How do you increase reading speed?

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 23 Jun 2010, 12:57

Unless you are reading for school I fail to see why speed makes any difference .... I still think it is more important to enjoy your reading.

However, I read (slowly) somewhere that in addition to reading out loud if you use a ruler or a sheet of paper under the line of text & move it as you read apparently it will train your eye to speed across the line of text and thus speed up your reading ... no idea if this is an 'old-wives tale' or if there is any scientific proof but why not give it a try.

Mistborn · Post by **Mistborn** » 23 Jun 2010, 16:38

Like others have said already, practice practice practice. I used to be the slowest reader around, but having read hundreds of books in my lifetime I've sped up quite a bit. Granted, I like to enjoy my books and get involved in them so it's quite irritating when I find myself reading upwards of 200 pages in 2 hours. I'll usually end up re-reading a book because I couldnt remember a thing about it because I just kind've sped right through.

but yeah, practice practice practice

jasss · Post by **jasss** » 24 Jun 2010, 05:39

i agree with lagym888! After u read many books, you will attain speed!

Amelia · Post by **Amelia** » 24 Jun 2010, 08:14

As every body has already said, the more you read, the quicker you get at it!
Having said that though, I often skim a page by reading the first sentence of a paragraph and quickly deciding whether I need to read the entire thing. That's how I get through books quickly, and that has taken a bit of practice.
However, it's also how I miss some details, so be warned, my technique is quite flawed! I'm not a patient enough person to languish through a book.
On the up side, because I can miss so much, I can read a book more than once that way.

petkart · Post by **petkart** » 25 Jun 2010, 06:45

I wanted to read faster few years ago and I started to focus on that but the thing is that I started to miss many small points that are pretty important when you read books so I suggest just reading and reading... Do not focus on that.

Megan Young · Post by **Megan Young** » 06 Sep 2013, 23:51

As you read more books, your speed will increase.

Heather · Post by **Heather** » 13 Sep 2013, 11:08

My first thought was that it's the same as with anything else -- the more you do it, the easier it is, and the faster you can do it. I don't know if my reading speed has drastically improved. I've just always read, so I wouldn't notice. But I've seen my husband's speed increase, simply because he read more.

My second thought was that's everyone has their own speed. It doesn't matter how fast anyone else can read, just make sure you are getting everything YOU can out of a book.

thankyou · Post by **thankyou** » 15 Sep 2013, 05:12

Megan Young wrote:As you read more books, your speed will increase.

Yes, very true.

EnjoiSkyler · Post by **EnjoiSkyler** » 07 Oct 2013, 21:04

1. Find a good book.
2. Take Adderall
3. Sacrifice understanding.

No in all seriousness find an author you really enjoy and it will all fall into place. It does for me anyway.

Skyler

jsinard42 · Post by **jsinard42** » 09 Oct 2013, 22:56

Just read as much as possible and forget about timing yourself. Speed doest matter as much as the amount of information you retain from your reading

SheldrakeWriter · Post by **SheldrakeWriter** » 26 Jan 2014, 06:16

If you really want to tear through a book for some reason, move your eyes down the centre of each page and keep your hands busy turning the pages. You'll get the gist of it but you won't feel as if you've actually read it.

TrishaAnn92 · Post by **TrishaAnn92** » 03 Feb 2014, 13:59

I have never tried to increase my reading speed as I am fine where I am at however have noticed that when I really enjoy a book and get into it I tend to read faster without meaning to.

Artiste8 · Post by **Artiste8** » 03 Feb 2014, 15:36

I took a course on speed reading and I got my work to pay for it. Anyways, the main thing is you follow the words with your finger while you are reading. It really makes a difference. And you don't lose any of the meaning of the story unless you are trying to read way too fast. Follow the letters with one finger, I hope this makes sense. You will find you are reading a little faster and after a while it will feel weird not to read that way.

Aussie-reader · Post by **Aussie-reader** » 03 Feb 2014, 17:03

I am not a fast reader.

I don't try to be - I don't see increasing my reading speed as a goal.

DanHab · Post by **DanHab** » 04 Feb 2014, 18:45

I don't think he's asking how to speed read so he can get books out of the way. He wants to be able to read faster so he can read MORE. I'm a fast reader, and never found that i miss out on anything.

It's got to do with scanning- when you speed read you aren't just reading the word you're up to, you're broadening your field of focus to include 3 words ahead of you and three words behind. You're basically scanning the sentence and your mind compiles the rest. I've been doing it by accident since I was a kid, but you can download a speed reading book if it helps- they're usually set out with exercises and such so that by the end of the book, you've changed the mechanics of how you read.