Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

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M a k i n g O b s e r v a t i o n s
Making observations means looking carefully at the
text and noticing specific things about how it is written.
You might notice, for example, the point of view the
author has chosen. You could also notice:
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Particular words and phrases the writer uses
■
The way those words and phrases are arranged in
sentences and paragraphs
■
Repeated word or sentence patterns
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Important details about people, places, and things
When you make observations, you can then make
valid inferences. As a matter of fact, you did this in Les-
son 11 when you made assumptions about how the
writer wanted to be perceived based on the point of
view he or she used.
Observations and Inferences
Inferences, as you may recall, are conclusions based
on reason, fact, or evidence. Good inferences come
from good observations. The observations are the evi-
dence for the inferences. Good inferences—ones based
on careful observation—can help you determine
meaning, as they helped Sherlock Holmes solve crimes.
To be better readers, then, we need to be more like
Sherlock Holmes: We need to be better observers. In the
story “The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier,” Sher-
lock Holmes tells a client: “I see no more than you, but
I have trained myself to notice what I see.” You don’t have
to be Einstein to be a good reader; you just have to train
yourself to notice what you see.

O b s e r v i n g D i c t i o n
Test your observation skills on these two sentences:
A. The town’s new parking policy, which goes into
effect on Monday, should significantly reduce
traffic congestion on Main Street.
B. The town’s draconian new parking policy, which
goes into effect on Monday, should significantly
reduce traffic congestion on Main Street.
You don’t need Sherlock Holmes’s magnifying
glass to see the difference between sentence A and sen-
tence B: B uses the words draconian and new to describe
the parking policy, while A uses only new. (Go back to
Lesson 3 if you’ve forgotten what draconian means.)
Now that you have noticed this, why is it important?