6.1 Reading for fun
Reading is a functional requirement of everyday life, but it is also a leisure activity. It can be something that is enjoyable to do. If you enjoy it, you are likely to do it more and get better at it.
Activity 37 Your reading
Allow about 10 minutes
List any texts you can remember reading for pleasure during the last week. These are texts that you didn’t have to read. Try to name four different kinds of texts.
If you can remember, note down the time of day and the place where you read each item.
Discussion
Here is some of the reading I did last week:
| Text | Time | Place |
|---|---|---|
| News website | Morning | Bus to work |
| Crossword puzzle | Morning | Doctor’s waiting room |
| Magazine | Morning | Lounge |
| Break | Coffee shop | |
| Novel | Evening | Sitting in bed |
Activity 38 Reading review
Allow about 5 minutes
The labels below show examples of texts that people read for pleasure. For each label, think about how often you read it and drag it to the relevant column.
Discussion
Take a look at your three columns. Does anything surprise you? I didn’t expect so many things to end up in my ‘Not at all’ column!
This and the previous activity have encouraged you to review your reading habits. It’s always worthwhile trying something new. You could think about skimming and scanning some of the other types of texts. You might find that you enjoy them more than you expect.
Most people have to make time to read. Others are put off by longer texts. They might enjoy skimming and scanning the newspaper or a magazine, but they don’t want to tackle a whole book.
Here are some tips for dealing with longer texts:
- Skim and scan the text before you begin to see if you might enjoy it.
- Look at the synopsis (the summary, usually on the back of a book or inside its front or back cover). This tells you what the whole book is about.
- Don’t forget that you don’t need to understand every word to enjoy a text.
- Read a whole section of the text first, but don’t feel you have to stop and go back to check up on something. This will spoil your reading ‘flow’.
OpenLearn - Everyday English 1
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