5 Tips to Become a Better Reader at Any Age

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Displaying Banner cut.pngNo matter your age, with these quick tips you can become a better reader.

  1. Find the subject and verb in every sentence. The meaning of the sentence centers on the subject and verb.
    1. Example: The volume of so-called Parcel Select packages—a USPS service aimed at businesses including FedEx, UPS, and Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -0.42% — surged nearly 500% to about 1.29 billion packages in 2013 from about 223 million in 2009.
      1. First, notice the verb, “surged.” What surged? “Volume”
      2. Verb=surged
      3. Volume=subject
  2. Mentally, put prepositional phrases in parentheses to understand the meaning faster and easier.
    1. Example: Because the Postal Service has enough cash (on hand) (for only about two weeks) (of operations), Mr. Donahoe is counting (on Congress) to pass a proposed bill that would give the Postal Service more financial flexibility, (with options) like cutting Saturday letter delivery.
  3. Do not re-read. Read once carefully and in a focused manner to avoid frantic re-reading.
  4. Do not mouthe the words as you go. Your eyes can move faster than your mouth.
  5. Learn basic grammar- Knowing different parts of speech will help you to dissect a long sentence.
    1. What is a preposition?-Prepositions indicate direction-to, from, for, with, by, under, along
    2. Why are prepositions important?-They cannot contain the single word subject or verb of the sentence. To understand the most basic meaning of a sentence, ignore them.
    3. What is a verb-The verb indicates the action of the sentence. There are some exceptions…”is” is a verb as is “has, have, had”

Let’s dissect/diagram this sentence

The Postal Service reached its $15 billion credit limit with the Treasury Department in 2012.

  • Subject: Postal Service
  • Verb: reached
  • Direct Object: its $15 billion credit limit
  • Prepositions: with, in
  • Prepositional phrases: with the Treasury Department, in 2012
  • After identifying the verb, “reached,” think what did the Postal Service [subject] reach?

(Example Sentences come from the WSJ Article, For FedEx and UPS, a Cheaper Route: the Post Office by Laura Stevens http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s- mail-does- the-trick- for-fedex- ups-

1407182247?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_business)