.
Some of the fundamental skills required in efficient reading
comprehension are the ability to:
•know the meaning of words,
•understand the meaning of a word from a discourse context,
•follow the organization of a passage and to identify antecedents and
references in it,
•draw inferences from a passage about its contents,
•identify the main thought of a passage,
•ask questions about the text,
•answer questions asked in a passage,
• visualize the text,
• recall prior knowledge connected to text,
• recognize confusion or attention problems,
• recognize the literary devices or propositional structures used in a passage and
determine its tone,
• understand the situational mood (agents, objects, temporal and spatial reference
points, casual and intentional inflections, etc.) conveyed for assertions,
questioning, commanding, refraining, etc., and
• determine the writer's purpose, intent, and point of view, and draw inferences
about the writer (discourse-semantics).
• Reading without comprehension or understanding is not reading. Many children can
pronounce words fluently but asked what they have just read, they are unable to
respond. Although they may score high in teams of reading rate or fluency, they are not
really Good readers.

• What makes you a good reader. A good reader is someone who has a purpose for
reading, whether it is to look for specific information or to read for pleasure. A good
reader is involved in a Complicated thinking process as she/he reads. These are
strategies that we can Teach children to help them become purpose full, active readers.
Research has Shown that readers who receive explicit instruction in these strategies
make Significant gains on reading comprehension tests. These strategies include setting
purposes for reading, Making Productions, motivating reading and realizing when
Something is not making sense, questioning during reading, making mental pictures of
what is being read, understanding story structure, and summarizing what is read.
Listening comprehension is a receptive skill, as opposed to speaking, which
is productive. But this does not mean it is a passive skill. Much to the contrary,
listening comprehension is an interactive process in which listeners interact
with the text, the tasks and the context external (situation) and internal
(background knowledge) to them.
• There are 3 Levels of Comprehension
1. Literal – (Reading the lines) a surface level / literal meaning has
been grasped.
• 2. Inferential – (Reading between the lines) any suggested or
implied meaning has been grasped.
• 3. Critical – (Reading beyond the lines) you are able to make
analysis and personal evaluative judgements about the reading.
• Literal reading - requires you to identify and recall facts
mentioned explicitly (clearly) in the text .
• Inferential reading- requires you to look for implied or suggested
meaning in the text.
• Critical reading- takes place when you evaluate, give judgement or
opinions on ideas in the text, using your prior knowledge or
background experiences.
• Tips for reading for details:
1. Be definite about your purpose in reading a selection. (be sure
about what details you’re looking for)There are times when you
have to read a text more than once, if your purposes are different
every time you read.
• 2. Read the passage slowly and carefully, taking note as you go
along.
• 3. Remember the details in relation to ideas you want to remember
rather than as isolated bits of information.
• 4. Be able to distinguish main or big ideas from sub-ideas. When
you know the main ideas, it is easier to remember the supporting
details.
• A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper for a boy to work in his office. Out of
nearly fifty who came to apply, the man selected one and dismissed the others.“ I
should like to know”, said a friend, “the reason you selected that boy who brought not a
single letter, not a single recommendation.”‘ ’You are wrong” said the gentleman, “ He
had a great many. He wiped his feet at the door and closed the door after him, showing
that he was careful. He gave his seat instantly to that lame old man, showing that he
was kind and thoughtful.
He took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions promptly, showing
that he was polite and gentlemanly.All the rest stepped over the book which I had
purposely put on the floor. He picked it up and placed it on the table; and he waited
quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding. When I talked to him, I noticed his
tidy clothing, his finely brushed hair, and his clean fingernails. Do you not call these
things recommendations? I do; I consider them more important than letters.”
• Answer these Questions
What was the purpose of the gentleman’s advertisement?
• How many people were needed for employment?
• What was extraordinary about the applicant who got hired?
• How did the applicant, who got hired, impress the employer?
• What was the employer’s idea of recommendations?
• Answers
• 1. What was the purpose of the gentleman’s advertisement?
To recruit a boy to work in his office.
• 2. How many people were needed for employment?One person
• 3. What was extraordinary about the applicant who got hired?He was careful, kind,
thoughtful, polite, gentlemanly, tidy and clean.
• 4. How did the applicant, who got hired, impress the employer?Gave his seat to
lame old man, answered questions promptly, was the only one to pick up the book
left purposely on the floor.
• 5. What was the employer’s idea of recommendations?The boy’s thoughtful and
kind behaviour as well as clean and tidy appearance