<p>Other than reading a lot, do you guys know of any specific strategies to increase one's reading comprehension?</p>
<p>Read lots! And pay attention while doing so! There's no shortcut to this. :(</p>
<p>practice my dear friend</p>
<p>I'm going to be super-unhelpful and just repeat what everyone else has said: read more!</p>
<p>While you're doing so, try to pick up on motifs, tone, metaphors, significant quotes, and other fancy literary stuff.</p>
<p>Aside from just you reading a lot, I would recommend finding someone who is strong at reading comprehension--be it a friend, teacher, or relative--and discuss what you're getting from the things you're reading. This will open your mind to seeing things like they do, which hopefully is the correct way, but even if it's not right 100% of the time, it is still helping you to think about the workd differently. This is extra helpful, because a real person can explain how they came to the conclusions they did much better than just seeing the answer to a question would.</p>
<p>definitely read a lot. discussing it should help a lot too. you can also try to test yourself by stopping at set points throughout the book and writing a summary or trying to remember specific details.</p>
<p>Sit in the front of English class.</p>
<p>Make sure you are reading a mix of challenging and less challenging materials. Tough books mixed with literature that is slightly below your reading level to enhance fluency.</p>
<p>I found my mom's old anthology of short fiction the other day. It was meant as a collection for college students, and includes six or so questions at the end of each story that asks questions about themes, significance of certain actions, and other fun stuff. I answer these questions mentally for fun (yeah, yeah, no name-calling needed here! =P), but they might help you. They would help open your mind up to the importance of setting, to metaphors that you may have missed... and other stuff!</p>
<p>This is the seventh edition of the anthology (I have the second):
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Norton-Anthology-Short-Fiction/dp/0393926117/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3733068-0069464?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185414863&sr=8-1%5B/url%5D">http://www.amazon.com/Norton-Anthology-Short-Fiction/dp/0393926117/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3733068-0069464?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185414863&sr=8-1</a></p>
<p>Unfortunately, it seems as though this version doesn't have the questions. I posted the link anyway, though, so you could look at it and maybe find similar anthologies!!!</p>
<p>Actually, and this sounds counterintuitive, Read a LOT LESS (if you are talking about true comprehension-not reading comprehension on the SATs, etc)...this way you remember everything</p>
<p>personally, i read a lot and it's a lot harder for me to remember random details and stuff in english than my classmates who only read 5 books/year</p>
<p>^^That actually makes sense. When I go for long stretches without seeing movies, the movies I do see seem a lot better and more meaningful.</p>
<p>^Ok, that's bull...Lol. Sorry, reading less doesn't increase your reading comprehension at all - now, spending more time thinking about a book and dissecting it helps, yes, but "taking a break from reading" is no way to improve your skills.</p>
<p>There is NO short cut, sorry, and you're already behind. Those people I know with the best reading comprehension read a lot, and at a very early age (I'm talking like elementary school, beginning of middle school). Many people I know don't have time to read at all for pleasure anymore (and often Sparknote English class books...haha), but those skills were solidified in them at a young age.</p>
<p>So to get ahead, you're going to have to read, you're going to have read continuously. And you can't read primarly crap, like the newspaper or Harry Potter. Yeah, sure, every other book can be just for fun, and you can read the newspaper and Harry Potter on the side, but you need to mix in well-written literature to serve as a foundation (not necessarily "classics"; there are a lot of well-written books that aren't boring old things like The Scarlet Letter or something!). You pick up comprehension pretty subconsciously, but it does help to have a friend you can talk about your ideas with, or to muse a little on "deeper meanings". </p>
<p>Your writing skills will improve 100% as well. Yeah, it might seem like a chore to spend an hour or two of precious free time EACH DAY just reading FOR PLEASURE (especially with classwork on top of that), but you'll start to sore academically, trust me, and in a very short amount of time. Also, reading is fun and relaxing...at first it might seem dull, but as you get better at it, you enjoy it more. Good luck then :].</p>
<p>I spend two hours a day on college confidential. Will that improve my reading skills?</p>
<p>NO! Get off this site! It brings down your reading level!</p>
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NO! Get off this site! It brings down your reading level!
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LOL..........</p>
<p>It improves typing skillz!</p>