Hi. James from engVid.

If you're like me, you have to read a lot of material.

If you are studying English or you're learning English, you probably don't like to read,

which is too bad, because reading is one of the fastest ways to improve...

Well, let's go to the board and find out.

As you can see, E is running very quickly, here.

Right?

And he's trying to read.

So, we're going to learn to read faster today, and I'm going to teach you how to read faster

with two different techniques, and I'm going to teach you...

You'll start to enjoy your reading.

So we'll go to the board and we'll talk about reading, why it's important, and what we can

do about it.

The first thing I want to talk about with reading: Reading helps to do a couple of things.

Number one, it helps you to learn new things.

When you read a book about philosophy, it teaches you about somebody's new idea or a

new invention.

It gives you new vocabulary.

Many words...

In fact, they say if you don't understand 90% of the material, you won't understand

it; but even just reading something, if you have a dictionary, will help you go and learn

new vocabulary to understand material, so it gives you new words; it gives you a better

or a wider way to speak.

It helps you to understand.

Sometimes when someone says something it's a little too fast, but then when you read

it, you have time to read it, go back, read it, go back, read it, and go: "I got it."

Right?

It gives you time to look at the picture; the mental picture or the written picture.

It gives you new ideas.

Remember you learn new things?

Well, when you start adding idea from this book, idea from that book, you get new ideas

of your own; you become more creative.

Your world becomes a richer place to live.

And, finally, because we're doing English, you learn how to speak a language.

Like: "Stop.

What do you mean?

How do I learn to speak by reading?"

Well, for you people who are learning to speak a language-okay?-reading shows you the structure

that people use when they speak.

Reading shows you new vocabulary, or it shows you what we call the colloquial; the common

person's way of speaking.

You get all that from reading; how to say it, where to put the verb and the noun or

the adjective.

Right?

Cool?

That's what it can do, and that's what's important to us.

Our reading is going to teach us how to speak, but also it's good to be able to read in a

country, because I often say: If you cannot read in a language, you're stupid.

And if you wonder what I mean, think about the guy who when you give a simple sentence,

like: "The cat went in the house", cannot read it and he reads it like: "The cat went

in", you go: "The guy's stupid."

Don't be stupid.

Don't be stupid in your language; don't be stupid in my language.

So today we're going to work on a process to help you with reading.

Now, as much as I said all these great things about reading, there are a couple of things

to be aware of, or...

Actually, I don't have to tell you.

You know, but I want you to know that I understand, so I'm putting it on the board so you know

what I'm going to teach you will help you overcome or help you solve that problem.

Problem: Reading takes a long time.

Well, in your own language it takes some time, but if you're learning another language, it

will always take you much longer to read because you have a problem of translating, or skipping

back and translating.

Translating, you know what I mean; you translate from the language you're looking at into your

own language to understand it, and then translate it back to that language - that's a lot of

work.

And if you think about how long that takes, that's like two different trips, like: In,

out; in, out; in, out for every word.

That will take...

Something that takes four minutes to read - make you read it for 20 minutes.

And who wants to read one paragraph or five sentences, and it takes 10 minutes, and you

still don't understand it?

That's a problem.

Another problem: You don't remember what you read.

Do you remember when I said to you: "You're reading up and down"?

So I'm going to put...

Sorry, I'm going to put "problems", because it's not just a problem; it's problems.

Remember I said you translate, you go up and down, and back and forth, you keep going back?

Well, what happens is you forget what you read because there's too much information

to keep in your head.

Right?

So you read up here, you read five sentences, you read it, you go: "Okay, I got it."

You read another five sentences, and you go: "Oh, what were the first five?

Because without that five, I don't understand this other paragraph, and now I'm getting

confused."

Right?

So you forget what you're reading, which leads to: You don't understand what you read it.

You read it, you forget it, you don't understand - these are terrible problems.

So it's understandable why most people won't read a book if they're learning a new language.

They're like: "It's just way too much work for a little benefit."

Now, I'm going to tell you: If we can speed up your reading, you will cut the time down,

so you can read a page in...

Well, if you're learning a new language, let's not say a page a minute, but maybe every two-three

minutes you can read a page, instead of 10 - that would be cool.

You'll remember what you read, because we're going to force your brain to stay on the subject.

And you'll understand it, because if you're staying on the subject and the information

stays in your head, then you can actually understand and keep it; keep it, remember

it, and enjoy it.

You can't enjoy what you don't understand, especially if you don't remember it.

Right?

So let's try and fix that.

And I have two techniques I'm going to teach you today that should help you improve by

at least 50% by the time you've done reading...

Watching this video.

Cool?

And we can also, you know, show you other things later, but today I want to do these

two to improve by at least 50% if you listen to what I say.

Okay?

The first technique is called "grouping", and what I want you to do is we're going to

work on taking...

When you read right now, you do something called sub-vocal reading.

What?

"Sub-vocal reading" means it's...

"Vocal" means, you know, sound; and "sub" means below sound.

So: "sub-vocal", it's in your head.

When I read this book, for instance, I'm going to read: "I propose to treat...

To treat poetry", but I say it in my head.

So the same thing as I say it, I'm reading it, but in my head I'm saying: "I propose

to treat of bah-bah-bah".

You don't really have to say the words; you can just look at them.

The example: When I show you the cover of this book, you don't look here, then look

here, then look here, then look here; you just look at the cover and you see this - all

of it at one time.

But when you read, you do this.

Part of the reason you do that-look at one word at a time-is when your mother or father

taught you to read, they would read one word at a time.

They would point to a word: "Easily regarded as the", and say it to help you understand

what the words sounded like and meant, and you learned to read that way.

Which was good, but unfortunately, now when you read even as an adult, you read the same

way.

So the first method I want to teach you is grouping.

Now, because language...

The English language may be new to you or trying to read faster may be new to you: Grouping,

just take two words at the same time.

So, instead of saying: "Easily regarded", I would just look at: "Easily-regarded", and

then the next two words: "as-the", and the next one: "basic-work".

All right?

So it would be...

Put your finger there: "Easily regarded", move it to the next two words: "as the", "basic

work", "on the".

I'm getting the basic meaning of it, but I've almost doubled my speed, because instead of

looking twice, I look once.

Not quite doubled because, as I said, you're learning; but you can look at the two words

at one time.

And the basic meaning is following, so you don't lose time; you'll remember it because

you've cut down the time between each word; and you will understand because the meaning

is carried.

Cool?

All right.

So, we want to work on that.

So I would suggest that you take a book...

Something simple.

You can take a kid's book, if you want, because the words are even bigger so it's easier to

see two words at a time.

And I suggest that.

And go through reading for about 10 minutes or so; just do that.

Okay?

Read two words at a time.

All right?

Time yourself for a minute - see how many words you read.

Try and find a page that's equal and do that again to see what your words per minute is.

All right?

Cool.

That's the first one.

The next is "pacing".

Pacing, in English, is this: Like, when you pace, you walk at a certain speed.

I'm pacing myself.

It means I move at a certain speed.

The first method is good to get you started.

Pacing is a secondary one, so I would suggest you do the grouping for a few days, maybe

even a few weeks; take your time because you might start going from two words at a time

and notice that your eye actually includes a third word.

And you won't have to try; your eye will just travel to three words at the same time.

And then after, four words.

And if you can do that, say, 10 minutes every day - slowly, slowly, slowly your eye will

just take a picture of two words together; then three words; then four.

And you'll find that your reading time is going down, your memory is going up, your

understanding is going up.

We call understanding "comprehension".

All right?

Your comprehension will go up.

Do this for at least a week, maybe two weeks; 10 minutes every day.

Not once; that won't work.

But if you did it right now, you'd notice an increase in your speed; and if you do it

over time, it'll become more permanent.

Okay?

Once you get comfortable with the grouping, I'm going to suggest you do something called

pacing.

Pacing is like...

As I said, it's like if I'm running and I run at this - this is the pace.

This is a different pace.

And I might change my pace.

But "pacing" means keep the same speed at what you're doing.

In pacing, we're going to use a magic tool.

It's a very expensive tool, so I'm sorry.

I mean, you're watching a video and I'm going to tell you: You have to buy this...

Well, you don't have to buy it, but if you wanted to get this tool and use it off of,

like, Amazon or something, it might cost a million dollars.

People don't even want to part for it for 2 million, even a billion dollars.

You want to know what that thing is?

Your finger.

This is the expensive tool.

Now, if that's too expensive for you, because you can't use a finger - get yourself a pencil

or a pen.

All right?

Now, I'm going to give you an example of what pacing would look like.

When I talked about grouping...

When you would be grouping, see how we're here?

Don't look at the sentence; you would do this: You would look here; these two words, then

these two words.

Right?

That's one word.

Then you do these two words.

Pacing is going to be different.

When you pace, you can take your finger-this will be my finger-and you do this.

If that's too fast, do this.