READING COMPREHENSION ENG

• MAIN IDEA

  The main idea is the one central idea that the rest of the paragraph develops. It is found in the topic sentence

  which is usually found at the beginning, at the middle or at the end of a paragraph; sometimes it is just implied.

  I repeat. To find the main idea, look for the topic sentence.
• INFERENCE

  you’re going to be asked to make an inference. To be able to do so, you

  should understand each of the statements, and the relationship among the statements. More importantly, you

  should be able to pinpoint the general impression or feeling that the passage leaves. Is the passage generally

  happy, angry, sad, detached, or desperate?
• CONCLUSION

  Conclusions usually come at the end of passages. When asked what you can conclude from a paragraph, refer

  back to its end to look for it.
• RETENTION OF DETAILS

  While reading the passage, you must note specifics, names and dates which may be asked for later. Thus, when

  you are asked about a name you remember, you’ll save time by not going back to the passage to look for it. Just

  remember, however, that if you still have time, it’s better to check if the detail you remember is indeed correct.
• Simile


  A figure of speech directly assessing a resemblance in one or more points, of one thing to another. It compares two things using the expressions like, as... as, resembles, etc.
• Simile


  • My patience is like traffic in EDSA—it is endless.
• Metaphor


  A figure of speech that does say that something is like something or resembles something. It pretends that something is something.
• Metaphor


  • She is a rock — rigid and immovable.
• Synecdoche


  A figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole or the whole for the part.
• Synecdoche


  • A multitude of legs crossed the freeway.
• Personification

  A figure of speech by which inanimate objects are bestowed with human traits.
• Personification


  • The heavens, cried bitter and noisy tears, whispering and screaming in turns.
• Metonymy


  A figure of speech by which an object is used to represent another.
• Metonymy


  • Ladies and gentlemen, please lend me your ears.
• Hyperbole


  A figure of speech by which a strong effect is achieved through an exaggeration and an overstatement.
• Hyperbole


  • His neck stretched out a mile so that he could see what was going on.
• COHERENCE

  Within a paragraph, sentences should be arranged and tied together

  in such a way that the reader can easily follow the train of thought. The relationship between the sentences

  must be clear.
• Chronological Order (order of Time)

  In chronological order or time order, items, events, or even ideas are arranged in the order in which they

  occur. This pattern is marked by such transitions as next, then, the following morning, a few hours later,

  still later, that Wednesday, by noon, when she was seventeen, before the sun rose, that April, and so on.
• SPATIAL ORDER

  pattern, items are arranged according to their

  physical position or relationships. In describing a shelf or desk, I might describe items on the left first, then

  move gradually toward the right.
• Climactic Order (Order of Importance)

  In this pattern, items

  are arranged from least important to most important. Typical transitions would include more important,

  most difficult, still harder, by far the most expensive, even more damaging, worse yet, and so on. This is a

  flexible principle of organization, and may guide the organization of all or part of example, comparison &

  contrast, cause & effect, and description.
• PSYCHOLOGICAL ORDER

  This pattern or organization grows from our

  learning that readers or listeners usually give most attention to what comes at the beginning and the end,

  and least attention to what is in the middle. In this pattern, then, you decide what is most important and put

  it at the beginning or the end;
• TOPICAL ORDER

  catchall pattern. It

  refers to organization that emerges from the topic itself. For example, a description of a computer might

  naturally involve the separate components of the central processing unit, the monitor, and the keyboard,

  while a discussion of a computer purchase might discuss needs, products, vendors, and service.
• Unity

  A construction's parts and elements must be working together to clearly say something
• Conciseness

  A construction says in as few words as possible, what is needed to be said
• Irrelevant sentence

  A sentence that does not contribute anything to the main thought of the passage or selection, and does not help move the paragraph along to its conclusion
• Identifying irrelevant sentences

  Look for the sentence among the selection that does not cooperate with the rest of the sentence, in terms of direction and support value