Reading is an art of sitting patiently and listening to what the author has to say. It’s the feelings of the author conveyed into characters. Unlike a movie, a reading experience doesn’t give pre-planned colors to the reader into the background. The reading is deprived of tone and context and that is what makes it a process of subjective perception. It is not only through the words of the author that give us a peek into his brain but also through the length of the sentences, the frequency of pauses, the description of the characters or scenes and the figures of speech that he chooses to use. The author knowingly or unknowingly establishes the background of his motivations when choosing each of these elements.
Beyond the emotional aspect, it is one of the most organic mediums to learn a language. It lets the mind dwell upon the structure of the piece of work. The mind is forced to think about how the words are placed, how the sentences are clubbed. This gives rise to anticipatory reading. Without the conscious realization, the subconscious brain starts anticipating what the author would say next. That is when the goal of reading is achieved. The reader finally connects with the tune of the author. The mind, on the other hand, connects with the tune of the language. It is then that the language comes naturally into the thoughts and speech. And without even realizing, the reader starts to think in that language. And then the seed of reading is sown which grows into a tall tree in no time as this process is repeated over and over.
P.S. Someone rightly said that if you wish to learn a language, start thinking in that language!
Sonal Darra
GMAT Verbal Expert