How do you tackle English comprehension questions(upper secondary)?
05.September, 2009
I’m refering to Secondary 3 context. I try my best everytime to answer each question and no doubt I understand the passage, but why is it that I often don’t get the correct answer? Please tell me how to tackle English Comprehension questions so that I can earn more marks. All experienced teachers and all who excel in English, please advice me.
Kudos to avengepluto for a hilarious but not exactly helpful answer.
Since you are asking about English comprehension, I will assume you are not a native speaker. I am not a teacher, but I am a native speaker, studied English in college, and I am very good at it. Here are some things which may be of use to you.
Study English grammar, and be sure you understand the concepts of English grammar completely. The best way to do it is to understand the grammar of your native language completely, and then match up the same concepts in English. English construction can be very complex, and often comprehension is lost if you miss out on something as simple as the correct tense of a verb. If you have better mastery of grammar, it may help you.
Work on building your vocabulary. The meaning of many words can be figured out from their context, meaning the words around it, but sometimes context can be confusing and misleading. Keep an English dictionary on hand, and look up any word you don’t understand fully and completely. Many words in English have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used.
Read passages several times. The first time, get the general idea of what is going on. The second time, make sure you get all the details, including things like the tenses of verbs, or which clauses are dependent on other clauses. The third time, underline anything you don’t understand completely, and refer back to other areas in the passage to clear up any doubts you might have. Continue to reread the passage until you completely understand it, even if it takes several readings. You can underline problem areas and ask for additional help if necessary.
If reading a longer work, like a short story or novel, and you come across something which doesn’t logically make sense, you need to go back and find out where you went astray. Misreading one tiny sentence, or understanding it incorrectly, can lead to a drastic loss of comprehension, so the minute you recognize that something is not quite right, go back and find the problem, and make sure you understand where the trouble lies, and fix the problem.
Spend time, if possible, being exposed to spoken English. That can mean watching television or movies in English, or listening to native speakers converse. You will develop a good "ear" for the language, which will make it easier for you to identify problem areas when you are reading. You should also speak English with a native speaker or other person who is fluent in English as often as possible. Just remember that when speaking with a native speaker, he or she may speak very simply to make sure you understand what they are saying. That simplicity can cause problems, as it does not challenge you to expand your skills. That is why I suggest listening to others speak, or watching movies or TV shows. Another thing which might be helpful is listening to audio books while reading the material. Again, that will help develop your listening skills. When you are able to hear how the language sounds when it is spoken correctly, you will be able to notice problems more easily when you read.
Practice, practice, practice. I know from speaking to others that there are a lot of tests and quizzes available on the internet for those who are learning English or who seek to sharpen their skills. Take advantage of those, and do them regularly.
During testing, make sure you understand the question completely. All of the techniques I have mentioned above will serve you well when you read questions, as well. Sometimes the problem lies not in your understanding of the passage, but rather in your understanding of the questions. Make sure you understand both, even if you need to reread repeatedly.
I hope that is of some use to you. Good luck, and best wishes.
05.September, 2009 um 4:17 pm
You have to hit it low… get below its center of gravity and put your shoulder into it. Then push with your legs until it falls over.
References :
05.September, 2009 um 4:51 pm
i am good at comprehensions myself it does not have a specific method you may get more marks by following these suggestions
1.read the passage twice
2.make yourself at ease with tough wordsby reading more books
3.take sample comprehensions from the internet and try to answer them and check where u go wrong for ex http://iservices.measuredprogress.org/MCAS_2007_Gr10_ELA_PT_RESTORED_Web.pdf
thats all i can tell u
References :
05.September, 2009 um 5:01 pm
Kudos to avengepluto for a hilarious but not exactly helpful answer.
Since you are asking about English comprehension, I will assume you are not a native speaker. I am not a teacher, but I am a native speaker, studied English in college, and I am very good at it. Here are some things which may be of use to you.
Study English grammar, and be sure you understand the concepts of English grammar completely. The best way to do it is to understand the grammar of your native language completely, and then match up the same concepts in English. English construction can be very complex, and often comprehension is lost if you miss out on something as simple as the correct tense of a verb. If you have better mastery of grammar, it may help you.
Work on building your vocabulary. The meaning of many words can be figured out from their context, meaning the words around it, but sometimes context can be confusing and misleading. Keep an English dictionary on hand, and look up any word you don’t understand fully and completely. Many words in English have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used.
Read passages several times. The first time, get the general idea of what is going on. The second time, make sure you get all the details, including things like the tenses of verbs, or which clauses are dependent on other clauses. The third time, underline anything you don’t understand completely, and refer back to other areas in the passage to clear up any doubts you might have. Continue to reread the passage until you completely understand it, even if it takes several readings. You can underline problem areas and ask for additional help if necessary.
If reading a longer work, like a short story or novel, and you come across something which doesn’t logically make sense, you need to go back and find out where you went astray. Misreading one tiny sentence, or understanding it incorrectly, can lead to a drastic loss of comprehension, so the minute you recognize that something is not quite right, go back and find the problem, and make sure you understand where the trouble lies, and fix the problem.
Spend time, if possible, being exposed to spoken English. That can mean watching television or movies in English, or listening to native speakers converse. You will develop a good "ear" for the language, which will make it easier for you to identify problem areas when you are reading. You should also speak English with a native speaker or other person who is fluent in English as often as possible. Just remember that when speaking with a native speaker, he or she may speak very simply to make sure you understand what they are saying. That simplicity can cause problems, as it does not challenge you to expand your skills. That is why I suggest listening to others speak, or watching movies or TV shows. Another thing which might be helpful is listening to audio books while reading the material. Again, that will help develop your listening skills. When you are able to hear how the language sounds when it is spoken correctly, you will be able to notice problems more easily when you read.
Practice, practice, practice. I know from speaking to others that there are a lot of tests and quizzes available on the internet for those who are learning English or who seek to sharpen their skills. Take advantage of those, and do them regularly.
During testing, make sure you understand the question completely. All of the techniques I have mentioned above will serve you well when you read questions, as well. Sometimes the problem lies not in your understanding of the passage, but rather in your understanding of the questions. Make sure you understand both, even if you need to reread repeatedly.
I hope that is of some use to you. Good luck, and best wishes.
References :