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Reading

BBC Teach > Skillswise > English

Find out how you can read and understand text, skim and scan documents and discover other people's reading habits.

The sounds of English

The sounds of English

English has about 40 sounds. Each can be written in several ways. For instance ‘f’, ‘ff’ or ‘ph’.

Recognising letters and words

Recognising letters and words

What helps in recognising letters and words?

Types of texts

Types of texts

Why learn about types of text?

Dictionaries and Indexes

Dictionaries and Indexes

Why use dictionaries and indexes? Use alphabetical order to look up words quickly in dictionaries and indexes.

Skimming and scanning

Skimming and scanning

Why use skimming and scanning? Speed read or skim text to get the gist.

Fact or Opinion

Fact or Opinion

Why learn about fact and opinion? People often try to present opinion as fact. Look for clues in the language.

Reading and Understanding

Reading and Understanding

Why learn about reading and understanding? Really understanding text means more than just reading all the words

Reading For Pleasure

Reading For Pleasure

Reading for pleasure means any reading that is mainly for enjoyment.