Page 72 - SREENARAYANAGURU OPEN UNIVERSITY

Unit Ready to Read

3

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the unit, the learner will be able to:

f define the process of reading and its many purposes
f acquire details on different ways to enhance one’s vocabulary
f describe the process of scanning and skimming in reading
f obtain details on decoding a dictionary

Prerequisites

Picture a library. A young student frowns over an English novel, pausing frequently
to look up words in a well-worn dictionary. Nearby, a businesswoman skims through
a newspaper, her eyes darting rapidly across the headlines. At a computer terminal,
an elderly man slowly sounds out words from an online English learning course, his
lips moving silently.

This scene encapsulates the diverse world of reading in modern India, where indi-
viduals at various stages of English proficiency engage with text in myriad ways.
Reading, a fundamental skill in language acquisition, is far more complex than simply
decoding symbols on a page.

For many Indians, reading in English presents unique challenges. Unlike their
mother tongue, which they may have absorbed naturally from their environment,
English often requires deliberate study and practice. The journey from recognizing
letters to comprehending complex texts is a long one, fraught with obstacles but rich
in rewards.

In our digital age, reading has evolved beyond books and newspapers. From social
media posts to email, from online articles to e-books, the opportunities for reading are
endless. This abundance of text brings both benefits and challenges. While it offers

66 SGOU - FYUGP - SLM - English for Communication