Types of reading

Here are four different kinds of reading.

• Skimming - running the eyes over quickly, to get the gist
• Scanning - looking for a particular piece of information
• Extensive reading - longer texts for pleasure and needing global understanding
• Intensive reading - shorter texts, extracting specific information, accurate reading for detail.

Exercise

Using these descriptions, how would you read the following? Match the different types of reading with the categories below. Decide which one requires you to skim or to scan the text. Which one needs detailed Intensive reading? What type of text do you read Extensively - for pleasure?

The ‘What’s On’ section of the local paper:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is: Scanning

A novel:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is: Extensive (or Intensive for revision, perhaps)

A newspaper:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is: Skimming, Scanning for specific information, Intensive if we find it.

A text in class:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is: Intensive

A poem:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is: Extensive

The telephone directory:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is: Scanning

A postcard:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is: Intensive

A train timetable:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is: Scanning

A recipe:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

The correct answer is:Intensive

A travel brochure:

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Extensive
• Intensive

Think and answer in comments