SKIMMING & SCANNING

Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye
movement and keywords to move quickly through text for slightly
different purposes. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general
overview of the material. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find
specific facts. While skimming tells you what general information is
within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact. Skimming is
like snorkeling, and scanning is more like pearl diving.
Use skimming in previewing (reading before you read), reviewing
(reading after you read), determining the main idea from a long selection
you don't wish to read, or when trying to find source material for a
research paper.
Use scanning in research to find particular facts, to study fact-heavy
topics, and to answer questions requiring factual support.
Skimming to save time

Skimming can save you hours of laborious reading. However, it is not

always the most appropriate way to read. It is very useful as a preview to
a more detailed reading or when reviewing a selection heavy in content.
But when you skim, you may miss important points or overlook the finer
shadings of meaning, for which rapid reading or perhaps even study
reading may be necessary.
Use skimming to overview your textbook chapters or to review for a
test. Use skimming to decide if you need to read something at all, for
example during the preliminary research for a paper. Skimming can tell
you enough about the general idea and tone of the material, as well as its
gross similarity or difference from other sources, to know if you need to
read it at all.
To skim, prepare yourself to move rapidly through the pages. You will
not read every word; you will pay special attention to typographical
cues-headings, boldface and italic type, indenting, bulleted and
numbered lists. You will be alert for key words and phrases, the names
of people and places, dates, nouns, and unfamiliar words. In general
follow these steps:

1. Read the table of contents or chapter overview to learn the main

divisions of ideas.
2. Glance through the main headings in each chapter just to see a word
or two. Read the headings of charts and tables.
3. Read the entire introductory paragraph and then the first and last
sentence only of each following paragraph. For each paragraph, read
only the first few words of each sentence or to locate the main idea.
4. Stop and quickly read the sentences containing keywords indicated in
boldface or italics.
5. When you think you have found something significant, stop to read
the entire sentence to make sure. Then go on the same way. Resist the
temptation to stop to read details you don't need.
6. Read chapter summaries when provided.

If you cannot complete all the steps above, compromise: read only the
chapter overviews and summaries, for example, or the summaries and all
the boldfaced keywords. When you skim, you take a calculated risk that
you may miss something. For instance, the main ideas of paragraphs are
not always found in the first or last sentences (although in many
textbooks they are). Ideas you miss you may pick up in a chapter
overview or summary.
Good skimmers do not skim everything at the same rate or give equal
attention to everything. While skimming is always faster than your
normal reading speed, you should slow down in the following situations:
 When you skim introductory and concluding paragraphs
 When you skim topic sentences
 When you find an unfamiliar word
 When the material is very complicated
Scanning for research and study
Scanning, too, uses keywords and organizational cues. But while the
goal of skimming is a bird's-eye view of the material, the goal of
scanning is to locate and swoop down on particular facts.
Facts may be buried within long text passages that have relatively little
else to do with your topic or claim. Skim this material first to decide if it
is likely to contain the facts you need. Don't forget to scan tables of
contents, summaries, indexes, headings, and typographical cues. To
make sense of lists and tables, skim them first to understand how they
are organized: alphabetical, chronological, or most-to-least, for example.
If after skimming you decide the material will be useful, go ahead and
scan:
1. Know what you're looking for. Decide on a few key words or phrases–
search terms, if you will. You will be a flesh-and-blood search engine.
2. Look for only one keyword at a time. If you use multiple keywords,
do multiple scans.
3. Let your eyes float rapidly down the page until you find the word or
phrase you want.
4. When your eye catches one of your keywords, read the surrounding
material carefully.

Scanning to answer questions

If you are scanning for facts to answer a specific question, one step is
already done for you: the question itself supplies the keywords. Follow
these steps:
1. Read each question completely before starting to scan. Choose your
keywords from the question itself.
2. Look for answers to only one question at a time. Scan separately for
each question.
3. When you locate a keyword, read the surrounding text carefully to see
if it is relevant.
4. Re-read the question to determine if the answer you found answers
this question.
Scanning is a technique that requires concentration and can be
surprisingly tiring. You may have to practice at not allowing your
attention to wander. Choose a time and place that you know works for
you and dive in.

Skimming and Scanning

Skimming refers to the process of reading only main ideas within a

passage to get an overall impression of the content of a reading
selection.

How to Skim:

* Read the title.

* Read the introduction or the first paragraph.

* Read the first sentence of every other paragraph.

* Read any headings and sub-headings.

* Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs.

* Notice any italicized or boldface words or phrases.

* Read the summary or last paragraph.

Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want to find

specific information quickly. In scanning you have a question in
 your mind and you read a passage only to find the answer, ignoring
unrelated information.

How to Scan:

* State the specific information you are looking for.

* Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you
might use to help you locate the answer. For example, if you were
looking for a certain date, you would quickly read the paragraph
looking only for numbers.

* Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which
sections might contain the information you are looking for.

* Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage.

(From College Reading and Study Skills and

Academic Reading and Study Skills for International Students)

What Are Present, Past, And Sometimes Perfect Participles?

Participles. They’re verbs, they’re adjectives, they’re perfect and
progressive! Is there anything they can’t do?

If you’re wondering what a participle does, you’re not alone. These

mighty verbs take many forms and can be tricky to master. Let’s explore
the different types.

To start, participles are words derived from verbs that can function
as adjectives or as parts of verb phrases to create verb tenses.
Put simply, that means a participle will look like a verb (running) but
may have a different role in the sentence: the running water. That
participle is describing the water and performing the function of an
adjective.
The two main types of participles are the present participle and the past
participle.
What is a present participle?
Adding -ing to the base form of a verb creates the present participle. For
example, eat is the base form of the verb to eat. The present participle
of eat is eating. Present participles always end in -ing.
Other examples of present participles include swimming, laughing,
and playing.
The present participle can function as an adjective and modify nouns in
sentences. For example:
 In the sentence “The winning athlete gets a trophy,” the present
participle winning describes the noun athlete.
Present participles appear in progressive (or continuous) verb tenses,
which show when a verb or action was/is in the process of happening.
For example:
 A sentence in the present progressive tense is: “She is sitting now.”
 A sentence in past progressive tense is: “She was sitting there 10
minutes ago.”
 A sentence in future progressive tense is: “She will be sitting at her
desk in an hour.”
All three of these sentences indicate when she was/is in the process
of sitting.
What is a past participle?
For regular verbs, adding -ed to the base form creates the past participle.
For example, the past participle of cook is cooked.
Past participles formed from irregular verbs may have endings like -en, -
t, -d, and -n. Examples include swollen, burnt, hoped, and broken. Some
past participles remain the same as the base forms of irregular verbs,
like set and cut.
Past participles can also function as adjectives that modify nouns. For
example:

 In the sentence “She placed the cut flowers in the vase,” the past
participle cut modifies the noun flowers.
Past participles can also combine with the verb to be to create
the passive forms of verbs. For example:
 In the sentence “He was taken to the store by his daughter,” the verb
form was taken includes the past participle taken and was, which is
the past tense of the verb to be.
What is a perfect participle?
And there’s more!

Combining the word having with the past participle of a word creates
the perfect participle. Perfect participles demonstrate that an action was
completed in the past. Examples of perfect participles include having
watched, having arrived, and having slept.
What is a participial phrase?
Participial phrases are participles combined with other words that act as
adjectives within sentences. Usually, participial phrases modify the
subjects of sentences, but sometimes they modify other nouns. For
example:
 In the sentence “Wearing his new suit, Bill went to work,” the
participial phrase wearing his new suit acts like an adjective to
describe the subject of the sentence, Bill.
Within a sentence, participial phrases should be close to the nouns that
they modify to avoid confusion. For example:

 In the sentence “Leaving the store, he hailed a taxi,” it’s clear that
the phrase leaving the store modifies the subject he.
Participial phrases that don’t clearly have a noun to modify are known
as dangling modifiers. For instance:
 In the sentence “Leaving the store, the traffic was heavy,” it seems
as if the traffic is leaving the store, but this is impossible.
Can we go over this one more time?

 Participles are words formed from verbs.

 Present participles always end in -ing and function as adjectives.
They help form progressive verb tenses.
 Past participles end in -ed, or other past tense irregular verb endings,
and function as adjectives. They also combine with the verb to be to
create passive verb forms.
 Participial phrases modify the subjects of sentences

English learners have difficulty with gerunds and infinitives. A

gerund is the –ing form of a verb that functions the same as a
noun. For example, “Running is fun.” In this sentence, “running”
is the gerund. It acts just like a noun.

The infinitive form of a verb appears either as the basic form

(with no marking) or with the word “to.” For example, you can say
“I might run to the store” or “I like to run.” In this sentence, “to
run” is the infinitive.

It is difficult for English learners to know whether to use a gerund

or an infinitive after a verb.

Here’s an example. Which sentence is correct?

Sentence one: I suggested going to dinner.

Sentence two: I suggested to go to dinner.

Sentence one, with the gerund, is correct. “I suggested going to

dinner.” Why? You can only use a gerund after the verb “suggest.”

Let’s take the word “like.” You can say “I like" running” or “I like
to run.” Both sentences have the same meaning. You can use
either a gerund or an infinitive after “like.” Now let’s try “enjoy.”
We can say, “I enjoy running.” But we cannot say, “I enjoy to run.”
Why? Only a gerund can follow the verb “enjoy.”
Are you confused yet? You’re not alone. Gerunds and infinitives
confuse even very advanced English learners.

Basically, some verbs are followed by gerunds, some verbs are

followed by infinitives, and some verbs can be followed by
gerunds or infinitives. Native speakers do not think about the
difference. But English learners have to memorize the hundreds of
different verb combinations.

Here are a few tips.

Tip number one: you almost always find a gerund after

a preposition. For example, “She is afraid of flying.” In this
sentence “of” is the preposition and “flying” is the gerund. You
cannot say “She is afraid of to fly.” An infinitive cannot be the
object of a preposition, only a gerund can. You could say, “She is
afraid to fly,” but in this sentence, the preposition “of” is gone.

Tip number two: When you are talking about an activity, you
usually use a gerund. For example, “I stopped smoking.” You can
describe many activities by using “go” before a gerund. “Let’s go
shopping,” or “We went skiing.”

Let’s see how much you know. Try to complete these sentences
using the verb “study.” Ready? I’ll read the first part of the
sentence and you finish it.

I enjoy … (studying)

I considered … (studying)

I managed … (to study)

I hope … (to study)

 I suggested … (studying)

I like… … (studying) or … (to study)

This is only a simple introduction to a complicated grammar

topic.

There is no quick and easy way to learn gerunds and infinitives. It

takes years of practice and familiarity with the English language.
Next time you read or listen to a VOA Learning English story, pay
attention to use of gerunds and infinitives. Over time, you will
begin to hear the right verb combination.

Below is a helpful reference list for using gerunds and infinitives.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

And I’m Ashley Thompson.

Adam Brock wrote this story for Learning English. Dr. Jill
Robbins was the editor.

_____________________________________________
_________________

Words in This Story

gerund - n. an English noun formed from a verb by adding -ing

infinitive - n. the basic form of a verb; usually used

with to except with modal verbs like should and could and certain
other verbs like see and hear
preposition - n. a word or group of words that is used with a
noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or
time, or to introduce an object

Now it’s your turn. In the comment section, write one sentence
that uses a verb followed by a gerund or an infinitive. We’ll
respond with feedback about your usage.

_____________________________________________
_________________

Only a gerund can follow these verbs:

admit, advise, avoid, be used to, can’t help, can’t stand, consider,
deny, discuss, dislike, end up, enjoy, feel like, finish, forget, get
used to, give up, go on, have difficulty, have problems, have
trouble, imagine, it’s no use, it’s worthwhile, keep, look forward
to, mention, mind, miss, recommend, remember, quit, spend
time, stop, suggest, understand, waste time, work at

Either a gerund or an infinitive can follow these verbs,

and there is no change in meaning

begin, continue, hate, intend, like, love, prefer, start

Either a gerund or an infinitive can follow these verbs,

but the meaning may change:

forget, remember, stop

An infinitive follows these verbs:

afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, care, decide, demand, expect,

fail, forget, hope, learn, manage, mean, offer, plan, prepare,
pretend, promise, refuse, remember, seem, stop, volunteer, wait,
want, wish

A noun or pronoun and an infinitive follow these verbs

advise, allow, ask, cause, challenge, command, convince, expect,

forbid, force, hire, instruct, invite, order, pay, permit, program,
remind, teach, tell, urge, want, warn

What is the difference between grammar and syntax?

Grammar is a (occasionally the) set of rules for the organization of

meaningful elements into sentences; their economy, in one sense of that
word.
There are two basic varieties of grammar; all languages have some of
both kinds, but, depending on the kind of language involved, there's a lot
of variation in how much of each kind they have.
One part of grammar is called Morphology. It has to do with
the internal economy of words. So a word like bookkeepers has four
morphemes (book, keep, -er, -s) and is put together with morphology.
English doesn't have nearly as much morphology as most European
languages; Russian grammar, for instance, has much more morphology
than syntax. Russian is a synthetic (inflected) language.
The other part is called Syntax. It has to do with the external economy
of words, including word order, agreement; like the sentence For me to
call her sister would be a bad idea and its syntactic transform It would
be a bad idea for me to call her sister. That's syntax. English grammar is
mostly syntax. English is an analytic (uninflected) language.
Grammar is a set of rules that set forth the correct standard of usage in
a language. These rules dictate how we should say things correctly. For
example, agreement between words in relation to other constructions in
the sentence.
Syntax is the study of sentences and their structure, and the
constructions within sentences. Syntax tells us what goes where in a
sentence.

Syntax definition: Syntax is the grammatical structure of words and phrases to

create coherent sentences.

What is Syntax? Definition,

Examples of English Syntax
What is syntax?
What does syntax mean? Syntax is the grammatical structure of
sentences. The format in which words and phrases are arranged to create
sentences is called syntax.
Let’s look at an example of how a sentence can be rearranged to create
varied syntax.

Examples of Syntax in a Sentence:

 The boy jumped happily.

 The boy happily jumped.
 Happily, the boy jumped.

By rearranging just one word in

the sentence, a varied syntax is formed. Each is grammatically correct
and acceptable English language form.

A writer will vary sentence syntax to make writing more interesting or to

emphasize a particular point.
Words and phrases must follow English rules for correct arrangement
and coherent sentences.

Syntax vs. Diction: What’s the Difference?

Syntax and diction are different concepts in grammar and in literature.

What is syntax? Syntax is the arrangement of words that make a

sentence.
What is diction? Diction is word choice.

The following examples have

similar syntax but different diction.

 The boy jumped happily.

 The girl sang beautifully.
 The dog barked loudly.
Each of these sentences has the same syntax. Each sentence follows the
structure of subject-verb-adverb. However, each sentence uses different
diction (word choice).

The following examples have similar diction but different syntax.

 The boy jumped happily.

 The boy happily
 Happily, the boy jumped.
Each of these sentences has the same diction. Each sentence uses the
same four words. However, each sentence has different word order to
create different syntax.

In other words, diction and syntax focus on different things. Diction

focuses on word choice, while syntax focuses on the order and structure
of those words.
Proper Syntax in English Sentences

In English, a strong, active

voice sentence will always have the subject doing the action of the
sentence. These sentences will follow a basic subject-verb-object format.

Below are a few examples of different types of syntax in English. Each

of these examples has different syntax.

Simple sentences follow a subject-verb format.

Simple Syntax Examples:
 The boy jumped.
 The girl sang.
Compound sentences have more than one subject or verb.
Compound Syntax Examples:
 The boy jumped and the girl sang.
 I did not go to the concert but I went to the fair.
Complex sentences contain a subordinating clause.
Complex Syntax Examples:
 The boy jumped even though he was nervous.
 Because she was excited, the girl sang.
Compound-complex sentences contain two independent clauses and
more dependent clauses.
Compound-complex Syntax Examples:
 Even though he was nervous, the boy jumped and he landed across
the stream.
 The girl sang and the woman shrieked because they were excited.
Parallel Structure in Sentences
 When constructing sentences, it
is important to always keep in mind that ideas should be parallel.

In English, parallel structure is most often an issue when creating a

series list. Therefore, we will look at an example of appropriate parallel
structure through lists.

Correct example:
 I like running, jumping, and hiking.
In this example, three gerunds are used (running, jumping, hiking) to
create the grammatically correct list.

Incorrect example:
 I like to run, jumping, and hiking.
In this example, “to run” and “jumping” and “hiking” are not parallel.
“To run” is an infinitive and “jumping” and “hiking” are gerunds. This
sentence is grammatically incorrect and this sentence does not have
proper syntax.

Summary: What is Syntax in Literature?

Define syntax: the definition of syntax is,
 the arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences
 a way for writers to express creativity and create interest
 a balance of words that must be parallel to be grammatically
correct