Some comments on Questions to make you think about reading in English

A. You can choose more than one answer. Think about the reasons for your choices.

1. When reading English, how often do you use dictionaries?

a) Whenever there is a word I do not understand.
If there are a lot of words that you do not understand, this will make reading a slow and burdensome task. Try to guess what words mean before you go to the dictionary. After you have looked up a word, ask yourself "Could I have understood the passage without looking this word up?"

If you cannot understand something without looking up a lot of words, this may be a sign that you need to start with an easier passage on the same subject. It may also be a sign that you need to learn more vocabulary...

b) Never.
If you have a very extensive vocabulary and know a lot about the topic, this will work. However, if you find that it is difficult to understand what you are reading, this may be because you need to look up the meaning of some of the key words.Make sure that you are really reading the passage, not just looking at the words.

c) Sometimes. (When?)
It is a good idea to try to guess most words and only look up those which seem to be key words. (By key words, I mean words that are closely connected to the main point of the passage. How can you tell if a word that you do not understand is a key word? A key word will usually occur more than once. If you do not understand it, you will probably have difficulty in understanding what the passage is about.)

2. When do you translate what you are reading into Japanese?

a) Always.
This will make reading a slow and burdensome task. Moreover, it will encourage you to translate into Japanese when you are listening, and to translate from Japanese when you are speaking and writing. In the long term, it is better to try to understand English without actually translating. You can practice doing so by re-reading passages that you already understand, and by reading very easy passages.

b) When I want to understand it properly.
This is an understandable attitude. However, translation is a slow business. It might be quicker to find the main points of the passage and concentrate on understanding those. Instead of translating them, you could put them into simpler English. (Then you would end up with a summary.) It would also be possible to note the main points in Japanese.

c) When it is difficult to understand.
This might be a good idea. However, before that, it might be a good idea to think about why the passage is so difficult. It may just be that you have misunderstood a key word. Read the passage again and check that this is not the case. (If a passage is difficult, it is a good idea to read it at least twice anyway.) Other possible solutions would be to read an easier passage on the same topic instead, or as a first step. You could even read about the subject in Japanese as a first step.

d) When I need to write or talk about it in Japanese.
This might be a good idea. It might be easier to write notes in Japanese instead.

3. What is the first thing that you should do when you have a non-fiction passage or book to read?

a) Start reading.
Even if you think that this is what you normally do, you probably think a little bit first. If you do this thinking (or "pre-reading") in an organized way, it can make your task easier.

b) Read the title and make a cup of coffee.
This looks like an avoiding tactic. However, if you think about the title (and your purpose in reading) while you are making the coffee, this will help you to read effectively once you do actually start. (It would be even better if you looked at subheadings, the index, pictures and graphs as well before you made the coffee...)

c) See if there are any pictures.
Looking at the title, subheadings, the index, graphs and (yes) pictures before you start reading will help you to anticipate the contents, and therefore make the passage easier to understand.

d) See how long it is.
This should help you to plan how you read. For example, if the passage is long and the time is limited, you will realize that you will only have time to grasp the main points. You will therefore have to examine the passage carefully to see where the most important parts are. ("The most important parts" will differ according to your purpose in reading.)

e) Read something in Japanese on the same topic.
If you are not familiar with the topic this is probably a good idea.

f) Something else. (What?)
The most important thing is probably to think about why you are reading this particular passage or book in the first place, and the amount of time that you want to spend. These two factors will govern the way in which you actually read. For example, you might decide to go through the index and just look at the pages which deal with one particular topic. Similarly, you might conclude that you only need to read one chapter or one section. Even if the whole passage or book seems important to your purpose, you might find that it is sufficient to read just the introduction and the conclusion - or at least, to start with these.

4. What is reading non-fiction most like?

a) Listening to the writer.
This is OK as long as you are THINKING at the same time. It is not a good idea to read (or listen) with a passive attitude. You will be bored, and may even fall asleep... However, see b).

b) Having a conversation with the writer.
This is what is often called "active" or "critical" reading. As you read, you think about the contents. Do you agree with the writer? Are the points presented logically and supported with evidence? How objective is the writer? etc. etc. If you read in this way, not only are you less likely to fall asleep or get bored, you will also digest the contents more effectively. (For more on this, see section D of this page.

c) Trying to answer the writer's questions correctly.
This implies that there is only one way in which to understand what you are reading, and that the reader is somehow the writer's slave. But as long as you have not misunderstood what you are reading, you are free to read for your own purposes. For example, a book or passage might be about one subject, for example the history of twentieth-century American music, but your interest lies in the development of jazz in Japan. Moreover, there is no reason why you need to agree with the writer, as long as you have good reasons for not doing so.

d) Torture.
Everything is difficult at first. Think about the first time you tried to play the piano, use a baseball bat, or play a computer game. You only get better by practising! But there is no need to set yourself impossible standards. Read things that are not too difficult, about subjects that you find interesting. For example, if you like music, find something in English about your favorite performer or type of music. If you like sport, read in English about your favorite players or find out what reputation Japanese players or teams have in English-speaking countries. Read for short periods. Give yourself a reward afterwards.

5. What is academic reading?

a) The reading that university students do in order to answer a teacher’s questions.
You should certainly know how to use libraries and the Internet in order to investigate. This part and this part of the Keio library's website should help you. For the writing of reports, see here.

b) Reading books that use academic language.
Many of the books that you will read for academic purposes will use academic language. However, if you are studying economics, you will probably read newspapers or books written by journalists, and you might even read novels, for example, to find out about attitudes to money in a particular society or historical period.

c) Reading in order to write reports at university.
You will certainly find that this is one of the reasons for "academic reading", but it is not the only one.

d) Something else. (What?)
"Academic reading" or "reading for academic purposes" is the sort of reading that university students should do in order to develop their understanding of the subjects that they are studying and the relevance of these subjects to the world around them. It involves both what you read, and how you read it. You should read widely in the areas that interest you and in those that are linked to what you are studying. You should read deeply in a few areas that are closely linked to these areas. When reading, you should read "actively" or "critically". (See 4 b) above.)

6. If you find a passage difficult to understand, what should you do?

a) Give up and look for something easier on a similar subject.
In extreme cases, this might be the right solution. Your teacher, or a specialist librarian, might be able to give you advice on what to read.

b) Identify the part(s) that did not make sense and check that you have not misunderstood any key words.
You should certainly try this.

c) Read it again.
This is a good idea, especially after b).

d) Read about the subject in Japanese and then read it again.
This is a good idea, especially if you do not know much about the subject.

e) Go out for a walk and then read it again.
This is a good idea, especially if you relax and then think about the reading task as you walk.

f) Translate it into Japanese.
See my comments on question 2.

g) Something else. (What?)
Reading a passage out loud will sometimes help. Paraphrasing into simpler English might also be a good idea.

7. What are good ways of improving one's English reading skills?

a) Read more in Japanese.
If you are experienced in reading your own language, this should help you to develop good strategies for reading English. However, reading Japanese trains your eye to reading vertically rather than horizontally, and to look out for kanji rather than longer words and punctuation. In other words, you need to read English as well.

b) Read a few difficult things very carefully.
This is not a bad thing to do, especially if the passages or books contain vocabulary that you wish to master. However, reading carefully is not the way to improve your reading speed. In addition, if you set yourself something difficult to do, it may not be enjoyable, and you might not be able to continue it for long. If you want to practise reading "difficult" English, I would suggest that you find something that has been translated into Japanese. Read the Japanese translation first, and then the original English.

c) Read a lot of easy things very quickly.
This is a good way of increasing your reading speed, especially if you choose topics that you are interested in.

d) Practice translating English into Japanese.
This will improve your translation skills, but is unlikely to do much to improve your reading.

e) Read things that you have already read.
I think this is a very good idea. Since you are already familiar with the meaning, you can read the passages or books easily, and without needing to think in Japanese.

f) Learn lots of vocabulary
If your poor knowledge of vocabulary means that you need to look up a lot of words, this is obviously a good idea. If your specific purpose in learning vocabulary is to improve your reading skills, link the words your learn to the topics you wish to read about, and concentrate on increasing your passive vocabulary. (See my advice for learning vocabulary.

g) Something else. (What?)
I would recommend trying to think in English as you read (see e)), and practising scanning and skimming as well as detailed reading. (For an explanation of these types of reading, see parts B and C of this page.

B. Do you agree with these statements or not? Why?

1. If there are questions at the end of a passage, this helps me to understand the passage correctly.
This may be the type of reading that you did at school. However, the questions that you ask when reading determine your focus in reading. If the questions have been made by someone else, that person is controlling your reading. Ideally, YOU should ask the questions; in other words, you should be reading for your own purposes, not for someone else's.

2. When reading, it is not always necessary to start at the beginning and go on until the end.
YES! In fact, it is better not to do so. See A.3, and A.7, g.

3. If people do not understand a word in the passage they are reading, they should look it up in a dictionary.
Ideally, they should only do this if they cannot understand the passage otherwise. See A.1.

4. The best way to understand a passage written in English is to translate it into Japanese.
Try not to this, because it is probably the slowest way. See A2.

5. In order to understand a passage, I must read every sentence carefully.
There are various levels of understanding. To understand the main point, it should not be necessary to read every sentence carefully. In fact, if you do this, you may be unable to understand the wood for the trees, in other words, you may understand the details but not the ideas behind the passage as a whole. See A.7g.

If you are not bored with the topic of reading, see this page. It repeats much of the above, but includes some other ideas, and some links.