Making predictions

It is a mistake to begin reading without having a reason to read: reading requires a certain strategy and approach in order to comprehend content properly. Hence, initial stage is to be organized so that the reader could make inferences about genre and register peculiarities: whether it is fiction or non-fiction (with emphasis on its source, purpose, medium of communication, social, cultural, political conditions), taking into account area of its dissimilation (science, business transactions, newspaper reporting, journal articles, TV advertising, official announcements, cultural or sport events). If we think of the way how to start processing information, then the following functional domains are offered to single out:

- general scientific entries, which deal with asserting certain points or assumptions, making prospects, arriving at certain results, explaining and defining this or that phenomenon, passing on and summing up information;

- publicistic prose with the focus on influence on public opinion, combination of logic argumentation and emotional appeal causing a person to accept the given point of view, logically and carefully structured with use of imagery and brevity of expression.

Follow up tasks:

1. Explain what making inferences about genre and register peculiarities implies.

2. Which functional domains should be singled out for interpreting the text?

3. Point out basic distinctive features of general scientific and publicistic prose.

Reading strategies:

- Have a question in your mind about would-be topic and content.

- Take a look at a title and subheading in order to get a rough idea about the main topic and in what subject area it could be placed.

- Work out the meaning of the title making some guesses on purpose and function of the passage.

- Pay attention to the way how the text is structured (number of paragraphs and headings if any), which gives you ability to predict text development.

- Remember, headings for each section refer to what is contained and location of pieces of information.

- Always look at bold words, illustrations, figures, tables, graphs that accompany a reading passage and contain clues to predicted information.

- Questions given in the tasks provide valuable hints about the content.

- Figure out relevant topical items, based on your experience.

Study skills:

- understand how the text is structured;

- predict text development;

- decide whether the text is based on fact or opinion;

- make general inferences from the text;

- use headlines and subheadings as cues to understanding.

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