1、01_457443-ffirs.indd iv 6/23/09 8:33:16 PMSpeed ReadingFORDUMmIESby Richard Sutzwith Peter Weverka01_457443-ffirs.indd i 6/23/09 8:33:16 PMSpeed Reading For DummiesPublished byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-Copyright 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, IndianaPublishe
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9、 PMContents at a GlanceIntroduction 1Part I: Introducing Speed Reading 7Chapter 1: Of Course You Can Speed Read! . 9Chapter 2: Its All about Breaking Bad Reading Habits 23Chapter 3: Understanding the Mechanics of Speed Reading . 35Chapter 4: Introducing Speed-Reading Fundamentals . 49Part II: Focusi
10、ng on the Fundamentals 73Chapter 5: Establishing Your Reading Rate . 75Chapter 6: Taking in More than One Word at a Time: Reading in Clumps 85Chapter 7: Getting the Gist from Word Groups . 105Part III: Advancing Your Speed-Reading Skills 125Chapter 8: Building Your Speed-Reading Momentum 127Chapter
11、9: Exercising Your Ability to Read More in Even Less Time . 147Chapter 10: Other Reading Strategies to Supplement Your Speed Reading . 165Chapter 11: Taking Advantage of Writing Structure to Read More Quickly . 187Part IV: Improving Your Comprehension 199Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocabulary to Beco
12、me a Better Speed Reader 201Chapter 13: Applying Speed Reading to Various Reading Tasks 221Part V: The Part of Tens . 229Chapter 14: Ten Quick Techniques to Improve Your Reading Speed . 231Chapter 15: Ten Exercises for Keeping Your Eyes Speed-Reading Ready . 235Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Making Your S
13、peed-Reading Skills Permanent 241Part VI: Appendixes . 245Appendix A: Uncovering the Prime Words 247Appendix B: Your Speed-Reading Progress Worksheet . 255Index 26102_457443-ftoc.indd vii 6/23/09 8:33:52 PMTable of ContentsIntroduction . 1Part I: Introducing Speed Reading 7Chapter 1: Of Course You C
14、an Speed Read! . . . . . . . . . . .9What Is Speed Reading, Anyway? 10Speed reading is seeing . 10Speed reading is silent reading 11Speed reading is decoding the words . 11Speed reading is comprehending 12Speed reading is concentrating . 13Debunking Speed-Reading Myths 14What You Need to Get Started
15、 . 14Proving You Can Read Faster . 15Chapter 2: Its All about Breaking Bad Reading Habits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Understanding Vocalization and Its Effects 23Finding out why vocalizing slows you down 24Finding out how (and how much) you vocalize. 25Getting Away from
16、 Vocalization. 26Reading for meaning rather than sound . 27Stopping the vocalization motor . 27Silencing your inner reading voice 28Exercising to quiet your inner reader . 28Preventing Regression When You Read 33Chapter 3: Understanding the Mechanics of Speed Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17、. . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Fixating on Eye Fixations 35Looking at eye fixations 36Eye fixations and reading speed 37Exercising Your Eye Fixations 39Comprehending Comprehension Mechanics . 45Reading and your short-term memory 45Assimilating concepts and ideas . 46Exploring the Pacer Question. 46Dec
18、iding How Much to Bring to Your Reading 4802_457443-ftoc.indd viii 6/23/09 8:33:52 PMTable of ContentsixChapter 4: Introducing Speed-Reading Fundamentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Widening Your Vision Span 49Reading Clump by Clump 53Reading Vertically as Well
19、 as Horizontally . 54Working with Word Groups 58Grasping word groups as you read . 58Getting the knack for spotting word groups 62Taking On Continuous Text 64Getting Into the Speed-Reading Mindset . 69Part II: Focusing on the Fundamentals 73Chapter 5: Establishing Your Reading Rate . . . . . . . . .
20、 .75How the Experts Test Speed-Reading Rates . 75Words per minute (WPM) testing 76Effective reading rate (ERR) testing 76Establishing Your Base Reading Rate 77Seeing Where You Stand as a Speed Reader 83Chapter 6: Taking in More than One Word at a Time: Reading in Clumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21、 . . . . .85What Is a Clump, Anyway? 85Comprehending Clump-Reading Mechanics 89Macular and peripheral vision . 90Reading with your peripheral vision too 90Recognizing images as words 93Making the Shift to Clump Reading . 95Changing your relationship to words on the page . 96Widening your reading vis
22、ion 96Reading in context . 96Getting More Practice Reading in Clumps 97Reading clump phrases . 97Reading sentence clumps . 100Widening your vision: Reading horizontal and vertical clumps . 101Chapter 7: Getting the Gist from Word Groups. . . . . . .105Going Beyond Clumps to Word Groups 105Recognizin
23、g Word Groups 107Getting the idea from idioms 107Understanding word groups through idioms 10802_457443-ftoc.indd ix 6/23/09 8:33:52 PMSpeed Reading For Dummies xPicking out prepositional phrases . 112Taking in larger word groups: Reading phrases 113Finding other key phrases 118Identifying the Most I
24、mportant Word Groups: Thought Units . 119Reading Word Groups to Increase Comprehension 119Part III: Advancing Your Speed-Reading Skills 125Chapter 8: Building Your Speed-Reading Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127Reading Text in Narrow Column Clumps 127R
25、eading Clump Text in Wider Columns 133Identifying Word Groups in Continuous Text 139Reading Word Groups in Continuous Text . 143Chapter 9: Exercising Your Ability to Read More in Even Less Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147Introducing Push-Down and Push-Up Exercises 14
26、7Getting More from What You Read: Push-Down Exercises . 148Focusing on your silent reading 148Spreading your vision span even wider 152Advancing Your Reading Limit: Push-Up Exercises 156Reading aggressively without regressing . 156Improving your concentration . 160Chapter 10: Other Reading Strategie
27、s to Supplement Your Speed Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . .165Comparing Other Ways to Collect Info from Text . 165Skimming for the main ideas 166Scanning for specific words or phrases 166Prereading to find out what the text is about 167Discovering the Art of Skimming . 167Knowing when to skim 168Gr
28、asping skimming techniques 169Practicing skimming techniques 171Scanning for the Information You Need 173Getting the hang of scanning 173Exercising your scanning skills 174Prereading to Get the Lay of the Land 176Sizing up the reading material . 176Getting some prereading practice . 177Postreading t
29、o Reinforce What You Read 18502_457443-ftoc.indd x 6/23/09 8:33:52 PMTable of ContentsxiChapter 11: Taking Advantage of Writing Structure to Read More Quickly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187Getting to the Main Idea in a Paragraph with Topic Sentences 188Understanding topic sente
30、nces . 188Locating the topic sentence . 189Thinking Like the Author 190Taking knowledge level into account 190Paying attention to structure . 190Looking Out for Signal Words 192Contrast signals . 193Comparison signals . 193Example signals 194Additional argument signals 194Causation signals . 195Conc
31、lusion signals . 195Recognizing and Skipping Subordinate Clauses 196Part IV: Improving Your Comprehension . 199Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocabulary to Become a Better Speed Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201Understanding How Your Vocabulary Expands 201Discovering vocabulary words by meaning . 20
32、2Discovering vocabulary words by context . 203Looking at Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes . 204Peeking at prefixes. 205Getting to the root of roots 207Searching out suffixes . 217Chapter 13: Applying Speed Reading to Various Reading Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221Speed Reading the
33、Newspaper . 221Managing Online Articles 223Handling E-mail Correspondence 224Prereading Nonfiction Books 225Tackling Textbooks . 226Speed Reading Standardized Tests . 227Reading for Pleasure 228Part V: The Part of Tens 229Chapter 14: Ten Quick Techniques to Improve Your Reading Speed . . . . . . . .
34、 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231Make the Speed-Reading Commitment . 231Focus Like a Laser Beam . 23102_457443-ftoc.indd xi 6/23/09 8:33:53 PMSpeed Reading For Dummies xiiSee It, Dont Say It 232Resist the Regression Urge . 232Widen Your Vision Span . 232Preread It 233Vary Your Reading Rate 2
35、33Read for the Main Ideas 233Use the Eye Sweep . 234Get Your Eyes Checked . 234Chapter 15: Ten Exercises for Keeping Your Eyes Speed-Reading Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235Eye Squeezes 235Thumb-to-Thumb Glancing . 236Tree Pose 236Eye Rolling 237Eye Writing 237The 10-10-10 238Change of Focus
36、 . 238Palming 239Hooded Eyes . 239Eye Massage . 240Chapter 16:Ten Tips for Making Your Speed-Reading Skills Permanent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241Renew Your Commitment . 241Expand Your Reading Vision 242Shush Your Inner Reading Voice . 242Read More Often 242Be a Goal-Oriented Reader 243Enlarge Y
37、our Vocabulary 243Be a Strategic Reader 243Occasionally Time Yourself 244Do Your Exercises 244Visit the Optometrist . 244Part VI: Appendixes . 245Appendix A: Uncovering the Prime Words . . . . . . . . . .247Appendix B: Your Speed-Reading Progress Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
38、 . . . . .255Index . 26102_457443-ftoc.indd xii 6/23/09 8:33:53 PMIntroductionNo matter how quickly or slowly you read now, you can read much more rapidly by adopting the speed-reading techniques described in this book. You can also comprehend, retain, and recall what you read much more successfully
39、. You can become an efficient and effective reader, one who reads with confidence and greater understanding. You can read more in the time you devote to reading and get more from the articles and books you read.This book represents all that I know and have discovered about speed reading during my 40
40、 years as a speed-reading instructor and developer of speed-reading software. I have had the great pleasure of seeing my students reading speeds and comprehension improve dramatically, and I have also seen them derive greater pleasure from reading. These goals increasing your reading speed and your
41、pleasure from reading are what this book is all about.About This BookThe science (some would say art) of speed reading is about 100 years old. Consequently, theories abound as to what makes a good speed reader and how to become a speed reader. This book takes a very basic approach to the subject I b
42、elieve speed reading is efficient reading. You dont have to be a wizard or master arcane techniques to be a speed reader. All you have to do is understand the mechanics of reading and then apply yourself more efficiently to exercising those mechanics when you read. This book shows you how to do that
43、. Speed Reading For Dummies is for people who have little or no background in speed reading, as well as for experienced speed readers who want to hone their speed-reading skills. It offers many strategies, tips, and tricks to improve your reading speed and includes numerous exercises to give you han
44、ds-on practice in speed-reading techniques. It also explains the how and why of speed-reading mechanics so that you understand not just what to do when you speed read but also why you do it.A note about the exercises: If at first you dont succeed, try again. Everyone grasps new material at a differe
45、nt rate dont get dis-couraged if you dont do as well as you expect the first time out of the gate. You can apply these exercises to just about any reading 03_457443-intro.indd 1 6/23/09 8:34:06 PMSpeed Reading For Dummies 2material to get additional practice; as I mention elsewhere in this book, new
46、spapers are perfect for speed-reading practice, so con-sider starting there.You dont have to read this book from start to finish unless you want to, of course. I wrote and organized Speed Reading For Dummies so that you can start reading it anywhere you want. Consult the table of contents or “How Th
47、is Book Is Organized” later in this introduction to find the speed-reading topic that interests you.Conventions Used in This BookTo make this book easier to read, Ive adopted these conventions: I italicize new terms in the text the first time I introduce them and then follow them closely with an eas
48、y-to-understand definition. Steps in the exercises are numbered and appear in boldface text. Follow the boldface instructions to complete the exercises. Web addresses appear in monofont. Though many use the term vocalization to mean “reading aloud,” for the purposes of this book I define vocalizatio
49、n as “speaking or hearing words as you read them.” Some exercises include long text pieces for you to practice on. I label these pieces to correspond with the exercise number (so Practice Text 7-1 goes with Exercise 7-1). For exercises that have multiple text pieces (such as those that ask you to read the same essay in different formats), I add a letter to each Practice Text heading (for example, Practice Text 2-1a and Practice Text 2-1b).What Youre Not to ReadIve written this book so you
