Tugas 5 : Different Purposes of Reading

Nama : Ferbawanti. S (47)

SN : 09250018

According to Finlands Virtuelia Universitet (Finnish Virtual University), there are some reading purposes that are involved in the reading strategies:

1. Skimming i.e. reading for a general impression 

Skimming the text  should give an idea of the usefulness of the text for people’s purposes and also a general idea of what it is about. This information helps people to decide how well people should read it.

2. Scanning i.e. reading for specific details 

Some people may need to find answers to certain questions  (what, who, when).

3. Reading for main points in general

The main points could include information like why the text was written, what the purpose of the writer was, how the text is organised and what the main arguments are. Eg. reading for an exam

4. Reading for selected main points

People may look for information about a specific area or answers to certain questions. The reading will probably aim at finding that information only. Eg. reading for a thesis.

5. Critical / evaluative reading (intensive)

If people read a text with a critical or evaluative attitude, they probably compare the writer's views with their own or some other writers' views. Making a difference between facts and opinions of the writer is also important. Eg. reading for a thesis or an exam.

6. Reading for pleasure

(Often without having to keep the content in mind)

From the passages above, we can conclude that reading have some purposes according to the strategies used, they are:

1.      For general impression (by skimming).

2.      To find specific information (by scanning).

3.      For critical / evaluative reading (by intensive).

4.      Reading for pleasure (by extensive).

Reference : Finnish Virtual University (2010). Reading and Writing in English for Academic and Professional Purposes. Retrieved from: (http://h27.it.helsinki.fi/erc/reading_theory.html)