Why Slow Reading Feels Safe
Most learners read English slowly because they translate every sentence into their own language first. This feels safe. You understand each word, so you believe you understand the text. But translation uses a lot of energy, and by the end of the page you are tired and you have forgotten the beginning. Reading faster is not about caring less. It is about spending your energy on meaning instead of on translation.
The first habit is to look before you read. Read the title, the first sentence of each paragraph, and any picture or chart. This takes twenty seconds, and it tells your brain what kind of information is coming. When you know what to expect, you no longer need to check every word, because your brain can fill small gaps by itself.
The second habit is to guess new words instead of stopping at them. If you meet a word you do not know, keep reading to the end of the paragraph. Very often the next sentence explains it. Write the word down, finish the paragraph, and look it up after. Stopping breaks your speed, and a broken sentence is harder to understand than an unknown word.
The third habit is to stop your eyes from going back. Many learners read a line and then jump back to check it. Try moving your finger, a pen, or your mouse under the line as you read. Your eyes follow the moving point, and the line keeps you going forward. It looks strange, but it works from the first day.
The last habit is the simplest one. Read for fifteen minutes every day rather than for two hours on Sunday. Speed comes from meeting the same common words again and again until you no longer need to think about them. Short daily practice gives you more of those meetings, and more meetings mean faster reading.