THE PR₄ STUDY FORMULA

Anticipation through Previewing

One of the essential features of this POWEREADING program is the PR₄ Study Formula. It is so important to successful reading that if you learned only PR₄ from this course, your reading would improve markedly.

Why is the PR₄ so important to efficient reading? Because it helps to channel mental activity while you are reading. We mentioned in the last lesson how readers complain about inability to concentrate. The PR₄ helps to overcome this mental inattentiveness because it encourages the reader to think constructively along the same lines as the author.

Too many readers jump right into an article with the first word. This is a very inefficient way to read. When you read without previewing, you are not aware of the author's purpose and method of presentation. Your mind has to wrestle with unexpected ideas as they come. Previewing helps you to anticipate the author's ideas and methods so that comprehension is more rapid and sustained.

Preview

The first step to the PR₄ Study Formula is the Preview. Here's how an efficient Preview should be conducted.

1. Read the Title: The reason for this is obvious. The title tells us the topic or subject of the article. In some cases, the title may be a catch-line designed to attract our attention so that we will explore the article further. Sometimes, too, the title is highly opinionated which gives us a clue to the author's stand on his subject. Such a title might be: "Let's Stop Coddling Our Children!" From this title it is easy to see how the author feels about rearing children. In looking at the title, then, we can expect to learn the subject of the article and/or the author's feeling toward the subject.

2. Look at the Picture: The saying goes that a picture is worth ten thousand words. This is especially true in previewing. An illustration accompanying an article can tell us much about the story - it can tell us where: the tropics, arctic, suburbia; it can tell us who: children, natives, animals; it can tell us when: the present, the middle ages, Elizabethan England.

The picture or illustration may also clarify. An article entitled "The Home of the Future" might be accompanied by an artist's conception of just such a home. This illustration would certainly contribute to our comprehension of the article.

3. Read the First Paragraph: The third step of an effective Preview is to read the entire first paragraph. This is the introductory paragraph and also is very often the topic paragraph. This is the author's first opportunity to communicate with his reader. An experienced author will make good use of his opening paragraph. Generally, an author will use his first paragraph for one of three purposes. One, he may acquaint us with background facts or events needed to understand what is coming. Two, he may give his reason for writing, his purpose, what he's trying to do in this article. Three, he may give us a brief preview of what is to appear later in the article. Occasionally, an author will use an anecdote or story, such as a speaker might do, to help him get started.

4. Read the Last Paragraph: The next thing to do in previewing is to skip to the very end of the selection and read the last paragraph. This is called the concluding paragraph and may be used to draw a conclusion based on the facts which have been presented; to restate the main idea or purpose; or to summarize the important facts of the article as a brief review. Reading the first and last paragraphs lets you know what the author feels is important or essential.

5. Glance through the Article: This last step asks the reader to skim over the article looking for bold print, indicating main divisions or important concepts. During this step the reader may discover that the author's discussion is divided into three main points, each introduced with a headline. This would enable the reader to learn a little about the author's organization and plan of presentation.

This first part of the PR₄ Study Formula, the Preview, should be used every time we read, regardless of what we are reading or why.

Relate

When reading or studying something important, something we've got to remember, the reader should use this step to the Study Formula.

This step actually has two parts. When relating, the student should call to mind what he already knows about the subject from his past experience. If you are studying Chapter Three of a textbook, try to recall what you can of Chapters One and Two.

Another aspect of relating is to question the author. Try to anticipate some of the things the author might discuss. This questioning helps to keep you alert. If you have previewed properly, many ideas on this subject should come to your mind. These are the things on which you should question the author. If, for example, you have previewed a chapter in history dealing with the Revolutionary War, you might ask such questions as: "Can I expect to learn what caused this war? Will important dates and decisive battles be listed? Will cities be named where outbreaks first occurred? Will social changes resulting from the war be discussed?" With questions like these in mind, you are better prepared to associate and understand the author's ideas.

These first two parts of your Study Formula, Preview and Relate, are always used when studying.

Read

Now you are ready to read, intelligently. Your Preview has given you a lot of background on the subject; the Relate step has alerted you to some of the things to be presented and discussed. Your assignment means much more now than just a number of pages to be covered. Your speed can be regulated, to read slowly new ideas and to speed up on ideas covered and understood during previewing and relating. This is active reading - the kind that pays off.

Review

These last two steps, Review and Recall, are employed when preparing for a quiz or examination.

After reading, go back over the material rapidly, pausing to reread definitions and important parts. Fill in any gaps in your knowledge of the assignment. Be sure that you understand the material you have been assigned to learn.

Recall

As a test of your comprehension and understanding, close the text and recall, in sequence, the author's ideas. A good way to do this is with pencil and paper, especially if there's an examination tomorrow. List the major ideas from the chapter. Once these are down on paper, the supplementary ideas can be recalled easily - the recall of one idea triggering the next. A good outline can be used as a study guide the next time you have to review this material.

Decide now to organize your reading and study time using this approach. Only through organization can time and effort produce good results. Put the PR₄ Study Formula to work for you.

1. Comprehension questions

Exercise 1.1. On the blanks label each of the following statements according to its function as part of the Preview, Relate, Read, Review, or Recall.

___ 1. In this step we sometimes learn the author's feeling about his subject.

___ 2. This step is necessary when reading or studying something important.

___ 3. In this step you question the author.

___ 4. In this step you fill in any gaps in your knowledge.

___ 5. This step is best completed with a pencil.

___ 6. In this step you look for bold print.

___ 7. During this step you can regulate your speed.

___ 8. In this step you reread definitions.

___ 9. During this step you may see a picture or illustration.

___ 10. This step enables you to learn the author's organization.

Exercise 1. 2. Check off the option which best completes each statement.

11. When you read without previewing

( ) a. you are unable to concentrate

( ) b. you are unaware of the author's method of presentation

( ) c. your mind is unable to wrestle with unexpected ideas

( ) d. mental inattentiveness is overcome

12. The introductory paragraph is like

( ) a. a catch-line designed to attract our attention

( ) b. a graphic comprehension aid

( ) c. an illustration or artist's conception

( ) d. a speaker's opening remarks

13. One purpose for which the introductory paragraph is not normally used is

( ) a. to disclose the author's organization

( ) b. to give the reader needed background

( ) c. to give the author's reason for writing

( ) d. to present a brief preview of what is to come

14. Which one of these steps is not part of the Preview?

( ) a. Read the Title

( ) b. Look at the Picture

( ) c. Relate your Knowledge

( ) d. Glance Through

15. The author apparently considers previewing

( ) a. essential for efficient reading

( ) b. more useful for students than adults

( ) c. only applicable to study-type reading

( ) d. interesting but not too useful

2. Grammar points

Exercise 2.1: Five Prefixes

Directions: After studying these five prefixes and their meanings, go on to the 20 sentences. In each sentence, underline a word beginning with one of these prefixes and fill in the blank with the best meaning for that prefix.

Prefix	From	Meaning	Example
a-	Old English	in, on, of, up, to	ablaze, atop
circum-	Latin	around	circumference
in-	Latin	in, into, within	inhabit
post-	Latin	after, following, later	postscript
sub-	Latin	under, below	submerge

1. "He's sick a bed" means that he is ill and _______________ bed.

2. Inhaling is the act of drawing air _______________ the lungs.

3. When someone circumvents the law, he goes _______________ it.

4. The ship ran aground and stuck fast _______________ the sand.

5. Substandard housing falls _______________ required standards.

6. A postgraduate student takes courses _______________ he has graduated.

7. A _______________ about way of speaking to express what could be said in a few words is called circumlocution.

8. Inhabitants are people who live _______________ a place.

9. Subterranean passages are _______________ ground.

10. A man afoot is one traveling _______________ foot.

11. Post meridiem (P.M.) refers to time _______________ noon.

12. When Magellan's ship circumnavigated the earth, it sailed _______________ it.

13. Mental activities which occur _______________ our conscious level are subconscious.

14. A postponed decision has been put off until _______________.

15. A person aboard an airplane is _______________ board.

16. A postscript to a letter is written _______________ the writer's name has been signed.

17. Invaders go _______________ a country by using force.

18. A submarine travels _______________ water.

19. Ingested food has been taken _______________ the body.

20. The distance _______________ a circle is the circumference.

Exercise 2.2. After studying these five prefixes and their meanings, go on to the 20 sentences. In each sentence, underline a word beginning with one of these prefixes and fill in the blank with the best meaning for that prefix.

Prefix	From	Meaning	Example
anti-	Greek	against, opposing	antifreeze
dis-	Latin	apart, away	disappear
mis-	Old English	badly, wrong	mistake
semi-	Latin	half, partly	semicircle
uni-	Latin	one	unity

1. A misspelled word is spelled _______________.

2. A semiannual event takes place every _______________ year.

3. Antiaircraft guns are used _______________ aircraft.

4. When someone is dismissed, he is sent _______________.

5. A person who behaves _______________ is said to misbehave.

6. Semicivilized peoples are _______________ civilized.

7. In international affairs unilateral action is action taken by _______________ nation.

8. Voices in unison make _______________ sound.

9. An antiseptic dressing for cuts protects _______________ infection.

10. Misdemeanors are _______________ acts under the law.

11. To mistreat someone is to treat him _______________.

12. A discarded item has been thrown _______________.

13. Distributed items have been given _______________.

14. A semiautomatic rifle operates _______________ automatically.

15. A misstatement is a _______________ or erroneous statement.

16. A union acts as _______________ voice for its members.

17. A dismantled clock has been taken _______________.

18. A medicine which works _______________ a poison is called an antidote.

19. Our fifty states, joined to form _______________ nation, are called the United States.

20. A semicircle is a _______________ circle.