How To Comprehend What You Read

Easy tips to grasp and understand what you've read or are reading.

Kris Caballero • Dec 25, 2024 • 0 comments • Talking About Books

1. Familiarize yourself with the author's tone and writing style.
2. [For fiction] Distinguish the words used to describe the setting(s) and situation(s).
3. [For nonfiction] Pinpoint the fact(s) and information being presented.
4. [For fiction] See which sentences seem vague or wordy; Reread.
5. [For nonfiction] Pinpoint/Highlight sentences stating facts apart from the "fluff."
6. Reread again until fully understood.
7. Comprehend it all chapter by chapter, and by book entirely.

Whether you're reading for research, teaching or learning/studying, there's something to be had when it comes to reading. It's best to know and understand what it is you're reading, otherwise, you're just looking at clusters of English letters crunched together to spell out words that express something. Given that attention spans continue to shorten day by day, let alone how visual many of us are, you'll find lots of benefits that come with the effects of reading.

1.) Familiarize yourself with the author's tone and writing style.

Not all books are written the same way. Some authors are geared towards sounding more formal, while others inject some humor. As for fiction, some authors are more descriptive of the scenes and situations, while others are more inclined to tell the story straight up, while keeping the scenery simple. All this starts from the start, and if you read the preface or the introduction, if the book includes it, this is your opportunity to read and get to know the author(s), their tone(s) and writing style. They may not unveil it all in such pages at the beginning, but then again, you don't expect someone to immediately be your friend after you introduce yourself. Therefore, make this the best chance to familiarize yourself with the author(s) and their writing style.

In fact, once you obtain your copy of a book, there aren't any requirements that you must read from cover to cover, and can read how ever and start where ever you please. Then again, this article was made for the purpose of understanding what you're reading, and/or what you've read. And knowing the author's tone is a great tip so their style of writing "sticks" with you throughout the book.

2.) [For fiction] Distinguish the words used to describe the setting(s) and the situation(s).

Authors are human too. Often times, they get caught up trying to verbally/linguistically draw where the scene(s) take place. While there's nothing wrong with an author writing five pages meticulously describing how beautiful a red rose is, again, knowing their tone will bring you, the reader(s), in how and why doing such thing takes place. Some authors can be too wordy when telling the situation(s) and how they "chain" together to create the current scene. All this sounds like rigorous work, and it is! If you thought making a film adaptation of a book is much more difficult, think again. Nevertheless, using this tip to see where the author directs and describes the scene(s), the character(s) and the like, will help you get the scene and the entire chapter.

3.) [For nonfiction] Pinpoint the fact(s) and information being presented.

For those reading nonfiction, you'll notice that there exist author(s) who get straight to the point and tell the reader(s) exactly what the book's premise is. On the other hand, some authors take some time to present their personalities, like humor, to make the subject they're teaching to be more fun (i.e. For Dummies books are a perfect example). Because nonfiction books often include subjects/topics that are often too "dry" to read, such author(s) do their best presenting it in a way that's accessible to the reader(s); Topics also depends on the level of expertise on the reader's end, as some require knowledge of the basics in order to understand—learning about Calculus requires knowing Algebra and Trigonometry, for example.

Having read plenty of nonfiction books ourselves and reviewing them here on our website since 2012, we noticed that some authors do an excellent job explaining and teaching the subject(s) than others. Again, knowing their tone and eliminating the "fluff" is key and wanting to know and learn about the subject being taught.

4.) [For fiction] See which sentences seem vague and/or wordy; Reread if necessary.

As mentioned earlier, authors are human too, and some of their writing don't always come out as clear as they thought reader(s) would be able to comprehend. It happens, and it's normal to read something like this. Our simple tip is to reread such part(s); Perhaps reread the entire paragraph and see how, and why, the words chosen and written were done and how they all cluster/work together. On the reader's side, sometimes thoughts cross our minds that sort of distract us from envisioning the stuff we're reading. Again, this is all normal and it happens from time to time. Either way, the best method is to simply reread it again until you got a feel of the story and where it's going.

5.) [For nonfiction] Pinpoint/Highlight the facts apart from the "fluff."

Similar to where you're reading fiction, the author(s) would take the time to talk and chime in the subject/topic on hand as a means of communication. That's not a bad thing, and authors do their best not to veer off topic, which frankly, does happen. Depending on the book, use this opportunity to jot down, or highlight, the main point(s) you're learning about or wanting to know without getting caught from the author(s) yapping.

Why do some nonfiction books allow "fluff?" I'm sure there are reports, subjects and informative topics that can be written in less than 200 pages. However, this depends on the author(s) themselves and their publisher(s). Perhaps the book comes off as "too dense" and textbook-like where the author(s), editor(s), and/or publisher(s) would want, and prefer, if the book comes off as, let's say, something similar to teaching a class—more conversational, for instance. This is just an example but whatever the case, you, the reader(s), can sort out and read through what it is you're looking to learn and/or know about.

6.) Reread again until fully understood.

It's easy to blame the author(s) for something that's not clear. Unless that's the real case, often times it's us, the reader(s), who probably didn't interpret the sentence(s) or paragraph(s) we read. Much like listening to a song's lyrics, when played and repeated again gets us to memorize it, as the same tactic could be done with reading. Granted, one does not need to memorize everything they read, but to re-read until it sticks in your mind. Some scenes, or information, stand out better than others whether it you intended to understand it or not. The point of this is to getting a firm grasp with the stories or information you're reading about.

For those reading nonfiction: If you have to read the book as if it were written for a podcast or a seminar, you can do so! We often do this when an author quotes another person—envisioning that other person saying such quote as if they're making a speech. How ever way you want to envision it, as long as you understand what you're reading, all is well!

7.) Comprehend it all chapter by chapter, by the book entirely.

After using all the previous tips in understanding, the comprehending part "packages" it all together: What is the story telling you about? Are there any messages/meaning behind it? Is it teaching you a lesson, or sending a warning/reminder? How relatable are the story's characters, and can you learn from how they are and what they're all about?

For those reading nonfiction, you ask yourselves these: Did the author convey all the information they shared? What did you learn? Are there information you recall and will remember going forward? What was it about the book and its information that made you wonder in the first place? Was the information you read useful?

These questions are laid out to make you, the reader(s), elaborate and sum up all that you're reading, or have read. It's best to know and absorb the things you read, otherwise, as stated earlier, you're just running your eyes through clustered letters, and you don't want that. Books are written to share stories and spread information in a way such that it's being shared and communicated semi-personally. In other words, it's like a personal moment that the author(s) is sharing with you, telling you about something, indirectly. It would be an insult if you scanned through a book, then admit you didn't understand nor learn anything. This quick, simple, yet crucial tip ought to remind you to take in the stuff you read. In addition, you want to know what's going on and what the author(s) is conveying. The more you're able to pick apart the ones you've absorbed, the better you can comprehend and understand the story/information. Intellectually, you want to get the best bang for your buck, even if the book is free!

We hope these simple tips get you to enjoy and grasp all the books you read, whether for school or for pleasure. Some may argue that audiobooks help them retain the stories/information better than reading it. That's fine too, as many people learn and take in information differently. For those who prefer to crack a book open and read, these tips are catered to you!

Do you use any of these tips? Are there more you'd like to add? Let's talk about it in the comments section below!

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