English Bite — Reading Strategies: How I Read Faster in English
You need to find a phone number quickly in a long document. Which strategy do you use?
Tag: reading
Skimming and Scanning — Two Different Reading Speeds
From Sourov's world: As a sommelier at The Ivy in Sydney, I held dozens of wine labels every shift. When a guest asked about a wine, I did two completely different things in about four…
Reading Headlines — What Newspapers Don’t Say
From Sourov's world: When I moved to La Réunion, I picked up my first French newspaper and read the headline. The words were French but the meaning made no sense — where were the articles?…
Inferring Meaning from Context — A Reader’s Detective Guide
💬 The detective approach: I learned this skill when reading French — I didn't look up every unknown word. I asked: what must this word mean, given everything around it? I was right about 80%…
How to Read Faster in English Without Missing the Meaning
💬 Reading as a non-native: In Australia, I had to read long contracts, lease agreements, and handbooks I hadn't asked for. Word by word was too slow. I had to learn to read like a…
Inference in Reading: What the Text Doesn’t Say
When I read Dostoevsky as a teenager — secretly, since books were not encouraged at home — I had no one to explain the subtext. I had to infer. I had to read what was…
Reading: Gist vs Detail — Two Questions That Change Everything (B1)
🎙 From the classroom: Before I taught reading, I gave students a text and asked them to 'read and answer the questions'. They panicked, re-read every sentence, and ran out of time. One change fixed…
Phonics: Short Vowel Sounds — Cat, Bed, Pig, Dog, Bus (A1)
The five short vowels are the foundation of English reading. My daughter is learning them right now — let's learn together!
ELT365 · Day 162 — Skimming: Reading for the Main Idea
Skimming is reading quickly to identify the general topic or main point. It is a skill, not a natural behaviour — learners need to practise ignoring detail to get the overview.
ELT365 · Day 171 — Inference — reading between the lines
Inference is the ability to understand what a text implies but does not state. It draws on word choice, tone, context, and cultural knowledge. It is a higher-order skill often assessed at B2 and above.