LCE001

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LCE001 General English 1Study Skills Reading

• TSIM Kam Wan

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Study Skills - Reading

• Extensive reading - Reading for pleasure with
  emphasis on general understanding
• Intensive reading - Reading carefully for an
  exact understanding of text. Necessary for
  contracts, legal documentation, application
  forms, etc.
• Fast Reading - Scanning and Skimming
• Skimming quickly looking through text to get an
  idea of what the text concerns. Used when reading
  magazines, newspaper articles etc.
• Scanning locating specific information in a
  text. Usually used in timetables, charts, etc
• Dealing with Vocabulary
• Building word awareness - Context clues

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Skimming
Skimming is a very rapid reading technique. It is
defined as the ability to identify main ideas
while reading very rapidly and selectively
skipping passages.

1. Big Picture Skimming and scanning
2. Core Idea Getting the gist/central theme

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Technique for skimming articles

1. RRead the title Brainstorm and guess the theme
   by asking yourself 5W questions (What, Who, Why,
   When, Where, How)
2. SScan the opening paragraph to find the answers
   for the 5W questions
3. SScan the concluding paragraph to find the
   answers for the 5W questions
4. RRead the first sentence of each paragraph
   looking for ideas related to the main ideas.
5. FFind the major idea by its heading, subheading

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Dealing with VocabularyBuilding Word Awareness

• Context Clues
• Definition
• Synonyms
• Restatement
• Contrast
• Explanation
• Examples
• Inference

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Context CluesWhat is Context?

• Phobias, such as fear of heights, water, or
  confined spaces are difficult to eliminate.
• How could you determine that phobia meant fear
  of specific objects or situations if you
  couldnt use a dictionary or ask someone the
  definition?
• You would use the words surrounding the unknown
  word to help determine the unknown words meaning.

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Context Clues 1 Definition

• The unknown word is defined immediately
  following its use by using a brief definition,
  synonym, or restatement using punctuation--commas
  , parentheses or dashes. Notice with a straight
  definition the use of a be verb to show that
  the two ideas are the same.
• A chemical bond is a strong force that holds two
  or more atoms together.
• A dialect is a form of speech from a specific
  region.

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Context Clues 2 Synonyms

• A writer using a difficult word will often
  choose a more familiar word or words with the
  same meaning to make the difficult word
  understandable.
• Ballet students appear so lithe they are so
  limber and flexible.
• The cataract was spectacular the steep
  waterfall dropped abruptly eighty feet.

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Context Clues 3 - Restatement

• Close to a synonym, a restatement differs in
  that a difficult word is usually restated in a
  simpler form usually set of by commas.
• The poetry was sublime, lofty and moving, and
  brought tears to my eyes.
• The village was depopulated, most of the
  residents dead or moved, but the livestock
  remained untouched.

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Context Clues 4 Contrast

• Sometimes writers use a contrast to clarify a
  words meaning, and an antonym, a word of
  opposite meaning (notice the restatement?) Often,
  contrast clue words such as but, however, or in
  contrast to are used. These are contrast signal
  words.
• The gentleman was portly, but his wife was thin.
• The mayoral candidate praised the town
  council,but the mayor deprecated it.

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Context Clues 5 Explanation

• An explanation is close to a definition. As an
  aid to the reader, the difficult word is
  explained, usually in simpler words, to make the
  meaning clearer. The explanation is generally
  longer than a definition and is usually found in
  one of more different sentences.
• The chrome is beginning to corrode. It shows
  signs of pitting and of being eaten away
  gradually.
• It was a martial parade signs of the military
  were everywhere. Everyone was in uniform guns,
  cannon and tanks were on display, and jets flew
  overhead.
• The puppy was a complete bother and an annoyance
  to all the neighbors. It was a continual nuisance.

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Context Clues 6 Example

• Writers may include examples that the reader may
  know to help explain a new and unfamiliar concept
  or term. A major section or the entire passage
  may be used.
• Pay attention to signal wordssuch as, for
  example, for instance, to illustrate,
  specifically
• Legumes, such as peas and beans, produce pods.
• Forest floors are frequently covered with
  fungi-molds, mushrooms, and mildews

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Context Clues 7 Inference

• Some writers help you figure out unfamiliar
  words by having you use reasoning and prior
  knowledge. Your experiences provide common-sense
  clues to the meaning of a word. This context clue
  is often a little harder to spot.
• Since Reginald was nervous, he brought his rabbit
  foot talisman with him to the exam.
• His alibi was upheld when Johns friends offered
  personal testimony, letters of documentation, and
  three videotapes showing that he was present at
  the party.

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Limitations of Context Clues

• Context clues only give the immediate definition
  for that particular context.
• Context clues seldom lead to a precise, complete
  definition.
• Sometimes the passage will not contain clues to
  the meaning of the unfamiliar word.

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Task 1 Reading Comprehension (Page 1)

• Did the singer graduate from college?
• No, she left college after she joined the band.
• Who wrote songs for the singer?
• The singer and her mate wrote songs themselves.
• What did the singer do to promote her songs to
  record companies?
• She record her own songs and sent the cassettes
  to record companies
• When the singer was still Little Miss Nobody, who
  supported her?
• A record company. / Her mother supported her
  emotionally
• What made the London record company interested in
  interviewing the singer?
• The company was interested in the singers voice.
• In which of the following countries were her
  songs successful?
• (d) England (e) The US
• Which is the most appropriate title for this
  text?
• (c )My Superb Road

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Key Reading SkillsFill in the blank - (Page 2)

1. Scanning is when you look through the text for
   specific details.
2. Skimming is when you look through the text for
   the main idea.
3. Inferring is when you use information in the text
   to understand the point indirectly.
4. In order to understand a point, you often have to
   look for examples/evidence/support, which usually
   comes after the point.

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Reading Skills SkimmingTask 4 (Page 2)
Typical salaries earned by AD graduates
A subject in which graduates can be exempted from professional studies
Two countries in which there are universities that work with Lingnan Community College
The GPA needed to go straight into an overseas programme in the second year
One example of an English qualification you would need to show to an overseas organisation
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Reading Skills SkimmingTask 4 (Page 2)
Typical salaries earned by AD graduates 14,000 -24,000
A subject in which graduates can be exempted from professional studies Accounting
Two countries in which there are universities that work with Lingnan Community College Australia / China / United Kingdom / Canada / Taiwan / USA
The GPA needed to go straight into an overseas programme in the second year GPA3.0
One example of an English qualification you would need to show to an overseas organisation IELTS 6.0 TOEFL 550
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Dealing with unknown vocabularyFill in the blank
- (Page 4)

• The most important way is to look at other words
  in the sentence, or perhaps the paragraph. This
  means that you are using the context to help you
  guess.
• You can also use the grammar of the sentence to
  help you understand the meaning. For example, you
  can look at tenses, prepositions, and parts of
  speech.
• Sometimes the shape of the word can help you. For
  example, dis-, un- and il- are all prefixes with
  negative/specific meanings. If you know this, it
  can help you understand.
• Its important not to look at words just by
  themselves. You should think about the meaning of
  the whole text/ context, as this can help you
  understand the details.

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Dealing with unknown vocabulary (Page 4)

• Find and underline the words or phrases which
  help understanding the meaning of the difficult
  underlined vocabulary of A-F
• Guess the meaning the underlined word
• Differentiate different context clues of A-F
• Example
• His popularity had experienced a decline. In
  other words, he wasnt so popular any more.
  (Restatement)

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Dealing with unknown vocabulary (Page 4)

1. His popularity had experienced a decline. In
   other words, he wasnt so popular any more.
   (Restatement)
2. His worries may have appeared trivial, but in
   fact they were very important, and many people
   took them seriously. (Contrast)
3. There were several items of apparel, such as
   skirts, dresses and trousers, on display.
   (Examples)
4. Tranquillisers are drugs that calm your down.
   (Definition)
5. Tranquillisers, drugs like Valium that clam you
   down, are being used at an increasing rate.
   (Definition)
6. When you arrive in the country, you go through
   immigration first, and then customs. (Inference)

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Dealing with wordFill in the blank Page 5

• In A you used an explanation given in another
  sentence. This was shown by the words In other
  words.
• You could find the meaning of trivial because
  the rest of the sentence explained the opposite
  meaning.
• This sentence gave some examples of the word
  apparel, beginning with the expression such as.
• D gave a definition of the word tranquillisers.
• In E you could see an explanation of the word
  tranquailisers that came after the word, with
  commas around it.
• In F you could have used your knowledge of the
  background / real world (airports, in this case),
  to understand customs.

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Dealing with unknown vocabulary (Task 7 -Page 5)

• Find and underline the words or phrases which
  help understanding the meaning of the difficult
  underlined vocabulary of A-F
• Guess the meaning the underlined word
• Differentiate different context clues of A-F
• Example
• We were driving through the country when we saw a
  flock of sheep in a field. There were about 50 of
  them altogether. (Restatement)

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Dealing with Vocabulary - Task 7 - Page 5

1. We were driving through the country when we saw a
   flock of sheep in a field. There were about 50 of
   them altogether. (Restatement)
2. After the accident my car was a total right off.
   I had to get a new one. (Inference)
3. The number of muggings, when people are robbed on
   the street at gun- or knifepoint, has increased
   in the past year. (Definition)
4. There are still several types of aristocrat in
   UK, such as lords, princes, earls, dukes and
   other people of a so-called high rank in life.
   (Examples)
5. Typhoons, earthquakes, droughts and famine are
   all examples of natural disasters. (Examples)

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Dealing with Vocabulary - Task 7 - Page 5

1. He appeared rather indifferent to her problem,
   but in fact he was extremely interested and
   really wanted to help. (Contrast)
2. Eggs are so versatile! You can fry them, boil
   them, scramble them there are lots of different
   uses! (Examples)
3. Last year she had an accident in which her leg
   was damaged. Now she walks with a limp.
   (Inference)
4. The Earth is a sphere shape. Other items that are
   round are balls and balloons. (Synonyms)
5. In the early years there were many U-Turns in
   government policy. For example they changed their
   minds on housing policy in 1999. (Example)

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Scanning and Skimming

• How tall of the Peak Tower?
• It has 112000 feet
• When do we visit Happy Valley?
• Day 3
• What kind of endangered species we can see in
  Ocean Park?
• Whale, dolphins, Panda,
• What we can use to pray to ask for luck in Po Lin
  Monastery?
• Bamboo cylinder
• In Mai Po Nature Reserve, what kinds of
  animals/wild life can we find?
• Butterflies, leopard cats, otters, other mammals
  and 430 species of bird.
• Which places are suggested for shopping?
• Park Lane Shoppers Boulevard

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Scanning and Skimming

• Which restaurant do we lunch at on Day 2?
• We will take the lunch at Golden Dragon
  Restaurant.
• When do we visit Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree?
• We will visit it in the morning of Day 6
• Where is Water Front Park located at?
• It is located at the Tai Po of New Terroritories.
• Where is Believe it of Not and Madame Tussuads
  HK located?
• It is located at the Peak of Hong Kong Island.