Reading comprehension is both an art and a science. It is a science because you have to understand grammar and all of the rules that govern the reading, writing and speaking of the language, in our case English. If the writer or speaker does not follow grammar and the rules associated with it then he would be talking or writing nonsense and no one would understand what he is trying to say. Likewise, if the reader or listener has not studied his grammar he will not be able to understand what is being said or written. Communication is a two way process and both players must follow conventions and rules.
Reading comprehension is also an art because the language allows us some freedom in choice of words and the way we construct our sentences. It is here that the writer or speaker can use his creativity in putting across his message in a particular manner. It is up to the reader or listener to make sense of what is being said or written.
Words and grammar are something we are all exposed to when we learn the language formally in school and informally outside of school. In this learning we develop skills in reading comprehension. When you see a report in the morning newspaper it is vital that you read the report carefully and understand what the writer is trying to report on. More often than not, there is a reference to a context and when you think about it the report becomes more clear and meaningful. You begin to recall all that you have learned in the past and apply this knowledge to understand the report. The writer of the report strings sentences in such a way that it has relevance to what is happening and you, as a reader, should always remember the context to which the writer refers.
Read the following text then play the quiz to test your reading comprehension levels.