TESTING THE READING RATE 107 intervening words and pick out only the subject and the predicate, so that we shall presently be able to see "The first thing-is-to see words in groups." There we have the essential parts of our sentence. When we have these we may go back and fill in the less important parts. Eye Movements. —A study of the movements of the eye shows that in following a line of print the eye moves not from one word to another, but that it takes in several words at once and pauses two, three, or four times in the line, according to the length of the line and the reader's rate of reading. The slow reader's eye pauses more often than the rapid reader's. To speed up one's reading, then, it is necessary to train the eye to take in several words at once, and so save time by not pausing so often in the movement along the printed line. Testing the Reading Rate. It is interesting to test oneself for rate of reading in comparison with others. Either the teacher or a pupil appointed for the purpose may direct the test. It is carried on like this: All the pupils in the class are supplied with identical books or cards so that all are reading the same thing. At a given signal all start to read (silently) at the same place. The director of the test gives the signal to begin, and keeps the time. At the end of a minute the signal to stop reading is given. Each pupil marks the last word he read. Then each one writes with closed books the substance of what he has read. These papers are criticized by the teacher or by a committee of pupils to see which pupils have succeeded in giving the thought of what was read and which have failed. If a pupil in one minute's time can read 250 words and can tell the main points in what he has read, he is plainly a better reader than one who can read only 150 words. It may happen that the one who reads 250 words cannot give an intelligent account of his reading; in that event his rapid reading is of no advantage to him. But experiments with a large number of pupils show that the rapid readers as a class are more intelligent readers than the slow ones. When a reader has found his reading rate by such a test as has been described, he can increase his rate by learning to group words and make his eyes move more rapidly. After a week's practice the test may be given again, when probably the slow reader will find that he has speeded up his reading rate. Interest and Knowledge Increase the Rate of Reading. Very plainly we cannot read all kinds of things at the same rate. We can read a story more rapidly than we can read a history lesson. We can read the newspaper account of a football game more rapidly than we can read an equal number of words explaining the construction of an unfamiliar machine. Why is this? Partly because the story and the football game appeal more to our interest than the history lesson and the new machine. But some people love history more than stories, and they can read history more rapidly than others who have not that interest; and the boy who has a mechanical turn can often read articles about machines as quickly as he can read articles about football. Another reason why we read stories rapidly is because they usually deal with familiar words and incidents. We do not have to stop to wonder what this sentence or that expression means. The mind moves rapidly over what is familiar to it. But here again, interest and training have a great deal to do with one's reading rate. A lawyer can read a brief that sums up the points of law in a particular case in what seems a miraculously short time to someone who does not know law, and who has to stop at nearly every sentence to think out the meaning of the words. So as we advance in knowledge we find that reading comes to be a much more rapid process than it is now. That is encouraging, isn't it? Summary. Let us sum up what we have said about how we read: (1) We have seen that our purpose determines what we select to read. We approach a paper or a book with some question in mind that our reading will help us answer, and we select from the paper or the book only those parts that help us answer our question. (2) We read rapidly or slowly according to our interest, our intelligence, and our training. We read more rapidly what we are interested in; we read more rapidly what we are familiar with; and we read more rapidly when we have trained ourselves to read. (3) We may become more rapid readers by keeping our minds on what we read, by training the eye to take in groups of words, and by looking for the important parts of each sentence. Such training will enable us to make our minds our servants so that we may call on them to do difficult tasks for us and feel confident that they will be equal to these tasks. Without this training, we go stumbling and hobbling through the world, never sure of ourselves and never measuring up to our best possibilities. EXERCISE I A. Prepare to tell your class orally what difficulties you have in studying. Bring out the necessity of having a special time and place for studying. If you are a slow reader, tell how you hope to overcome that difficulty. Tell how you may improve in getting the thought of what you study. B. Write a letter to a classmate, telling what you have learned about increasing your reading rate, and suggesting that he try the same method. EXERCISE II Bring to the class a copy of a daily paper. List the articles that you would care to read through. List those you would merely glance at for the main points. List those you would not pay any attention to. EXERCISE III Practice reading the following sentences silently to see how quickly you can read them and understand them: The words are grouped to help the eye get the meaning. (As you read, let some one keep account of the number of seconds it requires for you to read each sentence.) 1. I cannot think but so good and honest a man will make a worthy and honorable knight. 2. I have the honor to belong to the king as well as you, and, perhaps, should be as unwilling to see any wrong done him. 3. You are twelve miles from Nottingham, and all the way through a thick wood; but if you are resolved to-night, as a upon going thither I will put you in the road, and direct you the best I if you will accept of such poor entertainment miller can give, you will be welcome to stay all night, morning I shall go with you myself. can; or, 4. On a certain evening, dymion lay down to sleep, and in the En when he had watered his flock, as was his custom. The place that he chose was a beautiful grove in which was a lake; and its water shone like gold in the light of the setting sun. Swans slept on the lake, and the fishes, too, were asleep. The goats and the sheep rested on the grass near by. Flowers were here, were shut and their heads bowed; and all around ful trees grew, their petals beauti over the All was silent in the still evening hour, for there was no wind in the valley. (The following selection is not spaced. See how your eye naturally groups the words.) 5. From the workshop of the Golden Key there issued forth a tinkling sound so merry and good-humored that it suggested the idea of some one working blithely, and made quite pleasant music. . . Tink, tink, tink, clear as a silver bell, and audible at every pause of the streets' harsher noises, as though it said, "I don't care; nothing puts me out; I am resolved to be happy." Women scolded, children squalled, heavy carts went rumbling by, horrible cries proceeded from the lungs of the hawkers; still it struck in again, no higher, no lower, no louder, no softer, not thrusting itself on people's notice a bit the more for having been outdone by louder sounds tink, tink, tink, tink, tink. CHARLES DICKENS CORRECT USAGE Saw, Have Seen, Has Seen, Had Seen Have, has, had, or some other helper must be used with seen. EXERCISES A. Suppose that you have been to the city. Tell what you saw. (Each pupil should tell one thing he saw, so that all the class may join in the game.) B. Suppose that you have just returned from a trip to the country. Tell what you saw. C. Read the following questions. Answer each question with a sentence using have seen, had seen, or has seen. Give your sentences aloud. 1. Have you seen Niagara Falls? 2. Has he seen the President? 3. Had you seen Mr. Brown before this morning? 4. Has she seen the proofs of the class picture? 5. Have they seen the new building? |